| Have you ever thought about buying a motor home | | | | niece with us last summer, so we moved up a size |
| - and been put off by the cost? These vehicles are | | | | to make sure we had enough space to sit out in the |
| seriously expensive - even 10-15 year old motor | | | | evening and enjoy a bottle of wine after the she'd |
| homes sometimes cost more to buy than a family | | | | gone to bed. Most companies allow you to travel all |
| car. As well as the expense, you have to store them | | | | over Western Europe if you want, so you aren't tied |
| as well - so the motor home ownership reality is this: | | | | to the UK if you don't want to be. We've been right |
| - Very expensive to buy | | | | down to Italy! You will also be given a full run-down |
| - Inconvenient and sometimes costly to store | | | | on how everything works when you pick up your |
| - Unused for most of the year (let's be realistic...) | | | | motor home - so you don't need to worry about |
| Despite all this, a lot of people like nothing more than | | | | that side of things either. |
| to get away from it all in a motor home - and that's | | | | Try Before You Buy |
| the secret. Getting away from it all - the 9-5 drudge, | | | | Even if you are planning to buy eventually, it helps to |
| the neighbors, unfriendly hotel staff, crowded charter | | | | get some experience before you do so - after all, |
| airliners - the list is endless. That's why so many | | | | this is not a purchase you can afford to get wrong. |
| people like to go on holiday; it's just you, the open | | | | The range of motorhomes on the market is huge, |
| road and the countryside. Park up at a campsite and | | | | and deciding on the right internal layout and size of |
| it's your own fully-functioning home - usually complete | | | | vehicle can be difficult if you have never used a |
| with toilet, shower, kitchen and hot running water | | | | motor home before. |
| (beats a tent, doesn't it?) | | | | Renting is the ideal solution - take one or two |
| So What Can You Do? | | | | holidays in rented motor homes to narrow down |
| If you're like me, you simply can't afford to buy a | | | | your requirements - then head for the showrooms, |
| motor home outright - much as I would love to, I | | | | armed with real experience and knowledge of your |
| can't - even if I sell my car. On top of that, most | | | | requirements. It's a much better way to find the right |
| motorhomes are far too big to park where I live. | | | | deal for you. |
| The solution that I've found is to hire a motor home | | | | Convinced? |
| for my holidays. It costs around the same as a | | | | I hope so. Hiring a motor home for my summer |
| typical package holiday and is much more fun. The | | | | holidays has proved to be one of the best ideas of |
| vehicles are never anymore than a few years old, | | | | my life! I look forward to it every year and enjoy |
| always in good condition and ready to go when I | | | | the freedom from the responsibility of having to |
| collect them - I simply fill the fridge with food and | | | | service, prepare and pay for my own vehicle - |
| head for the hills! | | | | especially through all those months when it isn't being |
| An added bonus is that I can try a different motor | | | | used. |
| home each time I go away - we took our young | | | | Give it a try - I promise you won't regret it. |