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There's a thread elsewhere about the Vodafone data card. I think Voda have the most efficient network. You can get the card free, but are committed to the all-you-can-eat package of £35/month + VAT unless you are a business, when you can go for a lighter package. Have a look here:

http://www.airtimemanager.co.uk/Datacard/HSDPA_3g_broadband_datacard.aspx

Cheers,

Andrew

hey Andrew wanted to say Hi, reading your columns played a big part in me going full timing, after typing in 'full timing' in google your was always the name that came up! so thanks for that. Im staying local for the next couple of months but hope to start exploring when it gets a bit drier!

James

I hope you enjoy the lifestyle. And I have to say thanks for inspiring me what to wite about in my March column! I don't want to pour water on your fire, but I took a break from full-timing a year ago and moved back home for a bit.

You don't need me to harp on about the benefits of full-timing, but you do have to consider the other side of the coin too:

'Hard-core' simplicity, where you sell up lock stock and barrel is an attractive option, but the one most important thing I learned from my fellow full-timers is; 'Don't sell your house, rent it out'. Houses generally appreciate. Caravans depreciate. If caravanning represents freedom, bricks and mortar represent financial security. If anything ever goes wrong, or you simply tire of the lifestyle, then you always have the peace of mind of being able to move back home.

Site fees are something to consider, too. It's not unusual to pay £15-£20 per night for a decent site, which equates to about £500 per month. If you stay on a CL to keep costs down, and you have to go off and work, you leave your unit (containing all you worldly goods) unoccupied on a site with no security. Another factor to consider is that CLs often become muddy in wet weather, and you quickly tire of constantly getting everything dirty when clothes washing and drying is such a drama.

Tiring of the lifestyle is something else to consider. For the first three years I was full-timing, it was an absolute joy. But as I entered the fourth year, small inconveniences started to grate. On a winter's evening with rain lashing down, I had a choice of getting soaked trooping up to the shower block, or getting soaked filling the Aquaroll if I simply wanted a shower. I got tired of the mud, and tired of the hassle of my 'admin centre' to where my mail was addressed being miles from where I was actually living. I also tired of the constant hassle of packing up, moving on, unpacking, and finding that every time I wanted some little thing it was stored at the bottom of a box in the van behind twenty other boxes.

After a year back at home, and the awful realisation of how much it actually costs to run a house, I’m ready to go full-timing again next summer, but I’ll come back home for the winter. Yes, it’s the soft option, but I’ll be enjoying the best of both worlds; enjoying the freedom and fun of caravanning when it’s fine, then enjoying the security and warmth of home in the winter.

Scuba: I'm posting this now on the train to work (believe it or not I work full-time in addition to the bits I do for the magazine on my days 'off'!) using my bluetooth dongle, and my gprs-enabled phone on the O2 data 35 package. I use broadband back home for 'heavy' stuff. This package costs me about £20/month (I think!) and is more than enough - right now I have 100MB saved up. But when I go back to full-timing in Feb I'll be getting one of the Voda cards to benefit from 3G. So far, I think you can only get 3G in most cities (eg Abbey Wood London) but it's also available in places like Normans Bay (Eastbourne) ans Warwick Racecourse. The reason I'm not rushing into 3G is because so many sites are gprs only. That is, if you can get reception in the first place! That is why I avoid T-mobile, as I found their coverage very poor and the network unreliable. O2 have a very good network, but Voda have both the network and the greater concentration of 3G.

I'm interested to hear how people rate the speed of 3G downloads compared with basic broadband and dial-up...

Andrew

 Yes good point about selling your house,if you change your mind in a few years of full time caravanning house prices will have gone up so much, you would not be able to buy a similar house you had.

 Ajdesq thanks for the reply back and info on you using your internet connection on the move.

Thanks for the reply. I thought about the idea for two years before I took the plunge, my situation was that I had a tiny flat that cost me £500 a month in mortgage fees, and that was interest only!  so after 3 years I had actually paid none of the mortgage off. My aim eventually is to own my own Barbers shop, so I sold up freed up the equity from my flat, spent some on the caravan etc and left a healthy chunk in my Mums account for when/if a shop comes up.

I'm not totally reliant on my caravan as my only place to live, I also have a big room above a pool in a barn! this is where I also have post, insurance sent etc. Personally for me a house isnt something that particularly appeals to me with the crazy prices, also I have no children to leave anything to. So in many ways Im lucky and I appreciate the there are downsides, we'll have to see how long I last!!

I've certainly, started at the most hardcore time, Ive had gails, constant rain, and even the threat of a tornado nearby!! yes the mud is annoying and drying definately is a big issue!! and Im still having trouble sleeping with the noise of teh rain on the roof, but hey roll on summer!!

As far as 3G goes when Ive used it its certainly comparable to broadband.

cheers James