13 December 2024
While we’d planned to do a lot more free camping on this trip, for a number of reasons we haven’t been. Initially we’d been preferring caravan parks to allow us to use the air conditioner when needed in the hotter weather, but then we just got used to the convenience and kept it going.
While there are a lot of upsides to staying in caravan parks, some experiences are better than others. After having stayed in 78 different caravan parks on this trip by the time we arrive home, we can speak with some form of authority on what the good, and not so good, features of caravan parks are.
So, for your reading enjoyment, here are our Caravan Park Pet Peeves …
- After specifically being asked when booking if we are travelling with kids (answer = no), being placed on the site right next to the jumping pillow. Even worse in Daylight Saving.
- Parents with kids who think caravan parks are a great place to decide to stop supervising their kids, then letting them run wild and break everything.
- In a similar vein, groups of young boys being allowed to go to the shower block together and deciding to yell at each other for fun and have soap fights — while you’re trying to shower.
- Hand dryers in the toilet block that work for the first 3 seconds (to tease you), then refuse to work any more.
- Laundries that have more washing machines that are out of order than are working.
- Clotheslines strategically placed under shady trees, then over sand so that if you drop any wet clothes you’re in trouble.
- Boom gates that don’t open when you’re trying to leave at 6:30am for an early start.
- People driving at 50+ km/h through caravan parks when they are meant to be doing 10 km/h. Then, numerous text messages coming through on your phone warning people to slow down.
- Kids on electric scooters going even faster.
- Caravan parks that don’t answer the phone when you’re trying to book with them, then not even being in the office when you arrive at 4:00pm in the afternoon.
- People leaving their super bright outside caravan lights on all night, shining straight into your window while you’re trying to sleep. Plus caravan park security lights doing the same.
- Accidentally leaving your towel in the showers, remembering an hour later, going back in the pouring rain to retrieve it, then finding someone has left it on a railing in the pouring rain.
- Seeing your young, female neighbour decide that it would be a good idea to go to the toilet beside a tree right next to their (and our) site, rather than make the one minute walk to the toilet block.
Having said all of that, we really have enjoyed our time staying in all these caravan parks. You get a real sense of community when staying in them, and lots of friendly people with plenty of time for a friendly chat. But, like everything, there are highs and lows.
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