Is motorhoming the "Eco" way to holiday?

jezport

jezport

Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Posts
5,270
Likes collected
6,481
Location
West Yorkshire
Funster No
4,712
MH
PVC
Exp
since 2008
I was thinking, How Eco is our Motorhome when compared to other holiday types.

Motorhomes equipped with solar, a modern gas boiler and modern "clean diesel engine" are surely quite an eco way of getting away.
We are more Eco than caravanning as we use one vehicle and use less fuel as we travel, most tuggers use EHU all the time also.
We are definitely more Eco than driving to an airport and flying on holiday.
Are we as Eco as a family camping holiday which involves driving to a site and using gas to cook etc?

Also, while we are away our home is not using much electric or gas?
 
If you can stand the references to caravans here is my answer from about 13 years ago.

We were tuggers at that time and were on a very breezy Suffolk site with friends, including my old mate Chris Gosling, who ran the Caravan Channel which went out on satellite tv.
The talk turned to the constant complaints about 'gas guzzling' 4x4's by the tree huggers.
I was putting my views forward when Chris said "stop right there while I grab my camera".
The rest you can see, completely unscripted, on the video clip.
I apologise for the hairy, unkempt appearance but it was the hairdresser and make-up girls day off.:D2:D2



Richard
 
I'm sitting in my van now and when I look around and see the vast amount of plastic, metal, fabrication time and energy which has gone into its construction then I reckon that I would have to do a couple of hundred long haul holidays using aeroplanes before I equalled the carbon footprint of my van materials.

I have worked and lived in all of the third-world deprived countries where these raw materials are excavated (and where the landscape is subsequently raped and pilledged on a grand scale and, sadly, where carbon plans don't exist) and IMO we do more damage to the planet by just buying the vans than using them.

Just my take on things.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
To meet the unachievable 'net zero' by 2050, MPs believe this should be a priority:

"Although ultra-low emissions vehicles generate very little emissions during use, their manufacture generates substantial emissions. In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership therefore does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation. The Government should not aim to achieve emissions reductions simply by replacing existing vehicles with lower-emissions versions."

In other words the plebs can forget about owning motorhomes, cars and caravans. Motorised private vehicles will be only for the elites, and those with deep enough pockets to maintain pre-2035 "classics" that will be passed down as heirlooms. Otherwise, your great-grandkids will have to make do with cycles and tents for their holidays.
 
My take on this is we live on a tiny island if we all did everything possible to lower our carbon footprint it would not make any difference we are not the big polluters ...stop the likes of USA China and the major polluters and then we might all survive but I won't hold my breath on that one ....typed on my ozone friendly ipad
 
Blue Knight said:
I'm sitting in my van now and when I look around and see the vast amount of plastic, metal, fabrication time and energy which has gone into its construction then I reckon that I would have to do a couple of hundred long haul holidays using aeroplanes before I equalled the carbon footprint of my van materials.
Click to expand...

Nothing compared to the carbon footprint of the aeroplane, and all the required systems to make them work, and be safe, in my opinion.
People quote the fuel used in flight per person compared to a vehicle, but don’t consider all the other items, and even vehicles used to make that flight happen. Let alone the things like deicing planes, special fuels, and heated runways.
 
Blue Knight said:
I'm sitting in my van now and when I look around and see the vast amount of plastic, metal, fabrication time and energy which has gone into its construction then I reckon that I would have to do a couple of hundred long haul holidays using aeroplanes before I equalled the carbon footprint of my van materials.

I have worked and lived in all of the third-world deprived countries where these raw materials are excavated (and where the landscape is subsequently raped and pilledged on a grand scale and, sadly, where carbon plans don't exist) and IMO we do more damage to the planet by just buying the vans than using them.

Just my take on things.
Click to expand...
A lot less than building, heating, cooling, watering, laundrying, staffing a hotel.
Or building fueling staffing airporting maintaining the aircraft you would need
Then you still need all the cars, buses, trains you and the infrastructure uses around your holiday.

I still think we do far less damage to the environment.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
pagey said:
My take on this is we live on a tiny island if we all did everything possible to lower our carbon footprint it would not make any difference we are not the big polluters ...stop the likes of USA China and the major polluters and then we might all survive but I won't hold my breath on that one ....typed on my ozone friendly ipad
Click to expand...
I agree that we wont solve the worlds issues but is it ethical to just take and use anything we want without consideration?
 
I think we also are mentally geared through necessity to the daily saving of water, fuel, gas and means of fast cooking.

How long/often do you take showering in the motorhome compared to in an hotel?
 
jezport said:
I agree that we wont solve the worlds issues but is it ethical to just take and use anything we want without consideration?
Click to expand...
Tell that to trump etc
 
Forget vehicles, they are taxed to death because they are easy to tax

Here’s are some things to help start saving the planet:-

Stop buying shite from Poundshops shipped half way round the world

Start leaving all the packaging behind the checkouts at supermarkets ( like the outer box of your cereal, or the plastic crap round your 4 pre packed apples

Forego ONE foreign holiday and buy a new central heating boiler instead ( actually the biggest polluters of cities) but hard to tax

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
jezport said:
I was thinking, How Eco is our Motorhome when compared to other holiday types.

Also, while we are away our home is not using much electric or gas?
Click to expand...

I suspect your home uses as much electric and gas as it would if you were walking the Pennine Way or jetting to your luxury yacht in the Caribbean.

Gordon
 
All the great inventions that we learned about in the 50s have now been banned or disused or will be to save the planet.
Funny old world :(
 
I would think the carbon footprint of all of the ferries crossing the channel would not make motorhomes very eco unless you stay in the UK.?
 
pagey said:
Don't know don't care
Click to expand...
that's the answer to the following question.

What's the difference between ignorance and apathy?
:D:D
 
jezport said:
I was thinking, How Eco is our Motorhome when compared to other holiday types.

Motorhomes equipped with solar, a modern gas boiler and modern "clean diesel engine" are surely quite an eco way of getting away.
We are more Eco than caravanning as we use one vehicle and use less fuel as we travel, most tuggers use EHU all the time also.
We are definitely more Eco than driving to an airport and flying on holiday.
Are we as Eco as a family camping holiday which involves driving to a site and using gas to cook etc?

Also, while we are away our home is not using much electric or gas?
Click to expand...
Maybe not as "eco" as you think. Some calculations I did suggests we use about twice as much fuel per passenger mile on our motorhome trips as we do flying to the USA to visit our daughter.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Speve said:
I would think the carbon footprint of all of the ferries crossing the channel would not make motorhomes very eco unless you stay in the UK.?
Click to expand...
No way take the tunnel ???
 
Certainly the mh uses less electricity, as little as none at all apart from solar. 120L of water can last a week as opposed to less than a day in the house. While we are away we use little electricity and no gas at home.
We travel via the tunnel and our mh is 11years old and will easily last another 11, unlike a car which will probably be replaced after a few years.
Yes to be really green we should all be fulltiming.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
peterc10 said:
Maybe not as "eco" as you think. Some calculations I did suggests we use about twice as much fuel per passenger mile on our motorhome trips as we do flying to the USA to visit our daughter.
Click to expand...

Your calculations probably only work for long haul when the aircraft spends hours and hours in the cruise at FL 35. Take offs and taxying gobble fuel.

You should find that the MH beats the aircraft per passenger mile for short haul fuel economy.
 
All of it is a conundrum ain't it, we've been to a few sites this year which is unusual for us but spoke to a few folk, one of which said it would be good if we could afford to trade our 04 sprinter for a newer euro 6 MH! as it would reduce our carbon foot print, which I find quite puzzling.
As our 04 would be sold on & would still be used! cant get my head around that :unsure:
 
peterc10 said:
Maybe not as "eco" as you think. Some calculations I did suggests we use about twice as much fuel per passenger mile on our motorhome trips as we do flying to the USA to visit our daughter.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you are correct in your calculations BUT how often do you do 6,000+ miles per motorhome trip?
Also, as most motorhomes will carry two people the cost per mile is the same.
It would take a long time for the average motorhomer to clock up the miles of the many people who think it nothing to go to Oz for a holiday.

Richard.
 
Clarky said:
I'm sure you are correct in your calculations BUT how often do you do 6,000+ miles per motorhome trip?
Also, as most motorhomes will carry two people the cost per mile is the same.
It would take a long time for the average motorhomer to clock up the miles of the many people who think it nothing to go to Oz for a holiday.

Richard.
Click to expand...
As I said in my post we go to Europe for main trips twice a year and clock up 3,000 to 4,000 miles each trip. So 6,000 to 8,000 miles each year. And on top of that we do some other trips. We usually visit our daughter once a year (except this year when we are over there in Christmas as well) and the round trip is about 7,000 mile.

Both calculations are per person per mile. My calculation for the motorhome is based upon two people being in the motorhome. If there was only one person in the motorhome it would comes out as 4 times more per person per mile.
 
Hi.
A young family,parents and 2 children,..4 berth motor home or 4 berth caravan...limited funds... want to get away weekends/holidays outdoors.
Caravan,its that simple,you forgot to mention people who tow cars behind their mo/ho,s. Not getting at you,just ..."What if".
Tea Bag

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top