Stopping touring
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Yes, I'll add good luck too and hope new ventures prove to be as enjoyable as the previous ones.
We teeter on the brink quite often but won't be going to sites if we do. A complete re-think will be needed, maybe back to renting holiday places or even house exchanges which we did previously with the family in tow.
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Evening
I think there's a lot of folk like the op. However, there are also people who don't want to tow anymore but still like the pull of caravanning that have taken up a seasonal pitch on our club sites. Most of our sites that have seasonal pitches on offer have seen incredible interest with many members unfortunately being on a waiting list. The site I run in Devon has seen an increase of 200% over the last two years.
Something to mull over if you still have a tourer and have had enough of towing?
JK
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I struggle withe idea of visiting the same place all the time. If I could come to terms with that I may have given up touring already. I certainly would want something within a couple of hours drive from home. In all probability I will in the end settle for cruises and hotel breaks or even self catering with more time at home..
peedee
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Peedee
I tend to agree with you on that. The fact that we both live in the middle of England makes it more difficult if you wanted a coastal location especially if we wanted to restrict driving time!!! In the UK we do return to campsites not because they are absolutely the place to be but because they are convenient. Even in Europe there are only a handful of sites where we have stayed more than once. The most frequently on being near to Venice. Perhaps the cleanest way forward is to decide that our caravan/motorhome days are over and replace it with something completely different?
David
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PD - I think you are under the mistaken impression that "stopping touring" implies never going anywhere other than the one destination.
In fact, certainly for us, nothing could be further from the truth. This year, in addition to our frequent trips to Cornwall, we have been on 4 separate cottage breaks in England & Wales. We did the same last year, as being lucky enough to visit South Africa just before the pandemic stuck.
Next year, we already have 2 overseas and 2 UK cottage holidays booked.
We miss the spontaneity of touring in the van to a certain degree but definitely don't intend to get bogged down to only visiting the one spot, much though we love it.
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Not mistaken at all M. Of course it is possible to do all you point out but with such a big investment as a second home you would naturally want to make as much use of it as possible. So yes you could make the odd trip elsewhere but without it you would probably do just as you ponit out.
peedee
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PD raises a very pertinent point. The more you have invested in any asset, the more you feel you should use it to justify the capital investment. That applies to statics, second homes, yachts, LVs or whatever.
When we sold our yacht, having looked at a couple of motorhomes, we bought a cheapish caravan for use in the UK as we still had our place in Spain at the time and felt that a motorhome was tying up too much capital whilst we still had the apartment.
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Well, yes, if we considered it a "second home", and indeed, if we were investing in a lodge of the type which are currently being built on one of the old touring fields at our site (@ £250 000 a time
) that would probably be the case.But we bought our static just over 10 years ago now for considerably less than many on here say they've spent on their van/towcar or MH. So we don't feel obliged to use it for all our trips. The advantage (over "touring") is to be able to get there quicker, know that a minute or so switching the water on is all that's needed in the way of setting up and having considerably more space than any mobile unit.
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Our previous next door neighbours did second home for real. They bought a cottage in a Spanish village and lived there most of the year. Second home was next door to us....😁
Mind, they were both fluent Spanish speakers....
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Next year will be our big decision as it all depends on how OH will still cope? ,we have looked at most scenarios and it seems for both of us ,it may well be a seasonal pitch? a static in an area that has Good transport links,,or possibly the worst outcome give up altogether,
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Thanks David., the future is very unsure at this time, we have looked at a return to a PVC, as the last few months have been difficult as I now need to be able to do most getting ready to go ,and then do nearly every thing,, to get to and from sites plus all that on site involves ,a small PVC could well keep us going longer as we could hopefully keep it at home,,for loading and emptying, plus use as one vehicle
There is much to think about and I have been severely told off ,by several medical professionals to not do any heavy assistant to OH but must call 999 for any lifting required at home,? ,which when we are in the caravan is so much easier
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Go for the seasonal pitch jv, might as well make use of that free membership eh?
JK
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You do know you can get hoists to go in back of car JV? BIL has one fitted so his wife can put his buggy in back of their car. It simply transfers to each new car. No lifting required. Not sure if it is via Motability.
This is one company I found, not sure on costs or any grants/allowances. Makes life very easy for them.
https://www.autochair.co.uk/products/scooter-wheelchair-lifts/smart-lifter
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Thanks for that we have a couple behind us and they have a hoist in their car we have had a Good look, as they have at our car ,and I have found the Achilles. heel of our sportage the rear seats do not fold low enough to allow the lift to work with a buggy on the slings
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Our daughter is disabled, as is our granddaughter, both use wheelchairs when out of the house. Our daughter paid for a hoist to be put into the back of her mobility car, the issue now is it takes up so much room it is now difficult to fit both wheelchairs into the back of the car. They are very heavy things to lift in and out.
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The simplest solution to getting heavy scooter/wheelchairs into the back of a car, appart from buying lighter items, is to use a couple of wheelchair ramps and use these to push the scooter/wheelchair into the back of the car. When we had a caravan this was how we got a shoprider scooter into the back of the estate car we used for towing. You can also get lifts fitted to either the side or back doors of a campervan.
peedee
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