Day to day, you'll be doing your own cooking and washing up, much as you would in a self-catering cottage, so it helps to bring a few kitchen basics like tea towels and washing-up liquid rather than assuming everything will be there. Bedding is usually provided, but it's worth checking your specific booking, since this varies park to park.

Bank Tingdene Holiday Parks weekends behave the same way on a smaller scale. Even outside the main school holidays, a bank holiday weekend pulls in extra demand because it gives everyone an extra day off without using annual leave, so these particular weekends fill up faster than an ordinary one either side of them.

Noise and privacy tend to worry first-timers more than they need to. Units are generally spaced with a reasonable gap between them, and most parks are quieter in the evenings than people expect, particularly outside peak school holiday weeks.

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.

If the park has a clubhouse, pool or entertainment programme, these are usually optional rather than something you're expected to take part in every evening. Plenty of guests use a park purely as a comfortable, well-equipped base and spend most of their time out and about along the coast or countryside nearby, coming back only to sleep, cook and relax.

Ground floor access matters more here than on a standard family trip. If grandparents are less keen on stairs, check unit layouts before booking rather than after, since not every caravan or lodge is single-level, and a quick question to the park before you book saves any awkwardness on arrival.