Top Tips

Instead of lugging heavy objects around, take a small folding sack barrow and save your back.

Swimming pool tape a black non-slip grip tape can be bought on the roll in most DIY stores. It's ideal for giving plastic entrance steps, or bunk bed ladder steps, a grippy surface.

Take out the first pole from a windbreak and sew in a plastic bead such as one that you would purchase for an awning and run the windbreak into the awning slot. This creates a good seal to the caravan and you can place your poles to suit.

Take a short trip close to home before your main holiday each year so any problems can be fixed before you leave on your main holiday.

Save 35ml plastic film canisters. They are great for all kinds of things on the move, for example salt & pepper, tablets, sewing kit etc.

Always part fill your water container before you leave home and then when you get to your site you already have water for a cup of tea!

Rather than looking down or being negative about a neighboring camper's or caravanner's approach to how they wish to "set up camp", be a little more open-minded about it. You may just appreciate an aspect of it a little more yourself, especially when your goal is surely the same - enjoying a little extra freedom and having a bit of fun too!

Nowadays, new technology might often be the saviour for a quiet life - but sometimes the old games are the best for keeping boredom at bay. You can never go wrong with "watching" games, like I-Spy; first one to spot a pink car (etc); prizes for the first person to spot the sea; or how many red cars can you count in 10 minutes.

If taking a barbecue on a trip, make sure you carry one of those oven cleaner kits that supply a bag and the chemical for you to put the grill from your barbecue in. Do this at the end of the break, and the next day remove the grill from the bag and rinse and it will be as good as new. Make sure you use the supplied gloves as the chemicals are quite severe.

Instead of buying an expensive lubricant especially for the awning rail, rub the beading with a candle instead, or even spray with a little furniture polish. This will make pulling the awning through the awning rail much easier.

Awnings and poles are usually difficult to get back into their original bags when packing away. What we do is put the poles in the awning bag and put the awning in an old sleeping bag. Simply lay the unzipped sleeping bag out on the ground, put the loosely rolled up awning on top of it and zip it up. No more having to roll the awning up tighter than a Yorkshireman. Saved me hours in time and gallons of sweat.

Take plenty of entertainment. Whilst motorhome holidays are all about exploring and enjoying the outside world, there will be those inevitable times when you need to entertain yourselves or the children. Board games, iPods and portable DVD players are always top of our list!

 When pitched at a campsite try to use the site's facilities whenever possible. This will help to keep your motorhome clean. Nobody wants to clean on holiday do they?! Also, hook up any appliances such as the fridge to the mains.

Whilst motorhomes are easy to drive with a bit of practice, you must remember that they are much heavier than your average car. So, slow down earlier and be careful when taking corners. To save fuel, make sure you don't over-fill your water tank.

To save on space and weight when packing, collect all the free sample sachets of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc. They are perfect to take on holiday instead of large bottles!

Pack lightly. Motorhomes don't have large wardrobes or cupboards to store things in, so don't pack too many clothes or large toys for the kids to make sure you have enough space to live in! Also, the fridges can be small so try not to take a 'big shop' with you keep enough food on board to last you a couple of days then re-stock.

When storing my awning I put tumble dryer sheets in the awning bag which helps to keep the awning smelling fresh when not in use.

Line up the ball and hitch...Get in the car and put a small mark on the lower rear window. I lined these up with two small dots that I made on the front of the caravan. Now when I reverse, all I have to do is to line up the marks and the ball fits under the hitch without the need for pulling or pushing.

Hang a carrier bag's "handles" over the ends of a plastic coat hanger and hang over the edge of a door or trim door knob etc - making an easy to reach space saving bin!