New to Caravanning

[Andy_5039984]

hoping to convince the wife enough to start caravanning soon, we have two kids age 3 and 4, my parents have a 2 berth bailey paegent which we used this summer once for a taster, unfortunatly we have very bad weather, site was realy water logged and muddy, people on the site were not friendly seemed quite rough! and it was overun with kids way into the small hours running around which kept us all awake! we are not snobs but do expect a nice pleasent surrounding, anyway this seems to of put my wife off a bit and thinks that staying in a travel lodge is more convenient,especialy for short breaks for the packing and unpacking of the caravan, i've been reading practical caravan for months now and i think it seems to be great fun! Another reason why we started thinking of caravanning is that my wife and I are not so keen to fly now due to the increased threat of terrorism! anyway just thought i'd see what comments you may have about getting started and the pros and cons, we also thought that if we do start we would go for a fixed berth caravan as we are not into bunk beds problem with this is weight! what type of car do most people drive with these type of caravans eg: Bailey Pageant bordeux. Sorry! if ive dribbled on, but i would appreciate any comments, cheers in advance!

 

[MikeG1]

Hi Andy...I think you will get loads of replies to this. First I would see if I can borrow your parents van and take the wife away again but this time for a weekend or slightly longer, be more selective as to what type of site you pick and not to far away from where you live. Once you have her convinced check the kerbweight of your car to see what it will tow. Once your armed with this you can look for a van. To start with I'd go for second hand, one that you can keep for a year or two to make sure you and your wife like it. Then you can move on, a newer van a bigger tow car, traveling further afield, abroad, France, Holland or even Spain. Happy hunting and good luck. Mike

 

[Rose_5039941]

I think you just had very bad luck with your choice of campsite. It can be a bit of a lottery if you try somewhere that you have never been before. Let us know which area you like to go to and you will be indundated with suggestions of good sites to try out.

Give it another go at another site before you give up.

Good Luck

 

[ruth_5041513]

We're also new to caravanning, took delivery of our van last feb'04. We've had an absolute ball since starting and I couldn't recommend caravanning highly enough. Our 1st site was a real dump, so called 4star in the lakes, since then we've just chosen 5 star sites and ones recommended from practical caravan, we've not been disappointed.We've got 2 young children also and we have a bailey ranger 550/6 and we tow with a ford galaxy, the kids love the setup of the fixed bunks, maybe another option to consider. Don't give up, give it another go and I'm sure your wife will love it as much as we do. Caravanning is the new rock and roll!

 

[ange_5039847]

Hi, I agree with the other comments - sounds like you picked a bad site - trust me, there are lots of beautiful sites out there. We have 3 kids and have caravanned since they were all babies. We have only ever had 1 bad experience on a camp site and we go away once a month from Feb - November so sounds like you were just unlucky. Give it a go - with kids its much cheaper than going abroad or in hotels and you can please yourself when you come and go! Good luck!

 

[audiorob]

poor site, poor weather, 4 in a two-berth! Oh dear, and her indoors wants to stay that way! It's worth getting hold of Alan Rogers Guide as you get a half page commentary from an actual visit. You will find a consistent standard at either club sites. When mine were young they could sleep on the mattresses of an 'L' shaped rear dinnete (also possible on shorter parralel dinette while they are young). Personally with youngsters regularly in tow a fixed bed takes up a lot of floor space that is redundant during the day. Visit a few showrooms and spread yourselves out to see how it feels before commitment to purchase.

 

[BarryB_5039906]

Sorry to hear you had a bad start. Do give it another go, but try using a Caravan Club site. These are usually of the best quality and are very well run and organised. In terms of what layout to use, you might want to consider a 'van with beds at both ends and a central loo. This will allow you to put the kids to bed and leave the main part of the 'van for you. Most kids love 'vanning, ours still come with us and the eldest is 18!!!!!Happy travels BarryB

 

[helen_5040519]

Hi there Andy we have had our first caravan since April we have a 9 year old and a grandmother. Decided to buy new and went for an L shaped front, side dinette and end bathroom. It seems to suit what we need. Been to the Three Counties show this weekend just my husband and it went really well. Dont be put off by your first experiences our first two outings nearly resulted in us selling the caravan and jetting off and taking our chances with the terrorists. Join the caravan club and go rallying with a centre of your choice. You wont regret it. Caravanners are a class apart, genuine people who pass the time of day and are always willing to help.

 

[merv_5040454]

Generally speaking (and I accept that there are exceptions) the sites that belong to the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club will be of a consistently high standard and are well organised. Problems are rare (although they can't do much about the weather!)

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Probably most caravaners have landed up on a bad site sometime in their life. There are excellent sites out there so perservere - your wife will really enjoy it when the weather is fine and a plesant site is found. My wife and I have been enjoying the caravan life for many years, with children, grandchildren and just the two of us. Why not visit the 3 Counties caravan show at Malvern this week if you do not live too far away.

An excellent site we very often visit is WIdend at Paignton - plenty to see and do even in poor weather and very close to Torquay/Paignton/Brixham/Totnes/Dartmoth/etc.

We have a Bailey 500/5 and leave the rear bed made up all day and close the door during the day. There is adouble bed with a single bunk over - very handy for children should they require a sleep during the day. We tow with a Daihatsu Fourtarck 2.8TDI. However a reasonable size car will cope with it. As a guide the 85% rule is the best way to calculate the towing capability of your car. However do not excede the manufacturer's tow limit figure or nose weight maximum. Good luck and enjoy it - we have for many a year.

 

[Steve_5041619]

Hi Andy. I agree with others, stick to CC or CCC club sites and you won't go far wrong. We've been caravanning for 15 years plus and had many wonderful holidays as the kids have grown up. Like many others, we've booked our fair share of nightmare sites. Which, looking back gives us plenty to laugh about. The site where our awning was invaded by a pack of five dogs from the van next door to the time we thought it was a good idea to take the kids to the site attached to Drayton Manor Park, didn't get much sleep that weekend. As to what van to choose, I would recommend going to one of the big shows e.g. the NEC in February and seeing what's out there. You may not be in the market for a new van, but at least you can get a good idea of the layouts and equipment that are available and set your sights accordingly. If you want to be cheekey, have a word with some of the dealers there about their current second hand list. Bare in mind, they will be selling loads of new vans at the show. Each new van they sell probably involves the px of someone elses pride and joy. Therefore, they will have loads of px's to shift, you may get a bargain. As to what car, remember you are buying your first van and you may not take to caravanning, not every body does. Therefore, I would advise buying a van that suits your current car's capabilities. Otherwise, it could be a very expensive mistake buying a new car and caravan all in one hit. Once you've tried it for a couple of years and joined us other caravan nuts, then you can start thinking about spending a fortune on a huge estate/4x4 and a bigger caravan. Don't try and do too much at once, divorce lawyers are very expensive! Steve

 

[Andy_5039984]

Cheers! people for your comments so far, My wife is still not to convinced and making lots of excuses as to why not to caravan, not sure the real reason why! I thinks her parents have put her off too as earlier this summer they were looking into either folding campers or vans, we voiced our interest in possibly going shares in something, then few weeks later they decided they coundn't be bothered with it, too much hassle easier staying in hotels for weekends and shorts breaks, no hasle with towing, insurances and storage fee's etc this seems to of helped put my wife off and convinced her not to caravan maybe it will be something that I only dream of doing, but never mind i think we are are going to probaly try using MY parents caravan again couple of times next year before deciding what to do. My Dad however has hinted that if his current 2berth van was to be used more he might think of changing it for 4 berth van which would be grate. Anyway in the mean time i will carry on reading the magazines and websites picking up helpful hints and tips. Andy

 

[garymason]

Join the caravan club, great insurance deals, good monthly mag, and only use caravan club sites. They are far better than anything else and you always get nice people on these sites.

 

[MelCable_5041818]

I too was a bit iffy about caravanning when i first started i was to used to my home comforts. Last year we were given my father in laws caravan and ever scince then we have become addicted. We mostly go on rallies or cl sites they are a bit quieter so you don't get the kids from hell as your neighbours. We have 2 boys aged 9 and 4 and they make there own entertainment or we play with them. We wouldn't dream of staying in a hotel it would be to claustrophobic and you don't know who slept in your bed before you at least in a caravan you do. We tried spain it rained for 4 days out of 7 and the kids got ill.

Caravanning is the best you must try it again!!!!!

 

[michele_5041070]

I can't believe that my "I won't be seen dead in a caravan" husband is now fighting me for the new edition of practical caravan as it falls through our door. I don't know what tipped the balance. Maybe because the kids had such a great time camping last summer but we missed the home comforts (loo, sink etc!), maybe I took the pressure off for a while, and maybe caravanning with kids just makes great sense! We found the Caravan Club site at Chirk really clean and courteous, reports from others suggest the CC sites are all good.

Good luck.

Caravanning really is the new rock 'n' roll!