How do you holiday?

[Wogga]

Before we take the plunge for a MH some opinion please.

We currently used to holidaying abroad, renting a static, driving over then site seeing out and about with the car.

The conundrum is losing the flexibility of the car. We need to see the rest of the UK and venture deeper in Europe. I am not contemplating towing a car one jot, storage at home is an issue.

 

How do you holiday?

Stay over at sites for short durations and motor the MH out to the tourist sites?

Do you plan carefully and go to sites with good public transport links and leave the MH pitched?

or do you just go for full relax mode, pitch the MH and chill out at the same site for a longer duration.

 

I guess I am just struggling with the thought of packing up everyday, trotting out to the tourist bit or am I just looking for a negative.

 

[Caddies104]

Hi

We use Acsi sites mainly in the low season, not July/August, and take our bikes. Use sites with either a cycle route or somewhere to walk or bus to.

Tend to tour around France staying around 2/3 nights on each site until we find that beautiful site which needs longer.

 

[Don636]

We vary our style of touring depending on where we are going. In the U.K. we take some short breaks of a few days and go to one site and stay there. From this base we will walk around the area and find that there is always something to see. I think some people feel that they have to get in a car or a van and drive out somewhere for the day but we have found that there is always something to do and see right on your doorstep - just a simple walk out in the countryside is fine for us and we are not too fussed about heading for towns or 'the sights'. We have found that you can miss seeing a lot of interesting things and places right on your doorstep if you are always heading out somewhere. If there is something specific worth visiting in the area we will make arrangements to drop in past whilst driving to or from the site and plan our route accordingly.

 

For longer breaks in the U.K., or more probably in Europe, we will tour around staying in locations for 1-3 nights max with a mix of walking around the site location or visiting the local sights during the in between moves. This might involve taking a local bus or perhaps a short ferry ride to an island which adds to the variety.

 

We very rarely take the van out during the day whilst staying over at a particular location - too much hassle involved.

 

We had a caravan before getting the van and with this we just drove to a site and stayed there for a fortnight or so and used the car to drive out during the day but for us this was not such a relaxing type of holiday.

[vindiboy]

well we all like different things and do them different ways, we dislike campsites with a passion and wild/free camp all over, if one is organised one can move the van quickly. nothing like waking up in the morning on a mountain or beach or in a forest, England is not very Motorhome friendly in this respect but it can be done with a bit of research on the Wildcamping forums, France and Germany has plenty of dedicated Motorhome stopover places [Aires and Steplatz , Sostas in Italy] free or a few Euros a night stay more if you want, as an example we went to Norway in our van via Holland Germany Denmark Sweden and into Norway and only used a camp site for 2 nights [ in Geiranger Norway, as we were going on a Fjord cruise ] in the 5 months we were away. Using the Camping and Caravan Club in the UK is a good option as they use farm fields etc and have weekend Rallies throughout the year and also temporary Holiday sites for up to a month, usually no booking just turn up, stay one night or longer as you please. It is surprisingly easy to get about in a Motorhome parking can be found even for an eight metre van that I had, my now van is 7 Metres long and still no problem to use, so give it a try , if you do not like it , use Campsites , choices choices .

[Keithl]

Wogga - 2018-02-24 9:51 AM

 

I guess I am just struggling with the thought of packing up everyday, trotting out to the tourist bit or am I just looking for a negative.

 

That was our first misconception as well!

 

In reality there is no 'packing up' to do as you simply do not have to unpack in the first place!

 

In our MH everything has its place and is returned as soon as it has been used. We can typically be off site within ten minutes of finishing breakfast if we so desire. Remember it is not a caravan where you have water containers, awnings, etc,etc that you have to unpack when you pitch.

 

And now the BIG advantage, when you go out for the day you have everything with you! Several times we have returned to the MH soaked through form an unexpected downpour, climb aboard draw the blinds and get changed into dry clothes before putting the kettle on to warm up, what could be simpler.

 

And you save a fortune on coffees and lunches when out as you have all your food and facilities with you.

 

In our books the advantages far outweigh the negatives.

 

Try hiring one for a week or two and see how you get on.

 

Keith.

[Barryd999]

We also dont like campsites but we spend most of our time in Mainland Europe where there are thousands of free or low cost parking places for motorhomes and wild camping is more relaxed. We carry a scooter on the back of the van though so we dont have to move the van. Generally we find a place to stay and just base the van there until we are ready to move on which could be a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

 

Many carry push bikes or even electric bikes but some kind of secondary transport I would say is a must unless your very fit and into walking etc. We also have two folding mountain bikes and an inflatable Kayak on board which also fits on the scooter so we can pretty much treat the motorhome like a Caravan really.

 

 

[Brock]

We've always motorhomed along the lines set out by Keith. We've had holidays on the continent in the van for many years - except France where one week was enough. We've used sites or overnight places, travelled to places in the van, walked and used public transport. We've never had much interest in traditional site seeing. On the continent, we just enjoyed being there and mixing with different nationalities.

 

When we retired and bought our present van, we decided that the motorhome supported our interests rather than motorhoming being our interest. We fixed a maximum stay away at three weeks with no more than one week in any one place. Out went the foreign trips. Most of the time now, we use sites or CLs with facilities because of the convenience [no pun intended]. We're quite happy to walk, use public transport, or the van whichever is suitable at the time - we don't plan ahead to use public transport.

 

All this means we have been able to make informed compromises in the motorhome we bought. For example, less bathroom space - we can still shower in the van when we want to do, less to store in the van [barry 999 hasn't mentioned the 57 guitars he takes with him]. We ended up with a 6m A-Class motorhome which makes it easy to travel around. When we go off site in the van, it's likely to be a three of four hour drive [we like looking through the window] than ten miles to see a pile of stones someone says used to be a historic building.

[Wogga]

Thank you all for the input and the great responses, lots of food for thought but by the sounds of it we clearly decide what holiday we want and how and where we choose spend it.

 

I think the freedom you have clearly demonstrated is the positive.

 

Thanks again.

 

P.s. what is a CL?

[Basil]

Wogga - 2018-02-24 9:51 AM

 

Before we take the plunge for a MH some opinion please.

We currently used to holidaying abroad, renting a static, driving over then site seeing out and about with the car.

...................................

 

I guess I am just struggling with the thought of packing up everyday, trotting out to the tourist bit or am I just looking for a negative.

 

Perhaps try to get your mind round our thoughts on this matter. Take your first statement we do exactly the same except we don't stay static we drive out sight seeing BUT we don't go back because we are not static, we book into an ACSI site, Municipal or stop on an Aire where we have gone to. If the immediate area calls for further investigation we either walk, cycle or use public transport. If not we look to see the next place we would like to sight see and drive there and stop, we don't go back because we are not static! This is much easier in France/Europe where we feel mainly welcomed not a pariah to be kept out of car parks and any suitable sensible parking area.

In the UK we tend to use CL's, again only for short stops to see the surrounding area then move on to the next place, we have kind of run out of new places in the UK though and of course we have the good old bus pass for any local travel.

Regarding your packing up problem we, as others have said, have everything in its place and can move in minutes from deciding where we are going, there is nothing to speak of to pack away unlike our old caravan days, completely different, and easier, way of doing the same thing!

 

Incidentally we downsized from our six berth coachbuilt van to our current three berth PVC and have no regrets at all. It just makes our way of holidaying even easier as although we are no shorter due to LWB against MWB, we are slightly narrower which actually makes far more difference than you realise until you have one.

 

Bas

[Basil]

Sorry CL is Certified Location in the UK. The Caravan and Motorhome Club are able to Certificate the use of pieces of land that the owners want to make available for use by up to 5 vans without the landowner having to apply for and no doubt pay for planning consent. There are literally hundreds of these all over the country, some in places where there are no caravan site for instance and often they are closer in to town than a caravan site.

The other big club Camping and Caravan Club also have their version of the CL though there are nowhere near the same number, no doubt the other clubs will have some method of doing the same thing.

There is always disagreement or moans about the benefit of one or the other club over another, my advice would be just try it for yourself and make up your own mind!

 

Bas

[Brian Kirby]

Wogga - 2018-02-24 9:51 AM...............................

Stay over at sites for short durations and motor the MH out to the tourist sites?

Do you plan carefully and go to sites with good public transport links and leave the MH pitched?

................................

Both the above, though we (ahem! :-)) try to avoid what we consider tourist sites (i.e. hoards of tourists).

 

But what you consider a short duration may not be what we consider a short duration so, to clarify, we rarely stay anywhere longer that 5 days.

 

I tend to try to identify interesting looking places en route, and sometimes stop at one for lunch and then look round, or sometimes look for a nearby site from which we can walk or bus in. Alternatively, we'll plan to visit a place and then move on to a site when we've done looking around.

 

The planning bit involves using Google Earth to find suitable parking places, and then setting the GPS co-ordinates into the sat nav. I do the same for campsites and supermarkets.

 

So, the journey becomes a tour of towns, villages, cities, and individual places of interest, with the odd spectacular stopping place thrown in.

 

Motorhomes are fairly compact vehicles, and the idea of having to pack up every day is best countered by putting things away as they are used, and having sufficient, handy, storage so that nothing that is needed regularly gets buried.

 

But, people use motorhomes in as many different ways as there are people. In essence you have highly mobile accommodation that will vary in size depending on how much you want to use its autonomy, and how long you plan to spend away on a single trip. The more you want to rely on the van's equipment (i.e. washing, showering, washing up, watching TV, relaxing, etc. etc. and the longer you want to spend away, the bigger the van will become, and the more difficult it will then become to reach some of the more interesting, off the beaten track, places.

 

It is a series of compromises, between home comforts, autonomy, cost, trip duration, country lanes or motorways, eat in or eat out, etc. etc. and it changes as time passes, so no one vehicle is likely to prove satisfactory for all time. You will probably also find that your perspective shifts as you begin to see opportunities you hadn't considered before you got a van.

 

I'd suggest you hire one before you buy, preferably of a layout you think suitable, if only for a week, and see if that experience changes your mind about what you want. It is a very difficult decision to get "right", which is why most of us have owned different vans as our horizons have changed.

[colin]

Keithl - 2018-02-24 11:08 AM

 

Wogga - 2018-02-24 9:51 AM

 

I guess I am just struggling with the thought of packing up everyday, trotting out to the tourist bit or am I just looking for a negative.

 

That was our first misconception as well!

 

In reality there is no 'packing up' to do as you simply do not have to unpack in the first place!

 

In our MH everything has its place and is returned as soon as it has been used. We can typically be off site within ten minutes of finishing breakfast if we so desire. Remember it is not a caravan where you have water containers, awnings, etc,etc that you have to unpack when you pitch.

 

And now the BIG advantage, when you go out for the day you have everything with you! Several times we have returned to the MH soaked through form an unexpected downpour, climb aboard draw the blinds and get changed into dry clothes before putting the kettle on to warm up, what could be simpler.

 

And you save a fortune on coffees and lunches when out as you have all your food and facilities with you.

 

In our books the advantages far outweigh the negatives.

 

Try hiring one for a week or two and see how you get on.

 

Keith.

 

As this, we aim to arrive on a site pull on the handbrake and swivel seats, then we're done.

[Wogga]

I knew it was worth a post, thanks for your time and thoughts you have put in your comprehensive responses.

 

I had a look around last night at some of the European sites to see fairly basic sites but MH parked along side rivers/lakes doors flung wide and the owners clearly enjoying life.

 

I am a friend of google earth and use it a lot so handy for planning.

 

Thanks again.

 

[Charles]

We always go abroad and use a mix of sites and Aires. Doesn't matter if we're out of town or near a bus stop because we have a 110cc scooter for getting around on (if needed). It comes into it's own in Benidorm, we're out shopping or beach hunting most days.

[Grumblewagon]

We're not ones for technology. Give us good OS maps for the UK and Michelin maps for Europe. Not that we do a lot of planning either, we like to be spontaneous and frequently change our plans.

 

In Scotland, we have our bus passes, so we look for sites with good transport links, park the van and use the bus or walk. In the rest of the UK, or on the continent, we look for sites in or near towns.

 

We are rather "fair weather" campers and over the winter, we fly off somewhere and stay in hotels.

Given the low cost of air travel and the high cost of ferry crossings - there's not a lot of difference in costs for short foreign holidays. Off to Vienna in a couple of weeks.

[michaelmorris]

As I see it there are a number of ways to skin the holiday cat!

The smaller the motorhome, the easier it is to use in towns and on narrow lanes, but you have less space to live in. Conversely, the larger the motorhome the more space and comfort, but you have less flexibility unless you take bikes, scooter or tow a car. I suppose the ultimate extension of this is to simply take a caravan and use the towing car for day trips from your base.

 

We plumbed for an Elddis Autoquest 200 which is a compromise with a rear lounge coachbuilt (comfort), that is only 5.5 metres (easy find somewhere to park). The overcab 'sleeping' area is used for storage. The real draw back is the somewhat cramped loo/shower room.

 

Which solution works for you will depend upon what type of holiday you want.

 

We use our motorhome for extended stays of up to 10 days and for touring around for several weeks, staying on sites for 1 to 3 nights.

 

As for using your van for day trips from your holiday base, as others have said, if you are organised, you can be on the road in no time. We reckon it taking us around 15 minutes to clear the decks, disconnect and stow the hook up, turn off the gas, empty the toilet cassette, turn off the 12v, lock the fridge and turn it to 12v, retract the step and be on our way. We have a check list in the cab just to make sure we don't miss anything.

The only thing that tends to slow this down is if we have to empty the wastewater tank. This can take over 5 minutes to drain down.

 

This means that we can easily use the motorhome to visit towns and attractions without much fuss.

 

[AndyLou]

I agree with most people on here.

when we had a caravan we would do a starfish type holiday.

Pitch up unpack all and sundry then go off each day returning to the caravan.

This we enjoyed greatly apart from the pack up at the end.

This is mainly due to us being lazy and not putting stuff away as we went.

This resulted in virtually every bit of equipment we had being out of its storage place by the end of a fortnight's holiday.

Now that we have changed to a Motorhome we tend to have a more linear holiday.

Last year we went to Prague but stayed in places we wanted to visit on the way.

Sometimes we would arrive at a location to visit park in a car park do our visit and then move on to a StellaPlatz type place for the night only to move to the next sightseeing location the following day.

Some locations we would stay a couple of night's just to have a day off from driving but these usually had enough to do for a couple of days sightseeing or had good public transport links.

We also carry a couple of push bikes to help get around. I would love to upgrade them to electric bikes someday.

We rarely stay at commercial campsites these days, even in the UK.

the use of CC&C CS or THS sites is brilliant and add to that Britstops for great pubs that you can park at or even just check out the car parks on searchforsites. Alternatively we have just gone in to a pub and asked if we can stay in the car park overnight.

 

I think the flexibility offered by the Motorhome has been the best thing about it.

 

Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.