Footwear deserves more thought than it usually gets. Bring proper walking shoes or trainers for dunes, coastal paths and pebble beaches, sandals for index round the caravan and the pool if your park has one, and something you don't mind getting wet for rockpooling or a paddle. Flip-flops alone rarely survive a full week of coastal walking.

Midweek arrival is the other thing worth trying. Weekend slots get booked up first, particularly for short breaks, so a Monday or Tuesday arrival often has availability when a Friday one doesn't. If your work pattern allows it, a midweek break also tends to mean quieter on-site facilities, since most other guests are working to the same Friday-to-Friday pattern you're avoiding.

Pace is worth planning around too. A multi-generational trip works best when the itinerary has some flexibility built in, a gentle morning walk that suits everyone, followed by an afternoon where younger children can do something more energetic while grandparents have a quieter few hours back at the caravan. Trying to keep every generation doing exactly the same thing for a full week tends to wear thin by day three.

Space is often the deciding factor for families. A static caravan holiday gives everyone a bit of breathing room, somewhere for the kids to watch television while the adults have a cup of tea in a separate area, which a single hotel room rarely manages without someone being under everyone else's feet.

A countryside or Broads-side setting offers a different rhythm. Rather than one central stretch of coast, you're usually within reach of quiet lanes, market towns, nature reserves and, on the Broads specifically, slow-moving waterways that suit an afternoon boat trip or a riverside pub lunch. It tends to be a calmer setting day to day, better suited to those who want gentle walks, birdwatching or simply a quieter base to come back to after a day out, rather than beach-focused activity.

When you do search, look directly at park availability rather than only general search results, since some late deals or short breaks don't always surface through a general web search. Being flexible on which park you book, rather than fixed on one location, also widens what's on offer considerably. If your priority is getting away this weekend rather than a specific spot, checking two or three parks in the same general area rather than just one tends to turn something up.