Transition from caravan to motorhome

Hi , we changed to a motorhome a few years ago and you have to think and plan a bit different, we only stay on sites for only 3 or 4 days and do mini tours of the area on different sites , we use google to find out about the area ,transport links etc ,we shop when we are out , remember you don’t have to tie yourself to one site ,driving from one site to the next is all part of the holiday. 

You could tow a car, B&B, as I believe Husky does or you could do as we do in making the journey between sites your sightseeing trip. We deliberately bought a small van with this purpose in mind and find we can take the van almost anywhere.

We rarely stay on any site for more than a couple of nights and wend our way around dallying here and there between sites. We no longer need to use motorways and boring main routes to get from A to B but can explore the byways and enjoy the countryside as we go.

Even when staying on a site for a couple of days, we use the MH for tripping around and have not yet had to resort to public transport. We did once hire a car on the IoW when we had a larger MH but had no need to do so with the current van.

We changed from a caravan to a motorhome 6/7 years ago and it does take a while to get out of "caravanning mode". There is no doubt that motorhoming inflicts a level of extra activity on us that we would not have if we had a car available. On the positive side that is surely a good thing especially when your step count goes from under 2000 a day to over 10000!!! You do have to use a motorhome differently to a caravan. Whilst you can stay somewhere for a fortnight it's far better , as HD suggests, to have more shorter stays and perhaps move over a shorter distance. It is also surprising how many campsites there are with reasonably easy access to public transport or even within walking distance of towns and villages, you just have to research a bit more. On my website I add reviews of where we have stayed and highlight those which had such access, see here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/uk_campsite_new_2_index.html the little motorhome symbol indicates access. We don't take our motorhome off site much but we have done but a bit of prior research will give you ideas on where that is possible depending on size of motorhome. It is possible that you have made the wrong decision but I would suggest trying it for longer and actually working out what find is unacceptable about it and seeing if there are ways around it. I just can't see us going back to towing a caravan, far too stressful for me!!!

David

This website might be useful 

www.park-my-motorhome.co.uk 

When I was on my own aged mid forties I decided that I would retire at 53 and tour in a caravan whilst spending 3 or 4 months converting a short van to suit me over 3 or 4 months - maybe over a couple of years. A larger van not being necessary. Then I started a singles group and a few years later met my present partner. I had not planned on that! We have bought several new caravans over the last 15 years and, being less mobile these days would not consider the the limitations of a large motorhome when driving around. We have no desire in choosing sites for their closeness to public transport or driving to where we can park the sort of size motorhome that we would feel comfortable in over a 7 week break. When we tour we stay 5 nights and move. As we tour in UK hen, for us we would not wish the limitations that a 7m+ van might require. 

Thanks for all your replies. Will follow up on your tips and plan to carry on for this season. I really hope we can get into new ‘motorhome’ habits as we love our choice of motorhome. Keep moving on seems to be the way to go!

Definitely 👍🏻

Good luck.

And thank you David for your website info. I have had a quick look and can see this will be really useful 👍

I changed to a motorhome 18 years ago and there is no way I will go back to a caravan but then I have been towing a car in the Uk for most of that time which does allow a prolonged stay on one site if you so desire. Towing a car does give you the best of both worlds. Worth considering rather than the potential heavy loss of changing back to a caravan.

peedee

You haven't said what size your MH is nor whether you tour solely in the UK. Both these things could impact your usage as could the availability of supplementary transport such as a scooter, electric bikes or a towed car. The latter has always seemed to me to rather defeat the object of a switch from a caravan although it is quite popular, certainly in the UK. The continent is far more 'MH friendly' and, as has already been said, lends itself to a more meandering style of touring. I'm starting my third year with the MH and don't see me changing back to towing, not that I ever found towing any big deal. The simplicity of a MH certainly encourages more frequent use than the palaver of hooking up a caravan and setting up the other end.