What are your top tips for happy touring?

[LizziePope]

There's little better than a happy caravan holiday, but what's your recipe for success? Read Martin Roberts' latest blog where he shares his family's 'house rules' – what are yours?

 

[saint-spoon]

Make a list of everything you need and stick to it. Things that we have forgotten in the past include tea bags, flipflops (mine), toothpaste, washing up liquid, teabags (again), sunglasses (my prescriptions ones), pillows (yes really), the kettle (although we didn’t actually forget it, I ran it over with the car), gas on which to cook (in my camping days), torches, tea bags (they get a regular forgetting to as do sweeteners/sugar), matches and barbecue lighting fluid (pre cadac days).

All things considered I think that we are lucky to have stayed together considering the amount of time we found ourselves without the morning cup of earl grey. strangely we never seem to forget the wine.

 

[Lynnybobs]

Great tips there Saint-spoon - can't even begin to imagine how you managed to run over the kettle lol!
I think one of the secrets is to remember you are on holiday to relax - all the easier if you have of course remembered to pack the wine/beer/tipple of your choice.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Remembering the caravan is helpful! :cheer: ..... oh, and Mrs Keith!!

In our short time touring, we can't recall anything we've forgotten ..... more like what we've taken and didn't need!

As we're away regularly, we always keep tea and coffee, some cereals, crisps and nibbles in the van ready. I just have to check the stock levels.
As Lynnybobs says, its a case of relaxing with the favourite tipple. :cheer:

 

[BedfordRL]

We switch into holiday mode., this means that anything forgotten and any disaster is part of the adventure.
I've never understood why people take so much groceries with them, most sites are near a supermarket or shop, it's not as though you are caravaning in outer Mongolia.
I've run over three toolboxes, don't ask , the current one is painted orange and cowers in the back of the truck.

 

[Raywood]

I agree a good check list is the best advice. My wife has hers on a tablet and we run through it before setting off. In the past we have forgotten odds and ends like a tin opener and the camera. Without the camera we thought that we could just use the phone but that was the day it chose to pack up so no photos of that trip.
Still do not know how we did it but once we left one pillow case behind. It was laying on the settee after having been put there to take to the car and should have been obvious.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

In the past we have forgotten odds and ends like a tin opener

Small/cheap things like tin and bottle openers, etc live in our caravan so are not on the 'to take' list. Had you cleared you van and were restocking it?

 

[saint-spoon]

First tie we took the caravan out we actually forgot to take any cutlery at all. In our tenting days we just loaded the kitchen box into the car and were away but this was a whole new ball game. Anyway the on site shop only has table spoons so the kids were all happy with cereal and we fortunately hadn't forgotten the tea bags or run over the kettle on that occasions so not all was lost.

 

[Hutch]

Our van is normally stocked with most items required so its just fresh food Drinks and and cameras to take, oh and we take the salt into the house to keep dry, and a spare unopened in the van , just in case.

 

[SamandRose]

It helps if you don't forget the key to the storage yard. Just saying.