ADVERTISMENT

WORDS: ZOE VAN MILL

We ' ve all been there. It’ s 3pm and you’ ve just arrived at your weekend campsite. The sun is relentless, the view is beautiful, and all you want is to collapse into a moon chair with something cold and stare at the water. But first … setup.

You’ ve just spent half an hour reversing into a site that is definitely smaller than advertised. The kids have chosen this exact moment for their need for the pool to become life-threateningly urgent, everyone is hot and hungry and you’ re holding it together by a thread. Then you open the tunnel boot.

Out spills a damp, tangled, mildly hostile pile of hoses and cables, hastily shoved in during the last rushed pack-up in the rain. A spring-loaded drinking hose attacks first, followed by an anaconda of a sullage hose almost as fear-inducing as the real thing. Your power lead is doing an impression of toddler artwork, all of it intertwined in what can only be described as a long-term relationship.

You don’ t need to say anything. The look you exchange says enough( they did the last pack-up).

Why does caravan setup feel suspiciously like a corporate trust exercise? To help ease the situation I ' m sharing my relationship-saving setup tips:

1. Slow Down to Speed Up: Before you disconnect the van, before anyone touches a switch or opens a boot, pause. Confirm where the shade falls, how you’ ll best use the slab, where the kids’ swags will go, and where the power and water are.

The number of times I’ ve happily unhitched only to realise we needed to move half a metre forward … or back … or rotate slightly so the step didn’ t fall off the slab … is embarrassing.

+ MORE INFO

56 \