Many look forward to retirement, a time to enjoy the fruits of years of hard work. For caravan enthusiasts, it’s an opportunity to hit the road without time constraints, exploring new landscapes and revisiting favourite spots. However, keeping up with caravan costs—maintenance, insurance, and travel expenses—can concern retirees. That’s where equity release comes into play, offering a financial strategy to support your caravan lifestyle without stressing over money.

What is Equity Release?

Equity release is a way for homeowners over a certain age to access the money tied up in their home without needing to sell it. Think of it as unlocking the value of your home, turning it into cash you can use for anything you like, including sustaining your caravan adventures. There are different types of equity release schemes, but they all aim to give you financial freedom in retirement. For those looking to get into or continue enjoying caravan life, understanding how does equity release work is the first step towards securing extra funds.

Buying or Upgrading Your Caravan with Equity Release

Once you’ve understood how equity release works, you might wonder how it can specifically aid your caravan lifestyle. Whether you dream of buying your first caravan or upgrading to a newer model, equity release can provide the necessary funds. Upkeep, insurance, and travel costs add up, but with equity release, you don’t have to dip into your savings or worry about these expenses.

Using an equity release calculator can be incredibly helpful here. It lets you see how much money you could potentially get from your home’s value. This tool can guide your decision-making process, helping you figure out if you can afford to upgrade to that new caravan model you’ve been eyeing or how much you can allocate for traveling.

Peace of Mind

One of the biggest advantages of using equity release for supporting your caravan lifestyle is the peace of mind it brings. Knowing you have a steady flow of funds to cover all caravan-related costs lets you enjoy your retirement fully. You can set off on long trips without financial worries, maintain your caravan in top condition, and ensure it’s always insured and ready to go.

Considerations

Before jumping into equity release, getting all the facts is crucial. Understand the terms and how it affects your estate, and consult with a financial advisor to ensure it’s the right move for you. Remember, the goal is to enhance your retirement years, especially your time spent caravaning.

Wrapping Up

Retirement should be about enjoying life; for caravan enthusiasts, that means being on the road, exploring and making memories. Equity release presents a viable option to support this lifestyle, offering financial flexibility when you need it most. With the right planning and advice, you can ensure your caravan adventures continue well into retirement, funded by the home you’ve worked so hard for.

Caravan holidays have become more popular over the last couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the constantly changing travel rules and regulations. Many people feel it is worth saving money and effort by hiring or buying a caravan and exploring what the UK has to offer. Although it may seem odd, as a result, there has been an increasing number of people taking their cats on holiday with them in the caravan.

Why do we say this may seem odd? Well, traditionally, although cats and dogs are both highly domesticated animals, cats always seem more free-spirited. It’s not really surprising that some people may be curious about the logistics. Perhaps you are a cat owner who is either interested in buying or renting a caravan or already owns one and asking the question posed in the title of this post.

Well, the short answer would be yes, you can, as there are many examples in forums online and on actual caravan sites of people taking their cats with them. Given the differences between cats and dogs, though, there are several important things you need to consider before heading on the road with your favourite feline family member.

Your Cat’s Personality and Temperament

The first thing you really need to think about is whether your cat will enjoy coming on holiday with you in the first place. Cats can be incredibly territorial and often prefer to stay close to what they consider their home turf. If your cat does not really go from one place to the next with you and spends a lot of time around the house, barely going out at all, then it may not be in the cat’s interest to take him or her along for the trip.

Even if your cat is not completely housebound, it still may create problems that could easily be avoided if you took them on holiday with you.

However, if your cat likes to follow you and is more attached to family members than your house and property, and you feel they would be missing you too much while you are away, it might be best to take him or her on holiday.

Safety Precautions

When taking any pets on holiday, even dogs with great recall skills, you should always have safety precautions in place. First and foremost, the last thing you would want on holiday is for your cat to go missing or to get lost or even stolen. Therefore, it is probably best to, if you haven’t already, invest in a collar and leash for your feline friend.

That way, like you, would with a dog, you can safely take your cat out with you wherever you go and know they are not going to run away, get lost or get into other trouble.

You should also make sure they are microchipped, and your contact details are kept up to date, just in case your cat does get loose and lost.

For the journeys during your trip, it is important to make sure your cat is safe in the car. There are rules and regulations about travelling with animals, so make sure you are aware of them. Many cat owners use harnesses that connect up to the seatbelt, if possible. Others use travel boxes and cages. It is best to try and familiarise your cat with whatever option you decide before taking long trips, so you can make sure they are going to be comfortable and will not get stressed or even frightened.

Another hugely important safety precaution you need to take is that if you intend on leaving your cat in the caravan while you go on a day trip or go out somewhere and can’t take them, that you make sure they can’t overheat. This is especially a problem during the summer as caravans do not offer the best levels of ventilation. It may be that you need to leave a couple of windows opened just a crack, or something similar.

Making Sure Your Cat is Comfortable

While ensuring your cat is safe is crucial, you also want to make sure they are as comfortable as they can be when you are on the road and living in a caravan. In the same way that human members of the family like to have home comforts that make caravanning a more pleasant and pleasurable experience, cats are just the same. Make sure you take some of your cat’s favourite toys, a bed they love and at least one scratching post along with their regular food and regular litter tray.

The more your cat feels at home in your caravan, the better their holiday experience will be.

Check the Rules of Sites and Parks

If you are caravanning off the beaten track, you don’t need to worry about the rules or being contentious to others. However, if you intend on visiting different caravan sites and parks that are managed, you should make sure they welcome pets.

Even in places where they do, you should be a good neighbour to others holidaying in the same place and be aware that not everyone loves pets, and some people have allergies. While we are not suggesting you curtail your cat’s freedom, we are suggesting you exercise caution.

If your cat loves to hunt for wildlife, you also need to be aware of any rules and restrictions that may be in place wherever you are holidaying. There are some rare species that you are not allowed to hunt and as your cat is hardly likely to know the difference, to avoid getting into trouble and facing severe fines or worse, it would be best to keep your cat on a tighter leash and more closely monitored in those situations.

Summary

So, there you have its folks. If you ever wondered whether you could take a cat on holiday with you in a caravan or not, yes you can. In theory, that is. The biggest takeaway we can offer from carrying out the research into this post is that it very much depends on your cat and its personality. Some cats don’t like being taken from their home and it distresses them. Remember, the cat’s health, both physically and mentally, should be taken into consideration ahead of what’s right for the family.

If your cat is fine with travelling and walks in your shadows at all times, as long as you take the safety precautions outlined above and make the trip and your caravan as comfortable and fun a place for your cat to stay, there is no reason why you can’t make it work.

One of the joys of owning a caravan in the UK is that you have the whole of this fair and beautiful country to travel around and explore. You can go wherever you like, whenever you like – within reason. You don’t necessarily need to wait to book accommodation, because you have it with you attached to your car.

If you want to travel up North to the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District or further northwards into Scotland or go down south to explore Cornwall, Devon or somewhere completely different, there really is nothing to stop you.

Speaking of Cornwall, though, there is one place unfortunately you will not be able to visit with a caravan unless you book a static caravan on one of the islands.

Why Can’t You Visit the Scilly Isles With a Caravan?

The Scilly Isles is one of the only places in the country that you can’t travel to with a caravan. Why, though? There are several reasons. First and foremost, the individual islands that make up the Scilly Isles are all relatively small. Secondly, to reach any of the islands you need to travel by ferry and if you are allowed to, and it is a big if, take a vehicle onto one of the islands it needs to be hoisted off the ferry with a crane and is very expensive. Normally this is reserved for residents only.

There is also the small matter of there not being much in the way of parking spaces and although there are vehicles used on the islands, you are expected to get around either by taxi, bus, bike, or foot. Boats are obviously used to travel from one island to the next.

How You Can Have a Caravan Holiday on the Scilly Isles

Does that mean you can’t have any kind of caravan holiday on the Scilly Isles? Not at all. There are many camping and caravan parks around the islands, that you can stay at. However, you will have to stay at one of the caravans or other forms of accommodation at the actual parks, rather than bringing your own.

Summary

There is no doubt about it – holidaying in the Scilly Isles will offer you a memorable experience. After all, it’s not one of the most popular holiday destinations for nothing. There is no point in trying to take a car or caravan. Not 0only is it not allowed, but it’s simply not worth it. Even the biggest of the Scilly Isles, St Mary’s, is not particularly big and can easily be travelled around by foot, bus, or taxi. These are also the best ways to take in all the beautiful views, sights and sounds of these idyllic islands that sit to the south of the country.

If you really wanted a caravan holiday and to take in the delights of the Isles of Scilly, it is best to take a caravan holiday in Cornwall and then use that as a base for further adventures without your caravan on the islands.

When you own and operate vehicles like cars and vans, that represent a considerable investment, it is important to have legal documentation that shows you are the owner. Just as you would have the legal documentation such as the title deeds that show you own your house or flat, you will have what is known as either a V5, V5C or vehicle logbook for your car or van.

Given how expensive even second-hand caravans can be, it would seem only fair to assume that there is some kind of documentation that is proof of legal ownership of touring vehicles. However, at the moment at the very least, there is no such thing as caravan logbooks.

Why Are Caravan Logbooks Not a Thing?

The logbook or V5 you have with your car is the documentation that legally registers the vehicle in your name with the DVLA as proof that you own it. This is a form of documentation, however, is only used for vehicles you actually drive. Caravans, therefore, as they are considered to be nothing more than trailers, cannot be registered with the DVLA.

The interesting thing is that most countries in continental Europe take a different approach and have similar legal documentation for cars, vans and other drivable vehicles and touring vehicles like caravans.

What Else Can You Do to Prove Ownership?

Well, except for property and vehicles, the only real way you can prove ownership of high-value items like televisions, computers and sofas etc. is with paperwork like receipts and insurance details. If the caravan you own or are thinking about buying is made in Britain, you can register through CRIS.

What is CRiS and Why is it a Good Idea to Get Your Caravan CRiS Registered?

CRiS stands for Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme and was set up by The National Caravan Council in 1992. The purpose of the CRiS was to have a record of all keeper details for all tourers manufactured by British companies that are members of the NCC to help with the detection and prevention of crimes involving caravans.

Is CRiS Registration Compulsory?

No, it is not compulsory to have your caravan registered through CRiS. That is why when you are looking at used caravans, you may find that new owners have not registered the tourer in their name. It is still something you should consider as the Scheme and the police work closely together. In fact, any caravan that is reported stolen or that has been involved in a major road accident is recorded by the scheme.

So, when buying a used caravan it is a good idea to check if it is CRiS registered and if the details match up with the person selling. If it doesn’t and it ever is reported stolen and the police find it, it will be seized from you and you will get nothing for your trouble.

It is, therefore, equally important that you make sure you register your caravan with the CRiS as soon as possible.

Even if you are not the most clued up car owner, you undoubtedly understand that the more you load into your car, the greater pressure there is on your car. Not just the chassis, but the engine, transmission and tyres need to be taken into consideration. You may reason that if you frequently tow a caravan, it will eventually have an impact on important components and the roadworthiness of your vehicle.

While you are not wrong for thinking it can and will often have an impact, there is no reason why you can’t tow your caravan as often as you want. To help you understand why you don’t need to worry too much and the times when you should start to worry, we are going to discuss this subject further in the following post.

Why You Don’t Need to Worry

Remember, car manufacturers, provide detailed information about the size and weight of caravans that vehicles can tow. That is not just a best-case scenario – it is something your car will be able to do all the time.

If you are a contentious car owner and do not try to tow a caravan that exceeds the recommended weight and size for your towing car, and you regularly maintain your car, it should be fine. That means changing the oil and keeping it topped up, keeping the water topped up, having your car serviced and components like the transmission, gearbox and suspension regularly checked.

When You Need to Worry

The only time you need to worry about whether your car is going to be able to be okay with repeatedly towing a caravan is if you do anything contrary to the above.

If you exceed the recommended caravan weight and size that your car should tow you will put unnecessary pressure on the engine, suspension, and tyres and it can also be incredibly dangerous.

If you don’t have the oil changed and topped up regularly, the engine will not function properly as it will not have the correct amount of lubricant to make sure all the moving parts move smoothly and effortlessly. This creates friction and eventually, the parts of the engine will wear out.

This is something you need to think of when you own and use a car, regardless of whether you use it to tow a caravan regularly or not. As the issues above can occur even without the involvement of a caravan.

Summary

So, if you are concerned about whether or not you can tow your caravan regularly, as long as you are maintaining the vehicle and only attempting to tow a caravan that is of the recommended size and weight, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

We would not suggest that you completely forget about it, though. It’s just not something that should stop you from making the most of your caravan. There are many hundreds and thousands of people out there who either spend most of their life on the road or frequently take holidays and short breaks with their caravan and don’t need to repair or replace their car regularly.

There are a lot of areas of caravan maintenance and safety you need to be aware of when investing in and using a caravan. One of the most crucial, though, is caravan tyre safety. Why? Simply put, the tyres on a caravan are the only part of the touring vehicle that have any contact with the road. That means that being able to steer, accelerate, brake and corner successfully and crucially, safely, depends on an incredibly small area of road contact, when you consider how big a caravan is compared to its tyres.

One piece of equipment that you may have come across or read about is caravan tyre savers. If you are completely new to caravan tyre savers or want more information about them, you’ve come to the right place. In the following post, we are going to explain exactly what caravan tyre savers are, when you should be using them and how much they can actually save the tyres on your tourer. We will then look at some of the most popular tyre savers on the market and discuss alternatives that some caravanners use instead.

What Are Caravan Tyre Savers?

Although to the untrained eye, caravan tyre savers resemble levelling ramps. While they are very similar, tyre savers differ in that they have a curved surface rather than a flat surface. How do they help?

Well, this is the interesting part. It all has to do with flat spots on tyres and reducing the risk of blowouts while you are out on the road.

What is Ovalization or Caravan Tyre Flat Spots Caused By?

It’s fair to say that for the majority of the time, caravans actually sit idle. That means that all their weight pushes down against a surface area on the tyre that is in contact with the ground that is not quite as big as it should be. The longer your caravan remains in that stationary position, the greater the chance of the rubber of the tyres will develop serious flat spots. This issue is often referred to by the other name of ovalization.

Older tyres are more likely to develop flat spots as their rubber is a lot less elastic. As you may expect, the heavier your caravan is, the greater the chance of flat spots developing. The type of caravan that is most at risk is a heavy model built on top of a single axle because twin-axle caravans spread the load across four tyres instead of just two.

How Caravan Tyre Savers Actually Help

As we touched on earlier in this post, the design of tyre savers – that curved profile – helps to spread out the pressure on a tyre across a larger area. With that larger area to take the load, flat spots are less likely. All things are relative, though, because any caravan that is left sitting idle for a considerable length of time may still result in misshapen tyres. A sensible solution to this, especially when you are not going to hit the road for several months, during winter, for example, would be to rotate your caravan tyres many times.

What About Wheel Removal as an Alternative?

Some caravan users prefer to take a more drastic approach and rather than use tyre savers, they jack the caravan up and remove the wheels and sit them on axle stands. While it is true that this option will stop the tyres from developing flat spots, it may cause additional problems. For example, many caravan insurance providers have the rule written into the details of their policy that wheel locks should be fitted to help prevent theft. Which would mean if you removed the wheels when your caravan was in storage you could invalidate your insurance.

It may simply be impractical, at other times of the year, to remove your caravan’s wheels whenever it is not being used.

How About Using Levelling Ramps With Caravan Tyre Savers?

When you are staying at a caravan site or a seasonal pitch for a long time, it is a good idea to consider tyre savers. But, what if the site is not perfectly level? How can you make sure your caravan sits level while protecting the tyres using savers?

Most levelling ramps are not compatible with most tyre savers. An exception is Milenco’s tyre savers, which can be used with Milenco Stacka Wedges that can be linked together to create a levelling ramp. Although, based on reviews and user experiences, it would seem that unless you are levelling your caravan on a hardstanding pitch, it would be difficult to use this approach.

Other Caravan Tyre Savers Alternatives

When you are looking to level your tourer while protecting its tyres at the same time, you may wonder if there are any suitable alternatives. One option would be to use a hydraulic self-levelling setup, but for most people, that is going to be far too expensive. Another, more affordable alternative, could be the Lock-n-Level inflatable airbags.

This approach was devised to solve an all-too-common problem. That is that many insurers state that you need to fit just an AL-KO wheel lock and nothing else. Trying to level a caravan and aligning the lock can be tricky using a levelling ramp.

When you use the airbag approach, however, there is a larger contact point, and there is also better load distribution onto the tyre than just using plastic tyre savers.

Summary

At the end of the day, it is up to you, based on your preference, budget, and other factors, which way you choose to proceed. It’s worth noting that using tyre savers does not mean you can totally forget standard caravan tyres best practices. You need to make sure you still change the tyres regularly – ideally every five years, and you should know the tyre pressures for your caravan’s wheels and use a high quality 1000PSI-rated tyre gauge to make sure they have the correct pressures.

You may find that your insurer provides discounts if you employ some kind of tyre pressure monitoring system to ensure your tyres are always inflated with the right air pressure. Above all else, when your caravan is in storage or sitting idle for months and months, caravan tyre savers are a good idea, but you should still rotate the tyres too.

We hope this look at caravan tyre savers helps to answer any questions and queries you may have had and provides you with some tips and recommendations for caravan tyre care.