I bet this has been asked 1000 times on here - I keep changing my mind between the two.
Caravans are much more affordable and have more space. But I am put off by the towing abroad part.
Motorhomes are easy to manoeuvre but have less space and cost much more. Plus you are presumably stack unless you tow a car, to a short distance from the van. And it's harder to park in towns etc.
Have I just about covered it? What do you prefer and why?
Why are you put of towing abroad ? driving in Europe is easier and the roads are far less congested than here in the UK .
We were apprehensive the first time back in 2001 but have now been to Spain , Portugal , France , Belguim , Andora without any issues .
with a Motorhome your stuck without transport unless you cycle , walk or use Public Trnasport and if tow a car behind a motorhome you may as well have a car and caravan
If you are in the happy position of having unlimited funds then the choice you make might be different than those on more limited funds. The overall cost effectiveness of car/caravan as opposed to motorhome cannot really be disputed so those on more limited funds might be forced to choose car/caravan when a motorhome might otherwise be their first choice.
If you have a large driveway & plenty of money then a nice car for everyday use & a motorhome parked there for holidays could be ideal choice, other wise car for everyday use & a caravan to tow on holidays makes more economic sense.
However if you add fear of towing into the mix then maybe a smaller campervan as only vehicle that doubles for everyday use & holidays as well might be the answer but probably a poor compromise as something like a VW camper makes a poor everyday vehicle & has little space for holiday use.
Quote: Originally posted by Wendyhouse on 16/9/2014
'With a motorhome you are stuck without transport...'
Umm. You can always use the motorhome
True !!! but if your set up on site and have to pack everything away just to go for a pint of milk and then try parking in town with a 7 meter coach built .
Many car parks have height barriers
We generally tow with our Discovery and use it for running around at destinations, but we are presently converting a 614d Mercedes minibus into a motorhome so will likely use that next year with the trailer.
We don't go exploring a lot, just go for the trip and a bit of relaxation at a nice site, but we have the option of taking a mini-car in the trailer instead of an engine, so could go that route instead.
Most of us who have towed in Europe generally find it a less stressful experience than towing in the UK. I think you need to think about it a lot more. If you like to tour spending a day or two in the same place and then moving on a motorhome is idea. If on the other hand to want to spend a week or more in one place then perhaps the caravan is the better option. We like to find sites (in Europe) that are near (walk/cycle) towns and there are a surprising number.
As others have said. Both are good, but they are used differently.
A motorhome for touring and short stays.
A caravan for longer stays and exploring around the site.
We have had both and enjoyed both types of holidays. We have even A-framed a car behind the motorhome and had the best of both worlds, but using the motorhome and a-framed car is kind of like having an expensive caravan. A lot more money with no advantage.
Not always about money. Personal choice to drive a nice car solo 95% of my driving miles features heavily in my decision.
Maybe when I get old I may prefer the apparent ease of a medium sized motorhome for longer touring holidays and have a smaller 2 seater for everyday use at home
And then you have 5th wheelers into equation with a smart twin cab which maybe give s you best of all possible worlds?
We met a couple on one site who had a small (Vee-Dub) type campervan but who towed a small two berth caravan.
The Camper was used as the kitchen and lounge and the van had the toilet and beds.
However, as they said, the camper was also equipped with a small Porta Potti and bedding and if they were driving about and came upon a place that they fancied staying the night, then they were all set up to do so, just leaving the caravan on their base site.
Whilst there are ways to use a motorhome for a long stay on a site, just as there are ways to do quick overnight touring stops with a caravan, some thoughts as to what kind of holidays would suit you best should be one of the main factors in deciding what kind of unit would best suit your needs.
I have to be honest I always smile to myself when I see a motorhome towing a car.
Most of us have a car at home, insured, taxed, MOT etc etc.
Then buy a motorhome which also requires tax, insurance, MOT etc..
Oh but hang on, we're stuck onsite all the time unless we keep packing away.
Let's buy another car and insurance, tax, mot etc...
I'm puzzled why you wouldn't buy a caravan and tow it with the car you left at home?
Caravans are cheaper to insure, cheaper to service, no mot etc.. and your house won't look like the local town centre car park.
Quote:True !!! but if your set up on site and have to pack everything away just to go for a pint of milk and then try parking in town with a 7 meter coach built .
Many car parks have height barriers .
Neil & Lena, guess we will just have to agree to differ. We have a 6.4 motorhome and seem to manage. I suppose it is question of how you use it. Takes less than a minute to 'pack up' and we have managed to park in every place we have visited, including some pretty scary Cornish, Welsh and French villages.
When we were a-framing behind the motorhome, the towed vehicle was a classic car.
That would not have towed a caravan so our only option to visit rallies was to a-frame.
However, a-framing was also the ideal way to explore rural areas where the single track roads were the norm.
Different people have different reasons for camping and must decide for themselves what best suits them at the time.
So checkley, smile away but please remember that people choose what they use for their own reasons and not just to amuse you!
As others have said, there is no perfect answer as it all depends on circumstances. How you use it is one thing, and of course your financial circumstances is another.
The site we recently visited near Eastbourne, a very nice site incidentally, was in my opinion quite unsuitable for anyone with a motor-home to stay more than a day or two. Unless of course they were fit and good at walking, or had alternative transport. The nearest rail station was a mile away, the nearest bus a mile in the other direction, and the nearest shops nearly two miles and with very limited parking. Certainly no parking for a large motor-home.
Also, like many people, there is no way we could afford two MOTs a year, two lots of insurance, or two lots of car tax, so it's a caravan for us. However, I realise that for others cost would not be a problem. Another issue for us would be storage. Our caravan stands outside our house, and costs us nothing when it is not being used. We could not keep anything much bigger than a VW camper or a Bongo outside our house, so if we had a large motor-home, we would need to pay to store it. If we wanted to be able to use it at a moment's notice, we would also need to keep it MOTd and taxed at all times too.
Horse for courses comes to mind. If you like to stay in one place for more than a couple of days at a time, and/or are of limited means, then a caravan wins every time. If you prefer touring and have a very healthy bank account, then maybe a motor-home would be better.
We've had the caravan and car, then tried a motorhome, now we're on a campervan! Yes, we're fickle lol.
Is it just the two of you or do you have kids?
We had the caravan when our girls, now teenagers, were much younger. It was great. We didn't go abroad but had lovely holidays. It's great to site the van, set up the awning (with the odd argument) and then have the freedom to explore with the car. The whole thing was much cheaper than running the MH.
Motorhome was wonderful for touring about, but not roomy and we had to sell it as we just couldn't afford to keep it to be honest. I didn't find it as relaxing as having the caravan, but it was fantastic for day trips (though a real luxury !)
Once we sold the motorhome, we decided to go back to self-catering holidays as I've been quite unwell. However, recently we've traded the car in and bought ourselves a VW van conversion. I'm always going to need rapid access to a loo now, so we got it fitted out with a tiny toilet room, fridge and sink. We still self-cater because it's more comfortable for me but we have the freedom to roam with toilet aboard!
What you really want to think about are:
1) What kind of holidays do you want to have
2) Can you really afford it?
3) The number of people/animals you are needing to fit in
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Topic: Motorhome or caravan
