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10 Reasons to Travel by Motorhome!
Author: Kat Bird "Wandering Bird"
Ok, I’ll level with you. When we first discussed whether we should travel Europe by motorhome, I wasn’t convinced. Silly really, looking back now, but I just couldn’t understand WHY we would bother driving to places when we could fly. I couldn’t grasp how much more enjoyable a journey can be if you take your time over it and include it as part of your holiday, rather than just a means to an end. It was only after we bought our first motorhome that I finally got IT!
Since buying that van just over 12 months ago, we have visited 11 countries around Europe and driven over 17,000 miles. The experiences we’ve had and places we’ve seen have been life-changing. Seriously- I handed in my notice and quit my career in order to travel the world more. By motorhome.
Let me give you 10 reasons why travelling by motorhome is the best decision we’ve ever made.
On the Road
#1 YOU CAN SAVE MONEY
A 2 week trip with flights, accommodation, car hire and eating out soon adds up! It amazes us how much money we can save doing the exact save trip in a campervan. Sometimes it can be as much as 50% cheaper! If that’s not a reason to buy a motorhome right now, ( http://wandering-bird.com/reasons-to-buy-motorhome/ )I don’t know what is!
#2 QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES
We’ve all done it- the ‘holiday’ away together where you barely spend any time with your family/ loved ones! It’s easy to do and if that’s your preference then fine, but one of the reasons we love travelling by Motorhome is that it gives us more time together. We don’t watch TV- instead we play games, chat, watch the stars spin overhead and tell stories around the campfire. Honestly, those moments and memories are priceless.
#3 NO PACKING/ CARRYING LUGGAGE
This is a major plus to motorhome life for me! I love being able to bring a selection of clothes- and have the space to store them all! (Don’t judge- my husband has some room for his stuff too… kinda…) But not having to pack up every 2/3 days, check under the bed and in every drawer and then unpack at the next place is just so nice. After all, holidays are supposed to be easy!
#4 YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SHOWER.
AND TOILET. AND KITCHEN.
I admit, if you don’t stay at hostels then this might not mean much to you, but having your own entire bathroom with you when you travel is AMAZING! Especially when you travel places like Europe and the public toilets are often….basic, at best. It’s great being able to use your own and know it’s clean!
The same goes with having your own kitchen. You can eat how and when you like. We travel Europe in a motorhome regularly and the Europeans are very strict about their restaurant hours. Lunch is at lunchtime (normally 12-2pm) and then you can’t get any food until dinnertime, which can start as last as 8pm!
Given that we prefer to have a late breakfast, and then an early dinner, it’s great being able to prepare our own foods without worrying. We also eat a lot healthier (come on- who turns down chips or dessert in a restaurant when they’re on holiday?!?!?)
Motor Home Traveling
#5 YOU’LL DISCOVER PLACES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
When we plan a motorhome trip to Europe, we often pick a rough area and find a few things we want to do there. But, invariably, our plans will change and we’ll end up doing something completely different! Like watching the sunrise on the Mont Blanc Cable Car ride (http://wandering-bird.com/mont-blanc-cable-car/) in the Alps, or hurtling down a mountain at crazy speeds on the Todtnau Toboggan run. Whenever you plan a trip, I totally recommend leaving yourself some room to enjoy new experiences or go to new places you never knew existed.
Take a break and enjoy the Nature
#6 ENJOYING NATURE
Motorhome travel is much more connected with nature and the ‘Great Outdoors’ than normal travel. We are not ‘hikers’ in general, yet we love to walk and explore when we travel by van. We also spend time sitting, cooking and chatting outdoors. We string fairy lights around our motorhome and it looks amazing!
Not just that, but the stars and the places you’ll see them are beyond anything we ever imagined! My all time favourite night in our motorhome was in the Swiss Alps. We parked up for free on the side of the mountain and it was the very first time I had EVER seen the Milky Way. I struggle to find words to describe how amazing that was! I would happily have stayed there for another few days- but we weren’t meant to be in Switzerland at all!! Which leads me to…
#7 YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR PLAN
WITHOUT WORRYING
We were meant to be in Italy. In fact, we did go to Italy and it was beautiful and we’d love to go back. But we ‘accidentally’ invaded Switzerland…. seriously, we drove down a road by the lake and suddenly we were in Switzerland. No border. No security.
If you travel by motorhome in Europe that’s one of the biggest bonuses. Anyway, once we were in Switzerland, we decided to keep going and see what we found! As we had no plans or reservations anywhere, it didn’t matter one bit that we headed North instead of South.
Getting Lost can be a great way to discover
#8 IT’S WAY MORE COMFORTABLE THAN A PLANE OR A TRAIN
Let’s face it, travelling with strangers is tiring. You can’t sleep properly, you can rarely relax and you’re always worrying about missing your flight or the right stop. But travelling on your own is calm. Chilled. If you want to stop and stretch your legs, just stop. See a pretty place for lunch? Pull over and have an impromptu picnic, miles away from anyone else. And you’re TRAVELLING with your own bed. Which has a mattress. That you can use whenever you want. #heaven
#9 ITS AN EASY WAY TO TRAVEL WITH KIDS/ PETS
Let’s face it, kids and pets have a lot of ‘stuff’. Toys, beds, food. Isn’t it so much easier to put all that stuff into one place and drive around with it? They feel more settled and secure because the environment isn’t changing regularly, which in turn makes everyone’s holiday more relaxed and fun.
Motor Home Sunsets
#10 FREEDOM
But I think the biggest reason to travel by motorhome is the Freedom. We’d never experienced anything like it before. You choose where you go and how long you stay there for. Find an beautiful beach where the surf just keeps on rolling? You can stay there for an extra few days. Enjoy a city more than you thought you would? No problem, extend your stay. Hear about an amazing food festival happening in another town? Easy- you can head that way.
With a motorhome, you are in control of your schedule. Even when you think you have a plan, you probably don’t- and that’s a good thing! Life is for living, not schedules. Allow yourself to being open to new adventures.
What do you think? Have I convinced you to try travelling by motorhome?
Let me know if you do- I’d love to head about your experiences.
If you’d like to follow our journey, our motorhome travel blog is Wandering-Bird.com, where we’re exploring the world, one wrong turn at a time! In Summer 2018 we’re heading up to Norway via Sweden, Denmark and Holland. We’d love to have you join us. You can follow us on:
Facebook at facebook.com/wanderingbird.adventures
Instagram at instagram.com/wanderingbird.adventures
Youtube at youtube.com/wanderingbirdadventures .
We look forward to connecting with you!
And if you ARE convinced and want to plan a motorhome trip to Europe (http://wandering-bird.com/how-to-tour-europe-in-motorhome/), and learn how to start dealing with things like toll roads and where to find out the best wild camping spots, here’s our ultimate guide: http://wandering-bird.com/how-to-tour-europe-in-motorhome/