Well, motorhome manufacturers have learned.  Winnebago, for one, pretty well gives you all of the popular options as standard features, including GPS satellite navigation, reversing camera, flat screen TV, stereo entertainment centre and a host of other options.  But there still are choices that we have with RV Share as to what to provide along with the vehicle. 

We would like your input.  Realising that this could mean that your vehicle ends up having provided with it something that you really want, it’s worth taking a minute to respond.  Add your comments as to what accessories you think are most important and why.

Ideally I would like my RV Share motorhome or 5th wheeler to have included with it:

* A bicycle rack for me to carry my own bicycle(s).
* A bicycle rack with a pair of bicycles provided for my use.
* A storage compartment large enough to put my toys in it, eg. motorbikes, a quad or similar sized items.
* A rack for a kayak or two.
* A rack for a kayak with a kayak in it.
* Lawn chairs for outside use.
* Table for outside use.
* A BBQ that can be connected to the vehicle’s gas system (must be used close to the vehicle).
* A BBQ that I can use with one of the gas bottles by removing a gas bottle from the vehicle (can be used away from the vehicle).
* A BBQ isn’t important – I would rather just use public BBQs and save the space in the RV.
* A washing machine (this would mainly apply to 5th wheelers or the Longreach series of motorhomes).
* A generator big enough to operate the air conditioner.
* Other.  Specify.

So, just add your comments into the box below.  We would like to learn from your RV experiences!

It’s a challenge when your family gets spread around, as they tend to do these days.  And of course if you are a grandparent there’s no-one more special than your grandkids!  So how do you connect with them in a very good and memorable way?  Have a grandparent/grandkid holiday!

Our trip began at our home in Newcastle with a Winnebago Leisure Seeker motorhome.  We made a quick trip to Canberra, making sure that we avoided rush hour going through Sydney.  Of course, these days with the M7 it is a pretty smooth run.

We had a day with the family of one of our kids there and collected our four year old granddaughter, heading off the next day.  Next stop, Melbourne, where we again spent time with one of our kids and then collected the five year old granddaughter.

In the RV the kids used the bed over the cab (C class motorhome).  They loved it up there!  In the morning we would see these two cute little faces looking through the safety net — like two cute little monkeys in a cage!

Now, where should we go and what should we do?

For a start we heard that there was a sand sculpture display on down in Frankston on the east side of Port Phillip Bay.  So off we went!  The kids loved the beach there and the sand sculptures were absolutely amazing!  It was on the weekend, and we found the perfect spot to park the motorhome at a park behind the cricket oval.  There was a great playground there, a duck pond and the car park was shaded and well off the road.  Just one caution if you decide to do the same: that car park is used by business people during the week – it’s one of the closer, untimed free parking areas within a short walk of the town centre.  So Monday morning we left a bit earlier than normal just to make sure we were not taking someone’s favourite parking space!

During our trip we generally parked in reserves with a playground and an off street car park.  After breakfast the kids would have a bit of a play on the playground, we would then often head off to a beach for a couple hours.  Then back in the motorhome for lunch and sit back and watch a DVD or play a board game during the hottest part of the day.  Often that would be our time to move along and find the next place that we wanted to visit.  Later in the afternoon, back to the beach, then the evening meal and prepare for a good night’s sleep after a very action filled day!

All in all, it was a fabulous trip.  So Nan and Pop, gather up a couple grandkids, load them into your motorhome or other RV and make some memories!

Winnebago flying high at Harrington

Jim and Betty recently took a brand new Winnebago Leisure Seeker to the Sunshine Coast. They wanted to introduce it to its prospective owners. The Leisure Seeker was impressed with their good character and promises of love and care! So we are pleased to announce that these great people have been accepted as potential owners!

It was good to chat with each of the people involved and listen to them describe their dreams and plans. In every case they recognised RV Share as the concept that makes it possible! We look forward to announcing soon the “start up” of this group. I don’t think the motorhome really wants a bottle of champaine broken on its bumper bar, but we will do something to make it a momentous launch!

Of course Jim and Betty made the most of the trip. Along with taking in the beauty of the Sunshine Coast, they visited Palm Beach at the bottom of the Gold Coast, Port Macquarie, Harrington and Forster. Each had its own special beauty, enticing them back for another visit. In each case the thought was, you know, it would be nice to spend a week around here…

Do you remember the old highway 7 to go through Sydney north and south back before the M7? For one familiar with the roads, not a problem. But for the rest of us…

Back in those days our family RVing was confined to Victoria for the most part. Something to do with an old Sunwagon caravan that was looking for an excuse to fall apart enroute and a not so trusty, but dearly loved 4.2 litre Kingswood wagon that figured that NSW hills between Albury and Woolongong were made to test the boiling point of automotive coolant! None the less, the Kingswood felt rather large on Sydney streets. It seemed like the concept for getting more traffic through was to add an extra lane or two without widening the road. Quite clever actually.

You can imagine then, that I had a bit of apprehension the first time I drove a motorhome through Sydney. It was much later, but it seems like those roads hadn’t changed much. Was it a drama?

Fortunately, no. Granted, I did my best to stay out of the left hand lanes. Somehow the road designers figure that trucks, busses and RVs ought not to drive near the edge. And given that the left hand lane is about six inches wider than a truck, the left hand lane is no-man’s land for any but the most talented truckies. That’s obvious when you consider the telegraph poles (SEC poles for you Victorians) being planted right next to the curb, the signs being placed to clean the barnacles from the sides of passing trailer boats and with the slope of the outside lanes making any tall vehicle tilt well over to the curb side.

I realise, that I’m not giving you a lot of confidence. But,for those of you from places like Sydney, it’s actually a good reason to buy yourself a motorhome or 5th wheeler — you need to get out of there whenever you can!

But what about the rest of us who simply want to get to the otherside, or in a moment of madness decide that we ought to visit the opera house or other notable attractions?

Well, you don’t need to avoid Sydney, but keep a few things in mind.

- As I’ve already said, avoid the left hand lanes of the major highways unless you are planning on a turn. Then keep your eyes peeled.
- Do make use of the tolled motorways. Yes, it will cost you a few bucks, but it’s worth it. For the most part they flow well outside of rush hour, they are well marked and in excellent condition.
- Speaking of rush hour (several hours in the morning and afternoon), avoid it! Friday afternoons are especially nasty.
- Make sure you have your GPS programmed to tell you where you are going, or have a very good navigator with a current detailed map on hand. Having said that, I’ve made plenty a wrong turn with my ‘better half’ navigator, so buy a GPS! And do take the time to enter your destination before you enter the ‘thick’ of it.
- Parking in or around the CBD with an RV can be a hassle, so check out a guide as to where you can put it before you get there. I have to admit that I’m now close enough to Sydney that I take the train in if I’m going to the CBD. I don’t like even parking the car there – something to do with what parking costs, and the hassles of getting in and out!

So how about it? Is it worth it all? Well, you can get through the place just by being careful. Personally I wouldn’t park the RV in the city, but there are plenty of suburbs were you could do so without a problem. If you are like me, park your motorhome there and take the train in to the CBD. Public transport is almost as good as Melbourne (sorry, no trams), and you can even zip around the harbour on the ferries.

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit outside of the CBD. Have a go at driving around the edges of the harbour and coast. There are lots of neat little parks that are great places to stop and relax. It was actually just in recent years that my wife and I began to discover them. We did it outside of the summer holiday season, but we were amazed at the beautiful, bushy parklands around the bay. It’s easy to understand why people would like to live near them.

Those of you who have done more exploring around Sydney, tell us your favourite places to visit!

Anyhow, recently I was discussing with a client how his parents had been avid caravanners throughout their lives, but had given it up in recent years. One factor related to that was his concern for their safety while travelling.

In my experience here in Australia I have been impressed by how good people have been to me along the road. One time when our kids were little our van broke down near Victor Harbour, SA. In spite of it being in the middle of the night and in an extremely remote location, a fellow stopped, gave us a ride to our destination, then took me to his father’s place where we got another vehicle to go back and tow our van in as well! And he did all of that out of the goodness of his heart.

But I realise that not everyone is like that. One must be careful – you only have to read the newspaper to know that. So back to our question. Is it safe to spend the night out along the road?

Certainly part of the answer will have to do with what sort of recreational vehicle you are using. Properly if you are spending the night at a rest area, you should be in a motorhome. As you think about that, it also makes sense with regard to security.

If someone is outside your RV and you are thinking that it would be wise to put some distance between yourself and that one, the sort of vehicle you are in will make a lot of difference. In a caravan or fifth wheeler, you will need to awake everyone, get them out of the RV and into the tow vehicle. Not a great idea if someone out there is threatening in some way.

How much better if you are in a motorhome. If the matter is urgent, you just hop in the driver’s seat, fire it up and off you go. Of course properly everone should be in a seating position with a seatbelt fastened, but they don’t have to go outside the RV to do that.

The whole matter is really related to how the motorhome suits a different style of travel than the caravan or fifth wheeler. Have a look at the article under the “recreational vehicle selection” category.

Let’s consider a simple one month trip from Newcastle NSW down to Melbourne, then on through Gippsland and over to Lakes Entrance. It’s a beautiful part of the world, and worth a visit.

We will look at three options:

1. Fly to Melbourne, rent a car and stay in motels.
2. Fly to Melbourne, rent a motorhome for the trip from there to Lakes Entrance.
3. Purchase a share of a motorhome and drive.

Options one and two are quite modest. We’ve used Jetstar airfares, motels averaging $140 per night and the rental motorhome is a four berth Wanderer from Camper Travel, off peak rates. That sort of a motorhome is a rental (which says a lot), no slideout and pretty basic. The insurance is also basic with a rather excessive excess, so don’t get in an accident!

Option three is with a brand new Winnebago Esperance with state of the art features. The cost per day of use is $120 for that RV, and that includes registration, comprehensive insurance, maintenance, secure storage when not in use and all of the management costs fully covered. Not only is it far more luxurious than the other options, it’s yours and you have maximum flexibility with your travel.

So how do the costs stack up?

Option 1: Fly to Melbourne, rent a car and stay in motels.

Taxi to & from airport $100
Flight – Jetstar (return) $948
Car hire – Budget $1,859
Travel insurance – AussieTravelCover $217
Meals $3,750
Motels $4,200
Fuel $718
Attractions $1,500
________
TOTAL $13,293

Option 2: Fly to Melbourne, rent a motorhome for the rest of the trip.

Taxi to & from airport $100
Flight – Jetstar $948
Motorhome hire – Camper Travel $5,940
Travel insurance – AussieTravelCover $217
Meals $1,650
Caravan parks $750
Fuel $1,365
Attractions $1,500
_________
TOTAL $12,470

Option 3: Purchase a share of a motorhome and drive.
Cost of motorhome $3,600
Meals $1,650
Caravan parks $750
Fuel $2,595
Attractions $1,500
_______
TOTAL $10,095

Conclusion

The bottom line is that by purchasing a share in a motorhome, you have saved nearly $2,400 in one month of travel, you have stayed in your own brand new motorhome and the trip has been a whole lot simpler and much more pleasant.

Rising fuel costs

Now, the issue comes, up what about rising fuel costs? Will that make motorhome travel unaffordable? To work through that, we begin by assuming that petrol is a very reasonable $1.30 per litre (that’s what we assumed in the above calculations). We then multiply it by two, to make it $2.60 per litre, and finally by three bringing it to $3.90 per litre!

Naturally we assume that if the price of fuel goes up, airfares will go up with it as well.

Here’s what the comparison then looks like:

Fuel price:………………………………$1.30……..$2.60…….$3.90
Fly and drive, motels…………………12,182……12,737……13,293
Fly and drive, rented motorhome…..10,928…….11,699…..12,470
Drive your own motorhome…………..8,365………9,230…..10,095

Again, driving your own motorhome that you own in a shared arrangement through Motorhome Lifestyle Consultancy is still saving you about $2,400. It’s the way to go.

* (Honourable Ministers and executives, please accept my apologies for maligning your most notable positions – we would love to see you in your own motorhome or 5th wheeler as well!)

 Size
o Long and slender – easy to tow, greater separation between living and sleeping areas.
o Shorter with slideouts – more room to ‘swing the cat’, but don’t do that, she won’t like it! It does make for a nice living area and can allow the master bedroom to take up less overall space on the larger motorhomes & 5th wheelers. Slide outs do add some weight and weather/noise sealing issues, but they are very popular.
o Living space.
o Master bedroom privacy – distance between sleeping areas, curtains
o Number of people to sleep
o Whether living area doubles as sleeping area – eg. having to use the dining table as a bed – what if the kids are going to sleep there and you want to sit and pay a game, study, etc?
o Storage space – golf clubs, bikes, etc.
o Size of shower and bathroom.
o Kitchen storage
o Kitchen benchtop space. Is there a fold-down lid for the sink and/or cooktop? That can give you additional preparation space.
o Oven and microwave? The microwave is only going to work when you have mains electricity connected. The oven will work at any time.
o Size of refrigerator and freezer. Three way power source? Will it automatically detect which one to use? You don’t want it to inadvertently be disconnected from a power source and then be too dumb to know to hook up to another one that’s available.
o Size of wardrobe – height, depth. Think about what sort of clothes you are going to be travelling with, and where you are going to put them.
o Simple and effective latches on cabinet doors. Something that you can look at and see whether or not it is secured for travel.
 Weight. Do you really need ceramic tile floors? Consider each component, how they add to the amenity and how they add to the weight. More weight means more vehicle to carry it and more fuel to move it.
 Awning. Ease of use. Secure in the wind? Secure when retracted?
 Generator. Does it have a compartment designed for one? Insulated for noise? Air tight? How big? Easy to lock down? (you don’t want it to walk away!) Do you really need one? Most RV’s can be very functional on 12 v for quite a while, especially if you have solar panels.
 Solar panels. Capacity? Separate batteries, or do they charge the vehicle batteries. If the latter, is there a system that keeps you from running them flat?
 Insulation in both the walls and roof? Part of the structural strength?
 Heat – some have a furnace that burns diesel. In the cold they keep you much more comfortable than the reverse cycle AC unit which blows warm (or semi-warm) air from above. The diesel furnace can also operate on 12v. You don’t’ have to be connected to mains power as you do for the AC.
 Ability for passengers to travel down the road in the living area. Where are the seatbelts located? Is that where your ‘passengers’ want to ride?
 Security – with a motorhome you don’t have to leave the living area to drive away.
 Windows
o Secure when open – generally true with glass louvered windows.
o Glass vs plastic – glass is heavy, breakable. Having said that they are usually toughened glass/safety glass.
o Interior shutter vs curtains. The Travelhome has a built in roll down shutter along with a built in pull up fly screen.
 External shower – use at the beach. Does it have hot and cold water?
 Separate toilet and shower area.
 What you have to do to work on yourself in front of the mirror.
 Swivel cockpit seats become part of living area.
 Safety features: smoke detector, gas detector, anchor points for child seat, rear vision camera
 Inverter – for use with computer, etc or up to 2,000 watt.
 Roof rack & ladder. Generally not appropriate for storage.
 External entertainment unit. Can you move the flatscreen to the outside?
 External BBQ connection.
 Ease of entry?
 Dual gas bottles?
 Washing machine. Weigh up how important it is for you. Caravan parks have washing facilities.
 Multiple TVs
 Satellite navigation, rear camera(s).
 Ease of getting into the bed.
 Need for lifting things. Beds that lift up should be easy to move.
 4WD ability. This could either be the tow vehicle for a fifth wheeler or the whole unit for a Ute with a slide on, etc.

We would welcome your additions to the list and comments as to why they are important!

When we shifted to Australia we lived in Melbourne for many years. Apart from Lakes Entrance, lakes in Victoria are largely muddy dams. Great places to pick up leeches and wrap yourself around a dead tree when water skiing. Of course, what’s really great is when the old houses begin to appear from under the water. Anyone for ski jumping?

About six years ago we discovered Lake Macquarie on a visit to Newcastle. We saw some pictures of a sailing regatta on the lake, and I asked “Where is that!” “Five minutes down the road.” Off we went, and immediately fell in love with the area.

While the Tuggerah Lakes in the Central Coast are so shallow that you can hardly put down the motor on your ski boat, Lake Macquarie is nice and deep – generally close to 10 metres. It is full of little (and big) peninsulas sticking out into the lake to give it character and protection from the wind if you are a skier. It is Australia’s largest coastal lake, significantly larger than even Sydney harbour. A great place to visit in your RV travels!

When it comes to recreational vehicles, there are a good number of caravan parks around and near the lake. My favourites are at Wangi Wangi and Mark’s Point. Wangi is set next to a large bushland park, and it gives you that rustic, camping feel. You access it via Morisset or Toronto on the west side of the lake. One of the most popular fishing spots in the lake is at the end of the Wangi peninsula. A narrow stretch of deep water there connects the southern half of the lake with the northern half.

Mark’s Point is on the east side of the lake. It’s close to Belmont where you have two of the largest and most active sailing clubs. Being on that side of the lake it’s also a short drive to the ocean beaches, most notably Redhead beach – a stunningly beautiful place.

Should you need any gear for your RV while you are on that side of the lake, head over to Bennetts Green on the Pacific Highway, near the south end of the Charlestown Bypass. There you will find Australian Motor Homes with a great selection of RVs and just about anything that you would need for one.

The east side of the lake also offers the most scenic drive, with the road often running next to the lake. Go into Belmont and drive over to the edge of the lake behind the business district. Head north past the Belmont 16 Footers sailing club. The road will go away from the lake for a short while, but if you want a nice place to relax next to your motorhome, turn in towards the lake at Valentine. Go up to the foreshore and you will have a great place to park your RV and relax. If you want a really nice walk, go to the end of the street along the foreshore to the north. Walking trails go from there through Green Point. There are some beautiful walks that take you up to secluded picnic spots in the forest right next to the water. Heading back out to the road from Belmont and going north, as you get into Warners Bay it will be running along the shore all of the way to the top at Speers Point.
While you are there at Warner’s Bay stop at the shops in front of the foreshore. There are some great little restaurants, an ice cream shop and a lot of other little shops of interest. One of our favourites is the Chinese Restaurant just around the corner at the north end of that strip of shops.

Near the top end of the lake is the factory where they build Travelhome 5th wheelers. I actually haven’t stopped in there, but I’m sure they would be quite happy for you to pay them a visit. I am very familiar with what they build, and they are impressive. It’s an RV that’s specifically built for Australian conditions. You can tow it with a Navara, and it’s the sort of size that allows you to get into places such as what we are talking about around the lake. The ideal 5th wheeler.

If you want to continue your drive around the West Side of the lake, you need to stop in at Toronto for a coffee. The Esplanade is the main street of Toronto and it runs straight down to the lake. Near the lake end there are several very nice cafes, and you can watch the activity in the bay as you sip on your Cappucino.

Since you are already that far, make sure you visit Rathmines. To get there, go to the main traffic lights in Toronto by the Caltex servo and head south, going up the big hill. You will go through a bit of beautiful countryside with rolling hills, then come to the golf club on your left. Just beyond that turn left. Head straight up the road until you hit the lake, then turn left and park in the car park. You have arrived at the old WWII base for the Catalina flying boats. Again, it’s a great place to park the motorhome, set up the folding chairs under the awning and relax at the side of the lake. There’s a great playground for the kids and walking trails all over the place. There are shops nearby, including a small grocery store and a very nice café. If you walk around to your left as you face the water you will eventually come to the old ramp where they drove up the flying boats out of the lake to park. Actually it’s still used for that on occasion, although it’s mostly modern seaplanes that would visit there these days, and that’s just on special occasions.

And now for my secret and most favourite spot. There’s no room for a motorhome there, so this time the fifth wheelers and caravans might have an advantage. Leave the RV elsewhere and drive out to the end of Fishing Point. That’s the peninsula that goes out into the lake on the south side of Rathmines. At the very end of the point there is a little reserve with space to park about 1 ½ cars. A little trail leads from the little car park out to the bluff on the end of the point. If you go there on a Saturday during the summer, you are likely to have the treat of your life. The sailing club at Wangi is just south of there. One of the marks that they use for their courses is just north of the end of Fishing Point. That means that if they are using that mark, they will be sailing right past the end of the point. The water gets deep pretty quick there, so they can be coming by pretty close. What a sight!

So, do I have you convinced?

No, don’t go rob a bank. There is a much better way. Shared ownership of your motorhome or fifth wheeler.

As a financial adviser I work with people in setting financial goals and then putting the disciplines in place to get there. Some of my most successful clients in the realm of investment are ones that are way down the list when it comes to employment income. How do they do it? Discipline and wise investment decisions.

Now, when it comes to enjoying motorhome and RV lifestyle, there are similar principles that apply. And it doesn’t mean that you need to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it happen.

First of all there’s discipline. That’s needed in at least two ways. First of all, you do need to come up with some money. For a start about $15,000 will do. That’s less than what many people will spend on a car. And I’m talking about getting you into your dream motorhome or 5th wheeler and tow vehicle. A brand new RV package that’s worth something on the order of $170,000.

How is that possible? Simple. At that entry level you might be quite happy to have the use of the motorhome or 5th wheeler for perhaps one month out of the year. For those of us who are still working, that is what we generally have available. So if that’s the case, why buy an RV that’s going to sit around for 11 months of the year and simply get older? You need the recreational vehicle for 1/12 of the year, so invest in a 1/12 share of that RV. For the $170,000 package, that comes to $14,167.

Now, what does this have to do with discipline. Well there are those fears that people have about what the other owners are going to do with their brand new motorhome or 5th wheeler! In some cases they might be family members or mates, so it may not be an issue. But if you don’t have a half dozen or more people like that who are interested, then it becomes a concern. How do you get other people to be disciplined in taking good care of your brand new dream machine?

· You make sure they own it too! It’s also their dream motorhome or 5th wheeler! Their hard earned dollars are in it as well.
· You make sure every owner is accountable for what they do with it. That means it has to be inspected after every trip.
· You make sure that every owner has something in it to lose if they don’t do the right thing.
· You make sure that in between uses the RV is in secure storage so that someone other than the owners cannot do damage to it.

As you look at that list it’s scary. What a bunch of “You make sure”s! That’s where Motorhome Lifestyle Consultancy comes in. You want someone who is disciplined, organised and dedicated to the task to look after things. And really, that’s important even among family members and mates. I recall one time when a bunch of my mates were working with me at a school working bee. One of them had a van that we were using to move some things with. We had put a bunch of thing in the back and one bloke decided to shut the back lid without checking to see if the window would clear the stuff that was in there. Smash! The van’s owner was right there, I was there and the guy who smashed it was there. “Oops. Sorry.” And that was that. I couldn’t believe it. As far as I know, the owner didn’t get paid for the window by the other guy.

Sometimes it’s good to have an independent third party keep your mates and family members walking the straight and narrow! You don’t have to confront them with damage that they did to the RV. When they return it to base it gets inspected and they simply get a bill. We get the damage repaired quickly regardless of their payment, but they don’t get to use it again until they have paid. If at the end of the term of ownership they still haven’t paid, it gets deducted out of the sale proceeds. Motorhome Lifestyle Consultancy takes care of all that, so you don’t have to be concerned.

Let me say from the onset that there is no “right” or “wrong” about this issue. It’s a question of what will
best suit you and your travel style.

As our kids were growing up we lived in Victoria. From the very earlier years we purchased a caravan,
even though we really didn’t have much money, but it was well worth it. Initally we tried to get around and
see that corner of the world, but eventually we discovered Wilson’s Promontory National Park. It’s
unfortunate that it’s largely ashes at the moment, because it is an absolutely beautiful place. Anyhow, if
you want to camp at the Prom in the summer holidays you go into a draw midyear, and hope that you
can at least get in.

With all of that effort to even get a campsite, you don’t want to spend the rest of your time touring. Most
of the time you will walk from one beach to another, but occasionally you will want to drive, then walk. In
that sort of situation, having a vehicle that can separate from the RV is ideal. So a caravan or 5th wheeler
would be the way to go.

But there’s another scenario. The year we discovered the Prom we were poking around along the coast,
just discovering places. We went to the Prom and it was beautiful, but no campsites were available. So
after spending most of the day there we got on the road heading towards Lakes Entrance. Unfortunately
it was late, and it was a lot longer to get there than what it initally looked like on the map. I was so tired
that after a while I just had to stop and have a sleep. The wife and kids (four of them) were all zonked and
sleeping the best they could leaning on each other and developing what would be horrible neck pains the
next day. Furthermore, it was summer and the car airconditioner obviously didn’t work with the engine off.
We needed to roll down the windows, but the mozzies were out in force… The picture is probably coming
into good focus for you now.

We had a pop up tent caravan at that time, and it took hours to pull out all of the bicycles, chairs, table,
beach gear and whatever else we had thrown in there and get the thing set up, so you certainly didn’t do
that on the side of the road. So there we were, suffering in the midst of the time we were on holiday.

With a motorhome that situation would be a dream. No fuss, nothing to set up, pure comfort. Wherever
you find a spot to stop – a little rest area or whatever – you just pull up and hop in the sack! You have
total freedom to explore, discover new places, and stay however long you like. No need to be commited
to any one place for more that a night, but if you want to stay there for a long time, go for it! You can
even bring along some “toys” on a trailer behind it.

The security that goes along with that freedom is also something significant. If you are going to spend
the night along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, that’s important. What if a bunch of
“yabbos” come along and start making a bunch of noise, and you just aren’t feeling comfortable about it?
If you were back in a caravan, somehow your whole family would have to get out of the caravan and get
into the car to get away from it all. With a motorhome you leave the doors locked and simply hop in the
driver’s seat and off you go.

What are your thoughts?