My wife and I live on the South Coast between Bognor Regis and Chichester and we have been caravanning for a little over 45 years. The Spring Bank Holiday is in full flow and I am very glad to say that I am not towing on today's nightmare roads.

To say that I am not towing is perhaps not strictly true because in 3 days time on Wednesday I have my caravan booked into a great local site just over 9 miles away from my home. It should take me all of 20 minutes to hitch up tow my caravan there and I don't really call that 'towing'.

 

My No-Tow' caravan exchange partner from Sheffield will arrive on site about

3pm on Wednesday where I will greet him and his wife and hope that they enjoy 10 days holiday in our caravan amidst all of this beautiful West Sussex countryside. Over the past months my exchange partner from Sheffield and I have set up the exchange by emails, telephone and letters/photos etc and my wife and I feel that we already know our new friends from Sheffield.

In about 4 weeks time we will drive to the Peak District National Park to a caravan site just 17 miles away from our exchange partners home in Sheffield. Here we will find our Sheffield friend's caravan set up for us to use for our 10 day holiday in an area completely new to us and all this with minimal towing....... That is No-Tow in action

 

We, like our exchange partners have spent a glorious caravan holiday in an area of our choice with very little towing for us both. If either of us feels a need to keep an eye on our caravan then it is only a few miles away from our home base. Also if some appliance seems not to be working properly then help is just a short distance away. We get on well with our newfound friends from Sheffield and are taking them to see the Spinnaker Tower and HMS Victory in Portsmouth while they are 'down South'.

  

I hope you will join No-Tow see the potential of a new way to take touring caravan holidays, make new friends and visit parts of this beautiful country that you previously thought were denied to you by challenging tows.

Of course if you enjoy towing then just perhaps No-Tow is not for you. 

 

Just imagine, a pleasant drive to your chosen area, no tugging that unwieldy lump behind you for hundreds of miles, no levelling, no fighting with that awning. At the end of your holiday say goodbye to your No-Tow exchange partner get in the car and have a leisurely drive home. With No-Tow this is not just a dream it can become a reality.

 

Should you decide to join No-Tow, you can then get in touch with potential partners by email anywhere you may wish to caravan and plan an exchange. I have been doing just that for the past few years. Exchanging with my wife's family and their friends who live in the North East. I assure you that successful exchanges are possible and are very satisfying experiences.

 

If you need help, advice or information I will do my best to provide this based upon my own experiences and FAQ will I hope answer many of your questions. Unlike house exchange, caravan exchange with No-Tow does not require the exchange to take place at the same time. In fact it can work better for both parties if the exchange is staggered. You can also store up exchange time if your partner agrees even to the next season. Money does not need to change hands, the No-Tow exchange is a not for profit procedure. By all means tell your caravan insurance company what you are doing so that you remain fully covered when your friends use your caravan.  Let the site wardens know that you are allowing friends to use your caravan so that they know what is going on and I am sure that you will find them, as we have to be very supportive. There will be a lot more information on the website soon – keep looking.

  

 This website is all about exchange partners and to work properly I need to populate the map and listings as soon as possible with potential exchange partners. The annual membership fee is currently a very reasonable £20 with £2 of that going to Cancer Research UK. As an incentive to join I have decided that the first 20 members in each of the 8 regions will enjoy FREE membership for 2 years.

 

May I wish you all  "Very Happy Caravanning"

 

January 2008