What are the pro's and con's of owning a motorhome?

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Recently an old friend got in touch with us to say that they were thinking of retiring soon and were wondering what the pro’s and con’s were of buying a motorhome.

Well, to be frank, our first thoughts were “Why are you asking us….we’ve only had Bryony for five months….and six weeks of those has been in lock down…..we’ve barely been out in her…..how would we know?”

But, after a little reflection, perhaps we can identify some pro’s and con’s even after just a few trips out. We also think we would suggest don’t do it as we did……rent a motorhome first and see whether you like the lifestyle or not before you commit a huge sum of money. Remember, a motorhome is likely to be one of the biggest purchases you ever make in your life after your house.

The pro’s of owning a motorhome:

1.   We can go anywhere we like when we like – either on little mini adventures (day, weekend, week) or bigger tours

2.   Travelling in a motorhome seems cheaper than booking a fly-drive holiday

3.   Bryony is our home from home on wheels and we have all that we need onboard her

4.   Packing Bryony is easy – much is left on board between trips. Using lists, we can pretty much carry everything we need for extended trips.

5.   Although we haven’t done it yet, we can go wild camping in remote areas for free and Bryony is self-contained with shower, kitchen and toilet. She is also equipped for off-grid living. She has a microwave and TV as well and a great awning

6.   There is a friendly motorhoming/caravanning community and as we have already discovered, everyone is always willing to lend a hand or give advice

7.   We love the spontaneity that comes with motorhome ownership although 2020 hasn’t quite been the year to test that fully. However, that just taking clothes and some food with us down to Bryony and then driving her off wherever we like, is a brilliant feeling

8.    We have become more active. The E Bikes are carried on a tow-bar cycle rack and we spend most of our time walking, cycling and exploring the great outdoors

9.   We have refined down what we can live with and without. We are learning to make do with less stuff in Bryony because she has less space to put it in

10. There is a slower pace of life in Bryony. It is also a more sustainable life as we are forced to better consider our water and power consumption

11. Equip your motorhome with a good internet router and aerial system means that you can work quite easily from it and remain in contact with loved ones at home quite easily

The disadvantages of owning a motorhome:

1.   Motorhomes can be very expensive to buy when you add in additional costs beyond the purchase price (insurance, road tax, annual habitation checks etc)

2.   Some people find the smaller motorhomes cramped and there are compromises you have to make. See our blog post about ‘buying a motorhome’ and also read our ‘Etiquette for  avoiding divorce’

https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2020/11/buying-your-first-motorhome-so-exciting.html?view=flipcard

https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2020/11/agreeing-etiquette-to-avoid-divorce.html?view=flipcard

3.   You have to empty the toilet every two or three days. Yes, it is a smelly job!

4.   Parking a motorhome can be a hassle in the UK – not all places welcome them. Watch for height restrictors, signs banning motorhomes and overnight camping. In addition, wild camping can also be an issue as we have so few Aires compared to the continent. We use a number of apps to help us get over this e .g. park4night or searchforsites

5.   Factor in the cost of storing your motorhome if you can’t keep it at home. Then there are the additional security costs such as wheel clamps, clutch claws, trackers, extra habitation locks etc

6.   Think carefully about how you get around when you are staying on a campsite for several days. Motorhomes are not easy things in which to tour rural lanes in Cornwall. You will need bikes or a car towed behind or stay on sites with good public transport links close by

7.   New motorhomes come with a whole host of snags (see our post here about the snags we encountered on Bryony - firstly - what we checked when we collected her  https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2020/11/ready-to-pick-up-your-new-motorhome.html?view=flipcard  and then the snags we discovered https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2020/11/our-first-ever-overnight-in-bryony-at.html?view=flipcard) and it’s a pain getting them sorted. Second hand motorhomes will have most of these snags resolved but always check carefully because age could ring other problems to replace the snags

8.   Watch your fuel costs, entrance fees etc – it soon mounts up depending on the style of motorhoming you do

9.   You will need to gain some familiarity with the systems on board and the tools you carry so that you can affect basic repairs – so there is homework to do when you get a motorhome. A quick tip - mark the pages in your handbook with those little coloured reference tabs - to make finding something quicker

10. Motorhomes are bigger than the car you drive so you need to know your dimensions and no, breathing in when you cross a narrow bridge, doesn’t help suck in the motorhome width

11.Trying to dry out wet gear in a small motorhome is ‘testing’ to say the least

12. You really need to pay attention to looking after water and waste tanks so that they don’t become blocked or smell

13. Some cities are introducing diesel bans or low emission zones so it pays to keep an eye on these things when planning your routes

14. Fixed bed or assembly bed – you lose space with one, gain space with another; save time with one, lose time with the other and an ascending/descending bed means no skylight to look out of at night

Well, these are our initial thoughts. I’m sure as we get out and about next year, covid-19 willing, then we will add to them. When we do, we will add them as a postscript to this blog page. If you have any thoughts about the pro’s and con’s of owning a motorhome, especially any we have missed, then please drop us a comment below and we will add them in to this post with acknowledgement to you. If you are out and about, stay safe, take care out there and send us a postcard for our ‘Postcard’ blog page (a picture and a short caption – where, when, who etc).

Take care folks

Steve and Maggie