Ask your friends and I’ll bet very few of them have chosen to tow a mobile home behind their vehicle in favour of the modern comforts of a hotel suite. But if it wasn’t for caravanning, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Our family were devout members of the Caravan Club for many years and I spent the entire six weeks of every summer holiday (bar one) from my tiny twos to the age of 16 travelling through Europe and parts of Britain with my family and a caravan, and those trips hold some of my most precious memories.
The misconception vs the reality…
There is no doubt in my mind that the time we shared in our little white box brought my family closer together. Living in a confined space without the distractions of electronics forced us to find other ways to occupy our time.
We used to sit around the double bed come dining area giggling as my dad read out my mum’s diary in a silly voice. We spent hours playing Ludo and Scrabble underneath the awning, listening to the sound of summer rain drum down on the canvas above our heads. My sister and I found it exciting to share a linen tent in the awning outside, reading our books by torchlight and occasionally rushing inside in the middle of the night when the damp seeped in.
One inflatable dinghy provided more entertainment than a Nintendo or iPad ever could. We’d paddle across beautiful French lakes or turn it upside down and hide in the small pocket of air underneath. We spent hours sitting in deckchairs around a fold-up table painting, writing diaries, or talking about our parents’ lives before we were born.
As most of our holidays were in France, we woke most mornings to the sound of a bakery van pulling up, and the smell of freshly baked baguette and croissants. Bonne Maman jam, pate, smelly cheeses and red wine (from a plastic 5-litre barrel that would later serve as a spare petrol holder) were staple items.
We’d arrive at a new emplacement and busy ourselves winding down the legs of the caravan onto wooden blocks, airing the ground sheet, sliding the awning along the side of the caravan, pegging it out, collecting a water supply in our ‘Aquaroll’ (my sister and I always fought over that job) and finally collapsing onto garden furniture to share some Ritz crackers and a miniature glass bottle of Heineken (yes, we were weaned onto alcohol from an early age!).
And it’s because of these caravanning adventures that I found my passion for travel. My sister and I may not have always realised it at the time – occasionally resenting being removed from our friends for the whole summer break – but we were learning to appreciate the simple pleasures in life. We came to understand that, often, the best memories involve working as a team to make things run smoothly and finding unique ways to pass the time while cooped up in a car on long road trips. Not everything went our way, but we dealt with setbacks and laughed – a lot – about them later. And believe me, these are lessons that have been invaluable on my more recent travels.
This might sound crazy, but despite the amazing places I’ve been to in adulthood, I’ve never been able to rekindle that same sense of awe and anticipation I used to feel every July as we spent the night parked on the tarmac of Dover’s ferry port, sharing reheated home-made stew, the silence permeated sporadically by the drawn out bellow of a ferry fog horn.
I’ve digressed though. The aim of this post was to explain just why caravanning is such a fantastic travel option. So, without getting too distracted by fond memories from childhood, here are the reasons why I think you should give it a go.
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1. You meet people
When you pitch your caravan on a campsite, you become part of a community of independent travellers who are generally eager to mingle. You can step straight from your front door into nature, so you will spend the majority of your time soaking up the fresh air. It’s not uncommon for campsites to have swimming pools, tennis courts or a bar and restaurant area. You will chat to people as you wash up your plastic plates and do your laundry at the communal washrooms. Sometimes, there are organised events, from discos to karaoke or live bands. The amount of social interaction you experience will be vastly greater than in a hotel, but you still have the option to remove yourself from all the commotion when you need some solitude – something which can be tricky in hostels.
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2. You can pitch in some of the most serene locations
Some of the most stunning places I’ve ever stayed were campsites. By their very nature, they tend to be out in the wilderness. I imagine it’s much easier to turn a patch of pristine land into a camping and caravanning park than it is to get planning permission to erect a hotel or holiday resort, which might be why many of the campsites I’ve stayed were right by the beach or surrounded by woodland or rolling hills.
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3. You rarely need to book ahead
Of course, just like hostels and hotels, campsites do get fully booked from time to time, but at least you don’t need to rely on the availability of a room. If there’s a spare patch of ground, you have a place to stay and, often, campsites are vast fields with plenty of space. Also, if it is busy, you don’t need to wait hours to check in while someone changes the sheets on your bed and prepares your room. As soon as another camper pulls out of a spot, you’re free to set up home.
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4. It’s environmentally friendly
Since you spend most of your time outdoors or getting back to basics with books and board games, you don’t drain energy using electrical appliances. Most sites have garbage and recycling areas for you to easily dispose of waste in a sustainable way. And while the idea of a portaloo isn’t exactly glamorous, it saves a surprising amount of water.
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5. It’s relatively cheap
Not only is the cost of a camping space much more reasonable than a hotel room, you also have everything you need at your disposal. You can stock up on groceries and cook your own meals, saving a fortune on restaurant bills.
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6. It encourages you to learn languages
I have little doubt that my A in GCSE French was a result of the time we spent in France. If I add up every summer holiday we took there, I’ve spent over a year of my life in the country. Our parents used to encourage me and my sister to go and order the morning bread or to ask for directions. I resented it at the time, but it really sped up the learning process and increased our confidence at the same time.
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7. You learn to appreciate the effort involved
As with camping, there’s something satisfying about working for your comfort. The cool celebratory beer tastes so much better when you’ve just finished erecting an awning and collecting a water supply, cooking your own meal and doing your own washing up. To this day, I’m still uncomfortable being waited on. I much prefer to put the effort in myself.
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8. You hear some interesting things
Caravans and tents aren’t particularly sound proof, which sounds like a negative, but there were so many times when I really enjoyed being able to hear what was going on around me. From the interesting conversations of fellow campers to the hum of cicadas or the trickle of a nearby stream or crashing of waves on a beach, the surrounding noises were a welcome intrusion. When we were young, our dad was a big fan of Dire Straits. We’d listen to their albums constantly in the car as we drove between destinations. One time, by coincidence, we arrived in a campsite for two nights while Dire Straits were performing in a nearby amphitheatre and we could still hear Mark Knopfler working his guitar magic as we lay in our beds.
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9. It brings you and your travel companions closer
There’s nothing like spending 24/7 with your friends or family to help build your relationships. You learn how to be patient and accepting of each other’s annoying habits. You also learn so much more about them. Especially when you’re in a confined space and don’t have the distractions of TV, you fall into a pattern of deep and meaningful conversations and silly games that pass the time but provide plenty of entertainment. My family have always thanked those long summer caravan breaks for bringing us together. Of course, we had our disagreements, especially during my teenage years, but these days, my dad, my sister and I are the best of friends. I know that has more than a little to do with the quality time we shared as I grew up.
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10. It keeps you fit
Since caravan parks are often in the back of beyond, the sorts of activities you end up doing almost always involve being active. The campsites we stayed in in Scotland were always in remote locations with stunning coastal or mountain walks nearby. I’ve climbed more mountains, ‘monts’, and ‘bens’ than I care to think about. We would go fishing for our dinner or row the dinghy across a lake. We played plenty of tennis matches on site, sometimes against cute Dutch boys, and splashed about in the campsite swimming pools. From the moment we woke to the moment we went to sleep, we’d be expending more calories than any amount of vin rouge and pate could ever replace.
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Some tips
- The Caravan Club offers a wealth of information on places to stay. They offer advice, special discounts for members, technical help and also do insurance.
- For accessories for your caravan, from aquarolls and portaloos to awnings and security gadgets, visit the Caravan Shop.
- If you don’t have space to store your caravan on your property when it’s not in use, CaSSOA has listings for over 500 storage parks across the UK.
- Although a lot more basic in web design, UK-sites.com is like the HostelBookers of the caravan world and is a valuable resource for finding places to pitch across the country.
- If you’re looking to travel further afield, Booking.com has its own campgrounds section with listings worldwide.
Of course, if you’re still not convinced that a caravan is for you, there are loads of options for luxury family holidays all over the world!
You must have had such lovely memories writing this post. And sharing such gorgeous family photos has made me smile! I kind of wish we’d tried caravan holidays now – but our thing was coaching our way to Spain. Good times.
Clare recently posted..In Your Newcastle Home
Yes, I really enjoyed it. My dad scanned the photos for me. We were on Skype as I looked through them. Made me quite homesick!
Love it – especially those photos, how cute! We did a lot of static caravan/tent holidays when I was a kid then graduated to a VW camper van (that my dad finally sold a few weeks ago after 30 years, sob!). It was great being outdoors all the time and having so many other kids to play with. Can’t remember the last time I went camping but it’s one of those things I plan to resurrect if I have kids!
Lucy recently posted..In pictures: Bridging the gap between Newcastle and Gateshead
Yes, definitely! I think for the time being I’ll stick to backpacking and a little bit of camping in tents, but if I have a family I’d love to take them away in a caravan and give them a taste of my early years :-)
OH my gosh I hope you enjoyed putting this together and writing it as much as I did reading it, Arianwen! I love personal posts. You brought back great memories of camping when I was a kid. The first thing that popped into my head was having a bear come through the campground in Yosemite. Also our family hike across Glacier National Park. Had grizzly come through the camp one night there too! :)
Mike recently posted..A German Pancake Recipe for Mike and Phoenix
I really enjoyed writing it! Actually, the only year we didn’t go caravanning for the summer, we did a US road trip. Yosemite was my highlight. We didn’t see a bear though.
No way! Yosemite is just “down the road” from us! If you ever come back to the Western part of the States you better look us up! Or you’ll be in big trouble with Phoenix :)
Mike recently posted..When The Love Of Your Life Has Surgery, One Worried Dad
I will be back to Yosemite one day. It’s so beautiful. And I don’t want to get on Phoenix’s bad side!
Ha ha, that photo of you and the baguette is so sweet. It looks like it is bigger than you two sweat peas. :-)
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Surviving The World’s Most Dangerous Road
I meant sweet peas of course. ;-)
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Surviving The World’s Most Dangerous Road
I love that photo too! It’s one of my all-time favourites of my sister. We call it ‘the one with the croissant in the eye’. :)
We had a ‘pop up’ trailer when I was young – I loved it! I don’t know if I’d want to drive one around, just because driving bigger cars make me nervous, but I love the idea of carrying my own transportation with me. I think my ideal set up would be one of those mini trailers that fits onto the flatbed of a pickup.
Jess recently posted..How to Find Gold in the Yukon – Claim 33, Dawson City
Yeah, that’d be cool. I don’t know how my parents did it sometimes. I remember my dad once having to reverse the caravan back up a thin, cliff-side road because we’d met a lorry coming the other way. It was pretty nerve wracking!
It’s great to know you can be so flexible with your caravan holidays. You don’t need to book anything ahead so it gives you a great opportunity to go whenever you like!
Agness recently posted..Is It Possible To “Live” A Great Life In Chiang Mai, Thailand For Less Than $25 A Day?
Yes, I love having flexibility when I travel. Backpacking and camping are the best. In a way, organised trips are more relaxing because you don’t have to do all the planning, but then it’s so frustrating to have to follow such a rigid schedule.
A fantastic read, I especially love all the old photos. Whilst my family have never owned a caravan, I did go on ‘caravan holidays’ without fail every year until I was about 10. We would stay at a large caravan park in Wales – a little bit more upmarket than Butlins. It was good fun and right next to the beach…a traditional ‘English’ holiday!
Thanks! The old photos made me smile so much as I was writing it. My family used to visit the South of Wales quite often too, because my dad’s from the Valleys and his sister still lives there. I think my dad spent a lot of his youth on caravan parks in the area and we’ve been for walks along the coast near Butlins a few times.
HI Arianwen,,
Love, love this! I love hearing of those precious pre-Ipad/iphone time when kids enjoyed their time without any electronic distractions . You were lucky to have this wonderful kind of travel expeirence from a very early age. I really enjoyed reading this post and seeing your wonderful photos.
I used to resent it occasionally, but now I know I’m going to be exactly the same kind of parent. They can play with old-fashioned toys and read books for entertainment just like I did! I hear about parents giving their three-year-olds iPads to distract them and I can’t get over how much things have changed since our generation was raised!
Love this post, Ari! I see that traveling with your parents from an early age has spurred your enthusiasm for travel – same here. I never camped much when I was young, but I’d love to do more of that when Jave and I start a family. Great tips!
Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans recently posted..Life in Savannah is a Walk in Forsyth Park
Thank you Dana! Yes, my parents definitely passed on their wanderlust to me. I think my dad often wishes he hadn’t! Now both his daughters are on the opposite side of the world! I definitely recommend camping/caravanning for families – or any holiday that gives you a lot of quality time together without other distractions :)
Despite travelling in Australia every year, I have yet to travel with caravan. I am sure it is brand new experience!
Wilson
Wilson Ng recently posted..Homemade Ice Cream and Ice Kacang at Kow Po Bentong
I hear that campervan holidays are very popular in Oz. I would love to do a road trip, but none of my friends over here can take enough time off work, and it’s not great doing a road trip by yourself – not to mention the fact that I can barely remember how to drive! I hope you get the chance to experience it!
What a facinating lifestyle! Seems like you got the travel bug passed on to you at an early age. Glad to see you’re still adventuring.
Kae Lani | A Travel Broad recently posted..Mixed Messages at Treptower Park
Yes, I definitely did! And now I’m an addict! :)
Hehe cool! I spent my summer holidays the same way – my parents would only go camping – not even sure they knew how to book a hotel :)
Btw just followed you on Facebook Like your site! Looking forward to connect!
MightyTravels recently posted..Mistake to Brazil? JFK to Rio and others $648 Business Class
We went on one trip to the USA and spent a few weeks here and there in cottages, but it was mainly about the caravanning for us. I’m glad though. I think when you’re younger, it’s the social interaction that matters most. I don’t remember exactly where I went, so it might have been a waste of money to take us to really exotic places. I’d much rather see those now!
When my dad bought a caravan, I thought it was going to be weird traveling in it. I soon found out that it is actually really nice, especially when camping. It is also true that you meet some of the friendliest people even, I think it’s because they have a caravan and they instantly have something in common with you. http://www.thecaravancompany.com.au/used-caravans
These are the reasons why our family started this business years ago. Traveling outdoors with the people you care a lot strengthens family relationship and friendship.
Chris Frazer recently posted..Retreat Caravans Win Best Aussie Vans Award
Yes! This is so true. I hope to take my own family camping one day – if I ever have one of my own! :)
This is an awesome childhood experience that even molds a young mind into the importance of giving value to our family. I like your statement regarding “the time we shared in our little white box brought my family closer together” because this is the moment that many of us in this modern age are not minding about growing and experiencing together as a family.
This is really an excellent and life-changing article.
Hi Matt. Thanks for your kind words. I did love caravanning when I was younger and really hope that if I ever have children of my own we’ll do the same kind of holidays, with lots of opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors!
This is just…beautiful. great memories you have there!
Samoina (@Samoina) recently posted..This is why I am vocal about Postpartum Depression in Kenya
Oh, thank you! I do miss that caravan!
Thanks for the great read! My wife and I have been thinking about taking a caravan holiday soon as well. I like that you mention how you rarely have to book places for this kind of vacation. My wife and I are always short on time so this sounds ideal.