Guests & dog staying in caravan

My caravan is a 4-berth caravan, which means it’s set up to house four people. The most I’ve had so far was one other person and that felt crowded. I recently had a couple and their dog come to stay. A real squeeze! But so fun.

I really enjoyed showing-off this lifestyle and possibly encouraging future adventures in a mobile home. We had great food and an awesome catchup while taking in the sights around the Hawkes Bay area.

Now to the challenging parts!

No Space

My caravan has a fix double bed and the seating area converts into a queen sized bed. It also has a sliding door to divide the two spaces.

I must say, I would only ever have people stay who I know well. There is no real privacy. Sounds carries and the caravan wobbles with every movement. Luckily I knew my guests very well and I’m a regular guest at their house.

What I learnt 

• The drop down bench that extends the bench area was very helpful. I don’t usually bother with it when I’m on my own.
• Having a public toilet and shower for everyone to use made life easier.
• It would be helpful to have an awning with outside seats. It becomes challenging when people get up at different times in the morning. Plus who wants to make a bed before their first cup of tea or coffee! Luckily for this visit there was a public seating area nearby.

Dog in Caravan

I’ve been daydreaming about getting a dog for a while. One of my hesitations was wondering how a dog would find the caravan. It was a great chance to see how Rocket (the dog) would find it.

What I learnt 

• He seemed more settled than my friends expected. They thought he liked that he could see and potentially defend the whole home. There was only one entrance!
• He seemed to enjoy having his bed under the table. I don’t know if it felt more secure and cave-like or if he liked being as close as possible to his owners. The bed actually fit perfectly in the area!
• There are a couple of other dogs and cats in this campground. This did cause a bit of difficulty… one cat was very cheeky and kept sneaking up to look around. Another dog was aggressively defending its territory and would bark like crazy whenever he saw Rocket. This makes me realise that consideration is required for dog friendly locations.
• Rocket was on a longer lead whenever he was outside and it seemed to work ok. His drink and food was kept just outside the door.
• Dogs shed hair. And I have lots left in the carpet and mat to highlight that fact. I imagine it would be an ongoing chore.
• Where would I keep the dog food?

Other hesitations

• I don’t think it would be right for me to get a dog until I can take the dog with me everywhere.
• Having a dog would cost money… I’m trying to spend as little as possible right now.
• There are lots of great campgrounds that don’t allow dogs.
• Hiking in the national parks would create a challenge as dogs are not allowed.
• Dog needing to go to the toilet… still unsure how it would go.

Desires

• I’d really like the company.
• I’d feel more secure. A dog to alert me when someone’s outside and hopefully scare them away. Unfortunately there is always that concern when travelling as a solo female.
• I just want a dog… *shrug*

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What do you think? Should I get a dog? Let me know in the comments below.