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The popularity of caravanning and camping is on the upswing, with more and more people opting for holidays spent in the great outdoors and foregoing the comfort of luxurious city hotels. Whilst there are many reasons why people are doing this, there seems to be three main factors that are causing people to opt for used caravans:

Cheaper than a holiday house:  Whilst many people would love to own a holiday house somewhere on the beach or in the mountains, with the current economy the way it is, this really is not a viable option. A used caravan, on the other hand, is much cheaper to purchase, so is more affordable for struggling families who would otherwise be stuck at home on weekends.

Picturesque and changing locations: One thing that you can get with a used caravan that you cannot get with most other holiday venues (such as a holiday house) is an entire country’s worth of locations to stay at. Spend summer holidays down at the beach and winter ones up in ski country – you really can go wherever you want.

Meeting new people: Travelling around in a used caravan gives you the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends that you would never dreamed of talking to before. The caravanning community is a fairly tight knit bunch and are always happy to have a chat with a fellow enthusiast; you will probably run into the same people on occasion, as well.

If any of the above reasons appeals to you, then perhaps the purchase of a used caravan is exactly what your family needs. Not only are you given the freedom of travelling wherever the wind carries you, it opens up plenty of new opportunities to meet people and won’t cost you an arm and a leg to do it.

 

Unfortunately, caravans are frequently the targets of thieves who want to steal either what you have stored inside them or the van itself. This is problem that caravan owners will have to deal with both when travelling and when storing their van, which is why the purchase of security devices is on the rise. Use as many of the following devices as you feel is necessary:

• Buy extra door and window locks to install on the inside and outside of your caravan. This, however, is not simply enough – you need to make sure that all of these locks are engaged every time you leave the van unattended.
• Install a GPS tracking device somewhere on the inside of your caravan, preferably where it is hidden (so that thieves cannot easily dispose of it), as this will give the police a better chance of recovering your caravan should it ever be stolen.
• Install electric alarms inside your caravan that will go off when someone tries to enter while they are activated (and who would have reason to enter the van without a key other than a thief?).
• Install a wheel clamp onto one or both of your caravan’s wheels whenever it is parked. This will prevent it from being towed away (or will severely damage the van if someone tries it).
• Buy coupling or hitch locks to install on the part of your caravan that hitches up to a tow vehicle. They function very similarly to a wheel clamp in that they physically prevent the van from being moved.

As mentioned above, you can use as many or as little of these caravan security devices as you wish, just so long as you are confident that your van and your possessions are protected against theft. Once installed, all you have to do is engage the device when the caravan is parked or left unattended.

There are many differences between shopping for and buying a used caravan and doing the same for a brand new one. In many respects, shopping for and buying a new caravan would have to be the easiest option, but for many families, this is just not possible. When buying used, however, there is a multitude of extra areas and items that you have to check to ensure that you aren’t buying a dud:

• Check for rust. Is there any area of the used caravan that appears to be corroding? Many sellers will try to hide this by painting the affected area, so look for fresh coats that appear out of place.
• Check that everything works. Buying a used caravan that is filled with appliances (such as a refrigerator and microwave) that don’t work will cost you a lot extra in repairs and replacements.
• Check for damp. Run the water to see whether there is any place for leaks to occur, look at the seals for signs of damage, and smell the interior of the van for scents of decay.
• Check the brakes. There would be nothing more devastating then to park your used caravan only for it to roll down a sloped road or hill and become damaged or even written off.

Generally, you will not be required to do any of the above things when looking for a brand new caravan, as you would not expect there to be any damage or non-functioning appliances. Even though it can much simpler and less stressful to shop for a new van, buying a used caravan can be a very affordable option if you know what you are looking for.