Caravan or motorhome? Forums

bikecity · Last edited by bikecity on Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

I sold my beloved Hymer 660 and bought a caravan, but now I wish I had not bothered Limited to sites only, and when I am able to use it (mainly bank holidays and school holidays) every where is booked up.
When we have to leave site usually 10am we have to drive straight back home as its impossible to spend the rest of the day sight seeing with a caravan tugging behind.
Now I am looking for a motorhome again, I have got my eye on a 12 year old Niesmann & Bischof flair in Germany, just need to save up first.
Cant wait to be back on the road Motor-homing or should I prevail and keep on tugging?

GerryD

Each have their merits and I have used both. 40 years caravan and 6 years motorhome. The caravan wins for visiting when you are on a site. The motorhome wins for ultimate flexibility.
Or is it the other way round.
We all have different opinions and only you can answer this question.
Regards,
Gerry

DJP

Sonesta

I think like the other posters have said it is down to the individual really and what suits one person's lifestyle or personality doesn't necessarily suit anothers and vice versa.

From my way of thinking (and by the way, this is just my own view here) I think a motorhome is perfect if you like to tour around and go from place to place or if you like to travel to foreign climes. If you are the type of person who relishes and enjoys true freedom and spontaneity then a motorhome with all its on board water & waste tanks etc will certainly allow for plenty of that and with a motorhome you are free to be that little bit more adventurous! I just love the fact that if you find a spot that you suddenly come across that really takes your fancy and there are no restrictions regarding overnight parking etc you can park up for the night with all your home comforts around you and really enjoy some superb locations and experiences which no campsite on earth could ever offer. For me you just cannot beat the excitement of waking up in the morning to find you are looking out on some of lifes most beautiful sights and sounds and that to me really sums up what motorhoming is all about!

If you prefer to stay on the same site for several days at a time and prefer having the freedom to use a car to get around in then a caravan is maybe a much better option and often a young family with small children would find a caravan with a large awning more suitable to their needs. Let's face it a lot of kids would soon become bored if they spent a lot of time on the road in a motorhome! I think a caravan is perfect if you like the kind of holidays and get away breaks where you find a site you really like and are happy to stay in the one place for a weekend or a week and of course you will always have your car to get around in if you fancy going off somewhere for the day.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both and I don't think anyone can really advise anyone else which is the better option as that is purely down to the individual person's preferences and is something only YOU can decide!

Whichever you choose - just enjoy it and make the most of every opportunity to get away in it! Very Happy

Sue

Rightz

should ask this on a caravan website. sure u would get different results!

Sonesta

vmeldrew

Having tried both I think you are in the best position to know what suits you most, and in fact I think, judging by your post, you have really answered your own question.

Almost like GerryB, we caravanned for 30 years and have had MH's for 4. MH's certainly give us a lot more freedom and we also get a lot more use than we did with caravans.

Keep saving, and unless your opinion changes in the meantime I feel you will 'return to the fold'.

KeiththeBigUn

As have many on this site we have done both. We tuuggers for many years and I have to say we enjoyed it very much as did our kids, some great memories. Particularly when our children were small. As they grew up and did not want to stay in the caravan (pup tents) we decided that we would look at changing to a MH. I would say it suits us better now. I have an older son who would not be seem anywhere near a caravan or MH these days (far too cool) but our two daughters (aged 16 and 17) will on occasion grace us with their presence. The worst of that is that they seem intent on turning the MH into a teenagers bedroom! Twisted Evil

My wife has no wish to ever return to caravaning as she would never tow our caravan, she would go pale at the thought of it but she will and has driven the MH. She has even talked about going away for a girls weekend with our two daughters leaving me at home with the dogs. Crying or Very sad

Yes we do miss the convenience of the car at times but we manage to get around on a couple of electric bikes. I guess it is all about making adjustments which ever way you choose to spend your leisure time. Wink

Sonesta

By the way anyone thinking of towing a little car behind their motorhome for such times they feel a little car would be advantageous to them then I can thoroughly reccomend it. We tow a little Smart car behind ours from time to time and my hubby (he does all the driving) says he can hardly tell its there. We don't tow it everywhere we go but the times we have taken it along with us, it has only enhanced our trip and allowed us to visit a lot of places that we couldn't have reached in our particular size of motorhome. I know a lot of people do not like the idea of towing a car behind their motorhome but if its something you feel you might be interested in then be rest assured you wont find it a problem.

There has only been once occasion when we really thought that we would have to unhook the car and trailer in order to get out of a difficult situation we had got ourselves into but somehow luck took over and we escaped that fate by the skin of our teeth! What happened was ............ We were touring around Morocco and got lost (as you do) and so we followed a dilapidated looking sign post that had the name of where we wanted to be on it. Anyway, to our horror we ended up in the middle of a busy little Moroccan town and before we knew it we were stuck up a narrow little street whilst towing the Smart car! Panic kicked in and we dare not move forward or backwards and within minutes all the locals and shopkeepers crowded around wideyed as they watched with intrigue and disbelief the amazing spectacle before them! Each side of our motorhome was practi