Caravan Links is a Caravan / Travel Trailer/ Fifth Wheeler / 5th Wheel Resource website which contains a number of Caravan related products & services as well as provides a range of different sections throughout the website to assist you in finding information on the following topics, Caravan Parks / Manufacturers / Dealers / Accessories / Associations / Caravanning Clubs, Caravan Shows & Events, Caravanning Magazines, Caravan Sales.

WHAT IS A CARAVAN

A  Caravan, Fifth Wheeler, 5th Wheeler or Travel Trailer is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent (although there are fold-down tent trailers). It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation (holiday), without relying on a hotel, and enables them to stay in places where none is available.

Caravans and Travel Trailers vary from basic models which may be little more than a tent on wheels to those containing several rooms with all the furniture and furnishings and equipment of a home. They are used principally in North America and Europe and are rare elsewhere, so this article deals mainly with those continents.

In North America and Europe it is generally illegal for people to ride in a caravan or travel trailer while it is being towed on a public road.

In Europe, the origins of trailer trailers and caravanning can be traced back to traveling Gypsies and showmen who spent most of their lives in horse drawn trailers. The worlds first leisure trailer was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880 for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables. It was an 18 ft. design, based upon their Bible Wagons, which the Doctor named Wanderer.

Modern travel trailers come in a range of sizes, from tiny two-berth trailers with no toilet and only basic kitchen facilities, to large, twin-axle, six-berth types.

IN THE UK ( CARAVAN )

The growth in popularity of caravanning has been enhanced by improvements in caravan quality and caravan site facilities making caravan holidays possible at any time of the year not just summer months. Many of these improvements were suggested and driven by camping expert, Alan Rogers.

German WohnwagenIn the UK, The Association of Chief Police Officers estimates that some 4,000 touring caravans are stolen each year, nearly a quarter of all new caravans sold annually. As a result many caravan insurers (require additional security features to be purchased, as a general rule at least one wheel lock and one hitch lock example. The cost of insurance from specialist caravan insurance providers remains relatively low especially compared with other vehicle insurance premiums. The CRIS registration service has also helped track theft. The system operates much the same as the Vehicle Registration Service by the DVLA, but is voluntary and subject to a fee.

Some people make use of their caravans only during their annual holidays (vacations), whilst others take regular breaks at the thousands of caravan and camping sites around the world.

IN AUSTRALIA ( CAMPER TRAILER )

In Australia, camper trailers are common alongside the traditional caravan. Camper trailers differentiate themselves from similar products due to their ability to go off road. They feature large water holding tanks, batteries for electricity and off-road suspension.

CARAVANNING TIPS

• Subscribe to a good caravanning magazine and join the caravan club, both will help you find a site which suits your requirements. The right site for you will give you the best possible holiday!
• Take out the first pole from a windbreak and sew in a plastic bead such as one that you would purchase for an awning and run the windbreak into the awning slot. This creates a good seal to the caravan and you can place your poles to suit.
• Take plenty of packs of cards to play games and things to keep the children occupied.
• Apply a decal onto the caravan body work, first apply wax polish to the caravan then affix the decal. It will then remove easier without taking off the paint work.
• Use an old plastic screw top hand-cleansing tub to protect the threads and lock from road grime and salt of your spare wheel carrier under the van. Use the lid as a backing plate held on to the chassis with the mounting nut for the carrier and then screw the tub onto this. This also helps with security as the lock and fixing screw are out of site. Keeps your hands clean too.
• Attach a tag to the cylinder in use before disconnecting the regulator prior to traveling. That way you will always re-connect to the correct cylinder and eliminate the risk for having 2 nearly empty cylinders at the start of your holiday.
• Take a short trip close to home before your main holiday each year so any problems can be fixed before you leave on your main holiday.
• Talk to experienced caravanners and take their advice on locations and sites.
• Prepare your caravan for use in cold weather and make full use of your investment by caravanning all year round. Watch the forecast and get out whenever the weather is looking good. Avoid the crowds and benefit from cheaper low season fees.
• Always take duct tape away with you. It is great for a quick mend to anything.
• When buying a new caravan always make a note of the chassis number of the demonstrator you have seen.
• Try and buy a caravan with the kitchen and toilet on the opposite side of the caravan to the door, then if you have an awning up you wont have your waste bottles in your awning.
• Why not make a big double glazed door on the side of a twin axle large caravan. This would bring light into the caravan and optimise the outdoor experience. For privacy you could pull the curtains or door shutters, but all in all it would make your caravan seem a lot fresher and bigger.
• Save 35ml plastic film canisters. They are great for all kinds of things on the move, for example salt & pepper, tablets, sewing kit etc.
• Join one of the owners clubs. Not only will you meet lots of friendly, like-minded people but you will visit interesting parts of the country, often not too far away, at a relatively inexpensive rate and gain lots of useful hints, tips and technical advice.
• If taking a barbecue on a trip, make sure you carry one of those oven cleaner kits that supply a bag and the chemical for you to put the grill from your barbecue in. Do this at the end of the break, and the next day remove the grill from the bag and rinse and it will be as good as new. Make sure you use the supplied gloves as the chemicals are quite severe.
• Always part fill your water container before you leave home and then when you get to your site you already have water for a cup of tea!
• When you buy an awning, replace the plastic pegs and rubber hammer with metal pegs and a claw hammer - much easier to use and remove
• If you are a member of a caravanning club, make sure you check your member offers before going on any day out, with or without your caravan! You will be surprised how much you can save
• Explore many different sites until you find the one that suits you best.
• Freeze two litre bottle’s of semi skimmed milk and keep in a cool box with other food. It will stay frozen for a few days and will keep other food cold as well.
• Take spares of everything - knives, forks, blankets etc, because even if you remember everything there will be someone in the next caravan who has not, and lending, sharing and helping each other out is what makes caravanning such a friendly holiday choice.
• Take string to put up a small clothes line to get towels dry.
• Freeze a bottle of water and keep it in your cool bag for picnics. When not used, keep it in the fridge for adding to squash - much cooler and nicer than bottled water.
• While preparing for a holiday in the caravan, weigh out useful ingredients such as flour, rice and pasta and put into freezer/food bags. This makes preparing a meal a lot easier, ensuring you have the right amount of each ingredient. Also, prepare and wash some vegetables and put into food bags and refrigerate. Ready to use vegetables, saves time and hassle on your holiday.
• Most supermarkets in Europe no longer have plastic carriers available whether you pay for them or not.
• Take small pots of herbs with you in your caravan. It enhances all your meals & therefore your holiday.
• Make up a generic quiz sheet if you have children. Children can become restless once they have explored the site and this gives you enough time to have a glass of wine as well as set up. Offer a small prize too - it’s a great way for them to get to know children in neighbouring caravans too.
• One of the best buys when our children were young… an inflatable dinghy which doubled up as a paddling pool for hot days, a bath for the children and last but not least a dinghy for pleasure boating

THINK OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

• Always unwind electric cable fully to prevent it overheating.
• Use a set of bathroom scales to get your nose weight correct.
• Denture Cleaner tablets are great for cleaning out aquarolls and far cheaper than using the commercial cleaner.
• Use about six inches of blue type water pipe pushed onto the end of the front drainage rail on your caravan, this directs rain water away from your awning, causing black stains.
• Once you have locked on to tow ball always wind up the van via the wheel - if the car also lifts then you have a good lock on your towball .
• Watch your speed when towing. Remember you are an articulated vehicle and as such must comply with a maximum speed on motorways and dual-carriageways of 60mph, on all other roads a maximum of 50mph applies unless a lower limit is indicated by signs or street lighting (30 etc). Always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
• If your micro switch fails on a water tap , remove cover and spray with WD40.
• Always use a smoke detector and check batteries before each use.
• Always keep your lpg hoses up to date for your safety and others.
• Always ensure the awning covers are down when there is a risk of wind.
• Make sure your mobile battery is fully charged before you leave home in case of emergencies.
• To keep the midges at bay, hang camomile tea bags from each of the windows on the outside.
• When turning a twin axle caravan by hand, raise the jockey wheel as high as you can so the rear of the van is just of the floor. This will raise the front axle putting most of the weight on the rear axle and this will make it easier to turn, just like a single axle caravan.
• Jack-knifing can be a common problem when reversing around a tight corner, but one which is easily solved. Pull slightly forward, and turn the wheel full lock this time, the other way. This will soften the angle of the turn so you can continue following the caravan round the bend.
• When reversing your caravan, whichever mirror the caravan becomes more apparent in, steer into this and the caravan will correct itself.
• Buy a personal alarm, the kind you pull the pin out and it makes a very loud piercing noise - fix it to your wall inside the door then fix the long piece of the pin to the handle of the door when you lock up at night. If anyone tries to get in, the noise it makes would wake up you and people around. Don’t forget to undo it before you open the door in the morning.
• Protect your caravan, and car, against theft by marking all windows with your registration or VIN number.
• Always camp where other people are in close proximity.
• Always make sure that you secure your caravan when you go out for the evening.