First ever motorhome holiday!

[ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs]

Calling wise mumsnetters! We're going on our first ever motor home holiday next week! We're hiring the motor home and going around our native Scotland for two weeks, to show our unimpressed children more of our beautiful country. I've booked us into campsites each night, with electricity hook ups and showers, to try to minimise the horror of being trapped in a tin can with my argumentative and hormonal teenage daughters (13 and 14, hate each other!) and my Xbox obsessed 10 yo ds, who will be going through withdrawal. Some campsites have wifi, some dont.

Tips and advice from seasoned motorhomers/ caravans welcome! Need to know what to bring, eg. sheets and duvets vs sleepingbags, suitcases vs rucksacks. No idea really what to expect! And I feel like organisation will make the whole experience better. Oh, and we are taking our 2 dogs.

Am I crazy?? confused

Storing these tips away, thank you!

Looking forward to having my dogs on holiday for once!! I usually miss them so much (and kennels usually add a small fortune to the price of our holiday!!)

Salt, bin bags and possibly something to make a washing line to aIt damp towels

I always forget salt! Good call. Washing line also a good idea.

Wondering how I'm going to fit it all in the car!

We take a tether line for the dog - it has a stake that screws into the ground and a really long line that clips to the collar. It gives the dog a bit of freedom without the worry that he'll get squashed!

Could you take bikes for the kids? My 10 year old likes the freedom and lots of sites are perfect for cycling and exploring.

Take your own pillows but I would go for sleeping bags over duvets as they act as sheet and cover and if it's a chilly night they are better at insulating because they wrap around. Also, the beds will be narrower than a normal single so having lots of duvet falling onto the floor is annoying. They are also so much smaller to pack into the car.

Enjoy, you will have a great time!

We did think about taking bikes, but we are driving to pick up the motor home (we would really struggle to get it up our street!) and typically DHs car, which has the bike rack and all the space, is off the road!! So space will be a struggle. It may by some miracle get fixed in time, but I'm not holding out a great deal of hope!

Tether line a great idea!

I would also take
a sharp knife/corkscrew/bottle opener/tin opener even if supplied often rubbish
pesto/pasta - so you have one quick easy meal that requires v little effort!
portable bbq ?
decent washing up liquid and enough tea towels for the children to use! wiping clothes/scrubbie things
lots of snacks - kids seem to get hungrier camping and assume motor home type trip the same - apples best fruit as robust

pack cards- and maybe a book of card games if you can't remember any we get the kids to take turns picking a game

swimming costumes/extra towels - if weather turns rubbish local swimming pools can be a good break...
also research cinemas near where you are staying(if possible depending on wheere you are going).... also good break out activity for your ages :)

I woudl research any 'local events' highland games?? Dont know about your DC but mine better if there is an aim to a trip sometimes

if not taking bikes are you going anywhere near where you can hire... when we wwere on the black isle there was a mountain biking place you coudl just hire them when you needed...
enjoy am v jealous

Thank you verythinline! I think we're planning to do a quick food shop for basics before we go, so good idea re pesto/pasta.

Have found quite a few bike hire places ( I'm a Rough Guide/ trip advisor addict ) so that could be a definite idea!

Sadly, I don't think there is much in the way of events on our route, but I have a lot of things I we want to see/ do

Definitely bringing some games. I've picked up one called "sussed", anybody tried it? Will no doubt being monopoly and cards as well (monopoly always good for a fight in our house!)

I think Amazon must think I'm going on some survival holiday, the amount of random stuff I have bought

Please update when you're back - its def on our list to do but i need serious midge avoidance so dont do scotland in the summer :) but wondering about the sleeper up next spring (am in london-although am a scot) and a motorhome could well be the accommodation/car answer !

Will do! Off tomorrow!

Thanks to you lot I have sooo much stuff!! A bit apprehensive, but excited at the same time!! We have form as a disaster family (have been likened to the Griswalds in the past!) And one of my friends remarked it might be like Little Miss Sunshine with us

I'm sure it will be eventful!! I hear you about the midges, averythinline!! I have no fewer than 3 different insect repellents, including the Skin So Soft, and I have 50 citronella candles! I'll still get bitten, though!!

How is your trip going OP? We are 2 weeks into our first break and I would cheerfully keep going 😊

Home yesterday!

We had a great time, I enjoyed it much more than I expected to!! 13 stops in 14 days, saw some amazing places (some of which I am now determined to retire to!)

Got into the way of it quite quickly, and dc were actually really good at "jobs"- better than at home! Hooking up, making up beds, sweeping out, washing up...

Thanks to this thread I had pretty much everything I needed, so thank you all!! Dog tethers were a godsend, as were foldy-up camping chairs ( like transformers they were!). We did the hot chocolate with marshmallows, and cooked some basic meals in the van, although we had some lovely meals out too. One of the best things we brought were lots of bags for life ( the bigger style ones)! Great for bringing your gear to the shower, for toting dirty dishes or dirty washing, anything really! And folded up so small! Also used our washing line, played almost every board game known to man and watched every old DVD in our collection. Good times, good memories!

It is nice to be home, but I miss a lot of aspects of vanlife ( or #vanlife as we affectionately called it) The kids have actually fought more since we've been home than they did in the van!

If you're thinking of doing it, do it! I'm sure we will do it again!

Glad you had a good time OP. We loved our time away and we are heading away the next few weekends too. I found van life so simple and stress free and we met some really lovely people on the road. We ended up trying to stay a couple of nights in each place to have a day off from driving.

Things we wouldn't be without:
Plastic bags
Battery powered lamps including decent headtorches for reading at night.
Proper pillows and duvets
Mattress topper for comfy sleep
Proper teapot and mugs- we also brought our cafetiere! This saved us a fortune in bought coffees.
A plastic funnel and plenty of bottles of water.
Books and board games
Flip flops for mooching about and for campsite showers
A fold up table and camping chairs for outside
A proper waterproof coat
Fuzzy socks for the odd cold / wet night = extra cosy
Swimming gear and plenty of towels - harem or microfiber are space savers.

Like another poster I can't wait to do longer than weekend trips regularly! You can see so much of your own area / country or if you have time can head off to France etc.