5 tips to remember before heading off on tour

Follow these tips from John Sootheran to make your pre-tour departure a safe and stress-free experience…

1 Heading away in the van for more than 30 consecutive days? Remember to let your home insurance company know.

2 Some insurers insist that you keep a fire extinguisher in your tourer. Does yours? Failure to provide one could invalidate your cover in the event of a fire.

3 Photograph all of your important van, vehicle and travel documents, and store the images on your phone and in the cloud as back-up.

Photograph your important documents — Photograph important documents

4 Consider buying one of the caravan clubs’ excellent breakdown and recovery packages – they will repatriate your van and tow vehicle, and where possible, help you to continue your holiday.

www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk (RAC)
camc.com (Mayday/Red Pennant)

5 Some new caravans have strict time limits applied to their servicing schedules, and missing a service by just a few days could jeopardise your warranty.

If you want some more great tips to keep your caravan safe, be sure to head to our Back to Basics: Safe & Secure category.

Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of practicalcaravan.com, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.

Looking for the perfect touring destination to head to? Our guide to the best caravan sites is the ideal place to start, as we share some of the top locations to stay at from across the country.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related.

John Sootheran

John is a regular contributor to Practical Caravan and other magazines and websites. Originally trained as a photographer, he started his journalism career on Practical Photography magazine, moving onto automotive titles, The Economist, Caravan magazine and aviation media. “All these markets are fascinating, but only one gives you great holidays!” he says. John has won several Caravan Writers’ Guild Awards, and produced a TV pilot about caravanning adventures in Cornwall. His favourite caravanning holiday destinations are in France: “I love Normandy, especially the vibe around D-Day commemorations, Le Mans and the area around Biscarrosse on the west coast – we’ve had some amazing caravanning and motorhoming holidays in those areas.” And the very best thing about caravan holidays? “The sense of adventure – definitely”.