How to make your caravan feel like home

If you’ve bought a new caravan or motorhome and are looking at going on your first holiday in it, then exciting times are ahead as there are so many amazing places you can now easily travel to within the UK.

Cheap caravan holidays in Cornwall are hugely popular all year round, but after you have decided on where you would like to go on holiday, something you should do before you go on your break is to make your caravan feel like home. By buying a new or second-hand caravan you have a blank canvas to add personality and to create a cosy home away from home. Just like when you buy a house, a few small changes here and there will instantly make your caravan feel like a home in no time.

Here we take you through some top ways to make your caravan more homely, including changes you can make to your caravan bedroom and living area.

• Paint the inside of your caravan
• Add soft furnishings to your caravan
• Add personal items
• Create the smell of home
• Add plants
• Bring your favourite mugs

Paint the inside of your caravan

The interior of many older and even newer caravans can just be full of brown wood. Some are fitted with real wood while others have chipboard that is covered in plastic with a wooden-look coating. Painting your caravan interior is a great way to put your own stamp on it as you can make it more colourful if it is a bit dull or paint it in your favourite colours.

Michelle, who is one of the writers behind the travel blog Ben & Michelle, told us why she’d recommend painting the interior of your caravan.

“If you have the time (and budget), nothing will have quite as much impact on your caravan interior as a quick renovation. This is especially relevant if you have an older caravan.

“A couple of coats of paint can transform a dark interior full of different patterns and wood grain, into a light and airy space that feels calm and relaxing.”

Many people opt to paint their walls white as they feel it makes their caravan feel bigger, while some people opt to paint different areas with different colours, such as blue in the bedroom of the caravan and white in the dining/lounge area. Some people even end up painting their caravan cupboards bright colours. Another alternative that some campers opt for is to wallpaper their caravan to make it even homelier, although this can sometimes be more time-consuming.

Add soft furnishings to your caravan

One of the simplest changes you can make in your caravan interior is to remove any soft furnishings that you don’t like and to add ones that are more personal to you.

This can range from cushions and bed covers to curtains, floor coverings and upholstery. Comfy bedding is a great way to help your caravan feel more like home and treating yourself to a new mattress, pillows and quilt can make a massive difference.

Cushions for seated areas and curtains are simple additions and can add real colour to your caravan. Curtains can not only help with privacy from people walking past but can even help act as an insulator by keeping the heat in, which is essential if you are camping during the winter months. Blackout blinds are also a popular choice for a caravan bedroom to help stop light from getting in and help you to get a good night’s sleep.

Tash & Jon, who run the motorhome and UK travel blog Life Beyond Bricks, shared with us some of the things they recommend trying.

“Having a homely living space isn’t just for houses. Your motorhome or caravan can easily be transformed into a cosy environment. For us, the main way to do this is to put your own stamp on it. Put soft furnishings in there like nice cushions and a snuggly throw over the seating area.

“Simple decorations like battery-powered fairy lights will add warmth. Also, nice bedding (and a decent mattress/mattress topper) will definitely make your Motorhome or Caravan feel homely.

“If you are planning on adding anything like this to your motorhome or caravan, consider practicality. For example, if you have pets, think about the wear and tear on any furnishings. Also, depending on the weather, think how wet and dirty any fabrics will get from damp coats and shoes”

Hannah, the author of the outdoor adventures and budget friendly travel blog That Adventurer, put some fairy lights up to make her motorhome more homely.

“For me, adding some fairy lights to the ceiling of our van just gave it that extra cosy feeling and makes it much more welcoming. It’s nice to switch them on and watch some Netflix on my iPad or read a book. Throw in a nice warm blanket and a couple of cushions and you’ll never want to leave your caravan!

“Pinterest is great for inspiration on what you can do with a caravan to make it more homely, some of the vans and RVs you see on there are nicer than houses! However, kitting out a caravan to look like them can be very expensive. If you’re working on a bit of a budget think of 1-2 things that you enjoy having in your own home and just bring them into your caravan. Perhaps you love having photos of previous trips and adventures – get some printed off and stick them up in your van. For me, it’s cosy blankets and nice lights so that’s what I brought into our van. You can get great blankets and cushions from charity shops or Ikea that are cheap and will add that extra homely touch!”

Michelle from the Ben & Michelle blog also encourage people to buy soft furnishings to make their caravan more homely: “The next step would be to add some soft furnishings in the colours and textures that you love. It’s an easy step but makes a big difference to both the look and feel of a space.”

Add personal items

Adding personal touches to your caravan or motorhome is another easy way to make it homelier and it could be as simple as adding photographs or a piece of artwork to your walls or putting up other items to display that mean something to you.

Kat, who quit her job to travel around Europe in a motorhome and now runs the Wandering Bird travel blog, told us that adding personal items is something that she has done to her motorhome.

“One of the biggest things we did to make our motorhome more ‘homely’ was to include some personalised items. We have a wooden plaque with our names on and a cushion cover (which we use to store winter socks and blankets).

“We also cover most of the locker doors with postcards/ stickers from places we’ve visited. If you’re feeling really organised, you can write the date on the back of the postcard, plus a few memories- they make great keepsakes. If you travel with a portable photo printer, you can print out photos of places you’ve taken yourself.

“You don’t need to spend a lot of money- a few touches here and there work wonders. And buying items as you travel gives you some wonderful memories and stories to share in the future- just don’t forget to consider your payload!”

Create the smell of home

Something that not many people may consider is to create the smell of home. Many people use some form of scent in their house or apartment whether that is air fresheners, incense, oils, flowers or a type of cleaning product, these can help to remind you of home.

So, you can stock up and bring these with you on your caravan holiday as smells from a scented candle, for example, can bring back memories and be just enough to make you feel at home.

Bringing in items such as this can also help in combatting any bad smells from cooking or from damp clothes that are drying.

Add plants

It doesn’t matter whether you are a keen gardener or not, adding some plants to your caravan or motorhome can make it feel more like home. You can have a selection of smaller plants or can look to buy vegetables or fruits which you can grow indoors during your holiday.

If you want to add a bit of greenery to your caravan, but don’t want the hassle of watering it and looking after it, then you can opt to buy fake plants. This is something that Hannah from That Adventurer recommends.

“Having a plant in your campervan can be tricky. You don’t want it to fall over and get soil everywhere. For that reason, a fake plant is probably your best bet. Plus, it’s not going to die if you forget to water it!

“These little cacti and plants are a great way to add some greenery to your van and make it feel homey.”

Bring your favourite mugs

Drinking your morning tea or coffee out of your favourite mug or a brand-new one that you love can help make your experience more homely. Even if you aren’t using your mug, they will look great on a shelf or hanging from a peg!

You can even go online and personalise your very own travel mug and bring it with you on every trip you go on. Alternatively, you could buy a mug from the place that you are visiting as a keepsake, whether that be with us in our Looe holiday park or somewhere else in the UK.

These are just some of the things that you can do to make your caravan or motorhome more homely. To read more articles and guides like this, check out our blog section.