Since the fashion of traveling by caravan began in the 60s, this system has always had followers, but it is now when the economic crisis is causing many other people who had not considered it until now to see caravaning as a cheap option and feasible to enjoy a getaway or a long vacation.
Advantages of caravanning
In addition to allowing us to travel cheap, the caravan has many other advantages. It allows you to be more in contact with nature because you can access remote places, forget about hotel reservations, have total freedom to define the travel itinerary on the go and to stop for as many hours or nights as we want wherever we like.
Traveling with the house on your back, like snails, implies some comforts such as having a bathroom or a kitchen 24 hours a day, even while we are on the road, but it also requires good planning in advance. Space is limited and it is convenient to think and meditate carefully on what we want to take with us and what we want to do without. The fewer packages we put in the caravan, the more space we will have in it to move comfortably.
If it stops you from thinking that you could get overwhelmed by spending many days in the same small area, keep in mind that the caravan can be your vehicle and your house, but whenever you want you can also park it to spend a night in a hotel or all the time, day walking through an unknown city. Flexibility is one of the main advantages of caravaning.
Where to camp the caravan?
One of the most contentious issues surrounding caravans is that of camping areas. In Spain, it is allowed to park the vehicle outside the camping areas, as long as the activity inside the caravan does not affect the outside. That is, we will not be able to place awnings or chairs, and we must have a water collection system, electric generator, etc.
Therefore, the most comfortable is to park in a campsite. Most have basic services such as a swimming pool, restaurant or supermarket, but some go further and even have activities for children, entertainers, party rooms, sports facilities, etc.
Caravan or motorhome
We speak of a caravan when a trailer of about four and a half meters is attached to the back of a normal vehicle as a home. In this caravan all kinds of utilities can be accommodated: bathroom, shower, WC, refrigerator, heating, digital satellite TV, electric generator…
They are a great option for those who plant the base camp in a specific campsite and use the caravan as an apartment during the holidays, for many days in a row. Keep in mind that with driving license B you can tow a caravan that does not exceed 750 kilograms.
Motorhomes, however, are those that integrate the vehicle and ‘the house’ in the same space. They are more autonomous than caravans because they generally have more amenities and space. There are many types of motorhomes but the most typical is the ‘profile’ that measures just over six meters in length and about 2.70 meters in height.
They are the best option for those who want to make an itinerant trip with multiple stops. Of course, keep in mind that when you camp your motorhome you will be left without a vehicle to move around the place where you are. A motorcycle or a couple of bicycles can be very useful.
If you are still not convinced of the virtues of caravanning, we invite you to try it. Of course, be careful because it hooks.
