thearchitect
Free Member
- Sep 20, 2012
- 139
- 95
- Funster No
- 22,958
- MH
- Getting closer.
- Exp
- Short stint 1972-6 none since
We have a dilemma.
Pre-children, we spent many happy summers freewheeling around Europe in our faithful old VW campervan. Post-children, we are now seriously considering buying a modern MH and spending our retiring years travelling again, where the wind, the sun and our fancy takes us. However, and this is our dilemma, the more we find out about 'modern' motorhoming, the less we seem able to understand the attraction, other than the independence and experience it provides.
The vehicles themselves are not necessarily the problem as these have improved beyond belief, but now they are longer, wider, taller, more regulated and packed full of 'gizmos', which need constant attention, filling, emptying, levelling, aligning to the stars, weighing, etc. There seems to be a lot of time and effort spent checking, filling and emptying various tanks and cassettes, opening flaps, fitting different nozzles, adaptors and hoses, queuing, cooking, cleaning, repairing, setting up, packing up, etc, and not much time left for 'smelling the roses'!
There are also many more motorhomes on the road and as a consequence the designated MH 'aires' on the continent, many of which seem to be little more than glorified car parks, are crowded with insufficient, inadequate or unhygienic facilities and a high degree of MH security seems to be both required and recommended. Even if you avoid the designated MH 'aires' and use campsites, many of these appear crowded, with a plethora of 'statics' and caravans, the best sites and pitches already taken, with poor or inadequate facilities, noisy and with MH's parked in close proximity! Constant vigilance is required when shopping at supermarkets, stopping for petrol, leaving the MH unattended, or when wild camping, to avoid break-ins, vehicle theft, or worse!
Whilst I do appreciate the freedom of the road, the joy of independent travel and the cultural experience, this is countered by concerns about safety and seemingly constant inconvenience. Is this the reality, or merely an illusion, of modern motorhome travel and living, or am I becoming paranoid in my old age?
There must be several good reasons why most of you have either: just discovered, returned to, or never left the joys of 'Motorhoming'. I seem to have been drawn to the 'dark side' everywhere I look and clearly need enlightenment, or I've just had a bad day!
Pre-children, we spent many happy summers freewheeling around Europe in our faithful old VW campervan. Post-children, we are now seriously considering buying a modern MH and spending our retiring years travelling again, where the wind, the sun and our fancy takes us. However, and this is our dilemma, the more we find out about 'modern' motorhoming, the less we seem able to understand the attraction, other than the independence and experience it provides.
The vehicles themselves are not necessarily the problem as these have improved beyond belief, but now they are longer, wider, taller, more regulated and packed full of 'gizmos', which need constant attention, filling, emptying, levelling, aligning to the stars, weighing, etc. There seems to be a lot of time and effort spent checking, filling and emptying various tanks and cassettes, opening flaps, fitting different nozzles, adaptors and hoses, queuing, cooking, cleaning, repairing, setting up, packing up, etc, and not much time left for 'smelling the roses'!
There are also many more motorhomes on the road and as a consequence the designated MH 'aires' on the continent, many of which seem to be little more than glorified car parks, are crowded with insufficient, inadequate or unhygienic facilities and a high degree of MH security seems to be both required and recommended. Even if you avoid the designated MH 'aires' and use campsites, many of these appear crowded, with a plethora of 'statics' and caravans, the best sites and pitches already taken, with poor or inadequate facilities, noisy and with MH's parked in close proximity! Constant vigilance is required when shopping at supermarkets, stopping for petrol, leaving the MH unattended, or when wild camping, to avoid break-ins, vehicle theft, or worse!
Whilst I do appreciate the freedom of the road, the joy of independent travel and the cultural experience, this is countered by concerns about safety and seemingly constant inconvenience. Is this the reality, or merely an illusion, of modern motorhome travel and living, or am I becoming paranoid in my old age?
There must be several good reasons why most of you have either: just discovered, returned to, or never left the joys of 'Motorhoming'. I seem to have been drawn to the 'dark side' everywhere I look and clearly need enlightenment, or I've just had a bad day!