It should be fairly self-explanatory as to what a touring caravan is, the clue’s in the name. But we will look a little closer, so, what is a touring caravan?
Touring caravans are caravans that are meant to be mobile and have to be towed around. They are usually made from something light and durable, such as aluminium.
They are not as spacious when compared to static caravans but serve well enough to move around and explore places and sights.
With an informed mindset, choices become easier to make. Continue to find out if touring caravan is the type of caravan best suited to your needs.
What Is A Touring Caravan? Advantages To Owning A Touring Caravan
Let us take a look at what makes touring caravans so attractive to many people from all walks of life.
Saves You Money
If you have a permanent address, all the documentation stuff like bills, bankings, etc can get easier. Caravan park fees are quite less when compared to running a modern home.
Flexibility To Move Around
The most appealing part of the entire caravan experience would have to be the ability to move around and go wherever your heart desires.
There are over 4000 camping sites in the UK, take your pick. Of course you’re not restricted to UK or any other country, you can take your caravan to any country abroad assuming of course it’s legal to do so.
Relaxation
With a considerably smaller space to live in, the work that goes into maintaining and cleaning the smaller space is much less as well. This could leave you with more minutes on your hand to make use of in ways that you enjoy.
Disadvantages Of Living In A Touring Caravan
Obtaining Benefits
A permanent address is a necessity for government benefits to find you. A touring caravan obviously will not have a permanent address. However, situation about benefits might be different for static caravans residing in permanent sites.
Lack Of Car Insurance
One more of the things that require proper address. Living on a touring caravan can render your car insurance null and void.
Health Services Issues
You might discover that getting a doctor or most health services might not apply to you anymore due to lack of a permanent address. For older residents, this might be particularly worrisome.
Comfort Level Of Homes Is Unbeatable
Anything that is built for temporary use will certainly lack in something. Caravans are no exception. Modern caravans do eliminate this issue to some extent, but homes will always have more to offer in the way of comfort and ease of living, not to mention space.
In the colder months, most caravan park sites switch themselves off. This is because caravans are not built with better insulation against the winter cold of the northern hemisphere.
Are Touring Caravans Hard To Move Around?
Towing is certainly a skill in and of itself. When you drive a regular vehicle, the dynamic of that single vehicle is entirely different. Bring into the picture a relatively heavy touring home, the physics of driving changes altogether.
Even something as simple as going over speed bumps with a caravan in tow, will be a noticeable difference.
It should then not come as a surprise that the mere feat of towing a caravan is so off putting to some people, they just do not end up buying one.
But, if you stick with it long enough, are patient with yourself, all that starts to change. You become a better driver and are able to navigate better even with a caravan hooked to your car.
Some places do provide caravan towing courses, which are an excellent idea to gain more confidence in driving with a caravan.
In the UK, you will find The Caravan & Motorhome Club and The Camping & Caravanning Club offering some really valuable towing courses. I am sure there are other similar places offering towing courses in your country.
How Much Will It Cost Me?
On top of figuring out how you will tow your caravan, you need to keep in mind the financial aspect of working with a touring caravan. Many factors work their way into this decision. The age of the caravan, the quality, the condition, size and specification, whether you are buying or new, everything determines your final decision.
To keep it simple, let us look at whether you should be buying a used or new touring caravan:
Why Would You Buy A Used Touring Caravan?
First off, it will have all its issues from the previous owners completely fixed, at no additional cost to you.
Secondly, if the previous owners had anything extra built into the caravan, you will inherit that too. These could include air conditioning, satellite dishes or microwave ovens.
You can buy a used touring caravan fairly quickly when compared to buying an old one, if time is of importance to you. Just go to the dealer or seller, buy it and have it be yours in a matter of weeks, at most.
Also, the range of choice expands exponentially, so you can find further options to suit your needs and styles at less damage to your bank account than if you were to splurge on the same kind of models when buying new.
Why Would You Buy A New Touring Caravan?
Mmmm, something new. That is always an exciting prospect.
It is YOURS. You take your pick. Get any addons YOU want. Fit everything to YOUR needs. Its all about you. And the fact that nobody else has used their caravan can be quite appealing.
You get the latest accessories, appliances, fittings, materials, furnishings, everything is NEW.
How exciting.
New caravans will not cost you a penny to fix up if anything does happen anytime during the warranty period. You simply hand it back to your dealer or manufacturer and they will do all the work for you. (The person who invented warranties needs a medal).
However, it does take a few months for newer models to be available in the market. Think of making a purchase of a new caravan around a quarter of a year before you actually want to start living in it.
Summary
Touring caravans are movable home, in some ways. To want to live in a touring caravan for any amount of time, it is best to do as much research as possible and not get swayed by the various marketing strategies that dealers will play on you.
Think about it well ahead of time to make the right decision for your kind of lifestyle.
