By William Coleman
On October 31st, it was announced that there will be another nationwide lockdown in England that will start on November 5th and, hopefully, end on December 2nd. But this doesn’t mean the caravan and camping fun has to stop.
Sites will be closing in the next couple of days until December, at the earliest, and this will likely put an end to some upcoming trips and adventures. Despite these new measures we can still use our leisure vehicle to make being at home feel more like a mini-getaway than being in lockdown.
No matter what type of touring home, or tent, you have you will be able to turn it into anything you want. All you need is a little imagination and some advice from the CaravanTimes team.
Winter office
We are being asked to work from home, if you can, to try and stem the flow of the pandemic. During the summer months the caravan or motorhome doubled up as an office, but now it’s winter you’ll have to do things a tad differently.
You’ll need to ensure the van’s heating is working properly, so check that before you start to stock the fridge with milk and snacks. Once the van is sufficiently heated you can get set up and get to work. We would also advise loading up on teabags to save those tea break trips to the kitchen and back.
Having your own working space can help with how productive you are and provides a slight change to the environment which will do wonders for your mental health.
In spring and summer, we had amazing weather which meant all you had to do was air the van out or turn the air conditioning on. Come winter you need to keep it warm and comfortable to ensure a nice working environment. Make sure you do all the checks before moving in as you may end up with a cold surprise.
Kids’ secret hideaway
It was hard enough keeping the little ones off school and isolated this year, so to go into it again may upset and confuse them a bit. Why not make the weekends and evenings at home more adventurous by making the caravan a winter wonderland?
With a handful of decorations, you can turn a stored motorhome or caravan into an incredible playroom. Add some fairy lights, some different colour lamps and you have yourself a great little winter hideaway. You can have movie nights and weekend games onboard to make the most of the van during these restricted times.
One more fantastic idea is to turn the van into a Christmas grotto. We know Christmas is a way off but why not start the fun now, seeing as Christmas still has a bit of a question mark over it? If you can’t take the small ones to see Santa, bring Santa to them.
Surprise dinner
All good leisure vehicles have everything you need to cook a top-quality meal for you and your loved one. So why not use the kitchen to cook up a surprise for the better half?
In the van you will have the microwave, oven, grill and hob to prep and cook, and you can use the fridge to chill a nice bottle of wine or bubbly. All this can happen without the other half getting a whiff of what’s coming their way. You will be in the good books until the new year.
You can use your kitchen indoors to make a meal but you run the risk of ruining the surprise. Having your own private kitchen means you can cook in peace and keep the surprise until you serve.
Winter camping, in the garden
For now, schools will remain open during the week but come weekends you have to stay indoors and make being confined to your home fun for the family.
When Friday night comes mums and dads need to become super parents to keep the children from climbing up the walls from boredom.
Turn the garden into your own personal campsite with all the camping equipment you would usually take on your touring trip. Being a site warden for a weekend may be quite fun.
With fireworks night just a few days away you can even light some sparklers, toast some marshmallows over the bonfire and even set off a firework or two.
