First things first: I’m not a happy camper. When hubby and I got together, he suggested a camping holiday. I nipped that in the bud: no way, dream on, not gonna happen. I’m not going to spend my holidays in a caravan. Five star hotels for me all the way, thank you very much!
But in these past ten years, I’ve worked out how hubby operates. He said, “not your thing, huh?” and smiled benignly. A few months later, he showed me a picture of a gorgeous camping site by the sea and made an innocent comment about how amazing it is that you can spend the night in such a beautiful place for only 20 or 30 euros. Later still, as I was struggling to fit all of our stuff into a suitcase ahead of our upcoming vacation, he pointed out that it must be so handy for people who holiday in caravans because they can pretty much pack everything they can think of. And then he waited.
The brief history of our caravans
So it was that in the summer of 2019, when the kids were 3,5 and 2 years old, we bought our first motorhome. She was a grand old lady, 29 years old, and we called her Bernadette. A year later, amidst the pandemic, it seemed that everyone was spending their holidays in a caravan due to a lack of better alternatives. We came to the conclusion that ours was too small, and sleeping in that alcove above the driving cab made me feel like I was in a coffin. So we traded to Bernadette II who was a caravan (that is, a trailer that you tow by a car). She was a perky little thing with the jazzy Marimekko curtains that I sewed myself to replace those polyester monstrosities that hung in the windows originally. However, another year later, we (or maybe I?) decided that we’d had enough of camping, and we sold her too. And that was the end of it.
So it may surprise you (it certainly surprises me!) that we’re now the proud owners of Bernadette III. And I made the decision to buy another caravan willingly. There must be reasons why I keep getting drawn to caravans, right? Here are the three I was able to dig up.
Facilitating the both-and lifestyle
I’m not really an either-or type of person; I’m both-and. For me, it’s not about choosing whether we’ll go to Normandy or Legoland this year on our holiday; it’s choosing both. While that’s great for the overall holiday experience, there’s a couple of issues with that. First, if we were to fly to both destinations and stay in hotels or AirBnBs, it’d cost a fortune. Sadly, hubby and I are not in possession of a fortune. Second, while I’m not as environmentally conscious about flying as I could be, it’d still make me uneasy. I can’t justify that much flying when there are other options available.
Holidays for the change-resistant
Our eldest son (now 8) is a definite homebody who prefers to stay in places that he’s familiar with. When we go to a new place, he’s clearly out of his depth for a good few days or even a week. And it’s not just that he’s slightly uncomfortable; he can be teary, angry, and flat-out refuse to leave the place where we’re staying. Yet, we have this incredible opportunity to do a Grand European Road Trip and take our time travelling from Portugal to Finland this summer. Caravan is the perfect (and, really, the only) option for us for such a trip. It allows us to change locations while the kids still sleep in the same beds every night, surrounded by familiar objects.
Poisoned by fresh air
If I really had to come up with something that I like about camping itself, it’d be the fact that you end up spending pretty much all of your time outside. We’re not towing half a house behind us; our caravan is about 10 sqm. Four people spending any lengths of time in that space gets old real fast. I know that if we holidayed in a comfortable space (such as a rented house or cottage), I’d spend a lot more time indoors even if the weather was nice. But in a caravan, it’s actually more convenient to cook, eat, play card games, and read outside (not to mention any actual outdoor activities). Turns out, all that fresh air really is good for you. We all sleep like babies.
Final confession
Hand to heart: some of our best holidays have taken place in a caravan. There’s something about spending time in such close quarters, in nature, and in fresh air that is just… wholesome. And it’s true that you do have access to some amazing sites that you’d otherwise not get to visit. So perhaps I always leave somewhat reluctantly, but I end up coming back very happy that I’ve gone.
We’re planning a few shorter caravan trips in Portugal, as well as our Grand European Road Trip in the summer. Hit Subscribe to get updates about these holidays in a caravan, or follow us on Instagram!