When you first set off with a brand new trailer or caravan it can be exciting. There is so much to think of that we didn't think much about when we actually arrived at a caravan site and needed to park the trailer on a particular site. I will also admit to watching a little bit of Caravan Olympics while staying at the caravan parks. I do find it interesting the number of people who stand further back and rely on mirrors and hand signals to be able to direct into the site.
Travel tip: When directing into a site DO NOT stand behind the trailer!!
To more experienced travellers it may seem like an obvious tip. For me it was something I didn't even think twice about. I could see a lot better when I was standing behind everything, I didn't think about Jamie not being able to see me. Or being run over. Some people will stand on the drivers side, I worry about hand signals being missed or not being able to communicate efficiently.
Luckily for us and our trip to see my parents, and Mr Butinski shared this tidbit with us (while I was standing behind the trailer trying to direct Jamie). Not only is it difficult for Jamie to hear what I'm saying when I'm that far away and that I suck at hand signals but we found out quite quickly that it didn't work for us. There was a lot of stopping and starting when trying to get into our site, with lots of me having to get closer so we could get on the same page. Initially I stood off to the side but we found Jamie's car was still too noisy to be able to hear each other (and I still suck at hand signals).
We did work out a method of making sure we could both hear each other while directing the trailer into our site, our mobile phones. Jamie and I both have a mobile phone and his is connected to his car's hands free. This gives him the ability to maneuver our camper trailer into our site and me to be able to be both safe and heard. This has been a game changer for us. It might look a bit funny to people as I hop out of the car and wander around talking on my phone. The most important part for us is being able to hear each other. We do still have a little bit of stop starting (mainly if it's a tricky site to get into) which you can't help, but it has dramatically improved the stress of parking.
I've also found that like everything else when it comes to travelling on the road, practice makes perfect. The more we do it the better we get at it.
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