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 ...
1 More work
Perhaps you're a big fan of traveling in a motorhome, but the truth is, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. A motorhome is hard work. Just arriving somewhere, bam! You have to level it and put it on level ground if you want to cook or sleep on level ground.
Then, keep going, you have to check the clean water level, the dirty water level, if you're going somewhere with electricity you have to turn it on, otherwise you have to check the battery level, make sure the solar panel is charging and that it's clean so it's efficient…
In addition, when the warning lights on the control unit come on, you have to empty the dirty water tank, fill the fresh water tank, empty the chemical toilet, charge the batteries, or whatever else is needed and the motorhome's control unit tells you to.
But the work doesn't end there. On a motorhome trip, you also have to dedicate time to planning the route, taking into account the vehicle's dimensions and characteristics, to driving, to choosing places to stay overnight or camp, to doing the daily shopping, to cooking (because if you have a motorhome, you'll definitely be cooking in it at some point), to washing dishes, washing clothes by hand, cleaning, making the beds, taking out the trash, and much more…
It requires some effort, but when you love the freedom of the world, carrying your home on your back, that effort becomes secondary. In short, traveling in a motorhome is like being at home, but while traveling and never getting bored. Have I convinced 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 limited space available when traveling in a motorhome puts all members of a motorhome trip to the test , 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, you have to take turns changing clothes, or the sleepyhead of the group has to get up earlier than they'd like to change the configuration from bed to table so that everyone can have breakfast.
On the other hand, it forces us to be very organized at all times. Otherwise, the mess can end up as a bucolic chaos, with nowhere to stand. So, if you have children, you spend all day chasing after them, tidying up the mess (just like at home).
Furthermore, the limited space can lead to many inconveniences in some cases. A spacious bathroom is not the same as a tiny sink where you bump into the walls with the slightest movement. There's no large clothesline to hang wet clothes on when you're on the go, and in many cases, there's no dishwasher, washing machine, microwave, oven, or other appliances we're used to at home that make life easier and more comfortable.
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 drawbacks mentioned above, we add a high purchase cost (from around €40.000 to €200.000 if it's new, or from around €20.000 if it's second-hand) or a high rental cost (from €100 to €180/day), a very high cost per kilometer because they consume more than a car (in our case, with a diesel low-profile motorhome, we spent €15 per 100 km), annual insurance (from around €400 to €1000 for comprehensive coverage), road tax (around €200), vehicle inspection (around €100), mechanical service with oil change (around €200), and an annual leak test if the motorhome is new and you don't want to lose the vehicle warranty (around €150).
Furthermore, it makes sense to have a garage space for the motorhome, which will require a special parking space and will incur an additional monthly cost (from around €400 per year for an open-air parking lot without services to €1500 per year for covered parking lots with services; the further you are from the outskirts of large cities, the cheaper it is). However, you can avoid this cost if you park at your own home or can park in front of or nearby without any issues with neighbors or the local council.
And it doesn't end there. Like a house, a motorhome requires ongoing maintenance . When it's not changing tires, it's replacing the silicone sealant on the gaskets; when it's not repairing furniture or unclogging pipes, it's doing other tasks.
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 Boards
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 the passengers . A high-speed impact in this type of vehicle, where there is fiberglass and not sheet metal, is no small matter.
And to guarantee the integrity of our home on wheels and its longevity. Speed makes everything vibrate more in our cabinets 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.
Slowing down allows us to relax more during the journey, to be more present, and to get off the beaten path. And it's on these roads that we can find great hidden treasures, which we might otherwise miss.
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.
Due to the size of the vehicle and because we're not welcome in many municipalities, driving and parking aren't easy. At least some planning is necessary , and luckily, technology is a great ally in this regard, with special GPS devices for motorhomes, apps, and websites that make finding parking and overnight spots much easier.
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 in a motorhome is that this portable home doesn't have a mains water supply, electricity, or sewage system.
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 in a motorhome with the complete guide we have on our blog.
But if after exploring the guide and this post you still have doubts and would like us to advise you, accompany you or lend a hand 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 escapades
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 subject.
We are 5 and a shepherd and although we started to see only high volume campers, since we read the article, we started with the AC... the idea of campers is because I didn't expect 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 do not 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!