Safety Tips For Caravans In Melbourne

When taking caravans in Melbourne on holiday, a lot of people are prone to forgetting about safety. Like in your home or business, there are a lot of things that could go wrong with your caravan that pose serious safety hazards for yourself and the people around you.

Security

These devices will help to prevent your caravans from being stolen or help you to locate it quickly if it is. Some vans will come pre-fitted with these devices, but if yours doesn’t it is always a good idea to get some installed. Some people find that placing stickers in the windows of their caravan that inform would-be thieves about your security devices also works as an added deterrent.

Towing

Properly towing your caravan in Melbourne will not only ensure the safety of yourself, it will help to ensure the safety of those travelling with you and the people on the road around you. Before buying a caravan, make sure that it is suitable for your towing car (as there are legal weight restrictions in place to determine this). You should also ensure that your brakes are well maintained, and place heavy items over the caravan’s axle to help stabilize it.

General

Caravans in Melbourne should be fitted with a working smoke alarm, preferably close to the sleeping quarters, and a fire extinguisher should be within easy reach of the kitchen area.

By taking the proper safety precautions, you are not only ensuring the safety of yourself but also the security of your caravan in Melbourne and the safety of the people travelling with you or around you. Safety, regardless of if it’s in a caravan or your home, should be a number one priority.

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Used Caravans

If you are thinking about purchasing a used caravan, one of the most important things you should do is weigh up to pros and cons of such as choice. As with anything that is available used (cars, boats and even houses), looking at the advantages and disadvantages of new versus used will help you to determine whether you are making the best choice.


Price: quite often, the price of a used caravans is a big advantage, as it works out to be much cheaper than buying a new van. It is even possible to pick up a caravan that is only a few years old for much less than what you would pay for it new.


Technology: unless you are one of the lucky people to find a one year old used van, the technology is probably going to be a disadvantage. This is because older vans aren’t fitted with the creature comforts (such as television points and microwaves) that we so enjoy, and it will cost you extra to get these items added.


Reliability: this is something that can go either way. One the one hand, used caravans can be considered as more ‘user-ready’ because the original owners have already adapted it to suit our needs. On the other, used vans can be subject to breakdowns and other problems.


Opinions: another advantage of buying a used caravan is that there are reviews and opinions on the model you are interested in readily available on the internet, helping you to avoid getting stuck with a lemon.

Whilst these are by no means the only advantages and disadvantages associated with buying a used caravan, they are some of the main ones that you should be taking into account before your purchase. Write down a list and make an informed decision that is best for your needs.

Why Caravan Insurance Is Important

For anyone who has experienced a home break-in or a car accident, you will know how important it is to insure your assets. If you buy insurance for your house and car, why wouldn’t you buy it for your caravans too? Even if your caravan spends most of its time parked on your property, you never know what may lead you to make a claim.

Most policies offered by insurance companies will provide all sorts of protection, both when you are on and off the road. This means that you will be covered regardless of whether you are travelling in your caravan or it is parked on your property. Your cover will, however, be limited to Australia.

Accident, fire, flood, storm and glass damage should be covered under a basic caravan insurance policy, as should lost or broken keys, liability, theft and acts of vandalism. Double check with your provider what is and isn’t covered.

A basic policy will include a small amount of additional cover for the contents of your caravan (such as the appliances and your personal items), but you may want to increase your policy to cover all contents. This is an especially good idea if you have installed expensive items inside your van.

Finally, another benefit of having caravan insurance is that most policies should provide temporary accommodation should events lead your caravan to be unusable whilst travelling. As you never know what may happen, it always pays to be prepared, and caravan insurance is the perfect way to do this.