Take your home comforts with you on the road

Last Updated on March 28, 2018

Planning a holiday but worried about luggage allowances and how you’ll cope without all your home comforts when in a foreign place? Panic no-more!

With a caravan holiday you can take all of your home comforts with you on the road – and here’s how.

Get a caravan

If you don’t own a caravan already then you’ll need to purchase or rent a caravan. There are many options available to you but for those who want to get out on the road and really explore, you’ll need a touring caravan.

There are many different options available so you should be able to find one that suits your needs. A few key considerations you should make when making your decision include:

• The number of individuals the caravan sleeps – this is often written as “birth” so a 6-8 birth caravan will sleep 6-8 people
• How much storage space there is – both in terms of wardrobes and cupboards and extra storage cupboards
• The overall size of the caravan – make sure you are comfortable driving something this size and consider activities such as parking and reversing

Insure your possessions

Before you can take your home comforts on the road with you, you need to make sure that they’re insured. Caravan insurance is widely available but you will need to research policies carefully to ensure that you purchase one that covers you for damage or theft of your personal belongings as well as damage or theft of the caravan itself.

If you’re planning on taking a lot of home comforts with you then it is advisable to devise a list so that you can ensure you have everything you came with when you return. Tick items off as they are packed into the caravan and then again when they are unpacked.

You may also want to consider investing in a safe, moneybox or other form of secure storage for any valuable items such as money, credit cards, mobile phones, digital cameras, computer tablets and other gadgets.

Note that there are many different kinds of caravan insurance. For a big trip you’ll want touring caravan insurance.

There’s a helpful post here about what you can do to reduce the possibility of theft.

Pack your bags!

Once you’ve got your caravan and insurance sorted out, it’s time to pack your bags for your holiday! As you’re travelling by caravan you can take all of your home comforts with you rather than leaving them behind and that is great news for those who struggle to deviate from their daily routines.

When packing your bags you should think carefully about the luxuries and home comforts which will already be included in your caravan as part of the fixtures and fittings and about those which you need to bring with you.

Some examples of each are:

Home comforts already in a caravan

• Microwave
• Oven
• Fridge
• Shower
• TV (perhaps with DVD player)
• Radio

 Home comforts you need to pack

• Digital cameras – 40% of Brits say posting photos on social media are a highlight of their trip so look for a camera which can automatically upload your snaps or use a smartphone
• Mobile phone
• DVDs/CDs/video games
• Computer tablets/e-book readers
• Toiletries (there are no restrictions on liquid quantities like when taking a flight)
• Clothes, shoes and accessories (there are no maximum weight limits on your luggage)
• Electrical goods including razors, hair straighteners and other beauty products