Go Motorhoming Europe
The all
encompassing motorhomers guide. For the first time all the information you
need to know on how to buy, use and enjoy motorhomes has been published in a
single book.
There
are 220 pages of qualified information and facts. This book is set to take the
British motorhome industry to a higher plain, as its readers will become
experienced motorhomers without ever needing to set foot in one.
Synopsis
Planning to
motorhome in Europe? Let "Go Motorhoming Europe" get you started. Whether
you dream of wintering in Spanish sunshine, having free spirit holidays or a
full time life adventure, the book explains everything you need to know, about
motorhoming around Europe.
With detailed information on buying,
using and planning a motorhome holiday all your questions are answered. There
are over 200 sources of quality information from the best gadgets to essential
tourist information, ensuring you get the most from your leisure time.
How much does it cost, will my gas last
my holiday, can I take my pet? All these and hundreds if not thousands more
questions are completely answered. Everybody loves France, but what about
Croatia for a two-week break? Individual country guides highlight the best
motorhome friendly countries, including were to stay and what to do often for
free. There are plenty of useful tips to help save you money, keep you safe and
maximise your time on the road.
With entertaining examples and
insightful comments, the Go Motorhoming series is set to become as essential to
motorhomes as cookers and beds.
About the Authors
Chris Doree and Meli George have always been around the
camping and caravan scene. Chris’s family’s love for fishing and the great
outdoors provided many nights under canvas and he bought his first caravan at
the tender age of 27. Meli is third generation, her grandfather, having built
his own caravan, in true post war fashion. Family holidays were enjoyed
both under canvas and in various touring caravans. They met during a
humanitarian aid convoy to Kosovo, Meli driving a converted transit and Chris an
HGV. Whilst sat at Bari docks, Southern Italy, they dreamt of a grand tour.
Two caravans, two motorhomes and 18 months of intense research later, they set
off to see the sights and seek a new life.
Questions an Answers
Why did you write the book? / What
made you write the book?
Because there wasn’t one, not that we
could find, anyway. It took us 18 months preparing to go full time and we learnt
even more whilst we were away. When we came back, we realised the same questions
we’d struggled with, were still being asked in the magazines, so we set out to
write a book that answered all the questions.
Was/is there a need for this kind of
book?
In our opinion yes and initial sales
appear to back this up. As an overall view British motorhomers are well behind
their continental cousins. The channel acts as a barrier, not only for exploring
Europe but it also prevents the free travel of motorhome information back to the
UK. We aim to give British motorhomers more confidence, therefore become able to
utilise their motorhomes fully – and most importantly buy the right one in the
first place.
What is the most important part of
the book?
That depends on what you want to know.
If you are new to motorhoming you’ll find the whole book incredibly useful,
especially the buyers guide. If you’ve been motorhoming for years but want to
expand your boundaries, then the latter chapters will be invaluable. People
thinking of motorhoming full time will find essential advice throughout the
book. Even if you think you don’t need it at all, I’m sure you’ll find it full
of useful information.
Who needs this book?
Anyone who owns, or is thinking about
using a motorhome in the UK or Europe, Whatever their budget and dream.
Is your book suitable for people
buying a camper for the first time?
This book is essential to first time
buyers, ‘buy in haste, repent in leisure’ is so often experienced by new
motorhomers. We have explained simply and concisely, industry terms, legal
issues and provided a list of essential questions to ask sellers. Probably the
most important element is discussed in chapter one, which helps first time
buyers, identify what type of motorhomer they are.
Is your book going to give much to
experienced motorhomers?
Motorhoming is a huge subject. Certainly
we studied more intensively than we did at university. It’s impossible to know
everything, we are always coming across new information. When we meet full time
or very experienced motorhomers, we are surprised at how much we can tell them.
Usually this is because they have had the same motorhome for years or visit
places they are comfortable with. It has taken us years to gather the
information for this book, and for the first time all the information is
available in one place. Motorhoming can be hard work when you cant find the
correct information on where to go and what to take. We are trying to make it
easier, by giving motorhomers the knowledge, confidence and experience to fully
explore Europe.
Will people need to take this book
with them?
We designed the book so it can be taken
with you. Whether you need to take it depends on how long you wish to go away
for. If you intend to travel for a month or more, then it would be advantageous
to take it, especially if travelling to multiple countries. However long you
wish to be away for, it is essential you read it before you go.
Is this the only book people are
going to need?
Sorry No. There are two other books we
recommend. We didn’t see any point in writing a book that was already available,
so we wrote this book to complement the other two, filing in all the gaps in the
middle. With these three books you will know everything you could ever want to,
from buying, using, where to stay and how to fix your motorhome.
Is the book going to be useful for
people only wanting to use a camper for weekends in UK?
This book is useful to every motorhomer.
The UK has the biggest feature in the country guides and there is so much
important information throughout the book. We want to empower our readers to get
the best motorhoming experience, whatever that may be. The UK is one of the most
interesting countries in Europe and we have fantastic weekends away, staying at
some very interesting places. If you intend to enjoy the UK, and only for
weekends, we advise that first timers purchase a caravan, as long as they have
the confidence and licence to tow. This should help them get the most from their
experience and can consider a motorhome at a later date. Our book is still
useful to caravanners.
You talk about wild/free camping, with
so many campsites available you quote over 30,000 in Europe, do you think it’s
justified to do so? Or is this an abuse of the countryside.
This is always a controversial subject.
Some motorhomers always use campsites and some never do. We have had some
fantastic times on campsites, but equally good times free-parking, which is the
term we use. It is up to the individual motorhomer to decide where they want to
stay and it is their responsibility to ensure it is both legal and safe. Go
motorhoming Europe details all the options from large commercial sites to farms,
vineyards and information on free-parking and the official places for motorhome
overnight parking. We aim to give a balanced view so British motorhomers are
informed about all the options as their continental cousins.
You talk about camping in car parks
is this really safe?
To say we’ve never had a sleepless night
would be a lie. There is one night I remember clearly. We stopped at a little
hill top town in the middle of Italy. The car park was an official Camper-stop
but was full of fun fair rides and builders trucks, as it was an isolated
village well off the tourist trail, we were a little apprehensive. After dinner
we wandered around the town, had a coffee in the Bar then returned to the
motorhome and settled down for the night at 10 pm. Once the Italians had gone to
bed all was peaceful – or so we thought. The church bells, which sounded like
they were right above our head, chimed on the hour, a beautiful medley. This was
repeated every fifteen minutes, followed by the quarter, half and three quarter
hour as appropriate. Once the bells had stopped virtually every dog in the town
had their own chorus, which in turn was answered by every dog in the valley! In
every 15 minutes period there was a five-minute period of silence, just long
enough to drop off again. Eventually, at about 3 am we got used to it and slept,
only to be woken at 4.30 am with all the builders turning up to collect their
trucks. Not exactly the most peaceful night stop. Strangely we retured and
stayed their twice more and it is one of our fondest memories!
There is a theme running through the
book advocating that motorhomes over six meters are unsuitable, is that true or
are you simply anti large motorhomes? Why do you throughout book recommend
people use a motorcaravan no bigger than six meters?
Obesity it a growing problem with
motorhomes, they’re just getting bigger and better. When you are walking around
the showroom these look and smell fantastic, all shiny and luxurious. You only
have to look at the letters pages of magazines and forums, there are always
posts from someone who wants to down size. Having a big motorhome does provide
wonderful living accommodation, but a motorhome by it’s nature is a compromise,
a vehicle, a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and lounge. Panel van conversions
achieve this with varying degrees of success, but some achieve excellence and
are perfectly adequate for most people’s true needs. So why do we have a coach
built motorhome, simply like so many other people we like the extra space, but
when you go over the six-metre mark, you start having problems getting around
the more interesting places. Chris’s driving skills were regularly tested in our
two motorhomes over six meters and he holds an articulated lorry driving
licence.
Many people must have dreamt of
buying a luxury American Motorhome and setting of into the sun, is it as easy as
that?
It didn’t use to be, it took us 18
months of intense research get away and we made loads of bad decisions along the
way. Having read the book you could probably be fully prepared in a month for an
extended trip. If you’re completely impetuous you could get away in as little as
a week. If you already own a motorhome there’s nothing stopping you leaving
today, but you will probably need to sort some administration out along the way.
If you were going to give only three
pieces of advice, what would they be?
The first piece is easy, do it sooner
rather than later. We have been told so many times by people who have reached
the wisdom age, that the wish they had done it when they felt young enough to
take full advantage of the freedom of motorhome travel.
The second point is try before you buy.
The only way to be sure that motorhoming is going to agree with you is to do it.
If you have good friends who own a motorhome see if you can borrow it. As most
people are unlikely to have such accommodating friends hiring is the best
option. Hiring may seem expensive but is far cheaper than spending tens of
thousands on a brand new motorhome only to sell it in six to 18 month’s time.
Some hire company’s offer post hire deals, should you then decide to buy a
motorhome from them.
The last piece of advice is the easiest
of all, spend a tenner and buy the book. Even if you have the most experienced
friend advising you, there is no way they could tell you everything you need to
know. So we spent thousands of hours doing exactly that, now you can sit down
comfortably, relax and have everything explained to you simply and concisely,
with a little bit of fun and humour thrown in.
Do you think British motorhomers use
their motorhomes in they same way, as say the French?
In the main no, this is because the UK
is not as motorhome friendly as many continental countries. France, Germany and
Italy for example have thousands of special car parks for motorhomes, these can
be in stunning locations, in little un-discovered hamlets or in capital cities.
Not only is overnight parking encouraged normally there is fresh water and waste
tank emptying facilities, often all for free. Some countries allow you the
privilege of choosing your own place to stop for the night, we call it free
parking as your not supposed to set up camp. This is somewhat frowned upon in
the UK but is perfectly acceptable in many countries and indeed can, in remote
locations out of season, be your only option.
You discuss importing motorhomes from
the continent; surely it must be harder for people trying to negotiate Britons
busy roads with a left hand drive vehicle.
Yes it can be a little harder, trying to
convince yourself to drive close to the edge of the road, especially along leafy
lanes, you also need to set yourself up at junctions to ensure you can see. But
the real advantage is when you are abroad everything is in the right place. It’s
much easier to drive a left hand drive in the UK, than a right hand drive on
unfamiliar continental roads and in chaotic French and Italian towns.
Where do you see the motorhome market
going in the next 10 years?
Hopefully the rapid growth will
continue, as the freedom offered by motorhoming is un-rivalled by any other
means of travel. We also hope that people make informed decisions and buy the
right leisure vehicle for them in the first instance. It will be interesting to
see how the 1st January 1997 driving licence rule changes affect the
caravan market, as the first of the affected drivers are reaching the stage in
there lives where they might consider vehicular camping. Drivers who passed
their test from this date on have to take a second test to allow them to tow a
trailer over 750kg.
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