In the current economic climate, everyone is feeling a little stretched and with the Pound\'s worth falling against the Euro and the Dollar, foreign holidays are becoming prohibitive. Interestingly, while fewer people are holidaying abroad, sales of new caravans continue to rise.

A caravan holiday offers many advantages over a more exotic trip abroad. Airports for example, are frequently stressful places, with regular delays and cancellations to flights; the airport experience can often ruin the start of the holiday and make the return trip a topic of dread. With costs rising throughout Europe and the rest of the world, visiting another country just isn\'t as economical as it used to be, especially regarding accommodation. With a caravan there is no need to worry about any of these issues - the accommodation comes with you on your holiday, of course.

Many new caravans offer features to truly make it a home away from home, such as TV aerials, satellite dishes, power showers, comfortable lounge areas etc. Touches like this can make your holiday especially relaxing since there is no need to be sleeping in totally unfamiliar surroundings. This can be a useful factor if taking young children on holiday.

Caravanning also offers one of the most variable types of holiday. From visiting a quiet location for a relaxing weekend to parking at a venue that offers jet skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking or hiking -the possibilities are almost endless. Take into account the chance to visit and stay in some of England\'s beautiful countryside without braving the elements by camping and it\'s easy to see why caravanning is on the increase.

2008 was a particularly good summer for caravan holidays, with August receiving a record number of 7,000 plus new members to the Caravan Club, a group which provides insurance, planning advice for your holiday and access to many caravan parks throughout the UK and Ireland. Although it\'s on the rise, caravanning was never struggling, with many used and new caravans being bought and sold regularly, and with approximately 5,000 new members to the Caravan Club every month, it\'s always been a steady industry.

Perhaps the rise can be attributed to the economic climate, perhaps the recent spate of celebrity endorsees of the hobby such as Kate Moss, or perhaps the fact that many manufacturers are developing sleek, attractive ranges of new caravans. Whatever the reason there\'s no doubting that the traditional British caravan holiday is on the rise.