Things you wish you had known...? (1 Viewer)

[nicholsong]

View attachment 211617
Get an invisible dog, like thoseshown in the picture. They don’t eat much, don’t make a mess, don’t spill their water and you can leave them in the van with no ventilation. You can take them for long walks without worrying about sniffing lampposts and they still attract conversation from other dog owners. You can also talk to them and sit with them on your lap so your partner has to fetch and carry for you. I’ve found that they are not very good at fetching sticks though

Not very feching to look at either.

 

[OurMoreloLife]

Nice one!

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Not very feching to look at either.

That’s cruel. You have really upset my invisible dog.

 

[nicholsong]

That’s cruel. You have really upset my invisible dog.

Can you see it wincing or snarling?

And how are the hairs on the palm of your hand?

 

[icantremember]

Open overhead lockers with care, ensuring nothing is going to fll out and punch a hole through your table or worktop.

If you deploy corner steadies ... leave the crank handle across the clutch/brake pedals as a reminder to raise them before moving.

Warning triangles ... If you have to put one out for breakdown etc, put reminder on steering wheel .. easy to forget it!

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[Tony52]

Understand the highway code and the speed limits that are now imposed on you (depending on your MH) Don't rush and be courteous to other road users.
Know the blind spots of your van.
Recognise that not everyone will be pleased to see you on the road.
Get a dash cam

 

[Reallyretired]

Take plenty of tea bags. Expensive and limited choice in France. Also marmite if you like it.
Fresh milk hard to find but we find the uht is fine. But we only use skimmed milk anyway so difficult to make it worse.

 

[thidwick]

Something useful I learned, mainly because of keeping an eye on payload, was an idea of roughly how much water we used in a typical day.
Then you can decide how much water to travel with, and/or roughly when you’ll need find somewhere to top up.

 

[thidwick]

....... and reading right through this thread, there’s the watering can issue.

When we first had a motorhome, I never thought of the watering can solution, and came up with my own idea.
I bought a new 5litre petrol can from a discount store. (Very cheap). Then used this as a water tank top up device when required.
Advantages include the sealable lid, and the ability to transport the water in a car or on the back of a bicycle.
Top tip for the ex-fuel can is to make an extra breather hole in the breather tube part of the spout, near where it screws onto the can. Makes pouring it into the tank quicker.
Another top tip: write “Water!” in big black letters several times with a magic marker on the can.
Of course, you get some odd looks apparently carrying 5litres of unleaded across the campsite and tipping it into your tank..... and sometimes more so if they’ve seen you filling it at a tap. But hey ho...

You can also impress the natives by sipping from the spout to taste whether it is unleaded or not.

 

[Larby]

When I fetch water it's in a 10 litre plastic container, difficult to transfer to MH so transferred first to a watering can, then got a 90 degree bend so cuts out the need for a watering can.

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[Pia]

use kitchen roll or bubble wrap to prevent all sorts of rattling - pots, pans, crocks, glass, wine bottles even in wine bottle bags

 

[stewartwebr]

25 years ago when we took up this hobby I wish I knew we would end up blowing our savings time and time again with must have models and lay outs. Oh well cant take it with you.

 

[nicholsong]

25 years ago when we took up this hobby I wish I knew we would end up blowing our savings time and time again with must have models and lay outs. Oh well cant take it with you.

Twit

But some of us need secondhand, so thanks.

Geoff

 

[tonyidle]

Not very feching to look at either.

That's 'cos they're feching invisible .

 

[EuroTrotters]

Truly?

I wish someone had introduced me to motorhomes a lot sooner.........

Even if I could not of afforded it.

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[autoswan]

Get a nick knack box and put, duct tape, insulation tape, cable ties, super glue, fuses, bulbs, Stanley knife, small socket set, tyre inflater, wd40, small engine oil, clear collapsable water container and funel, hammer, rope, bungees, tow rope, fire lighters for bbq, bucket and sponge, screw drivers/& cordless , pliers, screws and any other bits that might come in handy on long trips ?

Get good breakdown cover especially if going abroad. Usually with insurance is a good deal .

Smart charger if mh is going to be standing unused for long periods to keep batteries topped up.

Lubricate rubber seals on cassette .

If you want to keep your spot on sites when you go out for day, cut 12" off 4" plastic pipe mark reserved on it and hit in ground to save pitch.

Learn some of the basic lingo you need before going to France etc.

 

[tinkerbell]

Difficult finding Horlick in France too

 

[mitzimad]

use kitchen roll or bubble wrap to prevent all sorts of rattling - pots, pans, crocks, glass, wine bottles even in wine bottle bags

we use tea towels multi purpose and no one has ever had enough tea towels

 

[trophychap]

If the driver wears spectacles he's supposed to always carry a spare pair in some EU countries; also to drive wearing flip-flops.

An adjustable spanner comes in useful sometimes as do a few ordinary ones - Pete was very popular last year with no end of kids whose dads weren't equipped to adjust bike saddle heights etc LOL

We've also found an elderly, forgotten box of wooden matches useful both for ourselves and other holidaymakers, in mohos or caravans, when something that should be attached to parts of the van - eg shelf supports inside lockers - have worn loose and the 'hole' has thereby also become too loose to hold the fixing securely again.

If the gas won't light on the cooker - it's normally because the lid that folds over the burners isn't fully upright - not because the elec connections to the 12v supply have failed.

 

[skylinersi]

what FIAT stood for............

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[Geo]

Be aware that the back end swings round when cornering enough to flatten pedestrians on the pavement if you don't allow for it!

And Boxes of oranges on market days in Stratford Upon Avon 37ft RV, boy had that got swing

 

[Bailey58]

Is anybody there?

 

[Podney]

Is anybody there?

Maybe they’ve been gassed. Doh! Now what have I gone and done.

 

[pappajohn]

Get a nick knack box and put, duct tape, insulation tape, cable ties, super glue, fuses, bulbs, Stanley knife, small socket set, tyre inflater, wd40, small engine oil, clear collapsable water container and funel, hammer, rope, bungees, tow rope, fire lighters for bbq, bucket and sponge, screw drivers/& cordless , pliers, screws and any other bits that might come in handy on long trips ?

That's not a nic-nac box....it's a bleedin' otterman chest

 

[Rusty Pumper]

Don't leave glass breakables in the overhead lockers, unless secured. Pasta sauce can make an awful mess of the upholstery. D'oh!!

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[Nasher]

After driving for 565 miles, without stopping, on my way back from snowboarding in Austria, I needed fuel

It was about minus 10 degrees and windy, I learnt that you should always go to the loo before filling up!

It didn't help that the pump was really slow (it felt like the slowest pump ever)

 

[skylinersi]

Take.....
Toilet.......
Roll............

 

[treetops1]

Have a speed converter from MPH to Kilometres within eyesight until it come natural whilst driving in Europe so as not exceed the speed limits lol

 

[Rusty Pumper]

If in Europe use Google translate to help with translations and also to translate signs and roadsigns - even if it isn't always accurate, it's usually better than nothing.

 

[Eenansue]

Buy wine in boxes, the plastic bags inside make excellent anti vibration/shifting devices and can be inflated to suit the requirement. Conno-sewers please don't get upset

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