Beth & Dan Addis - Touring with the Addis family

As first-time caravanners, Beth & Dan’s Bailey has allowed them to explore the UK with far less hassle than it was before. You can follow the adventures of Beth & Dan at @touring_withthe_addisfamily (Instagram) or @touringwiththeaddisfamily (Facebook).

When did you receive your current Bailey caravan?

We purchased our S7 Pageant Bretagne in September 2019.

Had you ever been caravanning or motohoming before?

No. We’d never been caravanning or motorhoming before, although we did camp with a tent for about two years before getting our Bailey.

What inspired you to buy a caravan?

We had done two years in our tent and found a love for the outdoors and exploring different parts of the country. Our last trip in our tent was to Cornwall during an Easter break. The weather was beautiful! We were wrestling with a tent, it took aaaages to set up, and we could see people around the site driving their caravans or motorhomes in, pitching up & they set up. We decided that a caravan would give us the opportunity to explore more, and it was a more convenient/easier option when you have children and dogs.

Where is the furthest you have travelled in your caravan?

Our latest trip with The Touring Boys has been our furthest so far. We spent the eight days in Perranporth, Cornwall, at a lovely site called Monkey Tree.

Do any particular trips stand out for any reason?

A few trips have stood out for different reasons. We actually went to Lady Heyes a couple of weeks ago and managed to leave the majority of our essential items behind, so it took a while to set up, along with a trip to GoOutdoors for some essentials. Our recent trip to Monkey Tree has been our favourite “big” holiday since we purchased our caravan!

We have had some fantastic weather and great experiences with friends. We have realised that Cornwall had so much to offer than we first thought! We went out every day to a different location such as Newquay, Padstow & Perranporth, exploring the beaches, shops & of course a few trips to the pub!

What is your favourite feature of your caravan?

The biggest selling point of our caravan to us was the triple bunk beds! We had done so much research online looking at different layouts as it was a big purchase to make, but our Bailey was the first caravan we actually went to view in person, and we instantly fell in love with it. Our two boys were 4 and 6 at the time of which we purchased our caravan, so the bunk beds are just amazing!

What is your bucket list destination to go caravanning?

France/Europe. This is something we’ll start to look into now. When we first bought our caravan, we said we wanted to do France a year later, but Covid struck and has put our plans back a little bit. However, we would like to look into these plans for next year.

What are your caravanning plans over the next year?

We have so many trips booked! We have a week booked in Portsmouth for our summer holiday, as we always like to have one big summer holiday each year. As for the rest of the year, we have a weekend booked at least every month, if not multiple holidays booked each month. We do also like to book last-minute trips quite often for the weekends.

What makes your holiday?

Generally, spending time as a family as we actually find being in the caravan so relaxing. Yes, you must set everything up etc., but once we have pitched up, we forget everything else back home. We have been to sites a 10-minute drive from our house, and we just feel like we are a million miles away from our home and work life. We love exploring, and our caravan has given us so many freedoms to explore and enjoy family time.

A special thank you to Beth and Dan for writing this blog! Be sure the check out their Instagram and Facebook to keep updated on all their adventures.