How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[Minnie the Moocher]

Well, OH is seriously considering getting a motorhome. We know NOTHING about camping/touring/motorhomes and I wondered what insight the Omleteers could offer!

 

For instance:

* are they a realistic "day trip" vehicle for trips to the beach, forest, etc?

* are they easy to drive?

* what are the touring parks like? do they vary much?

 

and perhaps, more importantly:

* has anyone owned one and would never do it again?

 

We have two small children and a dog, by the way.

[BERTIE MCSQUIRTY]

i haven't got a motor home, but have a towing caravan. we also have 2 small children and a dog!!

 

we tow our caravan away quite a bit to various campsites and each differ in terms of whats available facilities etc. the best review site i have found is the ukcampsite website, and from there i usually make a judgement on where i would like to visit, we usually pay between £10 -20 per night except in high season where you can pay up to £40 per night in august, but still it is a cheap and enjoyable family holiday. our holiday this year in devon for 2 weeks july /aug is £322.

 

there's no doubt that the children will love it - as its a massive adventure for them, mine always sleep sound, have plenty of fresh air etc.

 

like caravans, most motorhomes have good modern extras such as blown central heating, tv points, fridge, cooker, running water and toilet. the toilet is easy to empty and keep clear without minimal fuss as is keeping the water topped up.

the disadvantage of a motorhome is that if you want a trip out, you have to stow your equipment, and take it with you, then drive the vehicle to your destination (such as supermarket) and back again in the hope that your pitch is reserved for you. many people i know take a car too to avoid doing this, as the fuel consumption is much higher with a motor home, as is parking spaces too small, narrow roads etc etc.

 

if you are seriously considering buying one, how about renting one for a week or so, to see if you get the feel for it - there are plenty of companies which offer this you just need to google it.

[freddie]

plusses for caravan: really cheap on the insurance, no road tax, only use it when you need it. Can be left pretty much ready to go, apart from stocking the fridge!

Minus: awful to reverse!!!, need a reasonable car to tow it.

Motorhome: Tax, insurance, depreciation, mot etc.Cannot be left behind if your away and just need to pop into town for milk etc

Plus, easier to drive, more cudos("cool")

hope this starts a list going for you!!

I know various campervan owners of all shapes and sizes , the really old vans tend to cost heaps in maintenance, so really do look before you buy!!

[chelsea]

We went from camping up to a touring caravan as I could not stand being cold in a tent any longer!

 

I think camping/caravanning/motorhoming is ideal especially if you have children - there are some great parks (non commercial) that are cheap to go to and if you are not fussed about entertainment and are happy with a field for the children to play in you can have a reasonably priced holiday - especially in these tight times.

 

My OH wants to trade in the caravan and get a motorhome as he thinks we will use it more (for days out picnicing) rather than just staying away. I prefer the caravan as it is roomier and we dont have to have the driving area within the living space, that said there are some fantastic motorhomes with fixed beds and all mod cons but they are very expensive.

 

Your initial outlay will be for things like waste containers, water containers, electric leads, awning (if you want one), gas bottle and attachments, and other bits and bobs, our insurance is about £16 a month for the caravan and a yearly service is about £170. They do need servicing as the engineer checks the pipes (gas), for damp and any delamination of the flooring.

 

I think Freddie is right - maybe hire a motorhome or just pop along to your local dealer just for a nose around and see how the living arrangements suit you. We bought our caravan privately and it was immaculate and a very good price from here -

 

www.caravanfinder.co.uk

 

I bet at this time of year there are some bargains to be had and if you search carefully you may find someone who is retiring from caravanning/motorhoming and will throw everything you need to get going in with the overall price.

 

This site is very good for unbaised real reviews of campsites all over the UK. -

 

www.ukcampsite.co.uk

 

[Tessa the Duchess]

We had an old style VW campervan for many years, and went, with 2 small children, to many campsites in France and Spain. You do have to be very organised and take as little as possible, because it all has to be packed away at night, when you want to turn the van into a sleeping area We always went to proper campsites, because I don't mind roughing it, but I do require real toilets and a shower We always had a great time, and I certainly don't regret it, wouldn't want to do it now though. We actually stopped doing it after a rather unfortunate night.... Our eldest son wet the bed until he was 11 in the VW campervan the seats turn into a double bed, when you lift the roof up you can pull down two hanging bunks which the children slept on, one night eldest son had a huge wee when asleep which streamed down onto DH who was asleep below and that was the end of family camping

 

Tessa

[Snowy]

We have borrowed my Dads campervan. It is brilliant for short breaks - just pull over and put the kettle on! For longer breaks he has an awning that can be zipped up and left behind like a tent if you want to spend more than one night in a place. We toured the New Forest and Isle of Wight in it - different campsite every night! We LOVE it! I would have one myself if we could afford a third car, but realistically we need the two cars we have. My Dad uses his as his main mode of transport - it's a VW so not too big to manouvre.

[Redwing]

My FIL (and MIL when she was alive) had a small motorhome then replaced it with a big one, they loved it motorhomes tend to be well equipped and good for day trips (or at least the smaller ones are)

 

The major problem with motorhomes is the value they lose as the miles go up but then FIL used his as his only vehicle so it did rack up the miles

[Minnie the Moocher]

Thanks for that. I knew I could get realistic and unbiassed advice on here. We have spoken to a salesman [who is obviously completely biassed!] at a caravan show at the weekend and he told a very different story about depreciation.

 

I think hiring one is a super idea. OH is looking at a Burstner or a Hymer, so I think we could probably hire one of the models we are interested in, or at least something very similar.

 

I have seen one that looks super advertised by a trader on ebay, but buying without trying is a huge risk. BIG money!

 

Also looked at the links posted, thanks.

[Redwing]

FIL had two Autosleepers and because they were on Ford chassis and had Ford engine they were easy and cheap to maintain and he didn't get stung for spares and servicing et.. he just popped it in to his local garage which was really good

[craftyhunnypie]

We have 2 caravans - our posh one & our mini one. The mini one we use for basic rallies - basic weekends on no electric. No point in towing the posh one.

 

I'd say a caravan is best for hols, but for cuppas & roadside eats for daytrips only - then a campervan instead of a motorhome would be best for you maybe. Or a mini caravan if towing is not a problem. You can even get pop up caravans, that are only like a trailer to tow!

 

Emma.x

[Minnie the Moocher]

Thanks CHP. I do have a pretty good towing vehicle as it happens, so I wouldn't completely rule out a caravan, but I'm not sure I could get to grips with reversing the thing.

 

We must think long and hard about how we would use it. Hmmm.

 

*Minnie is totally that CHP is in a Two Van Household*

[Guest]

we've got a VW autosleeper clubman GL, we love it

 

http://www.liverpoolpoet.talktalk.net/van1.jpg

 

http://www.liverpoolpoet.talktalk.net/van2.jpg

[craftyhunnypie]

Oh give over! We are a bit nuts & like the Clampits. We would have a collection of unusual caravans, sheds etc etc if we had space. We already have shed city in our garden!

 

Emma.x

[Guest]

For instance:

* are they a realistic "day trip" vehicle for trips to the beach, forest, etc? - YES

* are they easy to drive? - YES

* what are the touring parks like? do they vary much? - great and yes

[Guest]

My friends have a lovely little one (I say lovely but I WOULDN'T sleep in it!) with all mod cons.

 

They also have a Smart Car that they tow along with it so that they can do trips to the supermarket etc without having to pack up their home!

 

They love it - I have no idea why! If I was them I would sell it and the car and just take my holidays in their boat - which has accomodation about the same size!!!

[Minnie the Moocher]

Wow Poet. What a beautiful camper van. How often would you say it gets used? Are people always asking to borrow it, and do you mind?

 

CHP Am liking the sound of Shed City. Is it twinned with Spidertown?

 

Pengy, this is what we have to get to grips with, having never been Camping Types before. Would we use it?

 

I have to say that we are truly spoiled where we live with so many locations close at hand. I'm having positive thoughts towards motorhomes.

[Seagazer]

I was going to say I've seen motorhomes towing little cars, which I think is a great idea, so you don't have to pack up each time you want to go out.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[..lay a little egg for me]

We have a towing caravan and love it. I agree with Freddie's list of pros and cons. A large motorhome is a problem when it comes to getting about at your holiday destination: you have to pack everything away just to nip down the shop for a pint of milk and some of those lovely seaside towns have very narrow roads that I would not want to be trying to navigate with a big motorhome. So then you have to start towing a small car behind you as well!!!

 

I think the motorhomes the size that Poet has are great but must be a bit cramped if you are a family of 4! And you still have to pack everything away every time you head off site. However, for short trips, picnics etc they look really handy indeed.

 

Caravans are a much cheaper option, especially as they don't cost you anything while they sit on your drive over winter unlike motorhomes that have to be taxed and MOT'd. Reversing the van is not so hard and you can get a nifty motor device that can reverse it into place on your pitch for you after you unhitch the van from your car...I saw a chap using one at a caravan site once and it looked a great option for someone on their own as you have a kind of remote control thingy so you can stand where you can see what is going on and control the caravan from there. We love the fact that all the clothes, food, deckchairs, beach toys etc can be packed into the caravan and the car is then roomy and comfortable for the journey. We also find that having to keep down to 60 mph actually makes the journey more relaxing as you are forced to take your time and so don't feel you have to drive flat out to get to the campsite asap! Plus when you are queuing on the M5 at Bristol with all the other holiday makers, it doesn't matter whether your speed limit is 30, 50 or 70...you are all going at the same speed anyway (dead slow)!

 

As with everything it will be a compromise.

 

We had a pitch once next to a family that had hired a motorhome to tour Scotland and although it was quite expensive to hire the motorhome, it seemed like an ideal way of deciding whether motor-homing is for you. Before we bought our caravan we had borrowed a friend's for a weekend and decided it was just the thing for us.

 

Sorry for my ramble...good luck whatever you decide.

[tiggerlady]

May I add tuppence worth? We had one from brand new but sold it last year.It cost us 28 grand,we had it for 5 years and sold it privately for 18.about 4 grand more than we ould get from a dealer In the meantime we did very few miles in it and it was costing us £330 a month in HP payments! They are not as roomy to live in as a caravan especially when it was raining with 2 grumpy teenagers! We had a 5 berth van swift 590RS.We did a lot of hunting about and decided that layout would work for us best,however,please have a look at all designs.I would heartliy endorse hiring one for a week,although it might sound expensive(£700?) its cheaper than making a mistake! You will also realise that the layout you thought would work doesnt..or vice versa.Also the snag of taking the van everywhere you go needs to be thought of..also the fuel consumption..ours did 32-ish to the gallon with 2 of us in and no water on board! It was a 2 litre diesel with no turbo..you MUST go for a turbo and disc brakes back and front! Thats very important as we felt quite unsafe with stopping distances as ours didnt have them..We had good fun in ours for a while..but basically it was costing us as much as a weekend in barcelona for 2 just sitting on the drive most of the time! Good luck with your quest!! By the way..the HP agreement wouldnt allow us to rent it out(not that we would want anyone else using our toilet etc) so you might want to check that out too if you were thinkng of doing that to offset some of the cost..

[chelsea]

Reversing the van is not so hard and you can get a nifty motor device that can reverse it into place on your pitch for you after you unhitch the van from your car...I saw a chap using one at a caravan site once and it looked a great option for someone on their own as you have a kind of remote control thingy so you can stand where you can see what is going on and control the caravan from there.

 

We have one of these on our caravan, a MotorMover. It came with the van when we bought it second hand and its really good. Just point the remote control and its almost like a radio controlled car...but a caravan if you get my drift! Makes it really easy to park up in awkward pitches.

 

Just to add OH had never towed before we bought the caravan and had no problems whatsoever and our caravan is 21 feet long and is towed by a landrover - so is a long bit of kit.

[Chucky Mama]

We are going on our summer holiday in one this year. Driving from Wiltshire to Scotland with stop offs. Travelling with 3 children, dog ...and husband. Children 11, 13 and 15. They are very excited about our 'Epic Road Trip' as it has been christened. Will let you know how we get on!

[Minnie the Moocher]

Sounds great, CM.

 

Is it your motorhome or are you hiring?

[earthmam1]

Like Tessa the Duchess we had an old 1973 VW camper van and loved it.

 

We have 3 boys (all over 18 now) and when they were small we would pack up the camper van plus an odd friend or two and head off for holidays or festivals. We have had great surfing holidays in Wales, fantastic times in the Larmer tree festival and Glasto.

 

One thing I would add though is that you would need awnings and maybe an odd tent to go with it if it is a small camper van you could get cabin fever in the wet weather. Also they dont go so fast so travelling takes a lot longer (it did in our VW 50 miles an hour with the wind behind you - we would have lots of people take photos as we travelled along )

 

It was cheap (going back about 5 years now - petrol has got more expensive) people we met were great fun, and the boys have great memories that they talk about even now.

 

sue

[myles]

Hi, we have a seven berth motorhome, weve owned it for 7/8 years and can't imagine holidays without it. Each year we go to Europe for 3/4 weeks and don't spend a single night on a campsite. It has a large fresh water tank 125lt, waste tank 125lt and about 70lt toilet tank. All over Europe there are motorhome service points, some are free, some a few euros. Many cities have motorhome overnight spots, we,ve camped just a short walk from many tourist sites.

 

As for cost we think ours costs us very little, if you can afford to buy it, ours has lost around 4-6 thousand in the 7/8 years. Insurance about £300, breakdown £120 ish, ferry crossing/tunnel £80 return, not expensive for a family holiday.We mostly camp on campsites in the uk, because we use our boat and need a seaside base

 

Hope that helps, Anne

[PapaJuliet]

OH and I bought a motorhome about a year ago... mainly because we spend a lot of weekends marshalling and we were getting fed up of being cramped in a tent. We didn't fancy a caravan because of issues with towing it... not just reversing but wind as well.

 

We spent months looking for the right van... completely baffled to start with then fairly soon settled on a few basic "musts" (i.e. no fixed bed (waste of space in our opinion) at least one back seat seatbelt, etc) which cut down the time involved greatly when visiting dealers.

 

In the end we were incredibly lucky... we called in unplanned at a dealer and found a van which had come in literally days previously. As soon as we got in it we knew it was our perfect van so we booked a test drive and bought it.

 

It is a 10 year old Hymer based on a Mercedes van so it has plenty of life left. We used it, maybe not every weekend but 2-3 times a month last year, either marshalling or other weekends away. We even went to EuroDisney in it for the New Year.

 

We have had a few problems (not least a mouse which got in and chewed through the water tank) but mostly it has been because of stuff we didn't know so it has been a learning experience.

 

This year we are planning to use it most weekends marshalling plus about 10 days on the continent so we believe the outlay & running costs are worth it.

 

 

 

One thing to consider is where you will keep it? We keep ours on a farm which side-lines in caravan storage... convenient but that's where we got the mouse.

 

We are happy with our 'van and would not want to go back to a tent.

 

PJ