By William Coleman
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting a couple who are brand new to the caravan holiday scene and they instantly fell in love with everything that comes with using a caravan for your holiday. They love it so much that they have taken to caravanning full time and run their own YouTube channel based on their adventures.
Karina and Jules Ingham had never been on a caravan or motorhome holiday, something that was about to drastically change for them in early 2017. But where do you start in a world that has such a wide variety of leisure vehicle? Do you start small with a camper to get the feel for it? Maybe a motorhome so you’ve got bigger portable living space? Or do you dive head first into the deep end start towing right off the bat? And just like that Here We Tow was born!
Once they purchased their ideal caravan the pair had so much fun they wanted to share their experiences with everyone else. Since purchasing their Adria Adora Isonzo they decided to start up their own video blog on where they share all their adventures and help other newcomers to the world of caravan holidays.
After speaking with them I wanted know more about their journey into the world of caravan holidays. With so many new couples and families investing in caravans I wanted to get a fresh perspective of what is drawing so many new faces.
What made you decide to get into caravanning?
After years of travelling abroad we decided it would be great to start travelling at home and in Europe, especially with having our dog Fudge, he could come along too. We were finding all the hours sat waiting for flights due to delays and the increasing costs were starting to put us off foreign travel. We had been considering a caravan for a few years but didn’t know anything about them. We decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it.
You traveled round to see a few different locations looking for your ideal caravan. What were you looking for in a van?
Something big! When we started looking we both wanted space, a fixed island bed and a home away from home. We had our budget and luckily we were in agreement about what we were looking for. As we were looking to holiday in it for about 12 weeks a year we wanted something comfortable. We were looking at twin axles and had decided on a dealer special until we came across Adria. As soon as we went to see the caravan we were sold on it, it was perfect for us. A caravan is a personal choice, our advice is research and take your time.
During your touring time where have you visited and what was your top location?
There are so many amazing sites all over the Country it would be hard to narrow this down but the South West is beautiful and there are many amazing sites. The great thing about caravanning is the freedom to hitch up and travel, just find a site that suits you, and if you don’t like it you can move on. The UK offers so much and we intend to get out there and see a lot more of it.
There is a lot to learn when you first start caravanning. Any horror stories, or “learning curves”?
Thankfully we’ve had no disasters, yet. The worst experience was in Cornwall when Jules navigated us down a narrow country lane that turned out to also be closed. Towing our 8ft wide Adria, I held my breath for about 5 minutes and Jules had his eyes closed, we didn’t speak for an hour after that experience. Our advice to all new caravanning folk is take your time with everything, don’t rush, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
From what I can see this has really changed your lives. What has been the biggest change since entering the world of caravanning?
Since we started caravanning we have had a huge life change. We took early retirement and in June we took up a position as Wardens at a 5 Star Park in Dorset. We started our YouTube channel and we cannot believe how this has taken off and the opportunities this has led to, including this interview with CaravanTimes!
We just set out to help other new starters like other YouTube channels helped us. We have also met some amazing people in the caravan and motorhome community, we’ve made new friends that are like members of the family. It’s been a wonderful experience and a great life change.
What does the future hold for the ‘Here we Tow’ team?
We will be at the NEC next for the show which is where it all really started last year. We have a few trips booked for 2018 still and will be reviewing two caravans on a real holiday, which is what a lot of people really want to see. We have a few product reviews to do too. In to 2019 we are exploring a few more projects but April we have a tour booked in and May we are hoping to cross the channel and see how far we can get.
Where can we find you guys?
You can find us on our Here We Tow YouTube Channel, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
