Rent a caravan
A rental caravan is a caravan that stands on a campsite and is let out ready to use. No towing vehicle is needed for it. Electricity and gas are usually connected already, and an awning in front of the door often adds a second room. What separates it from a mobile home is its road registration: it may be hitched behind a car and is built lighter and narrower, while a mobile home goes onto a low-loader when it has to move. Anyone who owns a caravan knows the cleaning and the winter storage; here the holiday ends when you hand back the key.
What to check before booking
- Does it stay put or do you tow it?
- Most rental caravans stay where they are and are let like an accommodation. Some owners hand the caravan over to be towed away. In that case your licence class and what the car and its coupling may pull decide the matter.
- Is an awning included?
- With an awning you get a covered place for a table, chairs and wet jackets. Without one the whole party sits inside when it rains. Some sites let it separately.
- What about toilet and shower?
- Many rental caravans have a small washroom with a cassette toilet. A shower comes mainly with the larger ones, otherwise the way leads to the sanitary building. In others the toilet is not part of the deal and can be booked in addition. Anyone who dislikes crossing the site at night settles this before booking.
- Is bedding provided?
- Blankets and pillows are often there, covers and sheets not always. Many owners offer a linen package; otherwise it comes from your own cupboard.
- What heats it and what do you cook on?
- In a caravan both often run on bottled gas, sometimes on electricity. For spring and autumn it is worth asking about the heating and about who provides and changes the gas bottle.
Who it suits
Made for
Couples and families who want to be on a campsite without owning a vehicle for it. Anyone still wondering whether camping suits them gets a week on trial, awning and neighbours included. For a short stay the effort is small, you arrive and pick up the key.
Less so for
A caravan is narrow and thin walled. The neighbour is close. Anyone who needs quiet or values distance is better off in a holiday house. The step at the door and the narrow gangway also make it anything but step free.
Where it comes from
The first caravan built in Germany was made by Arist Dethleffs in 1931 in Isny in the Allgäu. A travelling salesman for whips and ski poles, he was constantly on the road and wanted his family along, so a trailer took shape with a bed, a table, cupboards and a canister with a tap. He called it the Wohnauto. Soon afterwards the first wagons were built for customers, and out of that grew a manufacturer that still exists. The original is lost, and a replica made by the training workshop in 1974 stands in the Erwin Hymer Museum in Bad Waldsee.
Good to know
No towing vehicle needed
The caravan already stands on its pitch and is connected. Only if you collect it and take it away do you need a coupling, the towing capacity and the right licence.
Gas on board
Heating and hob in a caravan often run on bottled gas. Who provides, changes and pays for the bottle is the owner's rule, so ask before you arrive.
Waste water belongs in the drain
Washing-up water and the contents of the toilet cassette go to the point the site provides, not onto the grass. Reception will show you where it is.
