Budgeting - It can be difficult to set or stick to a budget when costs are so varied in different places. You could find yourself spending much more than expected in certain locations. Laundry - Campsite laundry facilities can be expensive. A cheaper option would be to use a large bucket with a lid placed in the shower cubicle. Drying clothes could be a problem as campsite tumble dryers can be expensive, too.
Time and space to yourself is practically impossible to achieve. And if one of you snores, well Mess and untidiness - Unless kept under control, general messiness could become more of an issue when living in cramped, shared space. Weather and seasons - Be prepared to wrap yourself in blankets and develop a tolerance for low temperatures, especially in Europe during the Winter.
Wall cavity insulation is not available for motorhomes, and neither are open fires on chilly Autumn evenings. It drives him to distraction. Of course, you can, if you want. Motorhome, Campervan and RV travellers are obliged to cook, eat and sleep within the confines of the vehicle. If you are going to Europe, the Eurocamping blog has a wealth of useful information on a range of practical concerns, including what to expect when you take your home to any country in the EU.
One couple has actually made a cottage industry out of their lifestyle as full-timers. Since , they have been full-timing around Europe. Theirs is a particular situation. The address you quote for them to send the documents seems to have no bearing on the quote price. Some worry about having an address for things like a GP and the dentist. In my experience if you already have a doctor and dentist you can carry on using them. Like most things, all obstacles can be overcome if you want to follow this lifestyle.
There are a few things to consider here. Your choice of vehicle is important if living in a motorhome year round. Most motorhomes are well insulated and double glazed.
The cab area can be the exception. In cold conditions you might want to screen off the cab area and you should also close the air conditioning vents on the dashboard. For those wild camping your gas usage will increase greatly in winter. Indeed campsites where electricity is included in the pitch fee can look like good value in the winter!
If your boiler is an older type that runs on gas only then consider heating your vehicle using either an electric fan heater or electric oil filled radiator. You need to think about where the freshwater and grey water tanks are located. Most freshwater tanks are inside the vehicle, often under a seating area. Grey tanks though are commonly situated outside the living area, under the vehicle. In many modern motorhomes there is a double skinned floor that is heated to prevent freezing.
If your motorhome does not have a double skinned floor then you might want to leave the grey water tank tap open to prevent water freezing. A bucket under the tap is all you need. If you are considering a panel van conversion note that they are generally harder to insulate. The large sliding doors are an area hard to heat. I do however know about some of the the options available. First the subject of a TV licence. The issue becomes muddled if you have no main residence. Detector vans are a thing of the past.
Moving on to the question of the hardware you need to watch TV in a motorhome. The UK has now moved over to digital from the old analogue signal. Just like in a normal house you need to decide between a free service like Freeview or a subscription with someone like Sky. A typical roof mounted aerial at home is directional, pointed at your best local transmitter.
When living in a motorhome you are essentially moving position all the time. With a directional aerial you would need to know where the local transmitter was and position the aerial accordingly.
For those who want more channels than Freeview alone, Sky with a satellite dish would seem the best option. Dishes range from the relatively cheap to unbelievably expensive.
At home the installer positions the dish on your house to receive the best signal from the satellite sending the TV signal. The issue with a moving vehicle like a motorhome is that you need a dish that can change position to obtain the best signal. If you are happy leaving the dish on the floor outside the vehicle then the ones that come in a briefcase from places like Maplins and Aldi might be all you need Aldi seem to only stock these at certain times.
If you want something attached to your roof then the best manually positioned option might be something like the Maxview Crank-up system.
Things start to get very expensive when you want a system that automatically seeks out the best position for your satellite. The considerations at this high price point usually revolve around a couple of factors, how far south into Europe do you want to be able to pick up the UK satellite and do you want to be able to watch TV while the vehicle is moving maybe to keep kids entertained on the move.
Your two basic choices will be a traditionally shaped large dish or to watch on the move a dome system like those sold by RoadPro same manufacturer as the Camos branded ones that are now discontinued. Generally speaking a large traditional shaped dish is better if you want to watch UK TV in Southern Europe but Domes are better if you want to watch TV when the vehicle is in motion and they are also safer in high winds.
Getting internet access while living in a motorhome is actually really easy. I am able to get a signal in most of the UK and the speed is perfectly adequate. If you already own a smartphone your network provider probably already offers you a data allowance for internet. Essentially this means you will not be able to share the phone signal to your laptop. If you need internet while overseas you have a few options.
If your dongle is unlocked you can insert a SIM card from another country. I did this in Italy and it worked brilliantly. For light users who just need to keep in touch you might find using free wifi at the local McDonalds, restaurant, coffee shop or tourist information centre is enough. If you want to try and rely on unsecured wifi connections for your internet access overseas you may want to boost your signal. The wifi antenna in laptops has to lie flat due to the shape of the case.
This position is not the best. Ever noticed that you when you search for a signal you can usually only see your own home router and maybe a couple of others belonging to your neighbours? How would you like to be able to see signals from a much greater distance away? Using it was incredible! Instead of seeing 2 internet connections the laptop suddenly saw hundreds and signals that were previously weak 1 bar suddenly became strong 5 bars.
Whilst most connections were secured, in most countries I was able to find an unsecured connection easily with this device, the exception being Germany. I believe this is due to a law in Germany about unsecured wifi signals. Finally another great option to consider for both UK and overseas is the Fon network.
If you are a BT landline user you will be opted in to Fon by default. It seems those that are living in a motorhome approach this in a couple of different ways. If you use campsites most of the time then you will find that they usually have washers and dryers. Having said that they are expensive, the machines take a large load and do a good job.
The other option is to own your own washing machine. I do both. In spring and summer I find I only need to visit a campsite twice a week to charge the leisure batteries, empty the chemical toilet and take on fresh water. In winter I use campsites more often to take advantage of the free electricity to heat my vehicle.
If this lifestyle appeals then investigate where your closest campsites are. Know what they cost. If wild camping is something you want to do then look at forums and find some recommended locations in your area. Visit them late at night by car to see if you would feel safe there. How noisy are these wild camp locations?
Living in a motorhome does not mean you have to compromise on personal hygiene! Whilst its hard to fit a shower into a panel van conversion, most motorhomes do have a bathroom with toilet and shower. My Hymer has a separate shower cubicle and I prefer it this way. They are however generally very good.
If you find the the shower is like a trickle you might want to look at the submersible water pump which might need replacing. This was one of the first jobs I had to do on my Hymer and it was really easy.
When you want to have a shower you need to heat the water in your boiler which could take minutes. The amount of water in the boiler is enough for 1 shower, possibly 2. In a motorhome you do not take long showers. The process is to get wet, turn off the water, clean yourself with shower gel or soap and then turn on the water again to rinse.
The toilet in most motorhomes is the Thetford cassette type. You sit on a regular looking plastic toilet which is connected to the freshwater tank. With a press of a button a pump fills the toilet bowl with water.
The cassette sits below the toilet and operating a trap door opens the cassette and the contents of the bowl fall into the cassette after which you close the trap door again.
The cassette can then be emptied at chemical disposal points at campsites. In my experience the cassette only needs to be emptied about once a week if you are living in a motorhome alone. The answer to this really depends on the type of person you are. Motorhome manufacturers generally make very clever use of that limited space. All my photos, films and music are stored on external hard drives.
Belongings that I use regularly are stored in easy to access cupboards whilst things that I rarely use are stored in boxes under the dinette seat. It takes a few weeks but you will soon find the best place for your belongings that works for your way of living. Whatever your personal needs with proper research you should be able to find your best RV for full time living.
I only really get asked this question by women. If you want to wild camp sometimes then I guess your choice of location will have some bearing on this. I have only felt unsafe once and that was on Ealing Common when the London riots visited the area in August Many women who have contacted me about this are dog owners and a dog barking is usually enough to put off any potential burglar.
When you are living in a motorhome though, eating out every night would get expensive. Nearly all motorhomes will come with a gas hob and probably a gas grill. Most British people like a proper gas oven too and these are quite common in motorhomes aimed at the British market. Outdoor cooking is also more popular on the continent where the weather is generally more reliable.
Newer motorhomes sometimes come fitted with a microwave but these are only really suitable when you are connected to a campsites electrical hookup point. What do I use? Well my Hymer has a 3 ring gas hob, a gas grill and gas oven. Ewelina also recently gave me her George Foreman grill for those times when we want to cook outside. The fridges in motorhomes vary in size but are very effective.
They are known as three way fridges because they can be powered in 3 different ways. When the vehicle is moving you can power them via the 12V vehicle battery.
When you are at a campsite and connected to a hookup post you can switch the fridge to run on electric. When wild camping the fridge can run on LPG gas. Hopefully this has helped you understand what living in a motorhome is like. Feel free to contact me or leave a comment on this article. People do read this blog so asking questions on here will often get you a reply. If you have not already done so you might like to read a couple of my other posts on the subject:.
I now live in Northampton with Ewelina and our dog Archie. I run my own dog walking business. We hope to have our own micro camper soon so the blogging will hopefully continue. Gary decided for a complete change of lifestyle late in This resulted in him buying a Hymer motorhome to live in and starting the Motorhome Vagabond blog. A tour of Europe followed in Fulltiming ended early in but the desire to travel continues, often by campervan. These changes affect my Hymer motorhome and no doubt affect many of you too.
The zone was initially introduced in and was aimed at larger so-called polluting diesel vehicles. The tightening of these rules now mean I can…. Today I finally had the well known Fiat Ducato 5th gear problem repaired! Rather than go into lots of details about the nature of this problem I just wanted to quickly give some general points of advice for anyone else who is faced with this problem in the hope that it makes you more informed….
One of the first improvements I wanted to make to the motorhome was to install Gaslow refillable cylinders. Most motorhomes and caravans in the UK use Calorgas propane bottles, either in a 6kg size or a 13kg size. Calor also sell butane in blue bottles…. Having decided to live fulltime in a motorhome the search for one began in earnest.
As anyone who has ever owned a motorhome will know, there are always compromises to be made. The things you need to consider include whether you want a fixed bed…. When I bought the motorhome it came with a single 75Ah leisure battery which is very limiting when you do as much wild camping as I do.
Using these…. Italian wives Italian wives always nag their husbands about how they park the motorhome. Gary, always enjoy reading your posts and thoughtful insights, I started reading your blog at the beginning of the year when I bought my first van a Chausson Allegro, have now bought something a little bigger as I like the space and work on board when travelling. I am guessing, but I am thinking you are a Cannon man, just because your images are always crystal clear always, beautifully balanced and exposed, I would a 5D mk 1 or 2.
Always used Nikkon myself the new has been well received. Best wishes Adrian. Good to hear from you. I used to use Nikon before I got into digital, it was a body called an s, aimed at semi pro level and very good camera.
Once you have a system of lenses you are less likely to switch. Do you happen to blog about your motorhome travels or photography? Are you fulltiming in your motorhome or do you just use it for holidays? I originally saw the van at the Lincoln show, got back in touch with them and hey presto, the proud new owner.
Honourable, fair and nice folks to deal with and I would recommend them, they are a good team. Loved the photography and the variety, but the money was terrible and I had an established lifestyle to maintain, and I guess just not as good as Testino. I know, its all about composition, lighting, exposure not the kit!
Cheers Bud. Hi Gary I am thinking about selling my house and living in a motor home, i dont have a huge amount of money but my house seems to be costing me more and more in its upkeep. I have been thinking about it for a while but just need the bottle to do it, i would sell my house and use the money to purchase the motor home.
I am single and have three dogs and i run my own business which could be used as an address and for washing etc. My hope is that financially i will be better off but i need to look in to things more. I googled to see if i could find some informaiton and your page came up which i have found very useful. I hope that one day i will take the plunge and do it before i am too old I am 53 nearly Thankyou Gill Crawford. Thanks for the comment!
Had a quick look at your blog but could not find an easy way to find out what type of van you live in. What type of vehicle is it? I assume you wild camp all the time? I used to wild camp mostly but these days I use campsites more. This means leaving European countries we are familiar with, and heading for Morocco, some of the Balkan countries, and Turkey.
You can find out more in our post about motorhoming in Europe after Brexit. You will need a UK fixed address for your driving licence and V5 document and this address will also need to be used for motorhome insurance, so think carefully as some parts of the country will increase your premium exponentially due to high risk factors.
The only way to achieve this is to use a relatives address. And what about motorhome insurance? This is a complicated and often mis-quoted and mis-understood area and may well change once the UK has fully left the EU. Read our guide for the facts about full-time motorhome insurance. Back-packer insurance tends to be the best as it will cover you for up to 24 months. This policy also includes more sports cover as standard than any other we have seen.
Living in a campervan will inevitably result in a process of elimination; what do you want and what do you really, really need? How much you take will of course depend on the size and GVW gross vehicle weight of your van and what is important to you. If you are intending to write a cookbook on your travels, then food storage will be a priority.
If, like us, you want an inflatable kayak, two inflatable paddle boards, kite-surfing gear two bicycles and a portable washing machine , its fair to assume that some difficult decisions about everything else might need to be taken. At the end of our first year of campervan life, we were having the van serviced and there was a weigh bridge right next door. Out of curiosity, we ambled over and got weighed…oops! We were half a tonne over our GVW of 4,kg and that was with an empty fresh water tank!
So, we had a massive sort out and were a bit stunned to realised we had been carrying around half a tonne of stuff that we never used! Clever motorhome storage will give you more bang for your buck, if you can be organised about where things are this will also help; this will evolve as you are on the road. We bought all of our storage boxes and packing cubes from Ikea , from hard plastic stacking boxes for the garage and under the bed, to soft felt boxes for the overhead bins; they are innovative and cheap …happy days!
You also need to consider how you will get about on a day to day basis. This could be a tow-car, a scooter or motorbike, e-bikes or good old-fashioned pedal cycles. Weight, space and cost will be massive factors here but it is an important aspect of living in a motorhome. Being stuck on a site without means to get to the nearest village for a pint of milk is a real bummer!
We spent the first two weeks of van life euphoric as we headed south to the sun, the third week wondering what the hell we had done and the following six months loving every moment. Most people who live the full time RV and motorhome life, tell us they went through a similar process.
After about six months, we took a nose-dive; the weather and clocks changed and with it we became a little desponded and struggled to adapt. We have found purpose by setting up and running our motorhome life blog but there are lots of other ways you can fill your time. Living in an RV can be a total dream come true. It certainly was for us!
You have to pay rent or mortgage, utilities, and more depending on where you live. You could even just buy the camper outright with a personal loan and be done with it! Of course, you have to factor in campground rent, gas, insurance, and other bills. Being in nature improves your mood and makes you more relaxed.
In the six months Kayla and I lived in an RV, we saw six states and stayed in some truly remarkable places. Our favorite was definitely Acadia National Park in Maine! All that novelty and challenge forces you to grow by leaps and bounds as a person , which is a wonderful side effect!
From other campers who are usually very friendly to campground hosts, fellow hikers, other kayakers, and more, there are SO many opportunities to meet new people when you live in an RV. Here are the cons:.
Kayla has a food blog and loves to make extravagant meals. Whenever you buy a used rig and I do recommend used, as campers lose their value as soon as you take them off the lot , always, always, ALWAYS get it inspected before you buy.
I recommend having a budget for repairs because they are guaranteed after some time on the road. Check the seams and corners to ensure no water is leaking and nothing looks off. Kayla and I were staying in the RV up north in late October when it was 40 degrees outside and we had trouble keeping it above 60 inside. Not fun! The bigger your RV, the more space you have—but the fewer places you can stay and the more stressful it is to navigate one-way streets and make quick lane swaps on the highway.
I hated long rides driving that thing! Living in an RV can be a dream come true, but … for the right person. You can even try renting different styles of RVs, like motorhomes vs campervans vs trailers, to see what you like best! Are you considering the RV life? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
Compact First Aid Medical Kit. Hitting the Road? Bill and his fiance Kayla run The Wandering RV , a site dedicated to helping people learn how to live the RV lifestyle and spend more time in the great outdoors! Great article Bill! We have been living in an RV with our kids for over four years now.
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