There’s no denying that a holiday in the great outdoors is enticing for thousand of people who spend most of their lives stuck under the artificial lighting of an office, staring into a screen. Many will be guilty of drifting off when sat at their desks, imaging the freedom of escaping their desks and heading off on holiday to be at one with nature.

Choosing to go under canvas, or within the more solid structure of a caravan will be down to individual preferences. There are pros and cons to both. So we thought it would be fun to break down the differences and see if one comes out as a clear winner.

Cost considerations

First and foremost, we looked at the different cost considerations of booking camping or caravan holidays. 

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Whether you hire a caravan, or decide to purchase your own, its very structure means that it is much more expensive than a tent. Also, many caravan sites will charge relatively expensive site fees. Comparatively, tents are both cheaper to buy or hire, and site fees are also less expensive. 

 

Closer to Mother Nature

When you are sleeping under canvas, you are physically closer to Mother Nature. You are separated from the ground and protected from the elements only by a thin sheet of material. For many people, this closeness to the big outdoors is what makes camping under canvas so appealing. 

A caravan on the other hand puts a more permanent barrier between you and the outside world. It may still be relatively flimsy in comparison to bricks and mortar, but it is still a structure made of metal, which is fitted out internally to give you more creature comforts.

Having said that, the rising popularity of glamping, a more luxurious approach to life under canvas where tents are kitted out to a much higher standard, has brought the joys of canvas living to a much wider demographic. 

Comfort factors

For many people, getting away from the trappings of life is what they seek when going on a camping holiday. The mere fact that your standard of living is stripped back to the bare essentials, that the simple life lifts of all the pressures of modern living – this is all part of the joy of escaping the rate race. 

However, packing everything up can be hard work. You still need some bare necessities – a sleeping bag and ground mat, something to cook on, pots and pans, food supplies. Even for the simplest trip away you still need a fair amount of paraphernalia – especially if you’re travelling with your family. And as kids get older, they may be less enthusiastic about camping with their mum and dad in comparison to how they might have been when they were smaller, and more easily pleased!

At least with a caravan, particularly if it is your own caravan rather than one you have hired, you can keep it equipped with all the creature comforts that make life pleasurable when on holiday. From kitchen utensils to your favourite herbs and spices, comfortable bedding, even board games – these are items that can be kept permanently in the caravan, where they have their allocated place, so that every time you go on holiday all you need think about is buying a few fresh ingredients for that first bacon sandwich and cup of tea in the morning.

Ultimately, holiday options for camping are so varied that many of the more upmarket tents actually blow their caravanning equivalents out of the water in terms of comfort and amenities – and cost! Choosing one above the other is purely down to personal choice – a choice which once made, is made for life!

 

 

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