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OnTheBummel

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Hi all

We've never motorhomed before, but booked a rental some time ago for a week in September with a view to buying one later if we like it. Our original plan was to stay fairly local. Since lock-down, having never thought it would be possible, I've been WHF and have found that it works and I'm loving it. So the September plan is getting more ambitious. We are now thinking of a three week trip through France and into Spain to visit our daughter who lives there. I can't take more than a week off at that time year, so the plan is to WFMH for half days. I use a laptop with two screens, keyboard & mouse - there is no inverter in the hire vehicle, but we have a small portable generator. Before we commit to extending the hire I thought I'd canvas opinions on whether people think this would be viable, advice from anyone who has done this and also look for some specific tips on:
- Data SIMs for France & Spain; and recommendation for a mifi or similar
- A resource for good places to stop overnight other than proper camp sites

Thanks everyone

Simon
 
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We use camper contact. Its an app that gives info on aires, basic parking , for the night. Usually with facilites to empty and fill for a small charge or even free. Costs about £5 a year.
Others will suggest park 4 night, not always suitable in our view but worth a look.

Data sim, covered to death on here. As I understand it 3 network will restrict you when roaming.
Vodaphone may restrict you but not as much.

Better replies if you can say how much data you will need.?

Dont forget to sort out gas, even if you have autogas you will need adapters for france and spain.

Good luck.
 
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SandraL said:
We use camper contact. Its an app that gives info on aires, basic parking , for the night. Usually with facilites to empty and fill for a small charge or even free. Costs about £5 a year.
Others will suggest park 4 night, not always suitable in our view but worth a look.

Data sim, covered to death on here. As I understand it 3 network will restrict you when roaming.
Vodaphone may restrict you but not as much.

Better replies if you can say how much data you will need.?

Dont forget to sort out gas, even if you have autogas you will need adapters for france and spain.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks Sandra, I'll get that app, that's exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for.

No clue how much data I use, but was planning on getting a local pay as you go data SIM. I'll have a search for other threads on SIMs. I hope the rental company will supply the necessary for the Gas - we have to pay a supplement for taking it to Europe, but I will check.
 
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For running the laptop the ideal solution would be to run it off a 12 volt adaptor but I suspect your second screen may need 240 volts? If you can't run this off 12 volts consider buying a small pure sine wave inverter. You will need to do the sums on how big but this one might be suitable and you could sell it on later if you don't subsequently buy a MH.

<Broken link removed>

You may need to turn the vehicle ignition on unless there is a permanently live cigar lighter socket in the MH habitation area - worth asking the rental company for a MH with one.

You won't be popular running a generator on most sites or Aires! Leave it at home. 😀

If you aren't planning to visit remote places you could use your phone as a WiFi hotspot. For a one-off trip it will do. How much data you need depends on what you are doing. If you are watching video it could be 500Mb+ an hour. If just doing emails then it might be 10Mb a day. 😀
 
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OnTheBummel said:
I hope the rental company will supply the necessary for the Gas
Click to expand...
:hiya2: & w2f

I'm not sure what you mean about the gas but bear in mind, unless fitted with a refillable tank the hire van will be fitted to take Calor cylinders and these are not available across the channel. France & Spain have their own cylinders but have different fittings to Calor.

Of course dependant on the necessary use of gas heating and cooking one or two Calor bottles may be sufficient.
 
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Camper contact is a must and a lot use park 4 night...
Local data sims is good for short term as you are at the moment... no point in getting contracts for more data if not using it all year..

try to get a van with as much solar on it for power and moving around will keep batteries topped up.... trying to work with a generator running will be like having a 16yr old next door with a scooter with no exhaust...😂
 
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DBK said:
For running the laptop the ideal solution would be to run it off a 12 volt adaptor but I suspect your second screen may need 240 volts? If you can't run this off 12 volts consider buying a small pure sine wave inverter. You will need to do the sums on how big but this one might be suitable and you could sell it on later if you don't subsequently buy a MH.

<Broken link removed>

You may need to turn the vehicle ignition on unless there is a permanently live cigar lighter socket in the MH habitation area - worth asking the rental company for a MH with one.

You won't be popular running a generator on most sites or Aires! Leave it at home. 😀

If you aren't planning to visit remote places you could use your phone as a WiFi hotspot. For a one-off trip it will do. How much data you need depends on what you are doing. If you are watching video it could be 500Mb+ an hour. If just doing emails then it might be 10Mb a day. 😀
Click to expand...
Thanks DBK

I was thinking that when in a campsite we would be able to hook up to power. The generator would be used when off grid - it's only a tiny one and v quiet.

I did get one of those inverters about 20 years ago for powering a laptop. It was not a success - it got very hot, started smoking gently and then spectacularly blew the car's fuse and itself up. Perhaps they've improved since then!
 
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Learn to work with one screen, two is a reasonably new adaptation, I work with 2 laptops (saves me loads of time in pointless ZOOM meetings) :giggler:
I run them off the phone but it is unlimited everything (I don't pay for it the company does)

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OnTheBummel said:
I did get one of those inverters about 20 years ago for powering a laptop. It was not a success - it got very hot, started smoking gently and then spectacularly blew the car's fuse and itself up. Perhaps they've improved since then!
Click to expand...
They have. 😅 Sterling are a well know company so if your total load is less than 150W that one will work. 😀 But a high end laptop might need a 300W inverter to be safe.
 
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Welcome 👍
Before retirement we would trot off (in a caravan) for two months at a time. Using CAD I had one separate 4k screen. Downloads/uploads for fairly large CAD files were common but, I had 25gb/month data plan and never got close to maximum allowed. Never found a way of running the second screen successfully on DC power as it hammered the battery so, with very few exceptions, we stayed on sites with EHU's and saved the stopping anywhere on batteries for the weekend.
Now retired and have a motorhome. I will not take a large screen now as I have little need for it. Main reasons are weight and there simply is not enough room! If you have two screens plus a laptop, you must have, or will need, one fair sized living area.
I would also suggest looking very closely at the threads on payload (or lack of it) in many motorhomes. We are currently having to up-plate ours just to get a sensible amount of stuff in to make it an enjoyable experience.
Good luck and safe travels.
 
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If you are visiting different countries using a "local" sim is a bit of a faff and probably won't be any cheaper than using a decent UK-based sim. We use a 3 PAYG in a mifi, works almost everywhere, but our demands are not high, opinion seems to favour vodaphone for the heavier user. Agree for a one-off trip using your phone as a hotspot is probably better, just make sure your dataplan is adequate.

Your problem is going to be gas, will depend on the vehicle you're hiring so speak to them asap. Let us know what they say because sometimes these people don't really have a working knowledge (i.e. no idea what they're talking about :LOL:)

From current reports seems as if stopovers are opening up, you shouldn't have much trouble.
 
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OnTheBummel said:
Oops. WHF should have been WFH!!
Click to expand...

You would not believe some of the things I was coming up with :giggle:

I am working from our motorhome too using a laptop/mobile - beats going to work although struggle with space and don’t have a scanner or printer - yet.......

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For data in France and Spain Vodafone take a lot of beating.
I use my phone as a hotspot and have had 4G just about everywhere we have been.
We previously used Three network but only got 3G in France.
As others have said, generators are noisy, smelly things that will not be welcomed if you are within a hundred yards of anyone else, even the quiet Honda's. (I know as I also have one) Just take DBK's advice and get a decent inverter, no heavy genny to store and no petrol to power it.

Richard.
 
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BnBJwf said:
Welcome 👍
Before retirement we would trot off (in a caravan) for two months at a time. Using CAD I had one separate 4k screen. Downloads/uploads for fairly large CAD files were common but, I had 25gb/month data plan and never got close to maximum allowed. Never found a way of running the second screen successfully on DC power as it hammered the battery so, with very few exceptions, we stayed on sites with EHU's and saved the stopping anywhere on batteries for the weekend.
Now retired and have a motorhome. I will not take a large screen now as I have little need for it. Main reasons are weight and there simply is not enough room! If you have two screens plus a laptop, you must have, or will need, one fair sized living area.
I would also suggest looking very closely at the threads on payload (or lack of it) in many motorhomes. We are currently having to up-plate ours just to get a sensible amount of stuff in to make it an enjoyable experience.
Good luck and safe travels.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Good to hear that it’s feasible. I think I’ll have to settle for one screen and the laptop screen. And going on a diet!
Clarky said:
For data in France and Spain Vodafone take a lot of beating.
I use my phone as a hotspot and have had 4G just about everywhere we have been.
We previously used Three network but only got 3G in France.
As others have said, generators are noisy, smelly things that will not be welcomed if you are within a hundred yards of anyone else, even the quiet Honda's. (I know as I also have one) Just take DBK's advice and get a decent inverter, no heavy genny to store and no petrol to power it.

Richard.
Click to expand...
As well as being nervous of inverters I was also worried about draining the battery with 5 hours or so on a laptop and screen.
 
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TerryL said:
If you are visiting different countries using a "local" sim is a bit of a faff and probably won't be any cheaper than using a decent UK-based sim. We use a 3 PAYG in a mifi, works almost everywhere, but our demands are not high, opinion seems to favour vodaphone for the heavier user. Agree for a one-off trip using your phone as a hotspot is probably better, just make sure your dataplan is adequate.

Your problem is going to be gas, will depend on the vehicle you're hiring so speak to them asap. Let us know what they say because sometimes these people don't really have a working knowledge (i.e. no idea what they're talking about :LOL:)

From current reports seems as if stopovers are opening up, you shouldn't have much trouble.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I’ll check out Vodafone payg sims (I can get a work mifi)
And I’ll ask the question about gas and let you know what they say!
 
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Hi I don't know what type of laptop you have, but on mine it has a HDMI output that I connect to the TV in the MH to either watch TV or set to extend display when I am working so no need for a computer screen.
 
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