We are looking at the pros and cons of owning a camper van such as a VW T6 or 2 - 4 berth motor home.
Our intention when retired is for the two of us and our dog to up sticks for a few months and tour around Europe. The pro for the VW is that it is small enough to be used as a day to day vehicle which would save on the costs of another car.
However I'm concerned about the practicalities of the VW having enough space to accommodate everything that would be needed for such a long tour.
A motor home also has the benefit of having washroom / toilet which would allow us to park up on non campsite areas.
Does any other member have experience of taking such a tour and what vehicle they chose for this.
Have you got experience of camping / caravanning. If not, I would suggest gaining experience closer to home before diving in at the deep end.
OK... firstly don't get hung up on VW. Nothing aginst VW we're on our 3rd VW car. However, there are many campervan conversions. My own is on a Citroen Relay (which is almost a Ford Transit in disguise). In spite of only being 5 mtrs long, it has a washroom/toilet, full cooker and blown air heating. It is also fairly economical at 35 - 38 mpg. It has 4 proper seats and we use it as a large car when not camping. It fits in a standard car park space - thought height could be an issue.
We've never used it for more than 2 weeks at a time, so I can see that it might be a bit 'cosy' for 2 months.
Look around and see what's available. I'm sure that others on this site will have experience of long-term touring and will be happy to help.
Best of Luck.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Hi Danny1967, sounds great. I don't have much experience of campers but suggest you google "Northstar Conversions" to see what's possible. They are highly regarded and it's worth doing a fair bit of research on a major purpose.
I have a T4 High Top LWB which has a small end washroom & has plenty of room for everything I need. The main hassle is making up the bed every night.
Also used to have a T5 SWB but that was a bit too cramped.
If I was planning a long trip for a few months I would personally go for something with a bit more room, but plenty of people cope with a VW or similar sized camper vans. I did 3 months round Europe in a rusty old Split Screen with 3 mates back in the early 70's & we somehow survived.
Thanks for your replies.
We do have many years of caravanning experience from when our boys were younger and would tow into France chasing the wall to wall sunshine, lol.
I think I may look at the larger PVC layouts and see if any tick all the boxes.
Do you really needs more stuff for a long tour? A porta potti can go in a buddy seats in smaller vans but not to everyone's taste. As Hitlers plan to provide economical motors to the working masses was thwarted it's certainly worth looking at other brands than VW. I'd avoid Transits though as they seem so easy to steal.
I would certainly want adequate washing and sanitary facilities as that would permit the use of the vast network of motorhome rest areas / Aires etc.. throughout Europe.
You might be interested in This site which lists thousands of motorhome halts, with photos, prices etc. It's in German, but easily translated, and you soon pick out the key phrases.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Have a look at the Globecar pvc’s they all have fixed beds and shower room, with half dinette.
I have had our Globecar Campscout for just over 2 years and regularly drive it down to Benidorm for 6-7 week trips.
John.