The good things about camping

• Living close to nature makes you feel more alive.
• Camping shakes up your routines: it's refreshing for the soul.
• It's an inexpensive holiday.
• Food tastes so much better in the open air.

The bad things about camping

• It rains.
• Tent walls are thin: they let in noise and the dawn light.
• There's no privacy.
• Bugs want to sleep with you.
• Camp beds are never as comfortable as real beds.
• It's a trek to the loo.
• When it's dark, it's very dark (and lamps attract bugs).
• Putting up a tent is a rigmarole; then you have to take it down again.

The good things about caravans

• They're cosy, and keep out the rain, a lot of the noise, and the bugs.
• You can travel just about wherever you like, at the drop of a hat.
• They provide an inexpensive holiday.
• You can take just about everything you want with you.
• They have proper beds.
• Your little mobile house stays the same, but the views change.
• They have an en-suite loo and shower.
• You get proper lighting, a fridge, and heating, and you can plug in a telly.
• You can unhitch your car, and leave the caravan in the campsite when you go touring.

www.caravanclub.co.uk

The bad things about caravans

• You cart a mini-version of your home around with you; where's the sense of escape?
• Manoeuvring a caravan can be tricky and stressful.
• Caravans cost several thousand pounds, or more.
• Other drivers loathe you.

The good/bad things about motorhomes/campervans

• Almost the same as for caravans - except you're permanently joined to your sink and loo, and they are a lot more expensive.

Give them a try

If you feel that call of the wild, why not give each of these options a try? Clearly camping does not suit everyone; conversely, the very idea of caravanning strikes horror in some people's minds (let alone holidaying in a motorhome). You can buy a starter camping kit at relatively low cost, or hire a pre-pitched tent. You can rent a static caravan, or a mobile motorhome. Give it a go! Who knows, it might change your life!