The festive season is almost in full flow. And with more and more caravanners spending Christmas and New Year on tour, self styled Glammavanners Sarah and Vicky are here to get us in the mood with some top tips. So if your caravan holidays span the Christmas and New Year period, but you’re not sure how to bring a little seasonal sparkle to your beloved home from home, Sarah and Vicky are here to help.

In fact, they will be doing just that this year. They’ve decided to take New Year on tour and will be towing Sarah’s 2012 Coachman VIP 545/5 and Vicky’s Elddis 2002 Broadway five-berth to Ludlow, a beautiful medieval market town in Shropshire, Central England, to welcome in 2015. And, as you would expect, they are making sure that they take every opportunity to glam up their caravans with plenty of sparkle and festive glow.  

Sarah loves spending a few weekends away at this time of year and seeks out locations with plenty of Christmas markets and festive street fairs.  

“I find that a couple of trips away before Christmas can be quite magical. An hour or so down the road with our palace on wheels and we can be in the most beautiful surroundings,” she says.

“We do admire the efforts of others who splash sparkling icicles and flashing Santas around their awning. Personally, we don’t quite go that far, but we do like to make our experience a little more festive with a few cheeky additions,” continues Sarah. “For example, we swap our usual Tiffany style lamp for a festive treat of lights. We avoid using naked flames and candles in the caravan – but we really like battery operated flickering candles to create an ambient glow. One thing we always love to do, though, is the pre-Christmas ‘party’ where we bring some glitzy glam clothes and pump up the glamour with special friends to welcome in the season to be jolly!”

Vicky is really looking forward to spending her first New Year away in her compact Elddis with her husband, two children and dogs. The glammavanning girls are already plotting the meals they will eat and have decided to swap their Christmas presents at New Year to add even more excitement to the celebrations.

“I have never spent New Year away from home. I am planning the whole evening with Sarah – a fabulous meal with loads of champagne. The children cannot escape to their bedrooms to play on the Xbox or spend all evening on social media, so we have a captive audience and cannot wait to play lots of fun games! And I don’t see it as a reason to underdress,” Vicky adds. “In fact, it’s probably really sensible to ‘overdress’ with extra layers of sparkle and glitz. 

“I especially love Christmas decorations, but do tend to get bored of them by New Year when at home, so it’s a great opportunity to reinvent my caravan display with my favourites,” she continues. “It’s important to avoid overloading your electric hook-up with lots of lights, so I have invested in some battery powered lights to have power free sparkle. Sarah and I do have a mutual obsession with unusual baubles – so I am sure there will be some fierce competition!”

So, what are Sarah and Vicky’s top tips to help bring the festive season to your tourer?

  1. Don’t bulk yourself up any more than necessary. There’s nothing worse than a glitzy top trying to glitter its way through the odd hole in your fave baggy caravan cardigan! Invest in a good thermal vest or second skin and glitter the night away whilst warm and cosy.
  2. Candles always create an indulgent atmosphere, but on your caravan holidays use battery operated candles and place them in glass tumblers – safe and instant glow!
  3. Swap your usual plonk for a bottle of something bubbly. There are so many offers on champagnes and Proseccos that there’s a tipple for every palate. You could even invest in a pre prepared mulled wine which can warm invitingly on the stove. And don’t forget our tip from last time: crystal all the way, but pack it with care!
  4. Use your Christmas season tour as an opportunity to meet new people – extend your party of friends without worrying how they will get home! 
  5. Most of all, have a wonderful Christmas and a memorable New Year – and don’t forget your batteries!

Happy Christmas – and we will see you in 2015!