This is a topic that came up when we caught up with friends and swapped stories about our travels this year.

We found quite a few things in common when it came to what we found annoying as we’ve been caravanning. You know, the little things that make you wonder why people have even chosen to go caravanning in the first place. See if you can relate to some of these and feel free to comment with your own pet peeves.

When there’s space – use it.

Have you ever been free camping or bush camping where there is space aplenty to choose from to set up, only to find that another person comes along and decides to park close beside you?  This kind of defeats the whole purpose of ‘getting away from it all’. I understand the feeling of safety in numbers but there is some basic etiquette to think about.

If there’s lots of room, use it! Park yourself far enough away from others so that you won’t disturb each other with your music, conversation, camp fire etc… If people have chosen to go bush camping, there’s a reason for that, and it shouldn’t feel like a caravan park.

On that though, something we’ve done and had others do for us, is when you’re planning to leave a camping spot and see others looking for somewhere to stay, let them know that you’ll be leaving and most people will be happy to wait to have the opportunity of staying.

If you’re free camping for a while and have to use a generator, be mindful of when you start it up and how long you have it running. Most of the newer generators are pretty quiet but they still compete with the peaceful sounds of nature so think of others before using.

Small Dog Syndrome

We are dog owners and love to take ours with us most times, but we are very lucky to have one who rarely barks and is trained to be obedient, but he will certainly alert us if he’s unsure of something going on around us. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for all travellers with dogs.

We’ve probably all seen the white fluffy yappers that have small dog complex and bark whenever someone walks by. That may be fine when you are free camping but in a busy caravan park it’s a nuisance, especially when the owners decide it’s too hard to keep chastising the dog.

It always amazes me when caravan parks allow ‘small dogs only’ when to me it seems like the smaller ones are noisier and more of a nuisance, unlike dogs that have been trained to be more obedient.

How’s The Serenity – Caravan Park Etiquette

We all like to enjoy ourselves on holidays, but especially at peak times, when caravan parks are packed, it’s more important than ever to consider your neighbours. Remember that your choice of music may not be to everyone else’s taste.

Remember to keep your van, car and any other equipment within your boundaries, and not spilling over onto your neighbour’s site. This includes when you’re pegging out an awning or annexe, make sure to keep all ropes and pegs on your own site.

Be considerate of others and if another van is trying to negotiate parking next to you, be helpful and move your car out of the way if need be, or lend a hand to guide them in – but only if it’s wanted!

One of the reasons we all like to caravan is to enjoy the great outdoors – literally. This is another time to consider the neighbours and think about how your lighting might be disturbing the ambiance.

Attitude of Gratitude

On a recent getaway, we were unfortunate enough to meet a woman who was travelling with her partner from interstate, and she couldn’t find a nice thing to say about many of the places she’d been to in the past few days. Nothing makes friends faster than bagging their state right?

I have a sneaking suspicion that she was new to caravanning and trying the wrong type of caravan holiday for her. Some people are more at home in resort style parks where all the bells and whistles are laid on to cater for people who want everything in the one spot. So her complaints about lack of decent cafes, shops, pristine facilities etc…fell on deaf ears and we avoided them for the rest of our stay. I’m not sure what she expected to find in small rural towns.

We tend to look at caravan parks as good bases to park a while and then take drives or walks to discover the local area and if the parks have some fancy facilities well that is a bonus.

Some people need to adopt an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and be conscious of how lucky they are to be able to travel in a safe and beautiful country and enjoy the simple things.

Life (and a caravan holiday) is what you make it!

Enjoy

Glenys