Hi We are also a family with 2 children now ages 7 & 8, we started caravanning when they were 1 & 2 yrs old so they were very young, I have also caravanned years ago so probably been at it now for approx 12 years. Advice I would give you:- Get yourself onto a towing course with either the CC or C&CC both clubs run them and they are approx £100 for the weekend, they offer discount on your insurance once you have attended a towing course and they teach you everything you need to know about hitching up etc etc. Make sure you have a set of in car dvd players to keep the children entertained whilst travelling, ours also use them in the van as they have their own bunk beds so we had sockets fitted in each of their bed areas. We take a plastic box on each trip and ask the girls to choose toys for the weekend or holiday, they arent allowed anything too big or bulky, they usually take dolls, polly pockets stuff like that. We also keep in the van colouring felts that are washable and a couple of board games and scrap books for drawing. We also take a few dvds but dont watch alot of TV, it comes in handy if weather is wet! I keep a spare hat/gloves/scarf and rain coat in the van and dont take them from home. I aso take weliies in the boot of the car as it always rains. We tend to choose sites where theres at least a playground for the kids, we like a variety of sites and stay on big sites such as Haven sites (some are really nice) and we also stay on small CC 5 van CLs which are also lovely. We do prefer being all service and being plugged in on elec/water as we like to use our own shower. Its nice to have a pool but thats a bonus. We usually go away with friends who we met caravnning and over the years we have met some fantastic friends. We usually all go away for New Year and I organise our annual trip to France for 5 families which is fantastic. We try to travel within 50 miles for a weekend as its eats into your time and diesel costs, we too have a Sorento and it is an excellent tow car and tows our caravan at 27mpg/42 solo. I always hunt for bargains when booking sites and this forum is the best place to look. Weve booked our France ferry for this year courtesy of UKCS forum posts and got it for £68 return in peak season with caravan/car and extra length. We rarely pay over £30 for a weekend away unless its a special occasion and site that we are fond of. Always look at UKCS for site reviews before you book as it gives you an idea of the pros and cons and tends to be accurate. I always review a site ive been on whether its in the UK or abroad. Anything you need to know is on this site, or, you can post a question if you need to know something and you always get a reply usually quickly! Its exciting stuff buying your first van and going out for the first time. Its my hobby and we all enjoy it which is good. I spend alot of time reading caravan mags, forums and looking online at sites, theres so much to research and it becomes a really enjoyable hobby. Its something that all our family benefit from and after a hard weeks work its lovely to get away at the weekend and switch off. Happy caravanning! Cheryl & Mark Kellett Waterside lodge - Southport 15th Feb Hafan Ye Mor - Pwhelli 26th March Brickhouse site - Chipping - 3/5 Either La Criox de vieux pont or Butlins Skegness - May 25th?? Dale Hey farm - Ribchester 5/7 Soleil Plage - Dordogne - 21/7 - 9/8 Lakeland _ flookburgh - 23/8 Holgates - silverdale - New Year???
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Topic: New member ready to go!!!!
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