Top Tips For Touring With Tent And Car

If you are used to pitching up at a campsite for an annual holiday of a week or two, then planning a touring holiday means you have to take a step back and think about how to reduce frustration and increase fun. Nobody in their right minds wants to spend loads of time pitching a large tent, sorting the camp and generally getting organised to then take it all apart in the morning, moving on and repeating the process each night. Instead, pack a smaller tent, preferably one that can be whipped up and down fairly quickly and easily. A porch of sorts is useful for cooking and eating and a windbreak offers extra privacy as well as fulfilling its main role.

• Tough collapsible storage options mean that is easier to avoid clutter and confusion in your tent and reduce the possibility of leaving something behind.
• Pack a coolbox and flasks with everything you need for something to eat and drink en route; being self-contained saves time, money and aggravation.
• Take the stress out of in-car route finding with satellite navigation.
• Instead of a bulky washbag, use a lightweight traveller's washkit. They take up little space and are far handier to carry, hang up and use when you head off to the shower block.
• The easiest way to keep track of key paperwork, tickets, credit cards and money on holiday is to use a neat document wallet.
• Suitcases can be a nightmare when you are packing the car for a camping holiday; soft luggage is much easier to pack away and takes up little space on site.
• Tempting though it is to squeeze in gear around passengers, do not do it. All that kit will be converted into missiles in the event of an accident or sharp braking.
• Avoid forgetting to pack key or useful items with checklists; they really do reduce stress and frustration.
• When you need some form of breakdown assistance, you really need it. That annual charge always seems like a bargain if you give it a miss and the car breaks down loaded with gear at the start of a holiday.
• If your tent poles are not colour-coded, then sort it with insulating tape on the poles and matching colour fabric sewn to the pole tunnels.