A caravan holiday entails more than just a road trip. It involves exploring the depths and breadths of your destination at your own pace. It’s a fun, exciting and memorable experience you share with your family and/or friends. However, you must prepare well for a caravan trip. You cannot just go on a caravan trip on a whim.
Preparing For Your Caravan Adventure
You can only experience the true benefits of a caravan holiday if you prepare well for the time you’ll spend on the road. The safety of your touring party, their security, entertainment, and enjoyment throughout the road trip depends a lot on how well the preparations are made.
And in many ways, preparation boils down to packing the must-have items and gear and following a few golden caravanning tips. Read on for our caravan holiday essentials and tips.
Caravan Checklist: Things You’ll Need
A caravan checklist consists of everything that your caravan should have before setting off on your road trip. While every holidaymaker will require a custom list, there are plenty of items that every list should have. Such items include:
#1. Spare Tyres – It’s a good idea to have spare tyres for your vehicle and caravan. Keep in mind you’ll find it difficult to access roadside assistance whilst in the far corners of New Zealand.
#2. Caravan Insurance – Caravan insurance will help safeguard your finances. The last thing you want to do is be out of pocket for damage to your caravan or other people’s vehicles and property in case of a dreaded accident.
#3. First Aid Kit – You need a first aid kit to cater to a potential health emergency. Importantly, all parties on the trip should also learn to use the kit effectively and safely.
#4. Hitch Lock – Hitch locks are a safety and security device that prevents tampering with the hitch. It gives you peace of mind that your caravan is always safe regardless of the campsite you choose to spend a night at.
#5. Towing Mirrors – Towing mirrors improve your visibility by orders of magnitude, which in turn, improves safety. This is a must-have for any caravan holiday.
#6. Outdoor Table And Chairs – Simple collapsible outdoor chairs and a table will make a world of difference when you want to prepare meals, eat, or even relax around the campsite. You must have a table and chairs in your caravan.
#7. Gas Bottles – You’ll need fuel for cooking and in some cases, heating water in the caravan. Ensure the gas bottles are topped up before setting out on your caravan expedition.
#8. Washing Up Liquid – Don’t forget to pack washing-up liquids to clean your dishes and clothes. Sanitation is especially important when travelling on the road for weeks.
#9. Waste Water Tank – As you can expect, most campsites in NZ frown upon improper disposal of wastewater. With this in mind, ensure your caravan has a wastewater tank with enough capacity. Additionally, ensure you have a wastewater kit to help evacuate the wastewater.
Caravan Tips for Better Holidays
Tip #1: Plan Your Route Before Hand – Planning is an important aspect of caravan holidays. This is especially true if you’re new to this kind of holiday. Research your route and plan accordingly. Have a clear knowledge of where and when you will have stop-offs, places you want to visit, and much more.
Tip #2: Create A Caravan Packing List – It’s important to create and use a packing list during the packing process. A packing list is the cornerstone of smart travelling. You want to purchase all the necessary items you’ll potentially need on your travels.
However, a caravan trip calls for light packing. After all, you’ll be spending a considerable time on the road in a confined space that is available in a caravan. Ideally, you should travel with the bare minimal creature comforts without compromising your health and safety. Having a packing list will help you stick to a predefined number of items when packing up.
Tip #3: Create A Caravan Checklist – Before you set out on your journey, ensure you have all the necessary gear for a caravan trip. For instance, you can create a checklist for different categories including general safety and equipment, health and medical, food, cookware, cleaning and entertainment.
By creating a caravan checklist, you ensure your caravan has all the necessary travel gadgets you need for a fun-fill memorable experience.
Tip #4: Carefully Consider Storage In The Caravan – Space is limited in caravans. On the other hand, you will enjoy your time traversing and exploring NZ when your caravan is comfortable and spacious. With this in mind, you need to be economical with space.
As such, invest in space-saving ideas and gear. For instance, buy collapsible storage boxes, stackable storage tubs, hanging hooks, magnetic strips, a hanging shoe rack, etc. Space-saving gear will make your life a lot easier throughout the journey.
Tip #5: Find Your Campground – While there a numerous holiday parks to choose from, you should choose your campground carefully. Every campground has a set of rules for campers. You should check up on the rules of any potential holiday park you want to visit and choose the campground you think is suitable for your needs.
Final Thoughts
When you have your caravan essentials right and follow the golden caravanning tips, you will enjoy your holiday a lot more. As a matter of priority, ensure you have all the caravan essentials before setting out on the road.
Check Out High-Quality Retreat Caravans in NZ!
As you can appreciate, a great caravan holiday is highly dependent on the quality of the caravan you use. As a company, we’ve been in the business of building tough, luxurious, and innovative caravans for over 15 years. As such, we know all too well that your road trip needs a vehicle developed to take on the off-road as much as sealed roads.
We also appreciate that our customers need top quality touring caravans to go further and journey for longer, enjoying their expeditions in ways no other caravan can allow. If you’re in the market for an innovative caravan that will take you to any destination in New Zealand, look no further than Retreat Caravans!
Retreat Caravans has partnered with Inside Out RV so if you are looking for the most innovative, reliable, state of the art caravans for sale in New Zealand, backed up by friendly service and a reliable dealership, then get in touch with Inside Out RV today!
