The Van

'Motorhome? Not for me, thanks!'

Over several months, we had looked at several hundred (I kid you not) motor homes, either up close and personal or, as in most cases, on the internet. The choice was bewildering, some of the prices, even more so! We quickly realised that, we knew what we liked, we also realised, just as quickly, that we couldn't afford what we liked! Silly money was being asked, even for an old builders van with 120k on the clock that had been, 'converted'. We learned to spot, and dismiss, those very quickly.

Also the ones with names. Maybe I'm wrong but, any advert that started with, 'We are reluctantly parting with 'Dolly/Daisy/Colin/Sebastien' or just about any cutesy name you could think of, rang alarm bells with me.

For reluctant sale. Much loved, Daisy Tinkerbell....

I also bought my first book from Vicarious Books entitled, 'Go Motorhoming and Caravanning' I read it from cover to cover and, at the end of it, I'd been put off the idea, completely! 

All this talk of grey water, black water, fresh water, drinking water, watts, amps, voltage, amp-hours. MIRO's, payloads, etc. Talk of people being gassed in their vans and being robbed or, just being robbed, what? How complicated and/or dangerous was this thing called motor homing? No sir, this is definitely Not for me!

We looked at other options. Get a big comfortable Estate car, throw the luggage in the back, and drive off to the continent. We could stay in B&B's while we looked for somewhere to rent. Motor-home? Not on your nelly!

We couldn't stop looking on Ebay and Exchange & Mart at those Motorhomes though. Maybe this decision still had some way to go before the dust finally settled.
I read the book again and realised, this time, that they just tell it like it is, no gloss, no rose tinted glasses. If they'd heard tell of someone reportedly being 'gassed' and robbed while they slept, well they told you. 

If a Motor-home gets broken in to and robbed in a service area in Spain while the occupants slept, then they had a duty to let you know. Motorhomes do get robbed and stolen, so do houses and cars but, it doesn't mean that it will happen to you. It might, but then again, that never stopped you buying a house or a car did it?

Also, it was clear that if we were going to get a Motor-home then I had to accept that it came with a learning curve. Besides, even if it wasn't a holiday, we would have no jobs and no home so it would be a lifestyle but, I wanted it to feel like a holiday and, the only way that was going to happen, was in a Motor-home. 

Plus, there was Harry to think about, he wasn't going to enjoy being cramped in a car in the heat of the day So that was that. Decision made. So, we looked at hundreds more on the Internet and in the 'flesh'. We didn't know what we wanted from it exactly and, I don't think anyone does until they've owned at least one motorhome. That's when you get to know what you really wanted.
There was nothing for it then, we had to get out and find our Motorhome....