Journeyer’s Chronicles

Image by The Journeyer via Flickr

Today’s post is the second of three in a series on how we plan our caravan holidays (here’s Part 1). We try to get away whenever we can, whether it be a long weekend or a bigger trip over the school holidays. Here I cover how I organise what to pack, other important things to arrange before we leave and how we decide what we’ll do at our destination.

What to pack

Having a caravan gives the advantage of not having to pack everything each time we head off. We leave crockery, cutlery, bedding, towels, games, first aid and nonperishable food in the caravan which means we really only have to pack clothes, toiletries, medication and perishable foods.

I have prepared a spreadsheet that I use each time we go away, because sure as eggs I would forget something vital if I relied on my memory. It also means that The Engineer, who can read, can pack his own clothes. I only need to do a quick check to make sure it’s all there.

I have also included items like my camera and spare batteries, iPods, books, phones and all their respective chargers (!). Really what to take here comes down to personal preference.

Click here for a copy of my packing spreadsheet. (Hmm, Wordpress is not playing nicely and won’t let me upload my spreadsheet. Apologies. I’ll have another try later on.)

What else to arrange

• Arrange care for pets not lucky enough to be traveling with you.
• Stop mail and newspaper delivery
• Arrange someone to check on your house
• Consider automatic light timers
• Give the van a once over
  • Fill the water tank
  • Check you have all the accessories you need, eg jockey wheel, jack, annexe and poles
  • Check tyres and wheel nuts
  • Turn on the fridge so it’s cold when you arrive
• Ensure the car is healthy
  • Does it need a service?
  • Check the oil and water
  • Check tyres and wheel nuts
• Arrange entertainment for the kids in the car (more on this in Part 3).
• Book accommodation if you’re traveling to popular places in peak periods.

What do we do when we get there

Sometimes our holidays are about lazing around and not doing much at all. That’s the idea anyway. As any of you with kids will know, it’s not such a simple thing to do nothing when they’re concerned. We always take some sports equipment with us like a football or cricket bat and ball, and we have a kite and fishing gear packed away in the van. We don’t have a TV in the van, but do have a couple of DVD’s to watch on my laptop if we get desperate when the weather is bad, but we honestly never miss television.

Before we leave I do a scour of the net for interesting things to do in the area we’ll be visiting. Every state in Australia has its own comprehensive tourism site and often councils will have a tourism section on their websites. Again it comes down to our interests and trying out something new when we can. We really like to get a feel for the area we’re staying in, so we’ll generally do quite a bit of walking. Of course, many larger towns have tourist information centres that are a wealth of information. The kids love visiting them and we always leave with brochures for more things that we could possibly do in the time we have.

We try to get a happy medium - maybe one day sightseeing followed by a day not doing much, or sightseeing mornings and relaxing afternoons. One of the great things about caravan holidays is there is no strict schedule, so we can decide as we go.

Next, Part 3 - How to entertain kids on long car trips