I believe the simplest way to combine adventure with the comforts of home is with a family caravan trip. Caravan trips may be the term used mostly in Australia and the UK but in the US it's called RVing, recreational vehicle camping, or sometimes trailer-camping. Get more info 's actually an extremely broad term used somewhat differently in the US vs. in the UK and Australia so let's look at some of its characteristics, some similarities and a few of the differences..
Originally, many hundreds of years ago, the word caravan meant several camels or other type of pack animal going long distances from point A to point B and transporting goods and/or pilgrims in the Middle East.
It's different nowadays needless to say. Now a caravan usually identifies a car, usually built on a truck chassis (i.e. frame) with a living accommodation built onto the back which will have, at the very least, some sleeping spaces. Based on the size of the machine, it could likewise have a small kitchen, tables, sitting area and even a bathroom/shower facility.
In the US you will discover all different sizes of the caravan units... some actually being extensively customized buses. This kind and size of unit has been, up till recently, more prevalent in the US due to low gas prices there.
What's fun about family caravan vacations regardless of how big the caravan unit is it's like taking your house with you. Mom still reaches make the meals, the household still has a dinner table (or breakfast or lunch table), the kids have a 'living room' (albeit not very large) to play in, and mommy and daddy can still 'tuck the youngsters into bed' during the night.
Depending on the length of trip the family is taking, the money saved on family caravan trips could be quiet substantial. Sure, gas expenses certainly are a bigger factor but the numbers still workout in favor of caravanning. This is especially true if you've got a large family that would make aggregate airfare expenses very high and also once you factor in the cost savings of being able to prepare your own food.
One of the biggest advantages of family caravan trips is that despite the fact that you'll will often have some idea of an itinerary you wthhold the flexibility of changing your plans anytime... staying longer, not staying for as long, going to a lake rather than that river, etc. You're not constrained by way of a pre-planned schedule and the 'open road' truly becomes your domain.
Family caravan trips have become popular in the Australia... perhaps because it's such a big country. THE UNITED STATES is big too and lots of families take family caravan trips there too but observers claim that the reason caravanning isn't as common in the US is because more folks travel by air in america (or at least they did prior to the price of gas got so high and before airport security procedures became so annoying for most people).
A long time ago, back around the late 40's and 50's in america... these units were simply called 'trailers' or 'mobile trailers' and they were not self-propelled. They gradually diverged into two types... one type got so big as to be almost immobile. Today the word 'trailer' in the US (when put on a mobile living accommodation) actually implies less middle- class and even 'poor' economic status.
In the US now, the static type of caravan is often called a 'mobile homes' or 'premanufactured homes'... especially if it's fairly large and well-appointed. These are not associated with the word 'caravan' at all... ever.
Nowadays, in the US, Australia and the UK, these kinds of units can be small or they can be 'palaces on wheels'. They are often mobile, very modern and found in a fashion much like timeshare vacationing... i.e. families can either buy and use their own family caravan, rent a caravan type vehicle, or visit a vacation area where in fact the family can rent amount of time in one of many units just like they could rent a house for some time.
The basic caravan unit isn't usually very large. You'll find them set up in 'parks' or areas specifically made to provide safety, electricity, plumbing (sometimes), internet service, and sometimes even basic 'community' facilities such as a convenience store, pool, tennis courts, etc.
The big difference here's that this type of caravan unit can't be driven around. It just sits there... and people purchase their time and enjoy it there and/or in the encompassing area.
Caravan parks are a smart way for companies to add value to an area without actually planning and creating a traditional housing developing or full-sized, full-scale hotel. Families like these family caravan trips too because they can drive their family vehicle to caravan park, set-up shop in the machine for whatever period of time they plan on being there and use their own vehicle to get to know the local area better.
Whether a family uses the totally mobile family caravan unit or leases the static type caravan unit is strictly a matter of individual preference. The essential benefits are still exactly the same: families reach have a nice trip, stay together in a cozy setting, keep expenses minimal and share plenty of good times together.
No doubt about any of it... family caravan trips are great fun for your family. If the house can move... then home truly is wherever the household wants to go.