To many families, camping and going on a road trip and an adventure is a form of family bonding. It is, for them a family activity enjoyed by both young and old.
DIFFERENT STYLES OF TRAVEL TRAILERS
There are different types of travel trailers which you can choose from. Learn more about them and find out which one will suit you and your family.
- Travel Trailers- Travel trailers are easy to haul. They are hitched to the back of a truck’s bumper. They are much lighter than fifth wheels. They have pull-out sleeping and plenty of storage, providing enough room and luxury inside. Travel trailers come in different sizes.
- Hybrid Trailers – The hybrid trailers are sort of a combination of a travel trailer and a pop-up camper, with its hard sides and fold-out beds. This feature gives you all the space you need without additional weight. They are also easy to fold because of its hard sides.
- Pop-Up Campers – This travel trailer style is like compact boxes. They have expandable living spaces and are easy to haul. They can be hauled by most trucks and SUVs because they are lightweight. The pop-up camper is the most affordable among the travel trailer styles.
- Fifth Wheels – This travel trailer style is the most luxurious. This is also the largest among the towable campers. Since this style of travel trailer is large, it is, of course heavy, too. Among its amenities are a fireplace, shower, recliner, and an entertainment system. This style can accommodate any family size. Being the most luxurious of all the travel trailer types, it is, of course, the most expensive.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A TRAVEL TRAILER
If you are planning to buy a travel trailer for your family, there are several things which you need to take into consideration first.
How Many Are You In Your Family?
This is an important thing to consider. You cannot buy a travel trailer for two if there are five of you in the family.
The trailer size you should choose must be big enough to accommodate your whole family. There are a lot of trailer styles and travel trailer sizes you can choose from anyway.
Determining the number of people in your family can also help you consider things like how many of them need beds, how many toilets will you be needing, the number of provisions you must bring, and a lot more other relevant factors.
Where Do You Plan To Go?
The place where you are planning to go must be thought of when buying a travel trailer. You cannot buy a certain travel trailer style because it is convenient for you. You must also consider how the other members of the family feel about it.
For example, you will settle for a pop-up camper because you think that you will be spending most of your camping time outdoors. But what about the other members of the family? Do you think they want to spend all day outdoors too? Everybody should be consulted when making decisions.
How Long Will Your Trailer Be Used?
How long will you be using your trailer? If you plan to spend most of your time in your trailer, then maybe you should consider a larger travel trailer with amenities which will make you and your family comfortable.
If this is the case, your travel trailer will be your second home. That is why you need to consider and check out a trailer with at features and amenities which are at least close or closely resembles your real home. This will ensure the comfort and safety of your family during the adventure.
How Long Will Your Trailer Be Parked?
The length of time your trailer will be parked should also be considered. If you plan to travel from place to place often, then you might want a travel trailer which will not give you any fuss in setting up and putting down.
Storage Space
You must also think about how much storage space you will be needing. Most recreational vehicles and travel trailers are designed to have as much space as possible.
COMMON MISTAKES WHEN BUYING A TRAVEL TRAILER
There are people who buy travel trailers without considering important points. Here are some of the mistakes people commit when buying a travel trailer.
Difficulty In Setting Up And Putting Down
Buying a travel trailer which is very hard to set-up and bring down is one mistake trailer buyers commit. Some people who buy travel trailers just consider things like its amenities, size, features, and price.
They tend to neglect the more technical aspect of the travel trailer they purchase like the setting up and bringing down of the travel trailer.
Always see to it that you can set-up and bring down your travel trailer with minimal help and of course with easy to follow instructions.
Buying On Impulse
This is another mistake travel trailer buyers make. Once they feel they need have a need to buy a travel trailer, they just go, find one, and buy. Only to find out later on that they have shelled out more than what they should when they bought one.
Learn the virtue of patience. Scout around, canvass for travel trailers with the same features you want, but with lower cost than some. There are also times when travel trailer manufacturers offer discount and promotions.
This is one of the things you must be on the lookout for – promos and discounts. This way, you can have big savings with the travel trailer you want.
Buying A Travel Trailer With All Its “Extras”
By “extras”, we mean additional features and amenities. This is usually the result of wanting to customize your travel trailer. You must always remember that camping means enjoying life outdoors in a simple way.
If you load up and customize your travel trailer with all the modern amenities that technology can give you, then you deprive yourself of the chance to enjoy and have fun the way real campers do. Customizing your travel camper too much destroys the essence of real camping.
Buying A Travel Trailer You Might Not Want To Keep
This means acquiring a travel trailer just for the fun of it. There are cases where you buy a camper trailer which is good only for a couple (because they are the only ones available for the trip), or buying one with only a short period of time for camping in mind.
But what about if you plan to go camping again later, and with more people? How about going on a camping adventure again and this time staying a little longer in a camping site?
Always take into consideration long-term plans. Remember that a travel trailer is an investment. Meaning you spend a lot of money to acquire it.
Acquiring A Travel Trailer That Cannot Go Where You Want
There are cases when a travel trailer buyer gets one which cannot go wherever you want to go. Meaning, it does not go well with varied terrain. Is this good? Yes if you are contented with camping in a place where your type of travel trailer can go. What if you want to explore other places? Other camps?
This may not work well for you then. If this is the case, then you must opt for a more flexible type of travel trailer. Choose one which can bring you to go anywhere you want to go. Now that is an adventure.
A Travel Trailer Which Has Limited Load
This one refers to buying travel trailers which cannot accommodate carry everything that you want to bring along with you.
If you want to bring along a lot of things, then choose a travel trailer with lots of storage spaces. There are manufacturers who design their travel trailers with This in mind. That is why their travel trailers are equipped with enough storage spaces, plus brackets and racks for your bikes, boats, and a lot more.
SUMMARIZING IT ALL
When buying a camper trailer for your family, make sure you consider the feelings and opinion of every individual family member. Making decisions for your self may be unfair to other members of the family as you will all be using the said camper trailer.
You cannot impose the “I am paying, so I will decide” thing. The whole family will be using the travel trailer. It will be your temporary home while you are out camping. It is best that you think about their comfort and enjoyment while on camp.
What good is camping with your family if you are the only one enjoying it? Camping with your family must be fun, not only for one person alone. But for the whole family. Making your family comfortable is one way to ensure that they are having fun with your family activity.