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We got out first van at the end of last year and have just tried it out.  We looked around for about 3 months before buying.  We started our search with lots of caravan magazines which are ful of great advice and information in particular "Practical Caravanning", friends gave us a stack of back copies of the caravan club magazines and we bought "Which Caravan?".  As stated in a previous post you need to decide which layout would suit you best, we then looked around various dealers to get an idea of makes and models. The various articles and threads on this site are an invaluable source of advice.

We were pretty sure it was for us as we have had a tent, owned a static for 10 years and done mobile home in France etc for a few years so we know we love the whole relaxing casual vibe of campsites. It is not for everyone so I would try before you buy!

Hello

We have just bought our first caravan but have been camping for years. I would also look in the back of magazines like "Caravan" as they have listings of caravans, weight and layouts and may save a lot of leg work as you can easily identify if for example which dealers do vans with fixed rear bunks for the kids (if you have them). Then narrow it down to the 85% ratio etc.. as above, price etc... then go and have a look at the models you think you are interested in and sit in them, lie on the beds etc.. and get a good feel for the van you like. Check out this and other forums for tips and advice on the van you are thinking about. Some magazines have an archive section also and you might find that the van you are interested in has had a "live in" review - finally ask loads of questions before impulse buying as there is lots of choise out there. Have fun and i hope you find what you are looking for

Andy