Inexpensive family holidays - all year round - with an Elddis touring caravan
No sooner are the Christmas festivities are over, it seems the National obsession is with holidays for the year ahead. No matter how much purse strings have been tightened, the average Brit is determined that their holiday is an essential part of family life.
British families typically spend between £2000 and £3000 on a single family package summer holiday and face eye-watering surcharges to travel during the peak school holiday period. Hidden costs often come as a nasty surprise and airline fuel charges can account for over £800 in charges for a family of four.*
The family pet, too, becomes a costly dilemma. In addition to the upset of leaving your animals behind, it can also cost around £70 per week per pet to board in kennels.
No wonder, then, that more and more British families are discovering the freedom and flexibility of caravanning. Imagine the thrill and adventure of being able to take a spontaneous trip to somewhere new and exciting any time you want. To be able to go away every weekend, if the fancy takes you, and to enjoy not just one, but several quality family holidays every year.
above: The smallest and lightest caravan of its kind - the multi-award-winning Elddis Xplore 304 is a best-seller with new and experienced caravanners alike.
At Elddis, our award-winning lightweight caravans start at just £11,599 for a brand new four-berth family model that can be towed by virtually any car and can be stored at home. Resale values, too, hold well which is why many see buying a new caravan to enjoy several years of flexible, inexpensive family holidays as a canny investment. Well, you do the maths!
And with a caravan holiday all the family enjoys a trip away, including your family pets. As well as being able to holiday unhindered in the UK with your pets, from this year caravanning abroad with them, too, will be easier, with the recent relaxation of quarantine rules.
above: Last year the Armes Family were the very first to try out the Elddis Odyssey 656 family caravan at the new Camping and Caravanning club site at Gulliver's family theme park.
The attraction of caravanning is clear, as the rapid growth of Britain's two main caravan membership clubs attest. The Camping and Caravanning Club tells us that 'campers really are happier' and their recent 'Real Richness' campaign and research, conducted in February 2011, found that camping and caravanning gives families a true 'money can't buy' experience, bringing families closer together and making new friends. The last year has seen the Camping and Caravanning Club expand its network with new sites at theme parks such as Drayton Manor and Gulliver's, plus opportunities to get back to nature with Camping in the Forest - in partnership with the Forestry Commission.
above: Modern caravan sites include locations such as popular theme parks, like Gulliver's or more tranquil forest settings, such as the Camping and Caravanning Club's Camping in the Forest club sites.
The Caravan Club, too, has seen record bookings for its nation-wide network of over 200 Club sites and over 2500 smaller 'Certified Locations' in beautiful rural and coastal settings. The Caravan Club says that the allure of the caravan holiday is the 'whole host of activities waiting for caravanners at their destinations'.
The Caravan Club explains that 'by heading to caravan sites, people will find they have a base for visiting all sorts of historical attractions, events and outdoor activity locations, as well as much more'. They also say, and most caravanners will firmly agree, that it's 'a great way to pursue a hobby' opening up new opportunities to explore a variety of sports, crafts and outdoor pursuits.
Elddis has the widest choice of layouts and models of any touring caravan manufacturer. To find out why more people are choosing Elddis caravans and what caravanning means to them, stay in touch via the Elddis website and get involved via our Facebook page.
*Source: Daily Mail, based on family of 4 flying long haul to west coast USA.
Published: 09/01/2012
