First-time caravan holiday: what to expect

For the caravan itself, most static units come with a cooker, fridge and basic kitchen equipment, but tea towels, washing-up liquid and bin bags are worth throwing in your bag rather than assuming they'll be there. A torch is genuinely useful for evening walks back from the clubhouse, and a few games or a pack of cards cover the odd wet afternoon without anyone reaching for a screen.

Noise and privacy tend to worry first-timers more than they need to. Units are generally spaced with a reasonable gap between them, and most parks are quieter in the evenings than people expect, particularly outside peak school holiday weeks.

Footwear deserves more thought than it usually gets. Bring proper walking shoes or trainers for dunes, coastal paths and pebble beaches, sandals for round the caravan and the pool if your park has one, and something you don't mind getting wet for rockpooling or a paddle. Flip-flops alone rarely survive a full week of coastal walking.

A static caravan holiday gives you a proper living area, a kitchen and usually two or three bedrooms, so it works well for families or groups who want room to spread out rather than one hotel room shared between everyone. Mornings tend to be more relaxed, you can make breakfast in your own time, let the kids potter about in pyjamas a bit longer, and plan your day without waiting on a restaurant sitting. Evenings work the same way. If you've had a full day out, cooking something simple and settling in with the caravan's own living space beats getting everyone dressed again for a dining room.

If you've never stayed in a static caravan before, it's worth knowing roughly what you're walking into, because it's usually a pleasant surprise rather than anything to be cautious about.

A coastal caravan Tingdene Holiday Parks suits anyone who wants the beach to be part of daily life rather than a single day trip. Mornings can start with a walk along the front, afternoons can be built around a paddle or a spot of rockpooling, and there's usually a working harbour, a promenade or a string of small seaside towns within easy reach for lunch. Coastal parks also tend to sit near longer coastal footpaths, so if you like a proper walk with the sea in view for most of it, this setting delivers that without much planning.