Long term motor caravanning
We're staying on a campsite in southern Spain for a couple of weeks with our caravan at the moment. What amazes me is the number of motorhomes that are pitched here for weeks on end without being moved. To me they aren't making much use of the advantages of a motorhome (primarily that of being potentially more mobile than a towed caravan) and at the same time putting up with the disadvantage of a limited radius of action once on site unless they happen to be pulling a car as well, which kind of defeats the object, too. Perhaps someone can offer an explanation?
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I can’t explain, Lutz, and tend to agree with your thoughts, although it’s not something I unduly concern myself with.
However, it demonstrates that people exercise their right to choose to do things in different ways and, for whatever reasons, this way suits those people.
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Although I agree with your sentiment but it all boils down to cost specially at this time of year in southern Spain, for example I live in land from the campsite at La Marina Alicante and for one night it is 38 euros a night if they allow you to stay one night only but with the minimum stay of three which gets you a reduction of 35 euros per night but if you stay a month it drops to 25 euros a night so 10\13 euros cheaper. Before I lived in Spain we over wintered here and I confess I hated to stay long term on sites but the savings as per my example above mean up to 300 euros a month saving. Problem I see now is that there are more outfits then pitches out here at this time of year and the sites that are open charge more then they do in the summer.
Phil
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Yes, it was purely out of curiosity that I asked the question. I don't wish to criticise others, but I would like to understand their thought process. Maybe I could have overlooked something that would make my travel experiences more enjoyable.
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I also don't understand why anyone would drive all that way to stay in one place and not at least get out and explore the area they're staying in. To me, wherever we stay, exploring the local area is one of the main resaons for visiting.
But fortunately for me, I don't have to (or really want to) understand it. It's their choice and if that is what they want to do, good luck to them.
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Well, again, I don't really understand why anyone would drive all that distance to the same place year after year. Surely, even on the Algarve there are different places to stay? Seems to go against the whole idea of adventurous touring abroad.
But, as I said, I don't have to understand it. If that's their choice, good luck to them.
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I suppose it might depend on how the people that long term over winter use their motorhomes during the rest of the year? It is possible that they use them more conventionally for the rest of the year? If they are pitched up for a long period they maybe camp near local facilities so no need to take the van off site. Car towing can seem a bit odd but perhaps a different way of viewing it is that you have the choice with a motorhome of taking the car or leaving it at home which is of course not a choice the caravanner has. Without curiosity many things would not have been discovered
David
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But you didn't waste the chance to get personal did you, David. It's rather sad that you have to resort to that sort of point scoring.
Yes, we have a static caravan in Cornwall - suits us and the dogs and takes us under 3 hours to get there without towing. It's convenient and cheaper than buying a second home down there. (We also have our tourer for exploring in the UK and foreign trips to explore abroad.)
But that, to me, is not the same thing as towing a van all the way to the same overseas destination year after year.
However, as I've said twice now, it's down to personal choice and good luck to those who choose to do that.
Maybe take a break now from the pointed comments?
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I get restless after five or six days in one place but have occasionally stayed for a full week.
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We've talked about going to Spain during winter, but it doesn't appeal to either of us. It seems you have to book well in advance to ensure a pitch, and if you wanted to move from site to site, it appears it's not that easy, if not impossible. I can appreciate people going there to "live" for a while in better weather though. But we tend to get itchy feet after about a week, sometimes before then, and we like to move frequently. So for us, having to pre-book would take all the spontaneity of touring out of the trip.
It's a good job we're all different, otherwise there'd be even less pitches in Spain
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Thanks WTG, for that. When I've been reading about Spanish sites in winter, invariably it has been mentioned that it's akin to peak season and booking is necessary if you want a pitch. It's good to hear that it is possible to be able to turn up without booking, presumably a lot of research to be done beforehand! As I said, we have been wondering whether to give it a go one of these winters, so perhaps it IS possible, without booking all sites, just to see what it's like.
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We will be going to Iberia in mid January, don't know the exact date, no ferry booked yet, clockwise or anti clockwise 'adventuring'? Don't know...
what we do know is that the trip there which may be three or thirty days will be comfortable and we will always find somewhere to overnight without too much planning.
wevmay have five or more 'destination' areas that may involve a stay of a week or more....if we get settled we may stay several weeks....but we will definitely be exploring as WTG says, by bike, train, bus etc...
the great thing is it's so easy to do a few one or two nighters and then a longer stay, flexibility is the key.
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Lutz - did the MH have small cars with them? I notice two MH today arriving with one towing a small car, the other in 'tandem' with a car (the couple both went in to the office together,and I later noticed the MH and car on the same pitch.
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We have chatted to a few pitch neighbours who take seasonal pitches with MHs. Surprised to see one following year with a big caravan, on enquiry, he told us that leaving MH on a pitch for months at a time wasnt doing it any good, and they had been experiencing engine and mechanical issues, so they ditched it for a van. It was a big MH, they were full timers. I often wonder if irregular use would cause issues. Ours is never left for more than a couple of weeks without doing something with it, day trip or an overnighter. We had a big MH next door to us at Hurn Lane that was recovered the night we were there.
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Some tow cars, we have a fiat 500 which would be easy to tow but ATM we don't feel we need one. If we want to go further for the day than ebukes will take us, then there are many other options.
if we want to spend more time exploring further afield, we take the van to where we want to be.
with far more easy stopping places over there it's not so necessary to have a plan even in busier crimes
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That sort of thing would make me very wary of purchasing a second hand M/H with low milage....not knowing if it had stood for months on end like that without use.
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