The best place to locate spare parts for a RV or caravan is a recreational vehicle breaker. A recreational vehicle breakers yard will frequently have that hard to find spare for an older caravan or you can save money by locating modern caravan parts at a junk yard instead of buying them new.

Caravan breakers will usually have a good selection of used accessories and spares including bathroom and kitchen fittings, window or door fittings, lighting, electrical parts, used awnings, mirrors, cupboard doors plus much, much more. When looking for a particular spare part it is a question of finding the camper van breakers with the spare you need in stock. Just ring a few until you source the spare you need. Most rv breakers will offer a postal service if they are not in your local area.

Owners clubs are an invaluable information source. They can often help you to locate a spare part for older rvs as well as newer models. Each model of camper van has various parts that always break, so the owners club is often already familiar with the problem and the part needed to fix the problem. The experience of owners club members will save you time, money and avoid frustration.

Freecycle’s website is a great place to get that illusive spare part on-line. You may even be lucky and get a free recreational vehicle. Members can post for the spare part they are looking for or list things that they want to get rid of. The best thing about the process is that it is free. You are also protecting the environment.

By contacting manufacturer direct, you will often find the spare part you need. Most stock a wide range of spare parts for their older models. Those that do not have stock will give you a list of local dealers for you to contact who may have the spare you are looking for in their stock room.

Looking to find the best deal on static caravans, then visit Vale Holidays to find the best advice on caravan holidays Summer 2011 for you.

It does not matter what you want out of your holiday a Holiday Park will meet all of your needs. There are so many things to do on-site that most people do not even have to leave the site to have a great holiday. Nowadays, Holiday Parks have something to keep you occupied regardless of your age, which is why they are so great.

If you enjoy exercise or sport then a Holiday Park holiday will suit you down to the ground. Most Holiday Parks have swimming pools with many of them also having a kiddie’s pool, so that toddlers can be safely taken swimming. The bigger Holiday Parks have squash courts, tennis courts, cricket pitches, volleyball courts, basket ball courts and football pitches.

For those that enjoy riding, cycling or walking Holiday Parks are ideal. Most Holiday Parks are surrounded by countryside, so there is plenty of space to go for a ride or nice walks.

Holiday Parks are ideal for very young children. The children’s playgrounds located on Holiday Parks are usually well maintained and offer a good variety of swings, slides and other playground toys. A lot of Holiday Parks also have indoor play areas, which on a rainy day is very useful. If the Holiday Park is large enough to have entertainment then some of the shows and parties they hold will be specifically designed for children.

Most Holiday Parks cater well for elderly clients who may not get about as easily as they used to. If you need to use an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter to get around most Holiday Parks have road networks that are suitable for you to use. That way you can make use of all of the on-site facilities. If you are disabled and need accommodation with ramps, grab rails, low kitchen units etc., then most Holiday Parks have suitable chalets or caravans. You should also be able to use most of the on-site facilities.

When booking a Holiday Park holiday make sure that you do your research to avoid disappointment when you arrive. Check to see what facilities the Holiday Park has and whether those facilities are open at the time you plan to go.

Learn more about holiday parks UK. Visit Vale Holidays to find the best advice on caravan holidays for you.

Insuring a static caravan or park home is easy, but you do need to do a little research in order to find a good deal. If you do not check the policy carefully, you could find yourself under insured.

For most people new for old cover is the best kind of cover for a static caravan. This means that if an item is stolen from your static caravan, the cost of replacing it with a brand new item will be covered by your insurance policy. You are also covered by new for old replacement for items that are damaged by flood or fire and with some policies for accidental damage.
There is usually a limit on the value or total value covered by the policy, and some kinds of items may not be included. It is therefore, important that you fully read the terms and conditions to determine exactly what is and is not covered before signing the policy.

If you rent out your static caravan, it is important to check that your insurance still covers you when it is occupied by your clients.

Make sure that you are aware of the level of excess you will have to pay should you have to make a claim. With park home insurance policies, these excesses can often be ridiculously high, but you can often negotiate them down. On the other hand, if you need to keep your monthly premiums low you can negotiate a reduction in those premiums by agreeing to pay a higher excess in the event of a claim.

Static caravan insurance policies have terms and conditions that need to be met to make sure that you do not invalidate the insurance. For example, you may have to have certain kinds of window and door locks fitted to your caravan to comply with the terms and conditions. Familiarise yourself with your responsibilities and meet them.

By doing your research and shopping around you will get a good deal on your insurance. Look for a policy on-line, via caravan accessory shops, your site’s owner, insurance brokers and caravan and camping clubs.

Learn more about holiday parks in the UK and Wales. Visit Vale Holidays to find the best advice on holiday homes in Wales and Cornwall for you.

Cooking meals that the whole family enjoys can be a challenge at the best of times. When you are trying to do this in the confined space of a caravan with limited facilities this task is even more daunting. However, there is an easy solution, which is to barbecue whenever you can during your caravanning holiday.

The trick is not to try to cook anything too complicated in your caravan; even barbecue food can be made complicated. You will only have the space for limited condiments and ingredients in the caravan, so elaborate marinades for the meat involving 20 different ingredients are best left for your home barbecues.

If your caravan has a reasonably sized freezer put it to use and stock it with as many burgers, sausage patties, kebabs etc., as you can before you go. Turn the freezer on the day before you leave home, so that it is cold enough to keep everything frozen. Take some frozen corn on the cob and some frozen garlic bread etc with you as well. Fish wrapped in foil with herbs and butter is easy to barbecue and can be prepared at home, frozen and taken with you.

You can use any type of barbecue when caravanning, but the best type is one that is small, light and easy to clean. A small gas barbecue is usually a good option, but you need to check that it can use the same gas as your caravan or you will have to carry an additional bulky and heavy gas bottle just for the barbecue. Disposable or tabletop barbecues are another good option when barbecuing in a caravan. The disposable ones have the added bonus of not needing to be cleaned.

To stay safe when barbecuing whilst caravanning requires a bit more thought and planning than barbecuing at home. You will need to find a flat surface that is not too near to the caravan, the awning, other campers or trees to avoid the risk of fire. You also need to make sure that the barbecue is not placed somewhere that it can be accidentally tipped over by children, other campers or dogs. If it has wheels, you need to chock them, so that the barbecue does not roll away from you whilst you are using it.

Learn more about holiday parks in the UK and Wales. Visit Vale Holidays to find the best advice on holiday homes in Wales and Cornwall for you.

When you decide that you and the family need to get away more together caravanning can be the ideal choice. The question is do you want a static caravan or is a tourer better for your family. Which is right depends on many factors.

Cost is a factor, generally owning and running a static caravan is far more expensive than owning a touring caravan. Even a 2nd hand static caravan costs much more than a 2nd hand tourer and on most UK sites you have to replace them every 15 years or so. Site fees are also usually more expensive at 180 a month you would have to use it every week to get the most out of it.

It is possible to use a touring caravan every week of the year. Most static caravans can only be used for 8-11 months of the year, because the sites close for maintenance or due to local bye-laws.

If it is a home from home you want complete with neighbours, a regular bar or restaurant to drop into then a static caravan is a good option. You will see the same people week in week out, most sites have a social club and a lot have leisure facilities such as pools. However, if you join a touring caravan club, you will end up spending time with the same people and have the adventure of exploring.

Because static caravans are bigger, they can be more expensive to heat than touring caravans. They also tend to cost more to insure.

To help you to decide which type of caravanning is right for you it is possible to buy a cheap tourer and site it for a season on a static caravan site for most of the season, taking it away to other locations for a few weekends during that season. That way you can stay at the static site, use the facilities etc but also try out touring. If you like being on a static site, you can buy a static caravan for the next season and sell the tourer.

Learn more about holiday parks. Visit Vale Holidays to find the best advice on holiday home Wales for you.