There is no real science involved in hitching your car to a van, but doing it right is vital to safe towing. If you are new to caravanning, post a checklist inside the gas locker and consult it to ensure you've done everything you need to do before setting off. If you are more experienced, you've probably got a routine. So stick to it; doing things in the same order every time minimises your chances of missing a vital step.

Opening moves
First find someone to help you hitch up. Get the tourer roughly in line with the car, to allow better access to the hitch gear and to ease aligning your mirrors. Use the jockey wheel to lift the van's nose higher than the car's towball, and back the car as close to the caravan hitch as possible.

Getting hitched
Regardless of the type of tow hitch your caravan has, the aim is to get a secure attachment. Use the jockey wheel winder to lower the van hitch onto the towball.
Tow hitches on modern tourers let you know when the towball is properly engaged. AL-KO models have a button that pops out. BPW hitches, found on Explorer Group tourers and some imports, have a small gauge that allows you to watch the towball's progress as it settles into place.
Correct installation is not as obvious with older models; consult your van's handbook for details. Older AL-KO hitches have a sliding catch that needs to be pushed in to engage properly. Regardless of the model, you will hear a clear, metallic click; that's the sign that the towball is engaged. To check, firmly lift the hitch head. If the car lifts as well, the hitch is correctly attached.

Secure it
Stowing the jockey wheel correctly is vital. Two vertical metal tubes, one inside the other, connect the wheel bracket to the A-frame, and are topped by the handle. Wind the handle until the wheel bracket has been drawn into the slots of the outer tube and is tight. Loosen the mounting clamp and pull the whole assembly up as high as you can. Then tighten the clamp.

Cable ties
Most towcars have two colour-coded sockets that correspond to the two plugs on the front of the van. Line up the lugs on the sockets with the slots in the plugs and slide them together.
On some models, the standard seven-pin sockets are replaced with a single 13-pin socket. These need an adaptor cable, available from caravan accessory shops. Once the connections are made, ensure the cables are slack enough to allow the caravan to turn, but not so much that they drag along the ground. Short bungee cords can be used to lift sagging cables.
Next there's the breakaway cable, which attaches to the back of the car and activates the caravan's handbrake in the event the van becomes detached. Cars with detachable towbars have a designated attachment. For fixed towbars with no attachment point, loop the cable around the neck of the towball.