Jump to content

Mel B

Members
  • Posts

    12,420
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Mel B's Achievements

Grand Master

Grand Master (14/14)

  • First Post
  • Collaborator
  • Posting Machine Rare
  • Conversation Starter
  • Week One Done

Recent Badges

0

Reputation

  1. On our recent trip to the eastern side of France I didn't get a single wifi hit, not a jot! I could've gone to McDonalds I suppose but I didn't fancy having to eat their food! 8-)
  2. Hi Tom We've just signed up for 18 month contract for mobile broadband with the '3' network on a special broadband/phone deal. However, when we were completing the transaction, they do a check on your debit card to make sure you are who you say you are and you have to confirm the address for the card. Now whether this has to be a UK address I don't know so that might pose a problem for you. However, if they will accept you, then the cost for mobile broadband pay as you go is seems to vary from £4.00 to £8.50 a day for anything from 2GB up to unlimited downloads. You'll need to shop around on the internet. The ones who do mobile broadband in the UK are: T-mobile: www.t-mobile.co.uk Vodaphone: http://online.vodafone.co.uk 3: www.three.co.uk
  3. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Just packing the van for our next trip and remembered another tip: Socks!!!! They are great for putting bottles into stop them rattling, but do remember to use clean socks won't you!
  4. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Sun screens: We bought some cheap van sun screens in France and I cut one down to fit the Heki rooflight - this means that when it's sunny we can have it open and let in fresh air but still stop the sun getting in. Make sure you allow for it to flap down at the sides though so that as the sun moves round it doesn't creep in. I had some spare rubber suction cups so I put these on to keep it in place but if you cut it to the right size it pretty well stays up there anyway or pegs can be used keep it clipped in place on the 'glass'. Storage: I got a cheap multi-pocket plastic material thingy from a pound shop, the sort with a coat hanger hook on the top. I cut the bottom 3 rows of pockets off it, leaving a little bit of extra 'material' on top, bent over and taped this extra material to the rear and then fastened it to the motorhome door, utilising a couple of screws that were already there. To stop it flapping when the door is open I then put some sticky velcro on the 2 bottom corners to fix it to the door. It's extremely useful for keeping dog leads, brushes, spare cloths etc in. Brushes: A washing up brush, the type with the long handle and a small scrubbing brush on the end, is brilliant for cleaning your shoes before you get in the van, you can clean sand, grass and mud etc off and don't get your hands dirty due to the long handle. And if you do the storage solution above you can stick it in one of the pockets so it's always at hand as soon as you open the door. Drinks: We got hold of a couple of drinking can holders, the type that slip over the door between the inner door and the window glass. The only problem was they they have a nasty habit of jumping off or being knocked off. I just drilled a couple of small holes in them and put in self tapping screws to keep them in place, now we can have drinks to hand whilst travelling. Dash tray: I also made a dash tray to fit over the cut-out dash area in front of the passenger, I used an old tray (but a piece of strong board would do), some sticky velcro and a couple of legs from a computer monitor 'shelf' to support the front outer edges (but again I'm sure you could come up with something else. I attached the legs to the front and put velcro under the 2 sides and rear of the tray, these were then carefully matched with their 'brother' pieces of velcro on the dash itself. I now have a storage area under the tray to keep campsite and travel books in so they are readily at hand, and an area on top for other bits and pieces or simply to put my large map on when needed (they can get a bit heavy to hold all the time!). Map holder: Large maps can be a pain to hold when you're having to keep referring to them. I bought an A3 clip board and clip the map's side edge onto it. It keeps the map straight, easier to read as it stops it from flopping around, and safe from damage. If you dont' want to go to the expense of an A3 clipboard a piece of hardboard with a bulldog clip will work just as well.
  5. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    But some of us are like moths and are attracted to the lights whatever we do!! Oh ... it's so pretty ... BUZZ splat!
  6. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Just got back and remembers another thing to add to this: Toilet & Wardrobe doors - to save having to push the buttons in and out for the door catches on the toilet and wardrobe when on site (it does get tiring after a while!) I put some of the small magnetic catches door catches on them, now the doors stay closed and it saves me having to do all that strenuous pushing all the time!!! Just remember to push the buttons in before driving off otherwise they do wave about a bit!!!
  7. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Oooo, that's just reminded me of something else: I have a large melamine tray that I use as a draining board when washing up, the only problem is that it's a bit big to store. Answer? Drill a couple of small holes in one end (no, in the lip you twit, not the base!!!) and then mark these holes on the inside of the wardrobe door, now screw a couple of small hooks into the wardrobe door and hook the tray over them, a bit of blue tack on the bottom stops it swinging in transit. Another couple of hooks below the tray are used to hang one of the small washing-up plate racks on. Easy to get at when you want them. Lights - how many of you don't like the little lights shining on the control panel at night but you don't have a choice but to have the switches on? Sometimes they can seem like a 100w bulb is glowering at you! Just put some blobs of Blu-tak over the lights but remember to switch off those that you don't need on anymore in the morning. Make sure you stick it on well though as if it drops off in the middle of the night into the step recess it don't half give you a scare!!!
  8. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Baby wipes, or husband wipes! Mine uses them to give his feet a wash down when they get a bit pongy! They are also very good for wiping the sink and toilet down to keep it nice and clean and smelling sweet and they're cheapter than the 'proper' ones. Clothes pegs, what CAN'T you do with them is probably easier to say! And what can you do with Velcro!!! It's great for keeping a table cloth in place on your dining table which protects the surface and means no more bowls sliding off into your lap- sticky backed on the table itself but use sewing type velcro on the material (unless it's plastic and you can make sure it sticks well) - don't whatever you do try to sew the stick type onto material, I've tried and you just end up with your threat getting constantly stuck, a very sticky needle and sore fingers! .A couple of strips of velcro make a great way to keep bits together, such as wind breaks, simply cut so they just go round then unfasten them, put one round the wind break and the use the other to fill the gap, you can get them really tight and keep the thing together, to avoid loosing them when you use the wind-break, sew one end of the overlaping pieces together and then fasten one end of it to the windbreak (staple or sew depending on the material the windbreak is made of). Similar 'straps' can be made for a wide variety of uses. Washing line - if the weather isn't good and you've got a few wet towels to dry what do you do with them? I've got a piece of washing line cut down to a size just big enough to stretch across the width of the van, on each end I've put the 'hooks' off an old bungee cord, I then open 2 top hinged upper lockers, one at each side of the van, and hook the hooks over the middle of the hinges, works a treat ... and you can use clothes pegs to keep them on as well if you want! Small stacking racks, like small vegetable racks, make excellent additional 'shelves' for lockers. To stop mugs and glasses rattling, go and visit your local office furniture store and ask if you can have some of the protective 'stockings' that they put on the swivel bases of office chairs, they use them to protect the 5 star base from damage in transit - they are like plastic stockings and cut in half with a small slit for the handles if required, easily slip on and off and allevaite the problem. They also work well on bottles. Crockery - use paper plates (on top of normal plates to keep them rigid), it makes cleaning up much quicker and easier and saves on washing up (and using water reserves). Shoe storage - get one of the material shoe hangers and put it in the wardrobe, makes getting at your shoes much easier than scrabbling about in a locker. You can also use it for storing clothes as well if locker space is tight. That's it for now!
  9. Mel B

    USEFUL TIPS

    Okay, Clive's started with his tip, so I'll continue with some of mine: Wine and lemonade bottles: These are bulky items to store at the best of times. I've got a long thin cardboard box which is approximately 18 inches wide, 5 inches deep and 12 inches high (an old envelope box from work). I strenghtened it with some gaffer (duct) tape and it fits tightly between the rear of the driver's seat and the cupboard behind it, nice and snug. The 2 fixing 'bolts' in the floor push up into the base of the box so hold it in place at the bottom. I can get lots of bottles of wine, lemonade, milk, orange, oil etc in this and it's nice and easy to grab what you want. Fixed beds - storage hints: Fishing around under the fixed bed for bits and pieces is a pain in the bum sometimes so I have several ways of keeping things in place, the first is to use the stick/clip on pouches that you can get for use in car boots, this is the long thin holdall type thing that has several pockets and usually press-studs or velcros to the back of the rear seats in the boot. I've put ours along the side edge of the underbed storage (the side you go into it from). We use it to keep hook-up leads, varoius connectors, tent pegs, a small tarpaulin, virtually anything you want that you may need to get at easily, to hand. I also have several of the small cargo type nets - the type that you can use on the back of bicycles and motorbikes etc that have several hooks on them - which I hooked onto the slatted base of the bed, I can slot in lightweight items such as frying pans, trays, small plastic table, games rackets, whatever you can think of that's not too heavy (remember you still have to be able to lift the bed base!). I also have some bungee straps stretched across parallel with each other and within these I can put longer items such as walking poles, umbrella etc. It keeps them accessible and saves an awful lot of scrabbling around in the 'cavern' that is the bed base - if you've ever fallen into it looking for something once you won't want to do it again! Apart from the fact that you feel a right pillock, it's bl**dy difficult to get out again!!!! Bed Shelf: If like me you like to have a cup of tea in bed in a morning but didn't have anywhere to rest the cup then I found one solution. You'll probably have seen some of the cheap plastic tea, coffee and sugar sets in the pound shops etc that sit on a nice little plastic shelf, I had a spare set of these in a nice grey colour so put the shelf up at the head of the bed (make sure you put it to one side so you can still sit up to enjoy your cuppa!), it attaches with 2 small screws which you put onto the wall first and then just hook the shelf on to them, as the shelf has a lip if you knock your mug the shelf will catch the spillage and it has the advantage that you can easily take it off again to wash it. I also use one of these sets of tea/coffee/sugar/shelf above the entry door, it saves having to rummage around in a cupboard for them when I want them and also saves storage space and no, they do not jump off whilst travelling, in 3 years of use they've never committed suicide once, one thing to watch out for though - make sure you can lift the canisters over the lip of the shelf when you are deciding how high to put them, one thing I nearly forgot about! If I think of any more bits I'll put them on here, I assume someone will find these useful?!?! Mel B
×
×
  • Create New...