Make sure your driving licence covers it! Ours is 4tonne (7 metres long). On my licence i can only drive up to 3.5 tonne so DP has to drive. It’d be a big issue if you are involved in a collision as you won’t be insured.
Ensure the van you hire has a solar panel. It means your leisure battery will remain charged, therefore you won’t need an electrical hookup.
Don’t drink out the tank. We have a separate flexible water carrier which we keep in the shower. That way we know it’s ‘safe’ to drink.
Pick a model with a fixed/ permanent bed for you. It can stay made up all the time. N’owt worse than having to faff with cushions and making beds up. For your DD, look for a model that has an over cab bed. She’ll then have her own space and can go to bed / get up when she likes. It’s a bit limiting if the bed for her (or you) forms part of the living area.
We’ve done three big Motorhome trips in Spain (one we were there about 3 months, the others a month). Spain is blooming fab for motorhoming. Make sure you have one with a powerful engine to get you smoothly over the steep mountain roads.
Don’t bother with campsites. Hire a caravan if you wanna stay on sites. Spain (like France, Italy, Germany and Portugal) is stuffed full of ‘aires.’ These are parking places specifically for Motorhomes to stay over night. Many towns, villages and cities have them. They will have a service point - for emptying your grey waste, toilet and filling your fresh water. They are usually free (we always avoid paying ones, unless they are super special). Spain you can also camp wild. Download Park4Night and familiarise yourself with it before you go. It will show you Aires, tolerated over night parkings etc. You can also buy a book from Vicarious with Aires listed for Spain - a bit redundant with all the apps now though! I’ve used them all and Park4Night is by far the best.
You’ll find that most Repsol garages have taps where you can top up your fresh water tank.
As you’ll be on the stunning West coast of Spain. I really recommend Asturias, the Pico’s, Castill y Leon and parts of Galicia. But well worth getting the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide guide books. You can then formulate a rough plan of where you really want to go. Don’t spend more than a few nights in one place. Don’t do too much driving. We normally do about 3 hours, then stay a few nights. It feels way more chilled that way. It’ll give you chance to really explore where you stay. We also tend to stick to the smaller roads as it’s again more relaxed. If we need to make a big jump we’d use a main national road.
The roads in Spain mainly aren’t pretty (like France)… what used to be a small country lane will have been turned into a super highway, used by about two cars an hour. However they are good for getting about. Although we have a saying ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination.’ That sums up motorhoming really. You’ll happen upon an idyllic spot for a picnic and end up staying a few nights.
Makes sure you have the vehicle dimensions somewhere you can see from the driver/ passenger seat. Particularly vehicle height. You’ll get enough warning about a low bridge in terms of road signage, so can reroute!
Enjoy 👌