New to caravanning - Words of wisdom please?

Hello and welcome.

If you have never towed a caravan I would book yourself on the CC towing course. On your first outing with the van don't be afraid to ask other people on site for help if you are having problems, because lot's of old hands have also been there, and will help you,  so take your time with everything and most important, enjoy yourselves.

Best of luck to you - I would read through some of the threads here - lots of great advice.  It may be difficult to book into a towing course with the club at this stage but I believe there are other towing schools around.  Have a wonderful time with your new venture.  If its a "new" towcar it might be as well to take some advice about "running in" - I found some advice to drive for a few weeks with my new car before towing but it was too late by the time I read it! 

Welcome to CT, PF. For your first trip select a site close to home, then you cam always pop back if you've forgotten anything important. Make a list of all the things you think you'll need for your stay. You can always add to it whenever you find things you've forgotten. If you have a motor mover on your van use it to site the van on your pitch. Take a spirit level with you to check that the van is level both fore/aft and from side to side. Use a ramp to level sideways and don't try to do it by using the steadies.

Try Rob McCabes book 'Make the Most of your Caravan' It's also available on Kindle. 

Exciting times lay ahead for you. May I suggest that you take a little notebook when you pick up your caravan. You should be given an explanation on how everything in your new caravan works. Personally I would be too exited to take everything in and making short quick notes helps to concentrate the mind - and yes I am a list kind of person 

If you intend to take lots of short weekend breaks, having the caravan kitchen fully equipped is probably essential. Most of these items can be picked up quite reasonably in £ type shops. Have a safe and enjoyable time and don't forget you can ask as many questions on here as you like, as we were all first timers once

I am new to caravanning, also coming from camping, having bought our first caravn in April.

If you are used to camping I am sure you will be okay with what to take to cook etc as you will be used to having to cart everything you need around with you.

I have found that towing isn't as difficult as I expected, just keep to relatively low speeds (it is easy to do above 60mph on the motorway if you are going with the flow of traffic). You need to be observant and keep a good look out and anticipate the actions of other vehicles on the road as you cannot speed up or slow down as easily as you do normally when caravan free. I suppose that is how bus and lorry drivers have to drive all of the time.

For my first outing I didn't heed the 'go local' advice I received as I wanted to make the best use of my holiday, so went 120 miles to the Lake District. It was great and we had no issues which detracted from our enjoyment of the holiday.

One thing I did cock up on was the electric hook up. My 'van came with a 10m lead, I didn't give it a second thought but found it wasn't quite long enough. I now have a 20m lead as well.

Another thing that caught us out on our second trip was the gas level in our bottle. When the dealer included a bottle as part of the package I assumed it was full, it wasn't. It had enough gas to cook one meal, so check how much is in the bottle before you go unless you know you can get replacements easily.

Don't forget towing mirrors are needed, and a mains electric kettle and toaster make life easier but aren't essential. Something which is essential in my opinion is breakdown recovery that includes the caravan. I don't think standard breakdown policies cover caravans due to their length.

Bits of wood to put under the corner steadies are useful to have too in the front locker, I have some offcuts of plywood. I didn't have any our first couple of times out and if parked on a slope made levelling the van difficult without them.

Have a look what experienced caravanners do when you get to site for ideas. I wondered why my waste water carrier had a bunjee cord on it, I soon figured out it was to secure the toilet waste cassette to rather than carry it to empty it.

Above all enjoy it, it is comfier, warmer and drier than camping!

There is a fair bit of advice on this site under Advice and train ing and I would look through that. Make sure you get a good demonstration when picking the caravan up and video it if possible for reference later. Load the caravan carefully trying not to put anything heavy at the front or back but low down in the centre.

When first towing be aware of the width of the caravan and get some good towing mirrors. On tight corners the caravan does cut in a little so be aware of this and watch it in the mirrors until you get the hang of it.

When on site you will find most caravanners a friendly lot, only too willing to help if asked so do not be afraid to.

Enjoy every second because it is a great way of life.

I would say not to rush especially when towing at first.

Look around you more than when solo and you often have to think for other cars. If youre unsure STOP and take your time.

In tight places I stop and let others work their way thro.

And dont be like me and many others and buy things that may come in uselful ..... they rarely are.

Never be afraid to ask, we all had to learn and never stop.

ENJOY and keep relaxed.