A tale as old as time… What needs to be packed in the caravan and what stays at home?
Caravanning is not simply about hitching up the van and hitting the road, there are lots of little things you’ll learn as you go. While it may all feel a bit overwhelming in the beginning, rest assured – you’ll get to know it all piece-by-piece and create memories that will last forever.
Even though everyone has a different style of how they like to travel, below are a few tips to make life a little easier when planning your next big adventure.
- Try not to pack your entire house into your caravan!
It’s understandable, you don’t want to find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere, wishing you’d brought that thingamajig along after all. Overpacking when caravanning is the easy to do. But culling those items down to only what you really need, will mean less stuff to keep track of on your trip, and make setting up and packing down your site easier. A good way to ensure you don’t overpack is to follow a checklist. – also remember to check out towing regulations here to ensure you aren’t towing above the legal weight for your caravan and vehicle.
- You can never have too much clothesline space.
On the road it can be difficult to find a suitable place to dry clothes, so it’s always a great idea to pack a portable clothesline.
- Always carry a water filter for your caravan hose.
While travelling, you never know what the water quality will be like at different caravan parks. The easiest solution is to get an inline water filter.
- Before you leave, make sure everything in the fridge is low and packed tight!
Stubby holders are your friends – they help stop jars and bottles from smashing. Tupperware containers with their lids off are also perfect to sit things in to stop them sliding around.
- Use Google maps without having phone reception by using the ‘offline maps’ function
Have you ever been on the road and suddenly you lose reception, and your maps stop working? The good news if you can download offline maps pretty easily! Find out how here – how to download maps.
- Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Always be aware of other people on the roads and keep your eye on the rear vision mirrors. If there is a build-up of cars following, just ease over to the left side of the road and enable the other cars to pass – but only when the road is wide enough.
- Take Regular Breaks When Driving
Make a point of breaking your journey every 200 kilometres or two hours. Find a nice spot to pull over and put the kettle on, or just stretch your legs. This will help reduce driver fatigue and keep yourself and others safe on the road.
