The worst thing about traveling by motorhome leads us to a completely absurd conclusion:
The best way to travel is by motorhome!
And so, what disadvantages and advantages does traveling by motorhome have?
The 6 reasons to hate her ... or love her ...
1More work
Maybe you are a fan of traveling by motorhome but the truth is that it is not all rosy. A motorhome is hard work. Just get somewhere, plass you must put it on and level it if you want to cook or sleep flat.
Then keep going, You have to control the level of clean water, that of dirty water, if you go to a place with light you have to connect it, otherwise you have to control the level of the batteries, that the solar panel charges you and that it is clean so that it is efficient ...
Also, when the warning lights on the pilot lights The control unit lights up, you have to empty the dirty water tank, fill the clean one, empty the chemical toilet, charge batteries or whatever you need and send the goddess of the motorhome.
However the work does not end hereOn a motorhome trip, you should also spend time designing the route taking into account the dimensions and characteristics of the vehicle, driving, choosing the places to spend the night or camping, doing the daily shopping, cooking (because if you have a motorhome yes or yes at some point you will cook in it), to wash dishes, to wash clothes by hand, to clean, to make the beds, to throw away the garbage and a long etcetera ...
It requires a job, but a job that when you like the world in freedom carrying your house on your back, takes a back seat. Overall, traveling in a motorhome is like being at home, but traveling and never getting bored. Do I convince you?
2 Small space
Whether it is a motorhome or a camper, the space is always limited when compared to a house, a hotel or an apartment.
The small space available when traveling by motorhome tests everyone on a motorhome trip, in one way or another.
The first great premise is that we must be very respectful with our companions (perhaps this is rather a good advantage) but we want to end the trip as the rosary of the Aurora.
Sometimes it has to be done shifts to change clothes or the group sleeper must get up before of what you would like to change the configuration from bed to table so that everyone can have breakfast.
On the other hand, forces us to be very orderly at all times. That or the leonera can end up in a bucolic mess, where there is nowhere to step on the ground. Therefore, if you have children, you spend the day behind them ordering the mess (we are at home).
In addition, the reduced space carries many discomforts in some cases. A spacious bathroom is not the same as a small sink in which as soon as you move you hit the walls. There is no large drying rack to dry wet clothes when we are on the move, and in many cases we do not have a dishwasher, washing machine, microwave, oven or other appliances that we are used to at home, which make our work easier and provide us with comfort in the day to day.
Total, that welcome to the ordered, minimalist, ecological life (ok, ok, less on gasoline, right ...), the simple life and the simple life. Where the luxury is to share quality time with your people, with those you love, without giving more importance to material or space. This is traveling by motorhome. Am I still not convinced?
3 Economic costs of traveling by motorhome
To all these inconveniences above, we add a cost of high acquisition (from about 40.000 to € 200.000 if it is new or from about 20.000 if it is second-hand) or rental cost high (from 100 to 180 € / day), a cost per kilometer also very high because they consume more than a car (in our case with a profiled diesel motorhome we spend € 15 per 100 km), the annual insurance (from about 400 to 1000 € at all risks), road tax (about € 200 approx.), ITV (approx. € 100), mechanical check with oil change (200 € approx) and a annual tightness check, if the motorhome is new and you do not want to lose the vehicle warranty (about € 150 approx.).
Also, the logical thing is to have a parking place for the motorhome, which will imply a special parking space for it at an additional monthly cost (from about 400 a year in an uncovered and service-free car park to € 1500 per year for covered and serviced parking spaces, against more to the periphery of large cities cheaper). Of course, this cost you can avoid, if you take it in your own house or you can park in front or near without problem with the neighbors and municipality.
And this does not end here, like a house, a motorhome requires continuous maintenance. When you do not have to change wheels, you have to change silicones of the joints, when not to fix a piece of furniture or a pipe jam, etc.
If you thought that the best thing about traveling by motorhome was that tea could be super cheap for a trip, you were wrong.
Total that we are back at home. With the same expenses, approximately, that you would have in an apartment on the beach if you rent it for the season or buy it. But on the other hand, with the motorhome we do not stop having an apartment on every beach, in every country, in every city, in every mountain, an apartment with wheels where we want and with total freedom.
4 Slow
The motorhome is not exactly a light and running vehicle. It has many uses and virtues, but precisely none is designed to go rally.
The weight, dimensions and that a house has on it, make you have to go slower than any other conventional tourism.
The reasons are basically 2:
- For the safety of travelers. A high-speed impact in this type of vehicle, where there is fiberglass and no sheet metal, is no small matter.
- And by ensure the integrity of our home on wheels and its long life. Speed makes everything vibrate more in our closets and things can break prematurely.
Now, going slower means that it will be a worse trip?
Perhaps we take longer, but perhaps the "slow travell", so fashionable, by the way, makes us see things that we would never have seen in other circumstances.
Go slower, It makes us relax more on the journey, live more attentive to the present and makes us get off the main roads. And in those that we can find great hidden treasures, that otherwise we would not have realized.
5 Parking and accessibility
The theme of parking and accessibility to certain places is a star theme to hate campervan travel. And if it is not to hate, at least, it is a subject that scares or pulls back when considering driving a motorhome.
For the vehicle dimensions and because in many municipalities we are not welcome, Driving and parking is not an easy topic. Must plan it minimally, and luckily, in this, today we have technology as a great ally with special GPS for motorhomes, apps and websites that make this task easier for us to search for parking lots and overnight places.
Going with the house in tow is a great advantage, but also a drawback in this case. Imagine that you are in a camping site for a few days. If you want to go to a nearby town to shop or visit, you have to dismantle the beach bar or have a secondary vehicle, such as motorcycles or a mini car.
Yes, there are motorhomes with a garage where a motorbike or a Smart fits, and surely you have seen one towing a car on a platform or directly rolling and coupled to the towing vehicle using a lance like that of the caravans. But it is still an extra, more cost and more weight to carry.
But do you know the best? You will never find such magical, beautiful and spectacular places to sleep or eat with better views than with a motorhome. Because where you park, it is your home and your garden. There are no apartments or hotels with similar views that you will find traveling by motorhome or camper.
6 Dependence on water, electricity and chemical toilets (el poti, let's go)
And finally. The worst thing about traveling by motorhome is that this portable house does not have a general water, electricity and sewage network.
It has autonomy, but at most, only about 4 days on average.
So, you cannot be indefinitely in a dream place away from the world, you will need to move to empty gray and black water, fill water, change gas, put gasoline, charge batteries with electricity, etc.
Now, the good thing is that you become an environmental fanatic and saver of water, energy and any other resource. Although motorhomes spend gasoline and pollute on our trips, because at the moment there is no electric motorhome, we are surely one of the most ecological and environmentally conscious tourists out there.
And after all this, do you hate or love her?
Can we help you get started in the world of traveling by motorhome?
Discover the most practical tips for traveling by motorhome with the complete guide that we have on our blog.
But if after exploring the guide and this post, you still have doubts and you want us to advise you, accompany you or throw a cable To go, buy or rent a motorhome you can write to us at [email protected] .
MANUAL OF TRAVELING IN MOTORHOMES
Click on each of the sections, to know everything and more about traveling by motorhome:
Plan and organize your motorhome trip in 5 clicks
- Plan your route well so as not to find surprises, we help you
- 5% Travel insurance discount by clicking here. The only travel insurance for motorhomes and campers that covers what the vehicle insurance plus the trip does not cover: replacement vehicle, interior theft, civil liability and accidents of your pets, medical insurance and even covers Covid and much more
- Find and book activities at destination
- Buy what is necessary and useful for this trip by motorhome or camper: list of 50 things that we carry
Photo gallery of our trips and motorhome trips
If you do not have a motorhome and what you want is to rent one and start in this world, this is your service. Or, if you don't have time to organize your next motorhome or camper trip and you want someone to organize it for you with the utmost professionalism, this is also your service.
We advise, manage, solve doubts, give support and set up a route or organized trip in a motorhome personalized to your tastes and needs, so that you go calm, safe and your motorhome trip is unforgettable.
PRICE: Depending on the days of the organized motorhome trip to be assembled.
Other related posts ...
AC getaways to inspire you
List of posts with the getaway diaries that we have made in our motorhome with and without snow
In the article to hate… .., points 3 and 4 are repeated….
Congratulations for your blog and advice….
Good Gabriel! Thank you very much for your comment, it has made us able to solve the error quickly. A kid who had passed us! Thank you very much and thank you also for your encouragement, it makes us continue with this blog 🙂 By the way, now the gazapillo is already solved! Anything you tell us, we are delighted. A hug.
Now I will read the point that I was missing ...
In the Face you will recognize me as a Solitary Biker ...
These aids are very good for me, I am new to the AC world, until now I have only rented. In January they give me mine ...
regards
How good Gabriel! Congratulations! We have been seeing you on Facebook. January is here! Come on, the wait is long, but you can not enjoy it at all. Do not hesitate to ask us for help with any questions, we will be happy to help you 🙂 We are here to help you 🙂 Another point in favor of motorhome: solidarity between colleagues 🙂 We encourage you to wait, and soon we will see each other on the road!
Excellent, they make reality known as it is. We have been in AC for almost two years throughout Chile, now we are sheltered in Punta Arenas waiting for the pandemic to pass and continue traveling. Greetings to all.
Hello John! good to see you here. Our dream is to travel Chile one day by motorhome, we hope to fulfill it and follow in your footsteps. A hug!
I am 63 years old, we are my wife and I,
and it is decided to start caravanning
Bravo for that decision Ciro. You will enjoy it very much. Congratulations and a big hug from this family.
Hello, we are in full search and this article is going very well to try to focus the issue.
We are 5 and a pastor and although we began to see only large volume campers, since we read the article, we started with the AC ... the idea of campers is because I did not count on the whole family to sign up the ages are 18, 16 and 8 and I think that with 3 more the dog would be enough, but I doubt and I don't want to limit the possible full….
Although the campers have their charm and we really like the ease of access compared to the AC ... but the space and the squares ...
Anyway we will continue searching.
Thank you very much for all the info, newbies are doing great.
Hello Miguel, thank you for your words, they are vitamins for us, to continue writing about this little world that we are so passionate about. Never discard anything at all 🙂 the important thing is to enjoy what you have! a hug and from what you say a motorhome can be very comfortable for you, and in the end do not believe that we end up going vans and motorhomes practically on the same sides 🙂 A hug!