Caravan checklist of things you may not of thought of

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A few months ago we went on our first family holiday to a caravan. I haven’t been on a caravan holiday since I was a child. I have such fond memories of caravan holidays. Spending time with my nan, aunty and cousin. So I was really excited to take my own children to a caravan and make happy memories like the ones I have.

Packing to take children away is a mammoth task. Especially with British weather you don’t know if it’s going to rain or be brilliant sunshine. So you end up taking the majority of your wardrobe just incase.

There are somethings I didn’t even think to pack that we really could of done with. So here is my caravan checklist of things you will need for a caravan holiday. Some really obvious things and some not so. Hopefully if your planning your first family caravan holiday then these things will help your holiday go smoothly.

• Bin bags– This is one thing I didn’t think about at all. Having kids means that there is a lot of mess that needs to be cleaned away. With the communal bins being a short walk away bin bags are a must.
• Cloths and sponges– We went out of season so the van we hired wasn’t being cleaned regularly it was up to the people that were renting it. Me being a bit of a clean freak wasn’t too keen on using cloths other people had been using. Mainly because I wasn’t sure how long they had been there unwashed and also what they had been used to clean up. Also a tea towel we didn’t take one with us and instead ended up using a beach towel. Which wasn’t ideal !
• Keeping with cleaning some antibacterial spray. So you can give the surfaces a good clean over when you arrive, during your visit and also when your leaving. So it’s nice and clean for the next people. Along with Antibacterial spray something to clean the toilets for me is also a must.
• Bedding- This time we took our own bed linen with us which was fine. Apart from the kids we took the ones out their bedrooms. As they have asthma and I worry about the duvets and pillows aggravating their breathing. However when we return in September we are going to take a sleeping back each. As they are easier to pack in the car and we know they are clean and fresh.
• Toilet roll– There is nothing worse than reaching your caravan bursting for the toilet. To find out there is no toilet roll.
• Washing up liquid– whether your just having the odd meal in the van or are planning on cooking the whole time. Washing up liquid will be needed. Items like this I tend to transfer into those empty bottles you get for shower gels. As they are less likely to leak in transit.
• Packing cubes-To make packing the car up easier, dont bother using suitcases they take up far too much space. Opt for things like packing cubes they are more compact be sure to pack them like Marie Kondo so they don’t crease. Also suitcases take up too much space in the caravan. Which if you have ever been on a caravan holiday you will know space is precious.

• Kitchen bits– Planning on having a drink then a bottle opener may be handy. Nothing worse than sitting down after a long day and not being able to open that drink your longing for. We also took with us cutlery for us and the kids as we weren’t sure how clean they would be. I have also seen some people online mention taking your own frying pan if your planning on making bacon sandwiches in the morning. As sometimes the ones in the caravan’s are not the best.
• Tea, Coffee, sugar- If like me you need these to function in the morning then dont forget to pack them. I try and save up sachets of sugar from service stations as they come in handy.
• Batteries– Most caravan’s nowadays have TV’s in them and you know the kids will want it on as soon as they walk in. So take some emergency batteries just incase they have run out in the remote.

I hope this caravan checklist has helped you. I have lots more things I could share with you so if you would like to know more about caravan holiday’s then let me know and I can pop them in another post.