Moving from Caravan to Motorhome

We could use public transport of course, if only it went to where we want to go, when we want to go there......and accept that a chunk of the day would be taken up with standing at bus stops, train stations etc. After paying a significant amount on fares. And that, with the car, we can change our minds, go somewhere else, go somewhere that buses don't go (or only go once a week) but with public transport, we would be very tied.

In the end, the lack of flexibility settles it for us. 

Contrary to the view that caravaners are people who stay in one place, we caravan because we like to get out and about in the area.......beyond where we can walk / ride bikes. 

I like the 'self contained' aspect of motorhomes, but for us they would be far too restrictive

 

Twenty years ago when my wife was alive we would tour for 6 or 7 weeks during school hols in addition to other breaks. We would book the Saturdays in advance and stay 2, 3 or 4 nights on sites. Slowed down now with OH and so generally 5 nights per site. We often travel down roads when solo that I would not wish to take a motorhome. 

If I had not met te present good lady ad become an item 5 years after my wife's death I was intending to get a panel van, fit a swivel passenger seat or drivers as well and do it out. Now OH would prefer the space in a caravan.

Campervans are cool. 

Motorhomes are OK but not very cool.

Caravans are definitely uncool. 

 

Not my view but the view of a small child (and probably his mum as well) who spoke to me when I was err...........cleaning my campervan. 

We have been travelling up and down to  Spain and Portugal in motorhomes for quite a few years but this winter we did it in a caravan. Travelling was a little slower but more comfortable and  less noise  and once on a campsite we had a lot more room than a motorhome and to say nothing of the convenience  of having a car. 

But having said all that we did a lot of touring over the years and if you are constantly moving from a site or an aire  (I will miss the aires) a motorhome would be a lot more convenient .

We made the change in December 2016. We thought long and hard about it but decided to take the plunge when we were thinking of changing our tow car.

One benefit to us is that we will now visit sites that previously we would probably think twice about because of access issues we didn't feel confident about. After all the motorhome is only like driving a large car. It's also much easier to get home and store by the house.

We've had to get rid of "stuff" as there's much less space and you do have to be much tidier. I'm very tidy anyway but my hubby struggles a bit and I struggle with "his" untidiness. But at the end of the day we have never run short of anything or missed anything we have thrown out.

Yes it's noisier when travelling but with a bit of thought you can eliminate the majority of rattles and the radio turned up gets rid of the rest.

When we discussed the change we agreed that it would only work for us if we could get around when on site without taking the motorhome. We are prepared to go away on long weekends and walk/bus-it but on longer holidays, whilst we are now more prepared to move a couple of times in a week, we would want access to a car. Some motorhomers hire these. For us we swapped the tow car for a small car to be towed and had an A-Frame fitted. We know we won't be able to use this everywhere in Europe but we haven't yet toured abroad even with the caravan and if we do go abroad we'll probably get bikes. Some would argue that if you tow you may as well tow a caravan. But for us towing a small car is much less stressful as weather conditions don't affect things in the same way.

Think hard about the lay-out. We're not sure we have the right one for us but it is our first step on the motorhome ladder. We miss our awning but are learning to live without it. Like most caravanners we will live with our current motorhome for the time being and then in a couple of years probably change it for a different layout that suits us better.

We have a small dog and he fits very well and loves travelling in a crate at the back of the cab seats. But he is very laid back and we know that not all dogs take to it.

In summary motorhoming works well for us at the moment. We are more likely to nip off for a weekend, I can pick my hubby up from work and get straight off, the motorhome is much less cumbersome and we will visit areas that we would have avoided with the caravan. And we are planning to go abroad in 2018 😊

Hope our experience helps.

We had caravans for years ,then had two motor caravans first an Autosleeper campervan then an Autocruise coachbuilt, if you want to tour and move every couple of days as long as you are a "tidy" person they can be ideal especialy over the channel ,in the uk we found once we had done most of the sites with PTA or within walking distance to local attractions,it was not so good with the ever increasing restrictions on parking (height barriers etc), and as we got older and no longer went over the channel, we found the conveniance of having a car ,plus much more space for the length,we returned,  as quite a few do, to towing,and have not found a downside in doing so

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We swapped to a motorhome four years ago after about 30 years as caravanners. By that time there were many things about caravanning that was starting to cause us hassle and annoy us. We were fine on site but the travelling and getting ready to travel was starting to cause a degree of stress that was not there years ago. We wanted the simplicity of what a motorhome offered and it is perhaps this point that only those that have changed will understand I expect. I realise some people, having changed, go back to a caravan but I suspect in such cases maybe they had not thought about what they would miss from owning a caravan. That is fair enough and we all learn from experience. Even when we caravanned we tended only to stay 2 to 5 days on a site and the only time we stayed longer was when we were in the South of France on a beachside site. When on site we tended to leave the car on site and either walk,cycle or use public transport both in the UK and abroad. Changing is, of course, not a panacea. It is impossible to quantify everything that your will gain or lose. One essential piece of advice is to think long and hard about and look carefully at the pros and cons and both experiences have pros and cons and work out what is best for you.

David

we changed last year to a M/H and it hasn't made any difference to places we visit , we have transport when we get there, it's the M/H

We were tidy in the caravan and always put things away ,so now is no different and it's only a few minutes before we are ready to drive off

For those who haven't had a M/h ,never say never , you don't know how your circumstances might change

If you have done both caravan and motorhome, then it is easy to realise what the advantages and disadvantages of touring with both are, and individual circumstances will determine which suits best. A lot depends upon the size of the outfit in use as well. Chosen wisely, either offer a great holiday experience.

Just  one  important  point  to  remember, Cheerful  Charlie  --  when  you  are  at  the  point  of  changing  over  Please  Please  Please remember  to  ensure  that  both  of  'em  are  stationary  !!

 

Sorry  'bout  that  --  I'll  get  me  'at  'n  coat