What are your opinions on the motorhome lifestyle?

I'm considering buying a motorhome. They all look great in their own ways and I'm doing research, so purchasing something suitable doesn't appear to be beyond the wit of man. However, I am concerned that in trying to answer the call of the wild and embrace the spirit of the open road, am I going to find the reality a whole lot less appealing? Am I going to be mainly constrained to parking up in soggy fields masquerading as "campsites" that are as unattractive as they are distant from where I'd like to be? The idea of bowling along a European coastline and parking up somewhere remote with a fantastic view, or a deserted bay, sounds idyllic, but what's your perspective? Will the constraints outweigh the potential benefits?

Asked on 23 February 2011 by JA, via email

Answered by Honest John

Out of season, you can park in a lot of places you can't park at in season. Along the coast just South of Alicante, for instance. On the beach in Morocco. But many local authorities do not allow you to stop and sleep in the vehicle just anywhere. Park somewhere remote and you are a sitting duck for hijackers. If you are parked up on a road or a 'public place' and have a drink inside your motorhome you could get charged with drunk in charge of a motor vehicle in a public place. A sobering thought when these things cost from £50,000 for a decent one. A caravan makes more sense to me because then you have the tow car to drive around the area where you are camped. Seems daft to me to tow a small car behind a motorhome for that sort of use.

Tags: camper vans motorhomes caravan

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