Travelling by motorhome is quite different from a traditional holiday. A traditional holiday is marked by a boring and mostly long drive to the destination and only there it all starts. On a traditional holiday, you get up early in the morning so you can cover at least 3000km. Only the necessary toilet stops and eating home-made noodles or meatballs are allowed. Drink a 5 euro expresso at the petrol station and move on.
How a motorhome holiday works
A motorhome holiday starts the other way round. You bring at least 16 bags of different things in the motorhome. Clothes, food, sports junk and beer to stock up. It’s like a small move, except you’re not carrying furniture. The plan is to leave first thing in the morning, but after 16 bags, you realize you’re still missing something. So you leave at 6:00 in the afternoon at best.
“motorhome holidays start the moment you set off”
Yes, it does. Holidays don’t start at the beach in Greece. motorhoming starts from the very first minute. And that’s a pretty fundamental difference. There’s no need to pointlessly pull an all-nighter to be on the beach in the morning and sleep the next two days. Wherever the motorhome stops, you’re on holiday.
What all do you need to plan?
This is how we plan, or rather we haven’t planned for many years. There are no reservations, no exact plan. That’s what’s different, interesting and adventurous about it. From work we are used to different project management. Thinking through all the details. Analyzing all the risks
But work and vacation are different things. And a motorhome holiday is the exact opposite. It’s something that doesn’t need to be planned in detail. You have a place to sleep, you have something to eat, you have freedom of movement. Don’t like the location? You go elsewhere. Is the weather bad? You move. That’s what travelling and motorhome holidays are all about.
How is it to drive a motorhome?
Just driving a motorhome is completely different to travelling in a motorhome. motorhomes are generally slower and more cumbersome than 911s. No motorhome is going to set a speed record between BA and KE, nor are you going to take the hairpin bends on the Passo dello Stelvio. You rarely do more than 500km a day in a motorhome. I’d rather say 500 is such a healthy ceiling.
On the other hand, who would want to do more in a motorhome? After all, a motorhome holiday isn’t about being in the motorhome, it’s about seeing things outside the motorhome. We enjoy stopping in other places, in other villages, in other towns all the time. Discovering new places without any expectations has its advantages. Non-tourist destinations have their charms. There is not the biggest church in the world, but on the other hand, in a pub in a square there will definitely be a better atmosphere made up of normal, lively and real natives. Besides the authentic atmosphere, you’ll pay at least half the price for spaghetti and ketchup.
How to enjoy a stress-free motorhome holiday?
Moving to a new place every day and seeing all the churches isn’t exactly a motorhome holiday by any stretch of the imagination. In my opinion, you don’t need to see everything. Save some for next year or another occasion when you come to this city again. It’s better to see less, but in a relaxed way. Have a good spaghetti in peace or sit in a cafe.
