Time is ticking away and it won’t be long before we are able to travel in the Motorhome again (Woohoo!). I’m sure there are plenty of people just like us who are super excited to get out again and are spending this time prepping for their trips.
In between working, Jon has managed to get a few odd jobs completed on the Van and now that it is serviced, MOT’d and successfully hab checked, we are ready to rock n roll! (Read about what it was like when we moved out of our Motorhome whilst it was in for the work here)
No set destination
Where we will be rocking and rolling to though is still unclear as we haven’t actually made many plans. This is where we differ slightly from most in that we have decided to not book any sites and just wing it. It’s what worked for us in our first 12 months of travelling in the Motorhome so we’re going to trust in the process!
Of course, things are slightly different this time round because there will be many more people choosing to holiday in the UK this year due to Covid. On top of that, a large proportion of those people will be new Motorhome and Campervan owners who purchased their leisure vehicles during the Pandemic.
This means that campsite bookings will be be at an all time high and potentially our beloved pub stops may not be able to be as spontaneous as usual. (We actually hope both of these points are true for all of the owners who have been hit hard during the last 12 months)
No booking – no problem
This doesn’t put us off not planning though. Firstly, we have the luxury of not having a fixed working schedule to, er, work around. Secondly, one of our favourite parts of this lifestyle is going with the flow.
We have places in mind that we would like to visit this year in the Motorhome. High on our list is going back to see more of Scotland and the North East of England but we’re happy to book sites as and when we go. We tend to find that is when we discover hidden gems, places we didn’t even know were there (such as our birthday trip to Bridgnorth last January).
Granted we might pick a starting point, usually a campsite booking, for one or two nights. Then, once there we search for nearby places of interest or simply go out for a walk or bike ride to see what we find!
Make the most of your resources
For us personally, this is where the National Trust and English Heritage apps come in handy. You simply search for what is nearby to your location. We use the Caravan & Motorhome Club app in the same way to find CL’s (Certified Locations) to stay at as well as our BritStops book for pub stopovers. When touring we use a mix of CLs, pub stops and park ups so we use Google maps and, occasionally, Park4Night as well.
So if you’re reading this and you’re new to Motorhome or Campervan travel, don’t be afraid of not having a summer full of bookings. Once you have found your feet and got a few trips under your belt, you’ll feel confident enough to discover the joys of last minute getaways and spontaneous trips. After all, it’s what touring is all about.
One final note
The only thing we have got booked for this year is the International Campervan Show on June5/6th. It is set to be a fantastic event packed with lots to see. We will be there the whole weekend. Day admission has now sold out but there is still some Camping availability so if you haven’t already got your ticket, get involved! We look forward to seeing you there