Buying a Caravan

We learned a fair bit when shopping for caravans that you might find interesting if you ever want to buy or rent one. Maybe this is useful information if you vacation in New Zealand and choose to explore the country bringing your accomodations with you. It's a really popular way to travel around New Zealand, and the country is well suited for it.

The first question is whether to get a camper van or caravan. A caravan is pulled behind a car, and a camper van is all integrated.

We rented a camper van when we toured around the south island a few years ago.
The advantages of a camper van are:
-Easier towing, especially around towns
-Easier to rent because you don't need a car
-All wiring is already setup, so you don't have to wire the car to power the caravan.
-Easier setup
-Easier to stop and park along the way

The disadvantages of a camper van are:
-You have to pack everything up if you want to drive around town. This is a big deal, especially if you plan to stay in one place and enjoy it a while.

The other option is a 3rd wheel, which connects to the flatbed of a truck making it a little easier to tow. We looked into one of these. They seem to be more expensive and would be more difficult to re-sell because you need a ute (or pickup truck) to tow it. There seem to be fewer of these in New Zealand. The ones that we saw were really nice.

For our needs, a caravan suits us best mainly because we can leave the caravan parked and explore the area. After touring around for a while in the caravan, we're getting adjusted pretty well. The main trade-off is parking the caravan when we're en-route. If we drive through a town that looks nice, it's not easy to just stop and check it out. Finding a parking spot can be quite an issue. It's also more difficult to stop and take pictures along the way. From that aspect, a camper van would be easier.

We've already ripped the carpet up and can't wait to find some linoleum to put down instead. Carpet makes no sense for a caravan or camper-van - especially when you have children.

I'll take a picture of the inside and post it soon.