when going away what do you do?

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

1. do you pack your van days before?.

2. do you put everything in the boot and unpack it when you arrive at your destination?.

3. do you put everything in the boot and put it in the van when you get to the storage?.

comments would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

jo-anne

 

[peteh1]

hi jo-anne we would be in number 3 although we keep a lot in the van for the whole of the season manley non perishable goods we travwl with the awning chairs etc in the car regards peter

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Jo-anne

About 85% in the car, the remaning bits in the van. We do have the advantage as we can drop the rear seats down, because it's just the two of us.

Val & frank

 

[Rioja]

Depends what you mean by "everything" Jo-anne.

Caravan accessories all in the car plus heavy items like cases of wine and beer. Like Frank there are just two of us and we drop the back seats down in the estate car. Everything else is where we want it when we arrive. We are lucky in that we don't need to keep the van in storage, so clean clothes are taken out to the van on hangers etc.If we don't take an awning we have set up everything within 15 minutes of arrival. With the awning we take about 1.5 hours. We usually only put an awning up if we stay more than 4 days.

 

[Rita1]

I put all we want to take out night before (except food)

then hubby packs it in car and van on the morning of departure (caravan kept at home)

Clothes that are on hangers get laid out on seat to save them swaying about in wardrobe

Food goes in fridge

everything else in car

Rita

 

[Angus1]

Being fortunate enough to keep the `van on hardstanding next to the garage in my backgarden, we leave everything except for perishable foods in the van all year round.

Fridge stuff goes in the night before (van is on permanent hook-up through the garage), so I only have to put the awning, chairs, and spare table in the boot.

We still can`t get away early though.......

 

[Surfer]

As we use the caravan nearly every weekend no need to pack it days before, but why unpack it in the first place. Booze and food in the boot. No need to put it in the caravan as all consumed on the weekend.

 

[ValA.]

Our van is in storage and some stuff stays in it all year round - folding table, folding chairs, aquaroll, waste container, awning curtains. At the beginning of the season we put non-perishable foodstuffs, our own 'caravanning' washbags and hairdryer, cleaning stuff, toilet rolls, and everything else to stock the van, in the van. Then before a holiday we bring the van home the night before and plug in to home electricity, make up the bed with clean bedding, put in clean towels, fill up with perishable food (including tea and coffee), clothes, new books to read, and a bottle of wine. Awning, groundsheet, inflatable canoe, poles, etc go in car or in roof box, and we set off!!! Same thing, in reverse, on the way home - but we go straight to storage, and unload the van there.

 

[Viking1]

Hi Jo-anne

If we going for just two to three night then it go in the boot or if we go with a mounts notes but if we are going for long the wife will put things in the caravan and we put some thing in the boot as well.

Mark

 

[LMH]

Hi Jo-anne

The aqua rolls etc and awning are left in the van and loaded appropriately. Clothing goes on hangers in the wardrobe. Everything else goes in the car.

If we are going for a week or longer, we just take tea, coffee, a pint of milk and just a bit of food for that day. When we reach our destination, we go to the nearest shop/supermarket to stock up.

I couldn't get my other van on the drive and for two years on the trot, the farmer where we stored it said he would have all the gates open at 6am on a pre planned day so we could get away early. But he didn't on both occasions. My new van will fit on the drive yippee. So we will bring it round here a few days before we leave.

Lisa

 

[emmerson2]

Our van usually doesn't stay at home long enough to unpack it!

Been a bit quiet this year, though, but it's still ready to go at about an hour's notice.Everything goes in the van, cos the car is full of dogs and wheelchair!

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

thanks for all your comments. the reason why i was asking us we pack our van 1-2 days before we go. this time ive had to make two trips to pack it because the bikes, little ones scooter, kids helmets, all our clothes in suit hangers and hung up on rail. a bit of food not much, towels etc god its never ending.

i have bought 2 new chairs and a canvas wardrobe for the awning because not enough cupboard space in our van.

we can only put a few bits in the boot because we have the dog in her cage and the coolbox plugged in the boot aswell. so only a few things can go on top of her like coats and fleeces.

thanks for all your comments keep them coming i am reading them

jo-anne

 

[LMH]

Can't you put her in a seatbelt harness between your sons on the back seat? You could then put the cage flat in the back of the car.

We have both my dogs in harnesses on the back seat (much to Emma's annoyance). The cages go flat in the boot.

Lisa

 

[popupJohn]

With the van stored away from home we load everything into the car, transfer the food to the fridge when we get to the van and then unload everything once on site.

So basically it works out--

heavy stuff in the car,

light stuff in the van,

AND a few odd 'essentials' always left at home

 

[will2]

We bring our caravan home a couple of days before wash and clean it inside and out.The day before we go we put the heavier things in the car and the clothes in the caravan.

Will

 

[Diane1]

The caravan lives next to the house. It has its own towels and bedding. We also leave P.J.s in it aswell. When we go away all we have to do is add clothes and food. We also decided which awning to take depending on length of stay.

Awning goes on the back seat of the Nav, Doggies go in the flatbed. Food in the fridge-ordered online and delivered ready to put straight in the van.This weekend we booked thursday night packed on Friday night and left on Saturday at 9.am. But unlike you, we don't have small children, And after having four girls and i can remember i needed a holiday after taking them!

I think i was more stressed just packing and trying to remember everything.

 

[jinty0_0]

our caravan stays at the side of house and we leave most things in van all year. we start getting organised the weekend before leaving by washing inside and out then we start packing clothes and grub throughout the week but it never fails the day we are leaving we are always running in and out at last min.

 

[steve_5041630]

Hi Joanne,

From sounds of it, you are similar to ourselves (i.e. The wife and I, 2 small children and a large retriever).

We go away almost every other weekend from Easter to September, and we have done this for about 3 years now. The van is kept in storage around 20 miles away (impossible to have located at home).

First trip out, took awning, bedding and so on. Meant trips to the van in the week to sort out etc. We seemed to spend all weekend unpacking, putting awning up, sorting out the van, and suddenly Sunday morning comes and do the reverse. So now we don't bother with awning if only a few days, it stops in the garage. Don't bother with bedding, just sleeping bags and pillors, which are kept in the van. We also keep essential boots, wrapway raincoats for us all, fleeces in the van.

We travel light, and I mean light. So now, we pack what we can in the Freelander, go pick the van up and thats it. We find 30 mins to setup or packup and thats it.

 

[YorkiePuds]

Hi Jo-anne, We are very similar to a lot of other people, our van is kept on our drive we are off nearly every weekend weather permitting, and i leave everything in the van, non perishable food, towels, undies, coats, shoes, all i put in the van when we are going off is few clothes and my makeup case, I get fresh food when we arrive this makes the van lighter and food is fresher,

 

[YorkiePuds]

Hi Jo-anne, We are very similar to a lot of other people, our van is kept on our drive we are off nearly every weekend weather permitting, and i leave everything in the van, non perishable food, towels, undies, coats, shoes, all i put in the van when we are going off is few clothes and my makeup case, I get fresh food when we arrive this makes the van lighter and food is fresher,

Also Jo-anne, I always clean inside the caravan when we get back, empty dirty clothes, wash towels and bedding return them day after, saves having to do it later, and its ready to shoot off next time

 

[GrahamSouthBrum]

Hi Rita,

You must have a very large wardrobe or only take a few items of clothes with you.

Our wardrobe is packed full of my wifes clothes so nothing can swing or fall off.

Graham W.

 

[brenda_374246826]

Wow, just realising how lucky we are having the van in our drive way and can potter in and out with bits and bobs!!

 

[ColinA]

Very lucky Brenda our van is stored 20 minutes away its a pai in the arse.

Colin.