Cutting the cost of holiday caravanning

With the rising cost of living many people are having to look at ways of saving money – and unfortunately, caravan holidays are no exception.

In this video we speak to a caravan manufacturer, a holiday caravan owner, and a leisure industry editor and expert for some ways to cut the cost of holiday caravanning.

1. Choose an energy-efficient holiday caravan

Darren Langston from Regal Leisure Homes explained how many of their new static caravans have central heating and double glazing as standard as well as integrated LED lighting. All of their holiday homes are also built with wall, roof, and floor insulation, keeping them warm in winter and cool in summer.

2. Be energy efficient

Many holiday caravans are hooked up to gas cylinders and are on a metered electricity supply. With the cost of these utilities increasing, no doubt your park operator will have to pass these extra costs on with higher prices for customers. So, it’s time to start thinking about how you can reduce your bills.

Utilita suggests five simple changes you can take to cut your energy costs quite considerably:

• Turn the heating down by 1 degree
• Turn down your hot water tap temperature
• Avoid leaving things on standby and unplug your gadgets. Did you know things like TVs and game consoles left on standby can cost you around £16.24 each per year? And leaving the dishwasher and kettle on can also cost around £4.87 a year.
• Turn lights and lamps off in unoccupied rooms
• Use a 30C degree wash instead of 40 or 60

Other ways to reduce your energy costs are by turning external lights off at night. Do you need to light up your holiday caravan in the evening?

Batch cooking meals means you have your oven or hob on in one go rather than more regularly.

One top tip we found was to boil your kettle and fill up the hot water into a flask. The water will stay hot for when you need to make your next brew and will save having to boil the kettle again!

3.  Use solar lights

Swap wired lighting for solar lights to light up your decking or outside veranda.

4. Dusk to dawn bulbs

Reduce energy wastage by swapping your outdoor light bulbs for LED dusk-to-dawn light bulbs. An LED bulb will use fewer watts of energy and they will only come on when the light drops and turn themselves off when the sun comes up!

4. Underfloor insulation

When temperatures drop heating a holiday caravan can be expensive. Consider adding underfloor insulation to reduce your heating costs and help to keep the warmth inside your caravan. It also helps to protect your caravan floor and reduces the risks of rodents nesting. Ask your park operator for approved suppliers.

5. Look into joint ownership

Jointly owning a holiday caravan with family or friends can help to spread the costs of not only the purchase price but also annual site fees, insurance, and ongoing maintenance bills. Joint ownership also means that the caravan’s use is maximized too.

Joint ownership between parents and grandparents can also work well with the retired couple using the caravan during the working week or school term times and the family making use of the holiday caravan at weekends and during school holidays.

6. Get on yer bike and stay local!

To save money on rising petrol costs, why not use public transport or a bit of pedal power to get out and about? Staying local will mean you use less fuel and cycling or using public transport will mean no parking costs. Walking around the local area won’t cost you a penny, neither will a trip to the beach or local park. Also, consider using public transport – it will probably be less than fuel and parking costs.

Use the holiday park facilities and free things around the caravan site, such as swimming pools, playgrounds, golf courses, and fishing lakes if included in your site fees. Check your park reception and notice boards for events that might be taking place at your park. Park Facebook groups also often have events listed in the local area

Plus there are often many local free attractions, such as museums, local exhibitions, art galleries, etc.

7. Reduce takeaways and snacks out

Cutting down on takeaways and eating out will mean more money in your pocket, as will cutting down on expensive alcoholic drinks. Consider also taking your hot drinks, and even a picnic, on days out in a flask rather than going to a cafe and paying premium prices.

8. Shop local

Doing your shopping when you get to your holiday park destination will mean a lighter car which will use less fuel than a car laden with food shopping. You could even opt for your weekly shop to be delivered to your holiday caravan if your site allows it.

9. Buy second-hand accessories

When buying a new holiday caravan don’t be forced into buying new accessories to get you started but consider buying second-hand items such as outdoor furniture, kitchen accessories, TVs, etc. Check notice boards or park Facebook groups to see if other owners might be selling items to help save you some money.

10. Hire out your holiday caravan

Some owners hire out their holiday caravan for financial gain and it’s a great way of raising some extra money to help pay for your site fees, holiday caravan insurance, and maintenance – or even offset the cost of buying your unit. Just check your park will allow you to do this first and that your insurance policy has cover for hiring out.

Hiring out cover is available to Leisuredays’ policyholders as an optional extra and will cover your holiday caravan for damage by the hirer, as well as loss of rental income if your unit becomes uninhabitable for bookings due to insured damage.

11. Tackle those cleaning jobs

If you usually pay a company to clean your static caravan or to clean your decking why not save some money and tackle these jobs yourself?

We even have handy videos on how to clean your caravan decking and tips for cleaning your static caravan exterior.

12. Discount codes

Look out for discount codes for days out, fuel, and shopping. Booking ahead online for attraction tickets is often cheaper than paying at the door. Also, check your bank account to see if it has a rewards scheme or cashback at certain retailers.

 

Over to you…

Do you have any cost-cutting tips for holiday caravanning to share with fellow holiday caravan owners? We’d love to hear them. Please comment in the box below.