Why you should buy a motorhome

Until recently, I viewed ‘motorhomers’ as another race of travellers. They stopped more regularly to enjoy the sights because of their vehicle’s compact size; were sometimes seen fleetingly in caravan parks, leaving tables and chairs behind them to ‘mark’ their territory when they ventured out on day trips, and were rarely seen when the bitumen ran out.

But many people at both ends of the age spectrum are drawn to them and I’m somewhere in the middle (OK, a bit further north than middle) and despite myself I’ve been eyeing the latest ones off secretly wondering if it might form part of my extended travelling future one day – perhaps with the grandkids?

When motorhomes are better...

The arguments ‘FOR’ are pretty clear:

Motorhomers stop more often: Because of their all-in-one size, most small to medium-sized motorhomes are easier to park in country towns than a longer touring caravan and tow car with similar appointments.

They’re easier to free camp in: Unless passers-by press their nose to the windows, it’s hard to tell if you’re parked for a meal, or parked for the night. If it’s the latter and you’re ‘sprung’ by the local authorities, you can walk through the cabin and simply drive away without any dress code, perhaps even with your partner (illegally) still in bed!

Security: Same as above. When John Jarratt comes calling at Wolf Creek in the wee hours, there’s no need to make a bolt from your caravan to your tow car. Just walk through the cabin, turn the key and go.

Comfort: Similar to a caravan of similar body size.

‘AGAINST’ is pretty obvious too:

Freedom to explore: Unless you’re towing a small 4WD or city car or pack a powered or pedal bicycle, you’re pretty well stuck where you park for the night. After you deploy your wall slide, unpack the wine glasses and roll out the awning, you lose the appetite to pack it all up and drive into town for even a pub meal. This means planning ahead if you don’t want to cook, feasting early, or buying take-away and using your microwave.

Look out overhead! Large motorhomes are often taller than most full-height caravans, so you have to be on constant lookout for low branches, road signs and particularly those telegraph poles located right on the kerb line, as a crowned road will make your motorhome sides very vulnerable to damage when you park.

Limited access: Unless you have a beefy off-road version, there are good reasons to keep a motorhome on the blacktop, which limits your travels. If you have a luxury caravan you can always park and go bush with a rooftop or portable tent on your 4x4, but with a motorhome, you can’t.

OK, but only a motorhome affords you that special experience of being able to pull up at a spectacular roadside view, pop-out the chairs and awning and soak in the serenity. A caravan is just too big.

Now the big question. While the benefits of touring and free-camping either as a couple or with kids while you’re young and not set in your ways are pretty obvious, it’s much harder as an older person to know when you’re ‘ready’ for a motorhome.

If you agree with any of the following, you’re probably a candidate:

1. You’re not really confident of towing. A large motorhome is generally easier to drive than a large caravan is to tow. The latest European-based motorhomes are very car-like and comfortable.

2. You’ve been ‘Outback’ and done that. The magic of red dirt and rippled roads no longer does it for you, or more likely, your travelling partner.

3. You’re time poor, so you just want to go when and where the mood takes you, without all the rigmarole of hitching up, fitting mirrors, etc, etc.

4. You can afford to let something that will set you back at least $100,000- $150,000 sit idle while you live the rest of your life in your everyday car.

Take the test

Assuming you tick all these boxes, the best way to see if motorhoming suits you is to hire one and pick a great destination. And if you’re going to hire one, pick one of the latest models with all the bells and whistles.

This decision is probably going to take you to Apollo Motorhome Holidays, as they have the first slide-out motorhome on the Australian rental market. A ‘slide’ is important for the extra living space it affords, as it will allow you to make a realistic comparison between luxury caravan and motorhome travel.

Usually based on a Fiat Ducato, the Apollo Euro slider is available via Apollo’s premium Star RV range for rental in Australia, but with plenty of Apollo offices and destinations, that should work for most people.

As Star RV’s fleet is all less than 12 months old, you’re also sure to get a current model. After the 12 months is up, they are rebadged and migrate to the cheaper Apollo rental fleet.

After many years of hauling caravans – and before them campers and camper trailers – driving the Star RV Euro-slider was an unexpectedly easy experience: no wagging tail to worry about, or the caravan following a different cornering arc to the tow car; easy access to everything whenever we stopped; all combined with very car-like driving ease via the Ducato’s automatic transmission and willing and surprisingly economical 3.0-litre diesel engine.

In every other respect it was appointed like a luxury caravan, with a proper kitchen with two gas burners, electric hotplate with oven below, microwave, central heating, reverse cycle air conditioning and of course, a large TV and iPod compatible sound system with inside and outside speakers.

What’s more, being a ‘rental’ all living equipment is included such as bedding, cooking utensils, eating utensils and towels. You can also hire a range of ancillary equipment including outdoor chairs, tables, a portable GPS, baby and booster seats and a first aid kit.

While the Euro-slider comes with a solid exterior door, with sliding fly screen, you can also access the interior via the open space between the two front armchair-style swiveling from seats (remember to duck your head!), which spin around to face the interior for TV viewing or entertaining.

Then, at the press of a switch, the full dinette lounge slides out about 300mm from the motorhome’s left hand side to creating a separate dining zone, while leaving plenty of place in front of the kitchen area. The only negative here is that the American-built Lippert slide moves an entire above-floor, meaning it’s a step up to the dinette.

Good access to the kitchen means you have all the facilities and most of the storage space of a caravan when the slide is deployed, while it’s an easy walk rearwards past the transverse island double bed to the separate shower, toilet and vanity ensuite, separated from the bedroom area by what we regarded as a rather flimsy concertina vinyl curtain.

Another criticism that can’t go unstated is the ridiculous height of the mirror above the vanity cabinet. My wife is short, but not exceptionally so and the only way she could do her makeup was to stand on an inverted saucepan!  The designer obviously never lived in this motorhome.

Other than that, our brief motorhome living experience was excellent and matched that of a caravan of similar size, with the electrics, plumbing, hot water and toilet all working similarly, as expected.

However when travelling we were all too aware of the sound of crockery, cutlery, plates and glasses sliding around when negotiating roundabouts. They do in caravans, but you don’t hear them! Judicious use of bubble-wrap and careful packing is the answer.

Meanwhile in the Noosa River Tourist Park, with the awning wound out, the pelicans gliding aimlessly across the Noosa River and a cold glass in hand as the sun sank across the water, our thoughts turned to dinner.

Would we pack up everything and head to the bright lights and culinary delights of Hastings Street, or wait the half-hour interval between the local busses…

We did what many motorhomers will do in similar circumstances – dialled for a pizza!

This article was first published in April 2107 titled 'Are you old enough?'