Practical Caravan is Britain’s best-selling caravan magazine.
Since 1967, we have been helping caravanners get the most from their tourers and their caravan holidays. Our passionate editorial team lead the way in helping our readers choose the right caravan for them. We provide reviews of the latest models on the market, share advice to help you get the most out of your tours, offer maintenance and DIY guides, and much more, as we look to assist you in getting the most from your adventures on the road.
Since 2001, our website has been bringing Practical Caravan’s expert and independent caravan reviews, tow car reviews, travel guides, advice and more together in one place. We have the best travel tips, reviews of the latest caravans and tow cars, a thriving and friendly forum, professional advice and much more.
Throughout the year we also carry out numerous events – this ranges from the Owner Satisfaction Awards, which gives us an insight into how our readers get on with the different manufacturers and dealers out there to the Practical Caravan Awards, where our experts select the best models on the market across a number of categories.
We’ve loved helping you make decisions for over 55 years – and we can’t wait to play a part in your touring memories to come.
Contact us
Meet the Practical Caravan editorial team
Why trust us
How do we pick the vans we review?
Who reviews our vans?
IPSO
Affiliate and advertising disclosure
Privacy policy
Contact us
Email: practical.caravan@futurenet.com
Address: Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, United Kingdom
Meet the Practical Caravan editorial team:
Sarah Wakely – Editor in Chief
Sarah is Editor-in-chief of Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome, and started camping before she could remember, with trips away in the family’s aged Sprite Alpine caravan. After beginning her journalism career in car magazines, she became Deputy Editor of Practical Motorhome in 2006, before also joining sister brand Practical Caravan in 2013. Over the years she’s toured across the UK and Europe, including to Iceland, Romania, Spain and the Faroe Islands.
Email: sarah.wakely@futurenet.com
Paul Critcher – Deputy Editor
Paul is Deputy Editor of Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome and has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working on magazine titles as diverse as DIVE, Time & Leisure and Geographical Expeditions. Paul specialises in adventure and travel and has covered assignments such as sailing in the Seychelles and shark diving in the Bahamas. A lover of the great outdoors, he enjoys the opportunity to get out in a van and explore and says a camper van trip he took to southern Italy is one of his favourite adventures.
Email: paul.critcher@futurenet.com
Peter Baber – Reviews Editor
Peter is Reviews Editor of both Practical Motorhome and Practical Caravan, a magazine he first worked on in the 1990s before going away for 20 years to work in business journalism and magazine start-ups, one of which won a national award. Although he enjoyed that, and writing the odd piece for national newspapers, he always knew he wanted to come back. Peter is responsible for reporting on all the new models that make it to dealer forecourts each season, and giving his judgement in online and magazine reviews
Email: peter.baber@futurenet.com
Peter Byrne – Content Editor
Peter is the Content Editor for Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome. With over half a decade of experience as a digital editor, Peter’s expertise spans from interiors and homes to food and design. Writing for the website – and occasionally the magazine – Peter oversees the online buying guides, features and news. His career to-date has seen him do everything from launching websites to giving a speech to 250 people at the Tower of London with less than 24 hours notice.
Email: peter.byrne@futurenet.com
Jo Davies – Staff Writer
Jo joined the team in March 2022 as a Staff Writer for Practical Motorhome and Practical Caravan. After graduating with an English degree, her passion for writing and travel brought her to the Practical magazines, where she works across print and web. Her role involves writing travel features, campsite round-ups, and sourcing gear recommendations. Last year, Jo converted a 2009 Renault Grand Scenic into a micro-camper that has taken her to Shropshire, the Peak District and beyond.
Email: joanna.davies@futurenet.com
Why trust us?
When you’re buying a caravan, you want to know you’re making as informed a decision as possible, particularly as it’s a purchase that involves spending a substantial amount of money.
The experts at Practical Caravan are here to make this decision as simple as possible for you.
We regularly test and review the latest models on the market. This means that when we compile our buying guides or select the shortlists and pick out the winners of the Practical Caravan Awards, you know we actually see, touch and experience what we are writing about.
We’ve actually been testing caravans ever since Practical Caravan launched back in 1967. Over the past 55 years, we’ve built up an in-depth and unmatched knowledge of the market and industry, as seen by the reviews section on our website, where we have appraised over 400 models – and we’re looking at and adding more all the time.
We don’t just praise the vans we try either – instead, we offer good honest advice, pointing out the pros, but also the cons. We look at the whole picture to ensure we’re being as objective as possible.
While we solely create the majority of our content, we will sometimes work with external partners to produce content that we believe our readers will find useful. This can either be provided by the partner, or else, they support us in creating it but we maintain editorial independence. We always label this content clearly, so you know who funded it and how it was created – you can find out more about this on our Content Funding page.
How do we pick the vans we review?
We begin by taking an initial look at the latest models and layouts on the market and, from there, decide which ones we think warrant a closer look. We also consider how they stand up against the similar models on the market that are of a comparable price point.
We then run a full live-in test. Here, we put it to the test in real-world circumstances; this can vary from a weekend trip to a longer tour around the UK or abroad. In some cases, this can even be carried out over a period of six months.
Who reviews our vans?
Our testers are all very experienced caravanners and we know what makes a good model, whether it’s from the perspective of a newcomer or a more experienced tourer.
This allows them to look at the whole picture when testing a caravan. This includes everything from how it tows – including how it fares in different conditions – to the practicalities of staying in it. Other factors we consider include the build quality, the design (both internal and external), the layout and how it performs.
Putting this all together allows us to objectively score each caravan out of five when we’re writing up our reviews, helping to simplify the process of understanding just how good a tourer it is.
IPSO
Practical Caravan is a member of the IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) which regulates the UK print and digital news industry. We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact practical.caravan@futurenet.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk
Image credit: IPSO
Affiliate and advertising disclosure
We always aim to provide unbiased editorial created by our journalists and writers. We also need to pay our teams and website costs so we make money in a number of ways. We sometimes use affiliate links to products and services on retailer sites for which we can receive compensation if you click on those links or make purchases through them. From time to time we also publish advertorials (paid-for editorial content) and sponsored content on the site. When this is the case the content is clearly marked as sponsored or promoted, so you’ll always know which content is editorial and which is not. Future PLC is our parent company and has an in-depth terms and conditions page with a lot more information that you can read right here.
Privacy policy
Practical Caravan is part of Future PLC. We are both fiercely committed to protecting your privacy. Please have a look at our in-depth privacy policy to find out more.