Below are some intresting tips , health and safety for Caravanning.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 string to put up a small clothes line to get towels dry.
• 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.
• Most of all think of purchasing a Breakdown Cover Insurance, please visit this website for more information http://www.petrolprices.com/breakdown.html

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.

AMENITIES
A mid-range, modern travel trailer may contain the following features:

• Gas/electric powered refrigerator
• Gas/electric powered stove, oven and grill
• Microwave cooker
• Gas/electric powered water heater
• Warm air heating
• Beds, some of which double-up as daytime seating
• Electricity supplied by battery or external hookup
• Toilet with removable disposal tank and flush-water tank
• Shower
• Radio/CD/DVD/MP3 player
• Television aerial/satellite dish

Travel trailers (especially American ones) may also contain the following:

• Air conditioning
• External barbecue points
• Tow hitch stabilizers
• Separate wastewater tanks for gray water (wash water) and black water (sewage)
• CD players
• Awning or screen room
• Clothes washer and dryer
• Microwave
• Slide-out rooms (such as a 4 x 7 ft dinette or bedroom extension)