Off-peak months help enormously too. School holidays and the height of summer are when demand is tightest, so a late booking in May, September or October usually has far more choice than the same search in late July. The weather isn't guaranteed either way, but a coastal or countryside break in early autumn can be genuinely pleasant, with quieter paths and shorter queues wherever you stop for lunch.

On the budget side, self-catering works in your favour with a bigger group. Cooking most meals in the caravan rather than eating out as a party of eight or ten keeps costs sensible, and splitting the shopping and cooking between the adults spreads both the effort and the spend. A shared static caravan holiday, or two units booked close together, usually works out considerably more cost-effective than the equivalent number of hotel rooms plus regular restaurant bills.

If you're not sure, think about what you did on your last few breaks that you enjoyed most. If it was a beach day, book coastal. If it was a quiet walk or a pub lunch somewhere green, the countryside or Broads setting is probably the better fit for this trip.

Choosing between a static caravan break and a hotel stay usually comes down to one question: do you want your holiday to feel like your own space, or do you want everything done for you?

Finally, build in some low-key entertainment for the evenings, cards, a board game, or simply making the most of a park's clubhouse if it has one, so the whole group has something easy to do together without anyone having to organise much. Get the accommodation split and the pace right, and a multi-generational break becomes one of the easier family holidays to plan, not one of the harder ones.

See the details at www.tingdeneholidayparks.com.