Have you thought about renting a motorhome? – Alan x the World

By: Monica Manrique

Traveler friends, this summer we ventured with my partner to tour Portugal in a motorhome. We leave from Seville and In a previous post we shared the routebut we had yet to tell you the details, pros and cons of making a trip of this type and also being primiparous in the matter, so here I share an entry, which are the thoughts of Ana, my partner, when driving it during 15 days in the middle of August in Portugal, I hope you like it:

Surely you have seen a video of how wonderful it is to travel in a motorhome or in a camper and live endless adventures… well, if you want to know the truth of all this, keep reading.

In the previous post we leave you what it was the travel diary on one of them, now I’m going to delve deeper!

Spoiler alert: it’s not as cheap as you think.

First of all check if it is a feasible trip in terms of places where you can park the motorhome. A very useful app is: Park4night. We use it every day that allows you to anticipate where to sleep or park for free or for a fee, campsites or suitable car parks in the city.

Something obvious that you must take into account is that if you are going to travel like this you are going to travel many kilometers, so before renting, you must look at the mileage that is included. Make an approximate calculation of the distance you are going to travel and always add a quarter more than what came out, because I assure you that the small trips within the locations or the unforeseen places you will go, add up.

As for the insurance you choose to cover the car, I recommend that you keep in mind that it is better to have it at all risks. I don’t doubt your driving skills, but, and especially if it’s the first time you venture to drive one of them, you’re going to hit it, I assure you. And if by chance you are cracks and cracks, do not forget that they can hit you in any supermarket, and there you are going to regret not having taken an all-risk insurance. I confess that the first three days I had small scratches and bumps…

And finally tell you that toll costs can make the trip very expensive, and of course without forgetting that the price of fuel is a fixed expense and that it will always vary. We use different apps like GasAll that show you the different gas prices at the different gas stations around you.

If you have come this far, you may no longer want to know anything about traveling in a motorhome, but not everything is bad, far from it!

Without a doubt, it is an experience that we 100% recommend living. It is learning to reconcile with whom you travel. They are all the times of the world together and in very few meters of space. That allows you to get to know the other person a lot.

For me, the biggest advantage is being able to choose which views I want to go to bed and wake up with. Whether with the city in the background, the mountains in front or the sound of seagulls in the sea. That is what I call freedom. You go with your house on your back, you decide where you stop, how long you stop and how you organize yourself. You can enjoy the day at the beach, go to eat in your motorhome, take a nap (which we love) and go back down to the beach until sunset. Or not. That is your choice.

As a general rule, what you will find are going to be mobile homes that have the most basic so that you can survive on the road. Inside there is a basic sink that you refill with water and some purification tablets (then you have to empty it in specific places, not just any place will do. Respect nature); a rather small shower but it serves its basic function (remember you are not in a spa with wheels), and a mini kitchen (usually with one or two burners) that can either be powered by electricity or portable gas. In any case, your imagination and chef skills will make you enjoy lunch and dinner more or less. We cook a lot of frozen sautéed foods from supermarkets, since, in addition, all motorhomes include a small fridge, perfect for cooling beers or soft drinks.

In addition, I must confess that driving a caravan is to see the world and other drivers from above, a very comfortable and privileged feeling, something that when you return to the mundane of your car is quite rare.

I don’t know if with this you will have encouraged or discarded the idea of ​​traveling in a motorhome, but it is an experience that will not leave you indifferent, but will surely leave you with a feeling of having no limits as to how far you can go.

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