PEARLS OF WISDOM......

Post by **kevtherev** » 15 Oct 2006, 18:44

keep the kids off the beer though or the stink is awful

Post by **Ian Hulley** » 15 Oct 2006, 19:06

Extra 'pearls' we have found :-

Always take the children's wellies (I know ... it's August ... just do it) even in August 2 pairs of trainers CAN get wet through even (or especially

) on a campsite.

Buy a decent portable DVD player with 2 pairs of headphones .... we did 2,500 miles this summer and no "Are we there yet ?" It also helps on wet evenings and when the kid's bring 14 new 'friends' back

.

'New' doesn't mean 'Works' ... check everything over before you set off on longer missions.

Take 2 or 3 sets of batteries for everything ... preferably rechargeable and a charger.

1 person needs 1 torch

Buy a jump-starter pack jobbie ... £25 now,remember it's an old and temperamental vehicle. How many 'breakdowns' have we escaped intact with ours !

Buy a scrub-style doormat for the van, you're always going to get grass and sand and mud and (possibly

) even worse in your van,this is the first line of defense. Better out than in !

The present Mrs Hulley (God Bless Her !) insists on cleaning the house thoroughly before we go on Summer holiday. After 2 or 3 weeks of being covered in various amounts of salt water, sand, grass, mud and ... well let's leave it there ... it is so nice to open the door on a clean house with no 'interesting' things in the fridge.

Kid's are much more flexible than you think .... they don't really care about the fact they haven't got 14 complete sets of clothes for 2 weeks away ... pack accordingly.

Have a routine when it comes to packing and setting off .... say's he who HAD to buy a waterproof coat in Normandy this Summer

.... ONE person has the job of sorting the house, locking up, switching off the water heater, shutting windows, giving the neighbours your mobile number and resign yourself to the fact that at the end of the day everything's insured.

The boss say's take paper,colouring books,pencils and crayons, (NOT felt-tips ... they don't wash ouit too easily). Our girls are 7 and 11 and enjoyed reading about where we went this Summer and learning French .. it'll come in handy ... and not just for the kids.

Finally .... remember, the whole object of the exercise is to have fun ... who care's if you can only do 80mph ... the holiday starts (ceremonially in our case) when the handbrake goes down and we set off. Leave the $hiT£ and stress at home and chill out, I'm 41 in real life but 21 when I'm in The Bus and about 10 and a bit when I'm on the beach with the girls.

It's a great and intelligent question you've asked,you can't find this in the Wiki. In fact you've just gleaned what's taken us nearly 4 years to pick up ... still learning though

Cheers,Ian.

Post by **Dubstar** » 15 Oct 2006, 19:58

Instead of a portable DVD player we took an old laptop that was just about good enough to play DVD's on. 17 TFT anyone? We didn't use it all the time, just on long bits of the journey and one day when it rained. I also have one of thoses invertors that converts 12 volts to 240 volts. Just one of the small ones from Maplins-£20 and gives out 150 watts. Not a lot but enough to run the laptop and charge up the re-chargeable batterys for the camera, torches, mobile phone etc.
A pack of cards.
Some cheap-17p-bottled water from Tesco/Asda,for an emergency brew should you park overnight in a car park or miles away from the taps.
A Haynes type manual and some tools for basic repairs-13,17,19mm spanners, a couple of screwdrivers,spark plug socket, that sort of thing.
Big roll of gaffa tape and some insulation tape. I've used it to fix burst pipes in the past!
Some of those solar power garden lights that you push into the ground. Not very bright, but ok to sit out with at night and guide you back to your pitch in the dark.
Toilet rolls.
Plastic supermarket carrier bags. Use them as rubbish bins, for dirty laundry, wetsuits and wet clothes etc.
And have some fun. I'm dying to get my Eberspacher working and go to Anglesey-our usual haunt-in the cold and rain. Sorry, the cold and rain of winter, not the cold and rain of summer- we've already done that

Post by **sixsprings** » 15 Oct 2006, 21:15

Ian Hulley wrote:The present Mrs Hulley (God Bless Her !) insists on cleaning the house thoroughly before we go on Summer holiday. After 2 or 3 weeks of being covered in various amounts of salt water, sand, grass, mud and ... well let's leave it there ... it is so nice to open the door on a clean house with no 'interesting' things in the fridge.

my mrs is the same

Post by **Little Miss Pink** » 16 Oct 2006, 14:27

Nice one Mr Hulley

Post by **R0B** » 16 Oct 2006, 16:12

oh..and practise shouting. that effin van im going to sell it...

Post by **Ian Hulley** » 16 Oct 2006, 17:37

sukhoi27 wrote:oh..and practise shouting. that effin van im going to sell it...

..... say's he with 2 deep cuts in one finger and skinned knuckles on't t'other hand.

Kin brake shoes !

Ian.

Post by **diviy** » 16 Oct 2006, 22:17

fire extinguisher
first aid kit proper one
mallet
wind breakers
bbq
awning
heater
mini flat screen tv and dvd player
tow rope
jump leads ]
tools
cable ties
rolls different tapes

Post by **Dubstar** » 17 Oct 2006, 10:18

And don't forget a tarpaulin. Always handy for taking to the beach or coveing up wet ground outside the van if you need to fix it, covering gear up etc. Available from our local pound shop for, er, a pound.

Post by **R0B** » 17 Oct 2006, 15:24

and check your driveshaft bolts a couple of times a year.ive had mine come loose twice...

Post by **Little Miss Pink** » 18 Oct 2006, 13:28

sukhoi27 wrote:and check your driveshaft bolts a couple of times a year.ive had mine come loose twice...

Post by **matt** » 18 Oct 2006, 14:01

it is so nice to open the door on a clean house with no 'interesting' things in the fridge.

and the washin up done

dunna forget yr drugs (medical and recreational)

Post by **CrankyBugs** » 20 Oct 2006, 21:02

great thread by the way... certainly helped us as we set off for loch lomond national park last week for our first family holiday in the bus! ty for the really great advice!

Post by **maximus** » 21 Oct 2006, 20:52

What a great thread!! not even been away in mine yet, bit to cold for my 7 week old some great advice/reading

Post by **Gone-Westy** » 01 Nov 2006, 19:22

just like to say thanks to all of you who responded to my plea for advice. Been on first trip to the beach at West Wittering near Chichester and had great time. Starting to feel at home in van and relax a bit now! Phew!

Cheers!!!!