As soon as I hit 39, almost overnight, something odd happened. Maybe it’s a previously unknown hormone that kicks in or perhaps just a sign of getting older but I found myself lusting after something that previously I would have thought strange. Maybe even a little weird.
I know I can share it with you as there will be no judgement here but I still feel a little apprehensive about admitting it.
Ok, here goes.
Since my birthday, I’ve discovered a new and slightly worrying obsession with…
Mobile homes.
That’s right, I’ve found myself coveting caravans, worshipping Winnebagos and mooning over motor homes. I even started taking photos of tricked-out tourers.
What in the world is going on?
It’s not even like it’s the cool VW surfer style vans that are floating my boat, it’s the big old house on wheels. I’m hoping it’s just because we happened to be on holiday in one when I celebrated my birthday. Maybe if we’d have been in a yurt or, even better, a five-star hotel they would now be the object of my affection?
There is a tiny part of me that wonders if it’s some sort of midlife crisis. Is this my Thelma and Louise moment? Only, instead of a convertible and Brad Pitt, I’m towing a caravan, slowly, with four adults and a toddler on board?
So, anyway…
We had a lovely holiday – although we were slightly surprised to rock up and find our van already had guests – in the form of ants marauding around the kitchen.
If I was compiling a list of things I wouldn’t mind sharing a living space with, ants would probably be near the top. I have quite a lot of respect for these industrious little creatures but I appreciate they are probably not ideal to have walking all over your food.
As a result I made my first trip to reception and within the hour a nice man had come to escort them away.
That was day one.
Day two dawned bright and sunny and my mum was admiring the caravan’s surfing/beach themed decor. We’d paid extra to have a new model so it was all super shiny. She picked up one of the cushions to plump only to find it was splattered with what looked like blood.
Upon further inspection all of the cushions (and the spare duvet) seemed to have suffered the same fate – although someone appeared to have tried to scrub a couple of them clean.
Off I went again to reception.
We spent some time as a family (this was before I realised my husband could create wifi hotspots on his phone) pondering what sort of injury might have occurred. A play fight gone wrong? A nosebleed? An ant massacre?
It left me wondering what day three would bring but thankfully the body I was expecting to fall out of a spare cupboard (seriously, this van had more cupboard space than our flat!) failed to materialise and instead a large chocolate cake came home from the shop with my parents – and by then I didn’t have to share with the ants either.
We spent our days pottering around the camp or playing on the beach. Freya had a lovely time (and even today woke up saying “elle-fant, pink, cuddling”) but the rest of us also enjoyed ourselves (I even got to go for two early morning runs).
A few years ago I might have turned my nose up at staying in a caravan but it really is a brilliant option for a family who still like all their creature comforts but are also on a budget.
And by taking my parents along my husband and I also got to spend some quality together. He made an Airfix model and I coloured in – maybe that’s the reason I was dreaming of the open road and adventure! (Joke).
Has anything strange happened to you while on holiday?
After The Rain 
We’re picking up a motorhome on Saturday. Excited, but then am considerably older than you, so I’m allowed to be 🙂 Said goodbye today to our 21 year old caravan. It made me more sad than when my children grew up and left home. All those family holidays towed away to the salvage yard 😦
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Oooh what sort are you getting? I honestly really want one. I’m imagining it not only as a holiday home but as a sort of writers retreat 🙂 I hate parting with cars/vans, so sad. The man who bought my first ever car off me actually said: “I’ve never seen anyone look so sad to be getting a new car.”
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My new one which is actually 15 years old is a Swift Sundance, I just hope it encourages the sun to dance or at least put in an appearance. Yes I get quite attached to vehicles too.
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Oh I am SO with you. Honestly, in my ideal dream world we would buy a mobile home, and if my true fantasy came true it would be homed at Butlins. I know! I have always loved caravans though so I can’t just blame parenthood – I had the best ever Hen Night in one also!
Your holiday sounds lush – bar the blood splatter and ants – and I’m glad you got some runs and QT in too. We are off on a mobile home break (yep, to Butlins!) next months and I. Cannot. Wait. It’s all I think about. You’ve made me excited about the cupboard space!
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Hah! I’m so pleased it’s not just me. I’d never stayed in a caravan before last year but although I enjoyed it I didn’t WANT ONE as much as now 🙂
I lived in Bognor Regis while at uni and the campus was nextdoor to a Butlins. I had many a happy evening on a guest pass there 🙂 I hope you all have a lovely time. Can’t wait to read about it 🙂
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We used to have a tourer. I loved it, husband hated it. Got rid of it last year so he had to give in on the floral tent. 😉
Given the chance and the budget I know exactly which tourer I’d have next though!
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Your tent is really is beautiful. I wonder if you can get flowered-tourers? *Goes off to Google* 🙂
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The one I want is duck egg blue. *Sigh*
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I’m planning on painting our bathroom that colour when I get five mins. It sounds perfect 🙂
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Hah! If a mobile home is going to be your only form of mid-life crisis, you’re going to be just fine.
If I could have one of those, but in the middle of nowhere, without neighbours, I totally would. I just don’t cope well being that close in a park.
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If they’d of been flying ants I’d of been screaming the caravan park down! Them and moths…my ‘metalness’ goes right out the window 😀
You have to have a few ‘holiday happenings’ to remember 🙂 UrbExing in Croatia with my family was epic and my favourite ever ‘strange holiday happening’. Running around a load of empty bullet ridden hotels on the beach front with my mum was classic!
I think mobile homes are cool, and my first car was a morris minor, I loved that car, along with my little green clio a few years later, so I totally get the attachment to vehicles!
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I’ve been lucky enough to stay in some amazing places but I think the cockroaches, spiders the size of your hand and, once, a nest of scorpions have chilled me out so, if my mum hadn’t have been there, I’d have probably let the ants stay 🙂
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