My wife and I are going to the NEC show in October to buy our first motorhomes after 30 years of touring with a caravan, we are both 67 and semi retired.
We have decided that we want to do more touring as opposed to longer stays in one place in Europe.
For a lot of UK touring we will have a fully braked A frame conversion attached to a small car, although we would not be taking the car on our European trips, just e-bikes.
We were deciding where to place our budget and particularly options for the motorhome as we are trying to decide if we should buy a Coachbulit or pay the extra and push for an A class.
I then jokingly said to the wife at our age with the delays on delivery on some motorhomes we could be waiting 12-18 months to take delivery, by then we will be pushing 70 year old.
She then asked if we should just keep to a middle range Coachbuilt to keep the cost down because of our age now and questioned how long we will be able to keep touring, citing that she doesn't really see people still touring when on sites much past their mid 70’s?
Therein lies the question, we are both 67 in good health and have a high degree of flexibility to go away for longer periods and now she raised the point got me thinking?
We go away a lot and stay on sites in the UK and Europe and although I see people of our sort of age in abundance, I now wonder just how many people actually ‘tour’ Europe in their mid to late 70’s even assuming they are in good health for their age, let alone UK touring.
Does anyone know of any people still touring Europe in their late 70s?
We no longer take our caravan to Europe. Never did like driving out there, anyway. If only they would learn to drive on the correct side of the road.
However, we are still keen caravanners and I am now an octogenarian. So, at 67 you have your life ahead of you. OK, I do limit the amount of driving I do in one day, but still enjoy the trips.
Any of us could go under a bus tomorrow: life’s for living, enjoy it while you have good health.
As for budget, that’s a piece of string question. You can get a cheaper bigger MH but it’ll probably have more rattles & fewer included extras / nice touches than a shorter more expensive one. Only you know which you’d prefer. But open & close a few cupboards & the washroom door. How many locking fixes are on the habitation door. Is there an electric step or a free standing one. Is there a wall or a curtain at the shower. Are there blinds at the front windows. Will the kitchen suit your usual camping cooking - some people only eat out, so a poky space doesn’t matter; we buy local & use an external electric socket for grilling in
Your objective at the show should be to see the layout that suits you both best; if one gets up early & the other stays up late, you may prefer a fixed bed with a lounge diner. A bed that drops down from the ceiling is a bad idea if one of you needs to get up for the loo in the night. Our MH is 5.8m long because of the single track roads & ferry fare structure up here, we tour & put the bed away every morning no problem.
And most would advise you to buy from a dealer near you. So I’d suggest that you decide what you like at the show & where the nearest dealer is. Don’t necessarily expect to buy there. There will be snags & things to sort, it’s a faff driving a full day to get the electric step sorted under warranty.
Likewise, you’ll find other threads about towing a car behind a MH, not least how it may limit your choice of sites to ones with bigger pitches. We very rarely see them.
Its very difficult giving people advice on buying a motorhome. The temptation is to buy a larger motorhome and then come to regret it. Think carefully about size because it might limit where you can stay. Having said that there are many A class that are not too long. The main problem is there is such a large choice out there it can be quite confusing. Think about the sleeping arrangements do you want a fixed bed, a drop down bed, single beds. As to touring in Europe there are many much older than you that do it. It only gets complicated if medical conditions creep in and you suddenly have issues getting insurance. Good luck with what ever you decide.
67 you are only youngsters. In a few weeks will be 80 and of caravanned 50 years and no thoughts of stopping..My friend caravanned for 40 years and gave up at the age of 78 and is now 86 and he has regretted stopping ever since. Age is just a number.
We are both in our mid 80s and tour France still towing the caravan. Have used up this year's 90 days when we went down to Mont Ventoux, along coast to La Grande Motte, then down to Leucate, up to Ile de Re and back to Calais.
When we get old and useless we might get a motorhome, but they really are for wimps
Thanks there are some really helpful replies, also yours David Klyne) as have followed many of your bloggs when you had a caravan and changed to a motorhome. Some great photos too.
I think part of the the question I was trying to ask alongside the choice of motorhome , was trying to find out if many motorhomers were still travelling long distance holidays to places like Croatia, South of France,, Spain, Portugal etc well into their 70s with a motorhome, or are the majority of motor homers mainly doing shorter European breaks and predominantly U.K. touring in their late 70s?
Reason I ask is because before I go to the show in October it will help lean me towards budget to set , style of a motorhome and options that I have fitted .
Including extras like linear batteries for off grid touring?
We are looking about 7.5 metres so as nit to make a drastic change from our TA caravan also we can accommodate up to 8.0 metres on our drive.
Fiona W again some good thoughts for us to think about regarding towing a small car on a fully braked A frame .
I think this is a major must for us , having been caravan touring for 30 years and having the availability to move around from site.
However we know that we do not t always need a car and will not take one to Europe , it is more for our favourite U.K. places like Cornwall , Scotland, Wales which we do often, it just gives us the flexibility to make the motorhome for all occasions on any scenario. The fitting of the fully braked A frame conversion will also be costed into the overall budget,
The question is still there, bearing in mind all of the above, generally are there many people in good health still driving Motorhomes on European holidays of any distance in their late 70s or in general do they start cutting the distances back to mainly U.K. touring?
I am only in my late 50s so I am still relatively young.
I opted for a PVC as I do not wish to tow, and as long as I can still drive safely, then I shall go camping with the dog in the van, in UK and Europe.
Planning to go to Europe once a year starting with France, then the Netherlands next.
DK
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We are in our 70s and still tour Europe and the UK year in our van and intend to continue as long as we can.. In fact we spend more time out in it in the summer than we do at home and try to get away at least once a month in the winter.
One thing to watch though is that once you get to 70 you need to renew your driving licence every 3 years. To drive vans under 3500kg this is a straightforward online renewal.
If you get a larger van over 3500kg however you will need to have a C1 category on your licence. If you passed your driving test before 1997 you should be ok as you’ll have ‘grandfather rights’ to retain it once you get to 70 but will have to have a 3 yearly medical and make a postal application to get your licence renewed. If you don’t have C1 on your licence you’ll have to take another test to acquire it so make sure you confirm the weight of any van before buying it.
The requirement for C1 category is under review at the moment and it may be that anyone with a B licence may automatically qualify for a C1 in the future.
saxo1
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Realistically how long for?
via mobile 08/9/2022 at 6:34pm
