AIBU to have fallen out of love with campervanning?

[cluckandcollect]

We've had a camper van for a few years. Secondhand when we bought it and nothing fancy and it's now 14 years old. For the first few years it was fun but I've become increasingly aware of how it's a way of taking housework away with us. We've got a campsite on the coast booked for Easter and already I'm sick of the meal planning and cleaning out the fridge and oven and preparing supplies and bedding and clothes and the first aid kit and on and on. I've had 12 solid months of cooking and washing up and now I'm going to be spending the next couple of evenings cooking and freezing and prepping and then, while we're away, defrosting and cooking and washing-up in a van...

My partner cleans the exterior, checks the mechanical. stuff, looks after the gas and the hook-up leads and points, manages the servicing of the vehicle and the gas safety and so on, which is great. We share the chores while we're away. But the fact is it's still the same-old-same-old and I'm so bored of it!

I know how lucky we are to be able to have this escape, and I know there are hundreds of thousands more vans out there on the road since we first had ours, so there are clearly many who love them. But are there other van owners who dread the drudgery?

What on earth are you eating? Defrosting and cooking and washing up?! Nah, sod that.

BBQ should be the most difficult it gets.

Tin foil fajitas
Chippy tea
Pub meal
Pre-prepared ham and cheese bagels/croissants wrapped in foil ready to heat.
Salad
Nachos

Box full of snacks, packets of sausage rolls and pies.

@redcandlelight that really made me laugh- 8 year olds cooking dinner in a camper van! That sure sounds like a way to make things more relaxing!

Love love love our campervan. But it’s permanently packed. Often we just throw our clothes and go.

Also- buy a cadac safari chef. It makes cooking easy.

I echo everyone with the meal planning/cooking. Keep it simple!

Crackers, cheese, cold cuts etc for lunch. Something like porridge or fruit for breakfast. Supper- out or fish and chips or dead easy quick cook meals.

I always say camping is a 2 drink minimum. 2 drinks for easing into it. And to care a bit less.

DH and I love campervanning- 4 years together and he's had it for about 20 years.

We pack light and casually and it takes about 10-15 minutes to pack our clothes and toiletries.

Food wise we take basics like bread, beans, butter, cheese, some magical tortelloni that keeps for a good few weeks in the cupboard and buy small packs of sausages to put in the ice box. We've found for longer trips we can go shopping every couple of days for top ups. We never plan our trips and just make sure we have plenty of water and non-perishable snacks on board.

We keep a first aid kit in the camper and just grab our already made-up spare room's bedding.

Try to simplify your meals, simplify your packing and make it more spontaneous.

Easy meals

Steak, bit of st augur on top, crusty bread, green salad.
Pasta pesto with crumbed feta on top
Spice Taylor curry kits just add chicken and microwave rice
Pasta with anchovies, olive oil, lemon zest and capers
Omelette with salad

I'd be a bit dubious about cooking curries in a camper van. The smell is going to hang around a bit.

Wanna sell it? 😁

We don't use the van over the winter. We SORN it, empty everything out (particularly all foodstuffs and bedding but also first aid stuff, paper, everything) and drain off the water. Anyone who's ever tried clearing out the mess made by mice after leaving food or even paper in their van over the winter will understand why. Everything comes out of the van and gets brought into the house at the end of each season. This is the first trip out this year and it all needs to be reloaded.

We have different bedding for the van, particularly at this time of year when it can be a lot chillier. We would normally eat out at least once while away but Covid has made that more difficult and anyway we tend to choose places that are well away from pubs and cafes etc Though we ordered fish and chips in advance when away in October, only for the owners of the cafe we'd ordered from to announce that they'd run out of supplies — so now I make sure we're fully-self-supporting if need be. My partner isn't keen on ready meals: there's never enough in a pack meant for two and we're both actually good cooks and like decent food. We keep it simple, but however simple there's always the washing-up, always the need to put something away before you get something else out.

Good on those of you who've got it down to a superfine art. We've only being doing it for eight years. And yes, to whoever mentioned the unloading and bringing stuff in at the end of every trip, there's all that to look forward to too!

We always went away in a camper van when I was a child. I absolutely hated it.

As for 8 year olds cooking! Ours are always sent out to play at cooking time. Too much stress otherwise!

Doesn't sound like it's for you OP.

We like eating good food and are good cooks too. Doesn't mean we have to go gourmet every meal!

You've had fun with it for 8 years. Maybe it's time for a change. Like the gambling ad says - when the fun stops, stop.

no need to become stroppy with posters who are only answering your thread.

If you find it so miserable, sell, and book AI instead. It might be slightly harder to find right now but it's up to you.

Christ, that Cadac chef thing! More bits of kit to be loaded, found space, assembled, manuals consulted and then once you've used them all the bits needing to be cleaned and washed, folded up and put away in the correct sections. Another gas bottle to be carted around. More faff, more cleaning. Noooooooooo!

Trying not to laugh too loudly at the idea of a microwave. No, we're kayakers — we look for simple sites near accessible water. Can't remember the last time we had a hook-up.

Delighted to find at least one other person who's had it with vanning.

I'm a tent camper and we upgraded to a bell tent a couple of years ago. The packing stuff in the car, putting the tent up and setting everything up takes a good while and Im often envious of those with camper vans who soon have the kettle on after arriving. I plan for our first evening meal and next days breakfast, take some convenience foods and some fresh and normally take a cooked joint of roast beef, but never plan each meal exactly. We just eat what we fancy on that day and buy locally sourced foods as and when. Part baked baguettes are great if you have an oven, have a BBQ weather permitting or bread, cooked meats and cheeses for an easy meal. Try and do some one pot meals too for less washing up. We dont eat out often, but cooking feels less of a chore to me as we are less obligated to eating at a particular time and happy with less complicated meals. I hope that you fall back in love with your camper van soon.

Bed and Breakfast is what you need to graduate to now.

Our favourite cooked meal is corned beef hash:1 pan, 1 tin each of corned beef, potatoes, carrots, baked beans. Does us twice, retro but gorgeous

I hear you OP!
Tent camping here. Never again will I do family camping with 3 kids for a week. Such hard work.
My compromise, as DH and DD love it, is max 3/4 nights and as many meals out/cafe lunches/takeaways as we can. It's not as cheap but it's more bearable. We're down to one child at home too so it's more affordable to eat out.

It is no crime to want to change your holidays after 8 years. Unless you want to be like my neighbours when I was growing up who went on the same summer holiday and every two years had a new or two years newer Ford Cortina, then Sierra and now Mondeo (this is 44 years on!).

We bought a motorhome last year and already l am thinking we will prob only keep it a couple of years. Much rather a luxury hotel somewhere!!

Just read your update. Yes, it sounds like the first weekend away after the winter is more work but surely once you are set up for the summer it's easier?

We camp several times a year and whilst it's harder work getting the tent out, checking it hasn't gone mouldy and nothing's missing, checking that all of the boxes have what we need (and no one has removed the matches) we're good to go. I'm slightly sad and have lists on the front of the boxes so I know what should be in them. After that it's toiletries, clothes and a list of food (that doesn't vary much from trip to trip) and that I get in the weekly shop.

You don't have to have ready meals but there are lots of 'one pot' meals that don't require prepping, cooking, freezing etc. Bread, cheese, cereal bars, pasta, wine, snacks, fruit etc. supplemented by whatever you can find whilst you are away.

I agree with a PP that if it's no longer fun then just sell up and try something else, It's not supposed to be an ordeal.

Hats off to you tenters! We used to do it, then we had a dog who hated being in a tent on a windy night and we ended up with our small camper with its tiny oven and two-ring hob. We go to Wales or Scotland for a week most years and if we're on a bigger site I see all the parents with young children running themselves ragged. Last year in Wales we saw a woman sobbing as she packed stuff up after a week under canvas with her three kids. I would have gone and helped if it wasn't for the Covid restrictions. 'Don't worry, you can come back next year' I said. She shot back with 'I'm crying because I've got to pack all this up, then drive for five hours and when we get home I'm going to have unpack it all to dry it out properly.'

The camper's easier than a tent although it has its downsides. Not brilliant, having to pack the van up and put everything away if we want to drive off somewhere. At least once your tent's up you can drive off and leave it.

The menu this weekend is pre-made veggie curry and rice, pre-made home-made fish pie and steamed veg, and pre-made homemade Mac and cauliflower/leek cheese and veggie sausages. We aim to be pretty active during the day and need something substantial in the evening. My partner can polish off an entire dine-in-for-two offer unaided, otherwise I'd grab M&S ready meals. By the way, for those with cool boxes and no fridge, if you freeze your premade meals and your milk they'll keep the other contents of your cool box cold longer than those frozen icepack things.

Single parent with a motorhome here 😁
Yes it is hard work and I do all the maintenance and prep and cooking etc but it’s better than staring at the 4 walls at home. I just can’t wait for a change of scenery, bit of bbq food and some fresh air away from work. It is what you make it I think.
I’m a massive going abroad fan and realise that’s off the menu for a few years so we are going to explore this country for a bit. I’m praying for chippies, pub gardens and slow cookers to work 🤣
If your not getting excited that campsites are opening now it’s time for it to go and find the new holiday for you. It should be fun not a chore and you sound really fed up of it

I'll buy it off you!

Pleeeeeaaaaseee!!!!