A Survival Guide for First-Time Family Caravanners

Top tips for your next family caravanning holiday

We did it! We survived our first caravanning trip with two under three -  granted it was just for four nights. Now, I’m not going to lie, there was definitely a moment or two in the lead up to the journey when we thought wouldn’t it be easier to book a hotel? Is this planning all worth it? But let me assure you, it was!

Like many other families, we were new to caravanning. If I’m honest, it was something I associated with an older audience and I had no idea about the unique holiday experiences it offered. Now, we’re completely hooked, so much so that we’ve committed to at least ten caravan trips away within the next year. In a COVID world, we’re planning each of these trips within our home state of NSW, and have an ever-growing list of campsites less than 3 hours away.

With just four nights of caravanning under our belt, we are by no means experts, but our first experience certainly sent us on a steep learning curve. We wanted to share some advice for first-time family caravanners, and hopefully, you can learn from some of our mistakes:

Choosing the right van:

Before our recent trip, my last experience camping was attending a music festival and waking up in a soggy bargain pop-up tent. So when exploring caravans for the first time, I found the whole process quite daunting. There are endless van models available on Camplify, so to help you find the right one for your next getaway, we would suggest first thinking about the type of experience you’d like:

• Retro revival: Vintage lovers are spoiled for choice when it comes to retro conversions. We’re huge Viscount fans! Whilst these beautifully restored vans may have other campers green with envy, it’s worth considering that some models are 60+ years old and still follow the same layouts, meaning no bathroom, air conditioning or off-grid power available. If retro is your thing, just be sure to book a campsite that enables you to connect to power, and try to secure a pitch close to the amenities for any late-night dashes to the toilet!

• Luxury caravans & motorhomes : Wow! I had no idea all the features available in modern caravans and motorhomes - we’re talking dishwashers, washing machines, full ensuites… and Nespresso machines! These vans really are an apartment on wheels. We’re quite keen to give a New Ageor Nextgen van a go soon!

• Offgrid: If you’re wanting to head off the beaten track and perhaps camp in a National Park or a private property on Hipcamp, then self-contained vans with off-grid features are perfect for you.

• Should I tow? If you have experience towing a caravan, are feeling confident, and the weight of the van fits within your car’s towing capacity, then why not give it a go? Each local van owner carries out a full handover with you where they will help you hitch up and explain everything about the van. If not feeling too confident, then many van owners have a drop-off option where they are able to drop their van off to the campsite of your choice.

• Caravan vs Motorhome: This is a very tough question, and we’re quite biased towards caravans as we’re yet to experience a motorhome. The great thing we found about a caravan was that we still had access to our car on holiday, so if we wanted to go on a little drive to explore another beach or pop to the supermarket to pick up something we’d forgotten, we didn’t have to pack-up our whole camp - we just locked the caravan.

Pitch perfect

Whilst finding a van can take some planning, don’t underestimate finding a campsite. In fact, we’d suggest doing this before finding your van. With Aussies holidaying locally, campsites are in high demand - pre-COVID many popular spots were already receiving summer bookings a year in advance. Once understanding your preferred campsite availability and amenities, it can make it easier to choose the right van.

As a person who thoroughly studies a PDF of a menu before attending a restaurant, I was up for the campsite planning challenge.

I found downloading the Wikicamps app a very useful tool for planning. It enabled me to search for a map of Australia, filter by facilities, read reviews and see campers’ real photos.

For those with nonschool age children, if you’re able to holiday mid-week outside of the school holidays, it’s often possible to secure discounted pitches in prime locations.

3 is the magic number

For your first experience of caravanning, we would suggest a minimum of three nights. Check-in for many campsites is from 2 pm onwards, and check-out is often at 10 am. By holidaying for three nights you’re able to guarantee at least two fun-filled days.

Note: If holidaying mid-week and outside of school holidays you may also be able to request flexibility around check-in and out times.

Give yourself a week to pack

I’m aware this may sound ridiculous to some, but by giving ourselves a week we were able to make sure the clothes we needed had been washed and had an ongoing pile of items that we regularly added to. Finding spare time to pack with kids can be a challenge, so the slow and steady approach worked for us. We, of course, forgot quite a few things!

When hiring from a Camplify owner, request an inventory of the items included in the van - you can then cross-reference with your own packing list. If towing the van yourself, consider requesting the van the day before so that you’re able to pack directly into it from your home. Many caravans offer lots of storage for food and clothes, so there’s no need to live out of bags on your holiday.

Food preparation

To maximise your holiday time and limit visits to the supermarket, we recommend packing all the food you need with you. Consider which family favourites you want to cook for each meal in advance.

Once checking-in after 2 pm and setting up your pitch, whilst wrangling children, time can run away from you. For the first night, preparing a meal in advance or having something that’s quick to make is ideal - and perhaps a nice few beverages cooling in the esky!

The big reverse

Reversing a caravan into a tight caravan pitch can often be a challenge, especially with an audience of onlookers. Before attempting the big reverse, carefully study your pitch and consider where the power & water connections are, proximity to your neighbours and the direction your door & awning will be facing.

Connected to power and water at Ingenia Holidays One Mile Beach

Say hello to your neighbours

When caravanning you’ll meet people from all different walks of life, all with a shared interest and love of the great Aussie outdoors. Many will have fantastic travel stories and are willing to share some of their favourite hidden gems with you, and others may even be able to help out if you’ve forgotten to pack something.

In our short trip, a local couple told us about a stunning beach 10mins away, another family was on ‘kangaroo alert’ - shouting our son over every time they spotted a kangaroo, and a friendly gentleman helped us when we locked ourselves out of our caravan!

Pelicans on the water at Diamond Waters Caravan Park

That buzz in the air

It wouldn’t be a true camping experience without an army of bugs joining you. Whilst mozzie bites are inevitable, there are a few things you can do to try and keep your buzzing holiday friends at bay, including:

• Check that the van your hiring has fly screens fitted

• Don’t forget to pack some mozzie spray. Our favourite is Moogoo Tail Swat Body Spray. It has a lovely scent that bugs don’t like and is all-natural ingredients, so we don’t feel bad putting on the little ones’ skin

• Try to keep the caravan door closed when outside at night

Awning awareness

We had no idea how valuable a caravan awning would be. It extended our living space and offered great protection from the sun in the heat of the day.

Awnings can be quite fiddly and fragile if not handled carefully. When doing a handover with a Camplify van owner, pay close attention to the awning. Where possible, ask the owner to demonstrate how it works and have a go yourself in front of them.

Whilst camping it’s important to keep an eye on the weather if the wind is set to pick up, it’s often best to pack your awning away to avoid any unnecessary damage.

Jumping pillow at Ingenia Holidays One Mile Beach

Kids entertainment

With many family caravan parks offering beach access, playgrounds, jumping pillows and swimming pools, kids really will have the time of their lives and a welcome break from screen time. From our own experience, and spying on our neighbours, we would also recommend some of the following to keep the kids entertained:

• Mini torches or headlights

• Marshmallows for toasting and hot chocolate

• Getting around: scooters, skateboards and bikes (with a speed limit of 10KPH and a family environment, the roads of caravan parks are often filled with kids racing around)

• Games: Wooden magnetic fishing game, card games such as UNO - we’ve also heard Spot It is great, but haven’t tried it yet because our kids are a little too young

• Magic water colouring books

• Jumbo chalksfor colouring the footpath

• Beach toys: our Wahu surfer duderesulted in hours of fun, plus the usual bucket & spade and boogie board

• Our days at the beach were also extended with our Big W sun shelter

• Bedtime stories

Note: many lovely Camplify owners actually provide kids games and books!

As much as we’ve attempted to share some advice, there really is no right or wrong way to enjoy camping. It’s all about spending quality time together outdoors and making memories whilst exploring this beautiful country. Any mishaps or forgotten items along the way often lead to creativity and make for funny stories that you’ll be telling for years to come.

New to caravanning? Discover our top caravan tips for beginners before you hit the road.

With vans in your neighbourhood available to hire from $60 a night from Camplify , why not consider enjoying your next family holiday in a home-on-wheels!