Tips for first time motorhomers!

[tinofbeans]

DH has decided that he’d really like to try motorbiking and has ear marked October half term for a week long trial trip.

We have never motorhomed before (although camped a lot). Please share your tips to help us have as stress free and enjoyable week as possible 😁😁

I'm confused. Camping with a motorbike is not motorhoming??? Is there a typo? I have lots of tips about camping, but see you are already experienced campers....

Ahh, sorry that was auto correct! Nothing to do with motorbikes. Just a massive van with beds and ideally a toilet in a separate room, not a cupboard in the kitchen 👍

Camper or motorhome?

Been motorhoming for decades (motorcycling as well but I digress😆) and really like it.
We have never been into wild camping, we prefer a nice quiet site (usually CAMC) and always choose one with somewhere to walk to.

Are you buying or renting..... any particular model in mind?

Sorry, can only help with motorbiking - we camp obviously as you can’t fit a caravan in a pannier

Thanks - I think motorhome. With a shower room and a bed over the driving seats for DD15. We’re looking at hiring a 6 bed one.

lol, not motorbiking 🤣 I can’t even get the kids on pedal bikes 🤦‍♀️🙄

We motorhomed for 15 years. What do you want to know?

Keep an eye on weight limits and bear in mind that you will be able to take less ‘luggage’ if there are more of you and you are travelling with full water and gas tanks. Hire place should be able to advise you on the payload for their vehicles. (If they can’t I would go elsewhere).

We had to buy a vehicle over 3.5 tonne as the others didn’t leave us enough allowance for our stuff. We’re not great at travelling light. 😁 Bear in mind though to go for that you’d need category C (I think) on your driving licence if you wanted one that heavy.

BBC iPlayer. Top Gear episode on Recreational Vehicles (aka Motorhomes, AFAIK.) Genius Comedy and advice on pitfalls to avoid. Good luck.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t5v96/top-gear-series-15-episode-4?seriesId=b006mj59-structural-15-b00sym5n

If you're planning doing the NC500 or visiting a Scottish island, be confident in your ability to reverse and book campsites (rather than parking up randomly).

C1 license category.

I lost mine when I had to reapply for my licence (due to a medical condition) which means I am no-longer able to drive our Moho.
True what you say about weight. We do not carry lots of "stuff" (our Moho is over 3500kg due to its size) but many people cram in every conceivable gadget with no thought to payload, if there is a bit of space, they will find something to fill it!.

"A bed over the driving seats for DD15."
My OH sleeps up top, he finds it really comfy and has no trouble getting in & out.👍
I sleep at the rear with Ddogs, plenty of space for us all 😆
This set-up leaves the central dinet free for whoever gets up first and wants to make a drink or breakfast. During the day, my bed is put away and the area becomes a very comfy U-shape lounge while our sleeping bags, pillows etc are stored up top on the overcab bed.
We did buy a MoHo with a fixed rear bed once....... big mistake. The bed became a dumping ground during the day and with just a single central lounge/diner, we missed the extra living space.

We had motorhomes for about 12 years. Have just sold our last one and bought a campervan instead. Check your licence and that your have the right categories on it to drive a 6 berth - they are usually over 3.5t so he will need to have a licence obtained pre 97 or do an additional test to obtain C1/D1. Are you used to driving / reversing large vehicles?

We used to use a lorry sat nav and set the vehicle to 7.5 so it wouldn’t take us down country lanes by default.

Yes that’s the category, thank you.

Your layout sounds the same as the one we had. I loved that motorhome. So versatile. Got too tiring to drive it very far though so sadly we sold it. I regret that every time spring comes around.

@bowchicawowwow we had a similar satnav too. We learned your trick eventually after one too many country lanes with our mirrors touching the hedge on both sides 😱

OP I hope it all falls into place and you have an amazing week. We used to go to France in ours. Loved it. They are very setup for and welcoming of motorhomes.

unfortunately, I don’t know what I don’t know… is it a pita to pack up and move sites? Is it worth booking one place and staying there? Should I pack enough food for the whole week or is it easy enough to pop to the shops in it if needed?

Thanks for your insight - I’ll need to check our licences because it was a bigger one I had in mind. And worth giving thought to the beds etc too

Thanks for the info re the lorry satnav! Def good to know!

If you are going to remote/rural areas I would choose the smallest van you can reasonably manage. The ones that can fit in a standard parking space (even if they stick out slightly at the back) have much more relaxed holidays.

Our local "supermarket" often has one of the bigger 6+ berth type vans parked sideways in three spots, which is nearly a quarter of the total spaces! Many local walks have 3 or 4 spaces at the start, and again it's common to go on your regular early morning dog walk and be unable to do the walk because of the giant camper parked sideways. And so on.

So if you want a holiday where you can easily park in most places, and avoid being shouted at by angry locals, consider the outside dimensions of your van 😁

Where are you going and for how long?
Will you be eating in the 'van or in pubs, restaurants etc?
Some sites are close to villages/towns while others are remote, some sites have a small shop which keeps essentials while others don't.
Will you be using the MoHo to visit places or are you going to walk and/or use public transport?
If you are going to move sites (or use the MoHo to go places) you can pick up more supplies when you move but assuming you are well stocked when you start, how much more will you actually need?
Moving sites us no problem, we can prepare to move very quickly but it is best to have a plan and we would never go anywhere without pre-booking.

When motorhoming, we were always very tidy inside. If we got tables and chairs out to sit outside, they tended to stay outside. That way, if you need to drive off you can without any trouble. It’s wise to leave something out showing your pitch is taken. We had a little sign we put up.

We went out pretty much every day. The joy of a motorhome is that you have everything with you. We would drive down to the beach and park for the day. You have your bathroom, your kettle and stove, everything you need. We Sometimes used the beds in the afternoon for 40 winks. Having our own toilet was a massive advantage for me, when we went out and about.

We were in the National Trust and they have many free car parks for members along the coast and they welcome motorhomes. We would have a day at a National Trust house and gardens. We liked looking at the house, going to their cafe and then having a walk in the grounds. There are some where you can park right next to open countryside.

We always shopped locally when we were away. I like the farm shops, where you can get decent locally reared meat, for a BBQ. The supermarkets have ample spaces for parking. I liked supporting the local shops.

Don’t use your motorhome like a caravan, where you pitch and get endless stuff out and then feel stuck. I’ve heard so many people say motorhoming is no good for them as they need a car. Your motorhome is your transport as well as being your home. There’s absolutely nothing to stop you going out and about in it. We would even pop out for fish and chips in the evening and park to eat them with a nice view.

Some places are better than others for motorhome travel. If you take to it, consider going to France where motorhomes are welcomed and catered for, everywhere. Often you can park on an Aire for free, with fresh water and waste disposal provided.

In the UK my favourite places to go include much of Wales, Norfolk and Northumberland. These places don’t get as busy as say Cornwall. Norfolk is especially blessed with many National Trust Houses and free beach car parks.

I forgot to mention, we often used pub stops. If you fancy a pub meal, ask around to see if you can find one that lets you stay overnight in their carpark. Many allow this, providing you eat and drink in the pub.

We never booked our entire break on one site. Motorhoming lends itself very well to moving on every few days to explore. We joined the Caravan and Motorhome Club. We didn’t like their big, busy sites, which provided all mod cons and the are expensive. We used their quiet five pitch CL sites, cheap and cheerful but still with basic facilities. Some now even have showers and toilets.

@Lornaadoone our best ever aire experience was alongside a canal. Next morning I heard a car pull up and wandered out all bleary-eyed with my purse, thinking it was someone from the Mairie coming for their €2 fee. Turned out to be the local baker with a car load of fresh bread, croissants etc. I ended up having a massive eclair for breakfast (well, I was on holiday after all).

We once stayed on a free Aire next to the Mairie’s office. There were grounds to walk in, next to a river all very pretty. The best part though, was clean water, grey and black waste emptying and free electric hook up. All this next to a boulangerie.

For a hire MoHo, my biggest tip would be arrange to pick it up and drop it off from a place (and time!) that will allow you to take it home and first fill it then empty it.

The one thing you don't want is bags and boxes of "stuff" cluttering your floor and surfaces - a decent MoHo has lots of storage space so use it!

Re food and drink it depends what your plans are. We use ours for two main things - touring and festivals. When touring I pack some essentials then we shop en route as we rarely stay in the same place for more than 2 nights plus we are giving back to the local economy of wherever we are. I second the pp who said visit farm shops, and would also add use local markets rather than big chain supermarkets. Plus (depending where you are) you may find cider farms, small breweries and even the odd winery or distillery to visit!
For a festival I take everything we are likely to need for 3-5 days and especially lots of non-perishable stuff. Wraps rather than bread for example, tinned meat/fish, packets of pre-cooked rice and noodles. Lots of crisps & biscuits!

Be aware though that if you are seasoned campers you may find that the Moho lifestyle gets in your blood - you have all the freedom but also all your home comforts!

Hire one first (we found a place near Weston-super-Mare that sells and hires out motorhomes).
For us it made us decide not to buy one at the moment, even though we had previously had a touring caravan.
We're going to review our decision when we no longer need to take DS on holiday with us. The one we hired slept 5 but with 3 of in it it felt cramped. DS slept on a bed that lowered from the ceiling which meant that he had to wait until we had finished using the dining table.
The worst bit for me was that although the seats in the cab were as comfortable as armchairs, one of us had to sit on the forward facing banquette seat to travel- and it was really bumpy and uncomfortable.

Yes those extremely vertical banquette seats are not designed for long distance travel. We were constantly swapping seats.
Are tables still supposed to be stowed away when travelling or have they got safer designs these days? Having a table while travelling would have been much better but I’m a stickler for rules 😄 (also didn’t fancy a table to the back of the head in a severe braking situation).