Caravan V Motorhome
We have been members of the club for 39 years. We tour all year round and since retiring average 100 nights a year.
The time has come to change both van and car or do we have a complete change and go for a motorhome.
Has anyone out there gone down that route?
Comments please!
Comments
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I would hire a M/H for a week. You will quickly find the advantages & disadvantages compared to a car and caravan.....
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Ask me after tomorrow.
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yes very good idea. It all comes down to how you personally will feel at the end of that trial.
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Make a list of essentials. A separate list of nice to have. Either seek manufacturers brochures or phone a few dealers to see what is available with your needs. Then view and view again. Try to speak to people who have what you want and if possible hire the model you want ( in practice it will probably be difficult). The research is essential as your outlay will be considerable and a mistake very costly. Also important is parking. Can you have it at home? One of the advantages of M/H is being able to go away at very short notice.
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Thanks for your comments.
Curious as to what cyberyacht is up to!
We have hired for 4 weeks while on holiday in the USA visiting family & enjoyed the experience but for all the time not sure.
We can't keep it at home. Presently in secure storage which would have to continue.
Keep the comments coming please!
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I have to admit, as a caravanner I would never have considered a MH however, necessity forced my hand. I am so pleased it did. I now have to care for my husband who used to tow and didn't relish the thought of towing our 8mtr Adria.
I find it all so much easier (load water once/ empty waste once in a while, depending on use).
i would agree that you must get what you need/want so be careful, but, the freedom and ease related to having it has meant I can enjoy arriving on site and just park up without the usual (sometimes stressful) set up.
Perhaps the most beneficial to us is the 'off grid' element, especially in Europe where you can get into city centres, park up and stay the night for very little cost. Recently we stayed in Chablis in a vinyard car park with electricity free of charge & there was no expectation to buy or pay for anything.
Even in the UK, I have been able to take off for just one night, park in a country pub car park (with permission), have a meal and a drink without having to drive home. My favourite haunt has become Dungeness; the views are breathtaking and cost nothing.
I don't think I will go back to caravanning, much as I loved it.
Good luck with your decision, do let us know.
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Remember to consider what is the deciding factor for many in this choice. "What are your needs/wants for motor transport when NOT away on holidays?"
In my own case I am running a Land Rover Discovery anyway so it does not make much sense to also run another vehicle just to go on holiday. I also like to set up "camp" for a week or so at a time and go on various expeditions in the surrounding area. I could tow a small car with a motor caravan, but then I would be paying three lots of road tax, MOT and insurance (but with perhaps a small saving on fuel costs).
I have two friends who have large camper vans who bemoan having to use them as daily drivers as they are not suited to daily commute parking - or going shopping either. One of them has now purchased a tent to use in conjunction with his camper to avoid some of the packing away of everything that is needed for even the shortest trip anywhere once camp is set up.
The advice to hire for a try is sound.
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Linfield
At least you already have some experience. One thing to take into account is your fitness, are you OK with walking a distance to a bus stop. We made the change five years ago. With the benefit of hindsight I think we should have gone for a smaller van rather than trying to replicate what we had in our caravan. I think I would suggest going smaller rather than larger as this gives a bit more freedom. There are loads of sites in the UK which are close to town and villages or near good transport links. Good luck with your decision.
David
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Totally agree with David. I would think very carefully about what would be the very smallest motorhome I could live in and be happy with. Think about layout and how that affects living.Then think again about those items/equipment you really do need to tour with on board and those which can be left out. Finally, do your research and plan trips carefully with those shopping and pubs/restaurant visits in mind along the route. There really are lots of sites you can walk directly out from in some of the most beautiful places. Keeping things to the minimum and enjoying the freedom is key for us.
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I made the move from caravan to motorhome 16 years ago and have no regrets. The ease of use far outweights the only disadvantge of not having a car on site which if you so choose you can get round by having a small car to tow behind without problems in the UK. For us, having a small van is not the best of options and we prefer to tow a small car for many of our UK trips with the option to take bikes/use public transport or combinations from all three if so desired or even hire a car at our destination if a long stay is planned. Touring on the Continent is much easier with vans up to 8 meters long and towing a car is largely unnecessary and not approved of by the majority of countries.
If the drivers health is not so good, you may want to consider the implications on the size of motorhome you can drive if you lose your C1 +E licence which I assume you have.
peedee
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Linfield, I reckon if you haven't made up your mind that a MH is definitely the way to go, then you shouldn't do it. You don't sound committed to a change by any means.
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Well, I'm now officially a member of the dark side. Picked up the MH yesterday. OH is very excited with it although I'm coming to terms with the very different drive compared to towing. One is very conscious that you are driving a van rather than a car with the consequent lack of smoothness. The engine feels less sophisticated than the Kuga's although it pulls well enough considering it's only done 4400 miles so far. I notice it is lower geared than the Kuga as well. Having said that the trip computer quoted 33mpg on the return trip of mostly country roads and a fair bit of commuter crawling on the last stretch. When we stopped for a very late lunch after about 45 minutes it had been reading 34.7 so it shouldn't be too bad on motorway runs. Have to get to grips with all variations on the equipment and controls now.
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Good luck CY
We have been down both routes and are back to tugging and cannot see a return to having a motor caravan,for Seven years we had two a panel van then a coachbuilt and as we had by then stopped touring "over there"which some say is a motor caravan world, we found after useing sites where public transport was available or close access to towns , parking was problematic as more and more restrictions are being implemented,and as we got less mobile ,have found it much easier for us to now have a caravan with a car for transport
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We switched 18 months ago and have never looked back. They say that the biggest advantage of a Motorhome is that you take everything with you but that's also the biggest disadvantage!
Plenty of advice here and elsewhere but to us the biggest single thing is the touring lifestyle you prefer. Some will disagree but once on site it is difficult to take the Motorhome out for day trips or shopping. We have got used to choosing sites near towns and once we arrive we stay put. We have no bikes or trailers etc. Suits us but not everybody. We are off to the Italian lakes tomorrow and all the sites (apart from the first night) are close to town centres.
Also agree that a compact Motorhome is much more manageable; ours is 6.3 m and perfectly adequate but you have to be ruthless with reducing what you would normally pack.
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Congrats CY
One of the advantages of M/H is being able to go away at very short notice.
Never understood this, we often decide (spur of the moment) to go away and it takes us all of about half an hour to book somewhere, load the car and hook up at our storage yard. So don't think thats a particularly valid argument to buy a MH.
Even the moving on and touring is a bit of a 'red herring' as we have just come back from a trip consisting of 1 night, 3 nights, 3 nights, 2 nights on sites.
Judging by our trip to Western Scotland this year 'wild camping', if your into that sort of thing is the big advantage.
A lot of Stelplatz in Germany take both MH and Caravans.
We have taken the van to POI in the UK and France and parked with no problem.
Personally I can't see any time soon when I would change to a MH but you can never say never.
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We swapped from caravanning to motorhoming simply because we wanted to change out style of 'vanning. To us, caravanning was about staying on sites for a week or more at a time with all the paraphernalia that goes with it. We loved it and so did our boys.
Then as the boys grew, they ceased to be interested in caravanning and playgrounds so we bought a motorhome to tour in, staying no more than a week on site, and for days out. The following year we did our first continental tour and carried on like this for many years. Now we stay in Britain but we we still tour happily, staying three or four nights in one place.
What we like about our motorhomes compared to caravans is travelling light, going out for the day with a clean toilet, cake and tea on hand.
My advice is that if you are going to carry on with the same lifestyle, a new caravan seems a logical choice. We are now considering buying a camper van as a 'day van' for trips out and staying in B&Bs.
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Well done CY. One thing you will soon learn is to be careful how you pack pots, pans and other items which rattle. When towing a caravan you don't notice all the rattles and other noises. --You do in a M/H ---When we bought our M/H, that was the only drawback, but we soon learned to pack everything so that the noises were minimised.
Enjoy your new Hobby,--- Motorhoming opens up a completely new, relaxing and exciting concept into touring.
K
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Having done both I can reassure folk that it is far easier, for us, to go away at short notice. Also, watch the number of motorhomers/campervanners going out for the day from site. Many's the time we have been out from site for the day to return later. Our children loved our mobile 'beach hut' with all mod cons which served us well at remote coves and bays. Now we will be doing the same with the grandchildren. As for touring, it is so much easier to do a circular tour taking in POI's whilst on route to the next site, again with all mod cons at the ready for that journey. When not 'holidaying' as such the van was packed with all needed including 'emergency' meals so that last minute decision to go on a Friday after work for that impromptu weekend was easy. Just jump in and turn the key.
Have to add loved the van style holidays too, just differently!
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I cant answer for anyone else, but since we changed we haven't found any place we haven't been able to go to or park , we do have our own transport ,it's the M/H. Yes you do have to do a bit more homework on parking places ,but it's not a problem
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Linfield, The complete change is to go and see the Taj Mahal at Agra, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the big temple at Madurai, the small temples at Luang Prabang, the rice fields in Bali, the tea plantations in Sri Lanka and all the rest. Whether you choose a caravan or a motorhome they both make great limits on where you can go and what you can do. A hundred days in either of them is more than I would want. When I retired we started spending less and less time on campsites, not more. We went to the interesting places instead. Caravans and motorhomes quickly got left behind us apart from one outing a year. I wouldn't spend big money on either - we just run an everyday car and a ten year old caravan - but boy, have we travelled the world. Enjoy your retirement.
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I agree with you, once arrived the van is pitched and we can use the car to go anywhere and do not have to do any pre-planning or homework as HD says to find out where can park.
And that's another thing, if we want to go off in the car we can leave the 'mess' in the caravan exactly as it is, we don't need to wash up the breakfast things, or move that half empty cup from the front chest, make sure the wine bottles are secure, put everything away for towing. It's just a question of shutting off any pump/heater, close the windows, lock the door and away. Much like at home.
I'm not saying that this way is better than having a MH. It's all down to personal preferences.
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I think it's not so much a matter of how many nights away you want to spend in a year but how often you want to move on. If you only intend to stay a day or two or maybe three at each location, I would say a motorhome is the way to go, but if you'd rather stay longer at one spot and use that as a base from which to explore the surrounding area then the caravan is a better choice. When touring in Europe I prefer to do the latter so I have a caravan, but when overseas and wanting to cover as much of whatever country I am visiting in a limited time I rent a motorhome.
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