OurTour Motorhome Packing List
Time to update the list!
When I originally wrote our motorhome packing list of everything we had in Dave, our Hymer B544, on a rainy day back in 2012 I had no idea how useful it would still be some six years later. We no longer have Dave, who took us on an adventure around Europe for two years, but I used it to pack his successor, Zagan, when we first bough him. I now use it when repacking Zagan after a stop back in the UK. Realising that what we have in the van has evolved over the past six years, I’ve taken this opportunity to update our list with things we’ve added and things we’ve taken out (and why). I hope you’ll find it as helpful as us for kitting out your van and ensuring you don’t forget the potato masher, again!
Apart from the links in the ‘Documentation’ section and those where I’ve stated where they link to, all other links will take you through to Amazon.co.uk, to either a specific item if we use it, or search results displaying a range of options.
Legal bits
There are things that you are legally required to carry in some countries that we don’t have to carry in the UK. It’s best to check the AA website for an up to date list of what you need for the countries you’re going to, we’ve also written an article on the subject too.
- Spare Bulb Kit
- Emergency Warning Triangle
- High Visibility Jacket (one for each passenger)
- First Aid Kit
- Headlight Converters
- GB Sticker (if your vehicle already has this on its number plate you won’t need one)
- Bike Rack Signal Board
(if you have a bike rack on the back of your motorhome – needed in Spain and Italy)
- Spare Glasses (if needed for driving)
- Snow Chains
(a legal requirements in some countries over winter)
- Breathalyser (they are a legal requirement in France, but they don’t prosecute if you don’t have them – gotta love the French! We used our last lot up after a heavy night and I doubt we’ll replace them but they are cheap if you want some to play with too)
- Parking Timer Disc
(not strictly a legal requirement, but used in several countries for car parking where the time is limited)
- Smoke / CO Alarm (again not a legal requirement, but you’d be silly not to have them)
- Fire Extinguisher
(if you have a bike rack on the back of your motorhome – needed in Spain and Italy)
(a legal requirements in some countries over winter)
(not strictly a legal requirement, but used in several countries for car parking where the time is limited)
Documentation
I know it’s boring, but there are some documents you’ll need to take with you and others it will be handy to have in case of a problem.
- V5C (your motorhome’s ‘log book’)
- Motorhome Insurance (make sure it covers where you are going for entire duration of your trip – more information on our cover is here)
- EHIC Cards (if going abroad you’ll need your European Health Insurance Card – you can get one free from here)
- Travel Insurance (for you in case of accident or illness – more details of our cover here)
- Driving Licence
- Passports
- Photocopies of all documentation (kept somewhere safe; we scanned ours and emailed them to a web based email (hotmail) so we can acess them anywhere)
- Motorhome Instructions (always handy for the trouble-shooting sections as stuff inevitably packs up while you’re away!)
- Breakdown Cover (we use ADAC who cover us in Europe and the UK, but sadly they’re no longer taking UK-based customers)
- Mobile Phone contract details if in contract (if going abroad for a long period these are handy to have for bill queries and renewing)
- ASCI Discount CampingCard
(gives you discounted stay at campsites out of season across Europe, not to be confused with the ACSI campsite guides)
- EU Animal Health Certificate (if your four legged friend is going abroad with you)
- Spending Book (if you’re on a budget a small book to track all your spending is a big help)
(gives you discounted stay at campsites out of season across Europe, not to be confused with the ACSI campsite guides)
Daily Servicing
Once you’re out on the road you’ll need a few essential items to keep you in supplies that you’d normally take for granted in a house such as water, electricity and gas. You can find our motorhome guides to all things to do with daily servicing here.
- Hose Pipe (we used to have a triple core one as you don’t need to unravel it to use it, but any hose will do the job as long as it hasn’t and won’t be used for anything else)
- Hose Pipe Connector (we have the standard UK one and have been picking others locally at hardware stores, different countries have a wide range of different tap connections)
- Collapsible Water Carrier or Watering Can (sometimes you can’t connect to or get near enough to the tap to use your hose. When this happens we use a carrier as we don’t have the space for a watering can)
- Funnel (you’ll probably need one to get the water into your tank if you use a water carrier rather than a watering can. We fashioned a flat, fold-around one from the lid of an ice-cream tub which works very well, allowing an almost full flow of water into the tank)
- Antibacterial Wipes (for wiping the water supply before you use it)
- Bucket (Many uses, but great for emptying grey waste)
- Power Hook Up Cable (buy the longest one you can – we have two that we connect together as the hook-up boxes are sometimes a long way from a good pitch)
- Hook up cable 2 pin adaptor
(loads of campsites and aires still use the 2 pin plug as opposed to the European 3 pin that is likely already on your cable
- Electric Halogen Heater (save your gas and heat with electric when on hook-up, this type of heater is silent so suitable for leaving on overnight. Note that neither this nor the next heater will protect your cupboards or water tanks in very cold weather – you’ll have to use your blown-air heating/grey tank water heater for this)
- Electric Fan Heater
(we use this type of heater when we are awake and it’s really cold as it’s noisy but quickly heats up the van and keeps it nice and hot)
- LPG Connection Adapters (we have an onboard LPG/GPL/Autogas Gas-It system, when filling up abroad we use adapters, mainly the dish and bayonette type. If you have standard gas bottles you might not be able to refill them when abroad as they use different systems and regulators – best to double check before you go)
- Grey/Waste Water Tank Fresh (trust me, when it gets hot the grey tank can stink. We’ve used this stuff, but now tend to dissolve dishwasher tablets and pop them in it overnight – not as effective, but much cheaper)
- Fresh Water Tank Cleaner and Purifier (you need to do everything you can to keep your fresh water tank clean, either that or drink bottled water while travelling)
- Spirit Level (perfect for ensuring your is van level and to work out which way round to sleep in the bed – there’s nothing worse than sleeping with your head lower than your feet!)
- Levelling Chocks (as car parks nearly always slope when you want to sleep in them! Note, it’s worth measuring how high your front bumper is from the ground, we had some big, sturdy chocks but they hit our bumper and damaged it.
(loads of campsites and aires still use the 2 pin plug as opposed to the European 3 pin that is likely already on your cable
(we use this type of heater when we are awake and it’s really cold as it’s noisy but quickly heats up the van and keeps it nice and hot)
Navigation and Finding Places to Sleep
Below are the tools we use for navigation and finding places to sleep, the ones marked with * we personally use, the rest we’ve see others use and cribbed notes from. We’ve also written this article which will give you more information about how we find places to sleep.
- SatNav
* (love or hate them, without a satnav driving just isn’t as easy. We have a TomTom like the one linked to, we ensured it had lifetime European map updates as updated cost about the same as a new satnav these days. We load it with various Points of Interest such as Lidl stores, aires and campsites etc)
- Paper Maps* (don’t ever fully trust your sat nav as they love short cuts, great for cars but not motorhomes! We always have a paper map for the country too)
- Highlighter Pen* (track your progress on the map and create a great reminder of your trip)
- Phrase Books
- Maps.me* (free app useful for navigation if satnav issues, or when out walking away from the van)
- Compass (it doesn’t have to be expensive, but it’s handy for working out which way the sun will come up and set for when you’re parking your van and setting up your satellite dish if its manual)
- Apps for overnight stays – we use Park4Night and CamperContact both of which we have paid for the offline version so we can use them without internet access.
- Camperstop Europe Book
* (Thousands of free and cheap stopovers across 27 European countries)
- Previously we’ve used the below to find places to stop, but now we tend to use the apps, camperstop and the ASCI discount card mentioned above.
- Offline copy of the Camping Car Info Database* – link to our review of it (a French website which you can download. Includes loads of information on free aires, service points and campsites)
- All the Aires Books
- Wohnmobil Books
- Bordatlas Guide
(another great German language guide to motorhome stopovers across Europe
* (love or hate them, without a satnav driving just isn’t as easy. We have a TomTom like the one linked to, we ensured it had lifetime European map updates as updated cost about the same as a new satnav these days. We load it with various Points of Interest such as Lidl stores, aires and campsites etc)
* (Thousands of free and cheap stopovers across 27 European countries)
(another great German language guide to motorhome stopovers across Europe
Tools and things for fixing stuff
Dave is old, bless him. So we’ve needed to do quite a few repairs as we’ve travelled. But even if your van is new, it’s always good to have a few tools and bits to fix to stuff with (and preferably a ‘Jay’ who’ll know what to do with them!)
- Ratchet Socket Set
- Multi Tool
- Hammer
- WD-40 Lubricant
- Assorted Cable Ties
- Gaffer Tape (also called Duct Tape or Gorilla Tape, we use the silver one Dave’s ailing front grill and a clear tape on Zagan’s front bumper)
- Super Glue (either lots of little tubes or a decent resealable bottle)
- Epoxy Adhesive
- Spare Car Fuses
- Wheel Brace (your van should have one but best to check now before you get a flat tyre!)
- Bottle Jack (we find these easier to pump up than a normal jack, but remember to check the weight of you van, and whether it will lift your van high enough to fit a spare if the tyre is flat)
- Axle Stand (we only found out we needed one of these when our tyre blew out on the A9 in Spain – again make sure it will take your vans weight)
- Precision Screwdriver Set
- Standard Screwdriver Set
- Spanner Set (or work out which ones you need for your van and carry just those to save weight)
- Power Pack and Compressor
- Torch (any sort will do, but LED ones last for ages – I’m amazed at how dark it is in some places we park!)
- Tow Rope (The Italian coast guard were very pleased we had one of these when we towed them off a beach!)
- Traction mats (we don’t have any of these but a couple of times we’ve used our cheap door mats when stuck in sand and they did the job – not tested them in snow yet though)
- Spare Engine Oil
- Disposable gloves (as they keep your pinkies clean while doing the repairs!
Outdoors, another room to your motorhome
Motorhomes aren’t huge, but once parked up on a campsite the outdoors becomes an extra room for you – you just need to furnish it accordingly.
- Camping Chairs
- Camping Table
- Foldaway BBQ, Cadac Gas BBQ or Gas Stove (we’ve used all three over the years, we’re currently using a camping gas stove as we can take it anywhere)
- BBQ Tools
- Picnic Rug
- ‘Moroccan’ Mat (large plastic woven mat like a ground sheet that we use outside for sitting on)
- Sunglasses / Prescription Sunglasses
- Insect Repellent
- Mosquito net (used over our dropdown bed – fixed with bulldog clips and cable ties)
- Citronella Candles (help keep the mozzies away and nice to light up at an evening BBQ)
- Fly Swat (for the middle of the night mosquito cull)
- Umbrellas (I won’t lie to you, it’s not always sunny when you’re motorhoming – we have a large golf umbrella and a couple of fold up small ones)
Kitchen Essentials
We’ve stocked both Dave and Zagan with a lot of items from the kitchen of our house. But there are a few items we’ve bought especially for the trip and a few things we forgot and had to pick up as we travelled – thank goodness they have shops abroad! :)
- Melamine Plates and Bowls
- Mugs (any sort, but the more stable the better)
- Wine Glasses (we didn’t bring any – big mistake, cheap wine tastes so much better from a glass, the sturdier the better!)
- Plastic Glasses
- Small Glass Pitcher/Jug
(we picked one up in France and decant our wine from its Lidl box into it when we want to feel posh or have guests!)
- Double Skillet (links to Double Skillet Company site – this is a great invention, especially if you don’t have an oven like us. We use ours for all our hob cooking along with a saucepan and small omelette pan)
- Remoska
- Frying Pan (before we got our double skillet we used to use a large frying pan, but measure the width of cupboard it’s going in, and the dimension of the pan across the top, not the base. We didn’t and because it curves outwards it was slightly too big for the cupboard – doh!)
- Saucepan(s)
- Pan Protectors
- Oven Proof Dishes (we don’t have an oven, but if you do you’ll need some!)
- Oven Gloves (even if you don’t have an oven sometimes you have to pick up hot stuff)
- Place Mats / Trivet (for putting hot stuff on)
- Gas Hob Kettle (for when you aren’t hooked up to electricity)
- Low Wattage Kettle (for when you are hooked up to electricity)
- Cafetiere (a little luxury for coffee lovers as you’ll get fed up with instant)
- Espresso Maker (Jay loves his coffee, so we picked up one of these in Italy. It sits on the gas hob and makes a strong little brew)
- Chopping Boards (it’s worth having a couple)
- Cheese Grater
- Measuring Jug (decent size, plastic or acrylic)
- Compact Weighing Scales
- Cutlery (solid metal is best as handles don’t fall off and be sure you have plenty of teaspoons – they always seem to vanish)
- Scissors (at least a couple of pairs)
- Quality Tin Opener (we forgot ours and bought a cheap one, it’s faulty, it wouldn’t open tins!)
- Vegetable Peeler (also handy for shaving Parmesan cheese!)
- Juicer
- Bottle Opener/Cork Screw (hmm, perhaps this should be at the top of the list!)
- Bread Knife (we forgot ours and bought one as un-sliced loaves are cheaper and last longer)
- Sharp Cutting Knife (invest in a decent one and it’ll stay sharp for your entire trip)
- Wooden Spoons
- Spatula
- Serving Spoon
- Wooden Skewers (good for marshmallow toasting, making kebabs and poking at/fixing stuff stuff)
- Potato Masher (if you forget yours be warned they don’t sell them anywhere in Italy – trust us, we looked!)
- Plastic Storage Boxes (collect as many as you can, we use large upright ones for cereal, rice, pasta etc, oils and jars sit in them in cupboards to catch leaks, veg separated into them and food for the fridge needs sealing sometimes)
- Cigarette Lighter/Matches (for lighting the hob if the ignition fails, or a BBQ)
- Cleaning Sponges
- Cleaning Wipes (we use antibacterial wipes for cleaning the van as well as the taps and hoses at water points)
- Microfibre Cloths
- Cleaning Scourers
- Washing Up Liquid
- Washing Up Bowl (handy for taking your pots to the campsite sink)
- Universal Sink Plug
- Tea Towels
- Dustpan and Brush
- 12v Vacuum Cleaner
- Antibacterial Hand Cleaner
- Kitchen Roll
- Tin Foil
- Cling Film
- Freezer Bags
- Ice Cube Bags
- Bottle Holders (the free cardboard ones from the supermarket are ideal to avoid clinking)
- Oil Burner
(we picked one up in France and decant our wine from its Lidl box into it when we want to feel posh or have guests!)Store cupboard food items
While we’re in the kitchen it’s worth thinking about having a few items always in your van to save you from having to buy them when away, and so you can have a cuppa at any time! I’m not going to list loads of things, as each person has different tastes, but a few tins (soup, beans?) along with some teabags, coffee, stock cubes, gravy granules (we can’t find these anywhere abroad), UHT milk, a bottle of water, a bottle or two of wine, salt and pepper, vinegar, ketchup and chocolate would never go to waste in our van!
Bathroom
- Microfibre Towels (we love these as they feel like normal towels but dry really fast so less damp towels hanging up around the van)
- Suction Hooks
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- First Aid Kit
- Toiletries
- Soap
- Toilet Rolls (you can get special motorhome ones like these, but we use the cheapest ones we can find)
- Chemical Toilet Fluids
- Air Freshener (with the loo so close to the living area, it helps!)
- Medications
- Contact lenses
- Shaving Kit
- Sunscreen / Aftersun
- Nailbrush
- Shower Head Holder (some vans don’t have these and expect you to hold the shower head while showering, it’s the same at some campsites too)
- Bag For Life (in campsite showers 9 times out of 10 don’t have enough hooks to hang up all your clothes. I used a large supermarket bag for life – one of the thicker plastic ones with fabric handles – and hang that on the hook, keeping all my clothes and towels dry)
Bedroom & Soft Furnishings
- Pillows
- Duvet (we have a summer tog duvet with an unzipped sleeping bag on top of it, then a blanket on top of that, so we can use whatever combination we need to keep warm/cool)
- Memory Foam Mattress Topper (beds made from the chair cushions are comfortable with one of these on them, you can imaging how lovely our pull down bed is with one on it – sleep heaven)
- Bed Sheet (preferably a Brushed Cotton
- Spare Set of Bedding (as it’s not always possible to have a set washed and dried in a day)
- Sleeping Bags
- Blankets (great for curling up under when the weather isn’t so warm)
- Cushions (add a bit of comfort and colour to your van on one go – you can also stuff them with clothes as extra storage)
- Sofa Throws (we use these on the seat parts of the sofa and dinette seats as they’re easy to wash and clean – especially with a pooch in the van who doesn’t wipe his paws!)
- Hot Water Bottle
- Ear Plugs
Clothing and laundry
This was obviously a tricky one for us as we would be travelling through most types of weather. We have one shelf each in the wardrobe, one hook each and a cupboard each – in it we have to squeeze everything from ski jackets and thermals to swim wear and Jay’s wetsuit (to be fair Jay doesn’t have half as many clothes as me so his wetsuit easily fits in his cupboard).
We’ve found ‘technical’ clothing to be really good as it’s quick drying, and doesn’t need ironing. Check out the camping and hiking sections in shops or online and you’ll be amazed at what is out there – I even found a shirt impregnated with mosquito repellent! I’ve listed what is in my cupboards, but of course what you take will depend on when and where you’re going.
- Jeans x 2
- Quick Drying Trousers
- Convertable Trousers to Shorts
- Shorts x 3
- Skirts x 2
- T Shirts x 8
- Vest Tops x 8
- Polo Shirt
- Fleece x 2
- Mosquito Repellent Shirt
- Quick Drying Shirt
- Long Sleeved Tops x 4
- Going Out Tops x 2 (optimistic I know!)
- Fleece/Hooded Jacket
- Swimwear (Bikini, Sarong, Beach Shoes
- Sun Hat or Baseball Cap
- Winter wear (Thermal Leggings, Thermal Tops)
- Scarf
- Gloves
- Woolly Hat
- Knickers (as many pairs as I had before we left)
- Bras (1 x black, 1 x flesh, 1 x other)
- Socks (Ski Socks
- Pyjamas
- Walking Boots
- Trainers
- Flip Flops (especially good for campsite showers)
- Going Out Shoes
- Gilet
- Waterproof / Going Out Jacket
- Ski / Winter Jacket
Don’t forget all those bits and pieces you need to keep your clothes clean if you’re going away for a while.
- Laundry Bag / Sack
- Washing Liquid/Powder
- Fabric Softener
- Coins for the Machines (save as many pound / one euro coins as you can)
- Pegs (you can never have too many of them, you’ll be amazed!)
- Clothes Line
- Pant Chandelier / Socktopus (officially a Folding Sock Dryer
- Folding Clothes Over Door Airer
(We hang one of these out of the window or off the bike rack)
(We hang one of these out of the window or off the bike rack)
Entertainment, Leisure and Tech (boys toys!)
- Books (the link takes you to our books page with a selection of titles, and of course don’t forget to pack one of our books!)
- Kindle / eReader (we have a Kindle as we could never carry this many physical books in our motorhome – it’s great!)
- Board Games (we play Scrabble
- Chess Set
- Playing Cards
- Travel Journal (notes of your adventures make a brilliant keepsake)
- Pens and Pencil
- Paper Pads (you’ll be surprised at how much you scribble notes or lists)
- Sewing Kit
- Music (CD’s or MP3’s as the local radio stations are generally pants, unless you like the 80’s)
- 12v TV
- DVD’s (films or series box sets – perfect for wet weather days, we pick ours up at charity shops)
- Headphones (so you can watch the TV without disturbing others in the van)
- Laptop or Tablet
- Laptop Mouse (we thought we wouldn’t need one so left ours at home, mistake had to buy one)
- External Hard Drive (to back up all your photos, we also carry with us a small hard drive
- Personal WiFi Hotspot
- Mobile Broadband Data SIM
- WiFi Booster Aerial (also from MotorhomeWiFi.com link to their site)
- Mobile Phone
- Handheld Games System (we have a Nintendo DS on which I play puzzles and games)
- Camera
- Go Pro
- Mini Tripod
- USB Memory Sticks/SD Cards (for storing and sharing photos and files)
- Chargers for Everything – 12v if possible
- Alarm Clock (we thought we wouldn’t need one, but we ended up sleeping later and later each day – ours tells us the temperature too!)
- Spare Batteries
- Binoculars
- Walking Stick(s) (the hiking type
- Fishing Gear (our telescopic fishing line kept us fed in Norway, land of expensive food!)
- Crab Line (just for fun, not for food)
- Snorkelling Kit
- Wetsuit
- Inflatable Kayak and Foot Pump (we saw one of these for sale in Lidl and regretted not buying it for years, then we bought one and managed to break after a few trips out, so go for a decent one if you are buying)
- Sledge (and ski gear if heading for the slopes)
- Bicycle or Electric Bike (as you can’t always park close to what you want to see)
- Cycle Helmet (obligatory in some countries)
- Bicycle Pump
- Puncture Repair Kit
- Christmas Lights and Decorations (if you’re going to be away over the festive period)
- Bunting/National Flag (for special occasions!)
Pampered Pooch
Charlie the pampered pooch rules the van usually finding the most inconvenient place to stretch out. He has his own cupboard for his toys, treats and medication.
- Bed
- Blankets
- Non Spill Water Bowl
- Food Bowl
- Travel Water Bowl
- Sleeping Bag
- Dry Food (we buy the cheapest stuff in the supermarkets, less additives and he loves it, and somehow swapping between foods seems to have no affect on him)
- Tinned Food (again super cheap and super tasty – we haven’t found any that he doesn’t love)
- Medication (enough to last the trip unless you know for certain that you can get what you need where you are going)
- Tick and Flea Treatment
- Tick Removers (even though his treatment repels them, he still gets the odd tick so we need these to remove them with leaving the horrid head parts in him)
- Worming Tablets
- Claw Clippers (there isn’t always a dog groomer on hand, so we do him ourselves)
- Fur clippers (as above)
- Comb / Brush
- Ear Cleaner
- Shampoo
- Dog Towel (microfibre for quick drying – trust me you don’t want you pooch borrowing your towel after a day on the beach, and some old towels that you can throw away after any accidents)
- Lead and Spare Lead
- Collar or Harness
- Identity Disc (ensure it has the UK dialling code before your phone number if you’re going abroad)
- Muzzle
- Coat
- Toys (even though he’s a pampered pooch he doesn’t have too many toys as he mainly chases sticks and stones)
- Treats
- Travel Carrier
- Bike Trailer (Charlie hated his, but then it wasn’t a proper doggie one and he could escape from it – we’ve seen loads of happy pooches whizzing along behind their owner’s bikes in one of these)
- Poo Bags (never underestimate how many of these you’ll get through on a trip! Some of the more affluent countries do provide them for free in parks and cities so keep your eyes peeled)
Enhancements to your van
You can add numerous things to your motorhome to make life more comfortable on the road. The ones marked with * show what we’re using, the others we’ve seen people with and while they are not for us, they might be right for you.
- Non-Slip Matting
- Blackout Thermal Curtain Linings* (our curtains are thin so lining them with this helps keep the sunlight out in the morning and the temperature warmer/cooler)
- 300w Pure Sine Power Inverter
- Windscreen Thermal Screens
- Solar Panel
- Leisure Battery(ies) (an alternative to adding solar panels is another leisure battery. We have two leisure batteries in our current van and solar, but in the past have managed with solar and one battery, which was actually a starter battery)
- Habitation Door Fly Screen* (we had a net type on our previous van, the current van has one built in, if we needed to buy again we’d get a chenille one as they don’t get as damaged when trapped in the door)
- Power Extension Cable* (for when you need to power something not in your van – we used ours to power stuff in a nearby tent)
- Power Plug Adapters* (both of our vans have the odd two pin socket so we have one of these permanently plugged in and a spare in case we need to plug in while out and about)
- Refillable LPG System* (link to our blog post of Jay installing our system. Refillable tanks which take LPG/GPL/Autogas are a big help on a multi-country trip as there is little gas bottle standardisation across Europe. We’ve met people with several bottles in their vans having had to buy a new one in each country.)
- Satellite Dish and Decoder (when we bought Zagan he had a system already in place. We manually have to locate the satellites, but it works OK for how little we watch TV)
Finally, as your reward for working your way through this long list (I never realised we had so much stuff packed in our van, and I suspect we’ve still missed a few things) below is a link where you can download a PDF packing check list. It lists all the things above with a box to tick when you’ve packed it for your trip. There is also a space for comments and a sheet to add your own essentials. Simply right click on the link and choose the save option so you can store it on your own PC and print it off whenever you need it!
OurTour Motorhome Packing List
Have a great trip, wherever you go!
New to motorhome life,
planning your own motorhome adventure or
looking for the perfect gift for the motorhomer in your life?
Check out our OurTour range of books.
Great list I think we are nearly there with our bits for the trip but I just need to know what is the best mobile network and internet to use for Europe – at present we will be mostly travelling in Belgian but may also go to Holland and France and suggestions would be greatfully received.
Thanks for the comment on the list, Ju’s worked hard on it :). As for the Internet and phone networks, there is no easy answer! We tend to use 3G SIM cards instead of trying to find WiFi as we want access to the Internet every day, but don’t need huge amounts of data. We make very few voice calls, so have done little research onto the best voice SIM, sorry. Our solution is to use a EuropaSIM for Internet access when we’ll be in a country for less than 10 days or so. This gives us 100MB of data per day for €2.50, although I think the price has since increased for new customers. When we’re in a country for a couple of weeks, we get a pre-paid local SIM from whoever is providing the best deal (or whoever happens to have a shop where we are and speaks English)! Local SIMs are always cheaper than using a roaming deal, and we have always found someone would sell us one without having a local bank account or address. Just take your passport along and you’ll get one. One word of warning if you do this: make sure you know which APN to use (ask the telecommunications shop to tell you it) and know how to set it on your phone or 3G dongle. Cheers and have fun! Jay
Great help, steadily reading through your blog as we are planning our two year trip which starts in January 2017, we are heading down to Dakhla in Morocco… Can’t wait
Cheers guys, we’re heading for Morocco too in Jan so may see you down there! Jay
Try David at the wifi shop – http://www.thewifishop.net
Phenomenally helpful, and I don’t even own a motorhome! Hey, but one day… you never know :-)
Come on in, the water’s lovely. :)
Thanks for that, just sold are house and are taking a year round Europe starting July Aug time, me the wife and are 3 year old!. Been folowing your blog for a while now and it looks like you are having the time of your lives.
Thanks Adrian, we are indeed old chap, it’s awesome! Few motorhome folks travel with nippers from what we’ve seen (almost everyone’s retired) but we did meet a French couple in Morocco travelling with two small boys after selling a business and moving to some remote island somewhere (I forget where). They were having a great time, the biggest problem being tripping over small dinosaurs rampaging about the floor of the van! We hope you have an awesome time, it’s a fabulous feeling being on the road and Europe’s a gem of a continent to travel. Jay
All that fits into Dave! I don’t believe it!! x
that is bril! well done if we forget anything we’ll blame you! (only joking)
cant wait to get away
We think that’s everything, but still not sure how it all fits in here! If you spot anything we’ve missed please let us know.
Have a great adventure.
Julie :)
Hi Julie & Jason,
I have just recently discovered your blog & have gotten hooked reading it. At age 72 I was overwhelmed with questions & had pretty much given up my dream of living in a motorhome in Europe but after reading about your adventures and all the great information so well presented I am now thinking I can really do this.
The various links are so very helpful. The internet is such a fantastic source of information.
Can you tell me please of some places I can look for motorhomes for sale ? I think it better to look for people selling direct but a dealer is not out of the question. As I will be traveling alone I would like to find something around 6 +/- meters in length with a good shower & toilet and kitchen. If possible I would like to find an older model that has been well cared for & is in good condition.
I would like to find a diesel Mercedes engine and have seen a brand Hymermobil that looks quite nice. Also an Orbiter looks quite nice.
Thank you for the nice job you do with your blog. Thanks to you I think I can do this !
Best regards,
Tom
Hi Tom
Great to hear from you! 72 years – a perfect time to head out onto the road, we’ve met a fair few folks travelling in motorhomes who might look at your age and be jealous of your youth. If you want to do it, we’ll certainly help in any way we can, just ask and we’ll reply (you can email us direct if you want: julieandjason@ourtour.co.uk).
We’ve only bought two motorhomes, one from Oaktree motorhomes who are now just off J26 of the M1 in Nottinghamshire, and the other from eBay. Both turned out to be good buys and both vans were fairly old, over 15 years apiece. With this age van you have to expect and budget for some problems, especially if you’re planning on doing some serious mileage. Van #1 was a Talbot Express-based Autosleeper Harmony (a panel van conversion) and #2 is Dave. Oaktree sold the van with a 12 month guarantee and cam belt change, which swung it for us although we didn’t need to claim. I would image they made perhaps £1500 from the buying price of about £9000. We bought Dave for £10,500; the previous owners had recently bought it from Hambilton Engineering (www.hymerdirect.com) so it had been well serviced before we got it. It’s based on a Fiat chassis and has over 180,000Km on the clock, but also has a full service history. The clutch failed in France which cost over €1000 to replace, but otherwise it has been reliable – impressive considering the mountains and rough roads it’s had to contend with. Buying a diesel-engined vehicle makes sense to me as in Europe diesel’s almost always cheaper than petrol, by a long shot.
It’s hard for us to recommend any particular source, since it depends a huge amount on your budget and level of risk you’re prepared to take. Also, we’re not exactly experts at sourcing vans! You could have a look at the vans from http://www.hymerdirect.com/ to get an idea of prices/age/quality from a specialist Hymer importer. Hymers Dave’s age (20 years now) have a good reputation for build quality – which we can attest to. Also, don’t exclude eBay, our van has proved to be a great find from there but it of course carries the risk of a private sale, with no after-sale guarantee.
Good luck, don’t give up on your dream, just imagine that Greek beach, a glass of filthy-cheap wine and the daily warmth of the sun. Jay
Hello, just wanted to say thanks for this site, I am planning a trip (our first) for next year and was trawling around for books etc, when I stumbled upon your site. seems i’ve found almost everything in one place. Amazing that you have the time and patience to post everything up.
Good luck to you guys,
Peter & Vendula
You’ve not mentioned where you store your old oil drums that you fill with that WRAC wine ?!?
Phil, by now you must know us well enough to realise all the vin en vrac gets pumped into Dave’s fresh water tank! ;)
Brand new to motorhomes so your packing list is great. Many thanks.
Whats best for a long trip 1 year +, car with caravan or motorhome?
Hi Michael
The short answer would be: I don’t know fella, as we’ve only done it by motorhome. I’ve certainly no regrets going the motorhome route, we found it easy enough to get around and find places to stay. Your best bet might be to contact Margaret and Barry, or read their article here: http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/1389/318/. They’ve been travelling by both methods for years, are rather cantankerous, but the information they give is normally good.
Cheers and happy wanderings, Jason
Hi both
I’ve just committed to the purchase of my first motorhome (a 2001 Autocruise Vista) and want to thank you for such a useful list. I’ve just retired and am taking my gap year and don’t want to go off into the wild blue yonder unprepared. No chance of that now – thank you!
Hi Penny
You’re welcome! Don’t worry about being un-prepared, almost everything can be picked up on the road without too much trouble.
The Vista looks a cracking little van, fabulous design, compact and easy to get into tight spots. Have a wonderful time on your gap year; just be careful, it might turn into two gap years, or three, or four…
Cheers! Jay
Really useful reading some things that I never even thought of well done
Hi. Love your site We are two Aussies in London ready to head off of a two year trip. We have an Autotrail Cheyenne and are looking to find warmer weather in January. Southern Spain sounds nice and then we hope to follow the sun and see all we can.
We had a devils time getting insurance for the van and suspect we paid too much, we have Aussie licences and no resident status even though my husband was born in London. Anyway happy with the van and insurance and can’t wait to head off
I have been studying the list of essentials to take and it’s been very helpful.
cheers and merry Xmas to all. Wendy & Brian
Hi Wendy
Insurance is daft expensive, but it’s irrelevant really as long as it doesn’t really hurt your plans. The main thing is to do it, regardless! Have a fabulous time, live, love, learn and laugh (as a great mate of mine loves to say).
Cheers, Jay
Cracking info on here guys! Just put our deposit down on our mh and looking for an idea of things we’ll need, so your site has come up trumps.
Well done.
Thanks Ian.
Hello Julie & Jason,
Just found your site a great read and very very helpful. myself & SWMBO are planning a trip to France in september in our mh (this will be our 1st as we have just bought it)so your check list is just what we need.
Thanks very much and if half the people we meet on our travels we are going to have a fantastic time.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Iain
Hi, this information is great, we are planning on setting off next month with our 2 old cats. Can I ask, I am worrying about this but did you experience any safety issues with the van being broken into? It’s my fear we will be away from the van & the cats get stolen. Thank you
Hi Danielle
We had the same fear but in all our time away we heard of very few people where the van was broken into (and there are tens of thousands of motorhomes roaming Europe in summer), and even fewer where the van itself was stolen. My feeling is the chances of your cats being stolen is very small, and others must feel the same as plenty of people we met had pets.
There are some things you can do to improve your security. Locks and alarms are helpful to some degree, but to be honest most motorhomes can be easily broken into by popping out the plastic windows or breaking glass in the cab. The best approach IMHO is to be careful where you park. On-street parking in any city seems to increase risk, as does parking in popular tourist site car parks and sleeping in motorway services, especially non-toll ones.
Weirdly, we felt more at risk in the UK staying outside friend’s houses than we did in many of the poorer places in Europe and North Africa (there seems cars less alcohol drunk outside the UK!). You’ll work out your level of comfort for yourselves, but we found aires to be fabulous, and we did a fair bit of free camping in car parks and along quiet roads and had zero break in problems in 500 different places.
Cheers, Jason
We own a Fiat Ducato Swift Motorhome, watching Rip Off Britain on the tv we were surprised to hear that a man had his car broken into. ALTHOUGH HE WAS FULLY COMP, THE INSURANCE COMPANY REFUSED TO PAY OUT, stating that he never informed them he was going abroad and because he didn’t have a green card from the insurance company, they refused to pay him out. We contacted our insurance company and have been told that we need a card and sent it by email. So folks, just for peace of mind – check. Happy motoring.
Hi Irene. Hmmm, I’m not entirely sure this is factually correct – you don’t need a Green Card as such for much of Europe (the insurance certificate takes its place). It depends on where you intend to travel to though, worth doing your research to ensure you’re legal. Some more info here:
http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/guides/driving-abroad
http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Services/en/General+Cross+Border+Information/FAQs+Green+Card.htm
You can still ask for the card if you want, but it appears superfluous for a number of EU countries.
Cheers, Jason
Thank you so much for putting together such a comprehensive list. It’s fantastic that you took the time to do this and to linked it to websites – great idea!!! I will print out the check list and use it when we go off on our next trip as there’s always something I forget!!
We have two small dogs (very pampered!) and it’s surprising how much stuff you need for them too. This is all very helpful – the tick remover is a definite must as they are nasty little things that can cause problems.
Keep up the good work.
Hi what did you find was the best break down cover we intend to travel through France to Spain and return.
Thanks
John
Hi John. We’ve only ever called out ADAC while abroad, and they’re no longer taking UK customers. We sorted the other breakdowns ourselves, although we do have European cover included with Safeguard insurance. When arranging cover, make sure they’ll recover your vehicle weight, age, length and width. Cheers, Jay
Hi, we have literally just bought our first motorhome ( about an hour ago) so finding this blog is brilliant. Thank you so much for compiling the list and links. I look forward to reading more and staying in touch.
Hey Sue! I can feel the excitement from here! We’re on the hunt for our next one and I’m like a big kid. We popped a load of info on this blog, which we hope will be of some use, but you’ll find the motorhome community as a whole a very helpful folks. Welcome! Just drop us an email if you have any specific questions, thanks for getting in touch, Jay
This will be a brilliant guide when we are packing up for the “off to Europe trip”, so I have saved the post to my favourites. In the words of John Denver “don’t know when I’ll be back again!”. But that is not until 2016. We have bought an old motorhome and are in the process of bringing it up to date with internal decoration, new bathroom, new solar panel and batteries etc. After that it will be trotting around UK and Ireland to get used to it before the big tour. It is 30 feet long on a Mercedes lorry chassis.
The picture of tea bags is a poignant reminder. I drink a ton of tea. We went to live in Spain for 3 years and when we were shipping over our belongings, one of the essentials were 20 catering bags of our favourite local tea bags! Every time we had family visiting, the requirement was that they brought an extra catering bag of 440 with them. We never ran out once! I can see that being an issue in a motorhome, but luckily we will have plenty of storage space and I will be filling every crevice with them :)
Hi Julie and Jason,
Im on my third motorhome so l can concur with your list – the only thing l’d added that was priceless for me was a washing machine. I picked up a wonderful single gallon washer that did 2 speeds and had a 1-15 min cycle. This saved me sooooo much money along the way (£24) that it paid for itself in the first month on the road. With each campsite or public laundry charging £/€ 5-6 per wash, it became my second best friend only to the Vicarious Books guides! ( Love that shop :-)
However, as much as l love my single barrel washer, what l really wanted was the twin barrel washer sold through Argos. It was sold out at the time but it maybe available now ( 3 years later).
Thanks for the list down memory lane and the enjoyable articles, and if you’re ever in the Algarve again (Portugal) please drop in for a cuppa and a chin wag.
All the best from sunny Portugal ( Vilamoura),
Anthea & Gerard
Thanks Anthea. A few folks have suggested a small washing machine, and we’re thinking about getting one this time around. Last time we managed to find places we could wash, and enjoyed a bit of ‘downtime’ on campsites while the stuff dried! Thanks for the idea, much appreciated. Jay
Just Fantastic, Thanks
Hi you two, been reading your blog on and off for the last year. Thank you for the list, am glad to say that most of it is already in my 4 berth Suntor 100 for myself, wife and pooch. Although our van is a bit on the small side, it gets to places and parks where bigger vans can’t. Am toying with the idea of a couple of months in southern Spain after Xmas, unless I missed it, should snow chains be included on the list as a requirement if in France/Spain in winter along with florescent vests for all in van? Enjoy your next trip, Cheers Tony.
Absolutely awesome list thanks. Not planning on buying home on wheels till Feb time but am enjoying reading up on stuff to think about in preparation for our adventure !!
Ah the life of Reilly,fantastic blog ,came by your site while researching what way to go about fitting a gas system in our motorhome for a upcoming trip to France and Spain .the gas fit system looks like the best way to go ,I didn’t realise that system was available.So glad to have found your website.It’s very informative,well put together and a joy to read..thanks for all the tips .safe and healthy travels to both of you and Charlie ,,regards Declan
I haven’t bought my motorhome yet but can’t wait now after reading your fantastic blog. On the subject of washing machines, SuperU in La Châtaigneraie, Vendee France has just installed 3 washing machines in its car park next to the Motorhome parking up area, full water and waste disposal available as well. I think the largest was 28kg so ideal for duvets
I don’t know whether others will be doing the same but might be worth a new book or inclusion in the Aires bible!
Hi both. Brilliant blog. Off on our first European adventure late in March. List was so helpful as because we have done UK in our motorhome with hardly a care. Would have been short of so much without reading your story. Many thanks just got to squeeze it all in…
Guys, thank you so much – absolutely brilliant. Just printed your list off and will be using it as a reference going forward. We have just bought our first motorhome- a Burstner 680G and are so excited…. We are busy trying to think of all the things we will need and up to now its clear it won’t ALL go in – and most of it isn’t bought yet!!!! We pick it up in 3 weeks.
Honestly I could retire now…….hmmm
We are on our second camper, which is a VW T5 but want to go further for longer and are looking at Dethleffs and Hymers. We have grown up children so are looking for a van with 4 seatbelts and a drop down or permanent bed.
The areas your blog has helped are the LPG, solar and Internet issues.
One thing that intrigues me is did you consider LH drive vehicles? We are a scant hour from Portsmouth and even closer to Poole so don’t imagine RHD being an advantage.
Hi Steve, both our Hymers have been LHD.
I do the majority of the driving and I really like being positioned in the middle of the road (we spend most of our time on the continent). We know folks who use RHD for long trips, without problems. LHD does put you in the right place for overtaking though, which we don’t do much of on purpose, far too slow, but are often forced into – tractors, people broken down, folks parked in weird and wonderful places, lorries doing 3 mph on mountain passes and the like.
Cheers, Jay
For Europe and many other counties, when looking at data only. Three offer a 12GB payg sim for £30. Rates are as per UK
Your list is a godsend! SO many things I’d never thought of. We were ready to learn by (possibly bitter) experience, but this will be an excellent guide for us, as new to the campervanning fraternity.
Thank you very much!
David and Chris
Re: traction mats… I bought one of these, cut down the middle to give two mats 1.2m x 40cm… brilliant.. normally only take them to festivals etc.. where we may be on grass..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rubber-Grass-Mat-1-2-M-x-80cm-Floor-Matting-Safety-Childrens-Playground-Garden-/371645170348?hash=item5687c742ac:g:dzYAAOSwJhNXUBYo
Hi, thank you so much for this list. I was just about to sit down and go through the arduous task of firstly thinking what I had to write on a list and then actually writing a list and the probably missing important things off and this list saved me hours and hours of work, so THANK YOU!!
Thanks so much for this list. We’ve just bought our very first motorhome and are in the process of kitting it out.
We’ll probably just start off with weekends away, but your list has been a massive help!
Many thanks 😊
Great list, we have been using it for the last 5 years. Only thing we added was a table cloth very useful when stopping at Aires between sites etc.
I have also left a few things out as space is a bit restricted in our 6m PVC with 2 of us and the Jack Russell.
Have fun and thank you again for all your tips.
Regards Richard
Your updated list could not have come at a better time. We are off on our 3 month Scandinavian trip on Wednesday. We really want to say thank you to you as I have devoured your blog for the last 18 months in preparation. We’ve had some delays and hiccups as I had surgery recently so our route has been adjusted to make it slower and hopefully more gentle but we are beyond excited. Our only deadline is I want to be in the arctic circle on the longest day. Many many thanks again.
You’re in for a treat up there guys, have fun! Cheers, Jay
Hi both
We just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful site. We converted from caravan to motorhome last year after driving there just with the car and realising just how wonderfully easy it is to drive across the continent and how much there is to see and experience.
We are returning with our two teenage boys in August with a two week tour of Italy planned, taking in Rome, Pompeii and the East coast.
We have used your packing list and there were so many things we wouldn’t have even thought of! A real life saver!
Thanks again
Paul and Fiona
Thanks guys, much appreciated 😊, have a great summer tour, Jay
thanks again for all the advice so far. The packing list is most useful at present as we pick up our 1st motor home at the end of July, to say i’m excited is an understatement. Next stage of the plan is to start planning where we’d like to head on our year long trip around Europe & figure out what we need to get done to rent the house. All being well the road trip should start 2nd quarter 2019. Good luck with the Zermatt run
Regards
Dave
Cheers guys – We did our first motorhome trip 10 years ago with 3 months in Australia and 2 months in New Zealand. Been on our list since we got back, but now taken the plunge and bought a our own to pick up in a couple of weeks. Love your book/blog, been the push we’ve needed. Going to start with shorter trips but planning on a much longer adventure at some point (always comes down to money!!). Packing list is really useful. Have a good one, I know you will ! Dave and Claire
That list is superb! Perfect timing. So much to learn before our turn this summer; we are trying for a year around Europe.
Thanks
AnBe
Great list, very helpful. Is it available as a word or Excel file please?
Hi Brian
We haven’t gotten around to making a Word or Excel document yet. We’re setting off again in a couple of months though so will probably do a refresh on the list then, and use the opportunity to create an editable file.
Cheers, Jason
Brian: you can save a PDF as a Word or Excel file. Open in Acrobat Reader. Go to File / Save as Other.
This is such a huge a help, thank you so much for being so thorough. I’ll be sure to click through and earn you a few pence. Cheers, Mat.
Thanks Mat, appreciated, cheers Jay
Hi folks, we brought our mh (bus) just before the the last lockdown October’20 so not used her yet. What a great site, I just stumbled across it while looking for info on watching tv while in Europe as my husband is disabled from a stroke.
Thankyou for some great ideas
Thanks Bev, appreciate the kind words and hope you find some inspiration/useful info in here! Happy travels when the world opens up again, cheers, Jay
Hi folks, loving your website and blog, hoping for your book for my upcoming birthday and to realise our dream of travel in a couple of years.
One question I’d like to pose – What are your opinions on left hand vs right hand drive. My thought process being that if our touring is mostly based in Europe then LHD would make sense. I’ve driven France, Spain & Italy and always preferred LHD, but wondered if you had any direct or anecdotal experience to share?
Looking forward to the next post!
J
Hi John
I’d recommend getting a LHD to anyone spending most of their time on the Continent. It’s so much easier to see past obstacles which force you into oncoming traffic: slow tractors, parked vans etc.
The other option is for your passenger to look for you. That works OK (we’re currently doing that driving our LHD van in the UK) but it’s harder work for both of you.
Cheers, happy travels! Jay
Hi to you both. Trying to buy my first campervan at the end of this season for a 6 month trial next year and if all goes well will upgrade and travel longer term. You have fantastic info. and I have just bought your book for great reference too. Thank you for such a lot of help in all areas. Pamela
Hi
We’re looking for a ‘Moroccan’ Mat – if you put up an affiliate link we’ll buy one….
David
Hi David
Sorry for the delay in replying – we’ve been away and not up to the van for a while so I’m not sure which may we got. If you search Amazon for Awning Carpet (or hit this link: https://amzn.to/37PSYdO) then you’ll find a ton of woven plastic outdoor mats which are similar to the one we got.
Thanks, Jason