I am considering buying a motorhome and setting off round Oz.
My sensible friend said my best first step would be to hire/borrow a motorhome and try it out for a weekend. Yes, that makes sense. It will be me and my dog, so I'd need to see how that goes with her, am I able to drive the thing (and park it), do I like the driving and am I cool with being a female solo traveller.
I live in QLD and would be looking to hire one or even borrow one from someone for a weekend in Jan.
Does anyone have any advice about the best way to do this? I would be looking to try one out that is about 17 foot long and one where you sleep over the drivers seat (as I need to try this confined sleeping arrangement out). Where could I hire one from? Do people rent theirs out privately? If they did how would I find out about them?
Welcome to the gang jacknscoob, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Now, yes, hire and try first. Maybe get one with the bed above but the table folds down to a bed as well, that way you can try both. Then if you prefer sleeping "down stairs" you can get one with a permanent bed set up.
Aslo and as well even, keep in mind once you set up at camp you are stuck there like glue unless you are prepaired to pack things away, maybe leave a table or large outside matt to claim your spot when you return. Set yourself up so you can do everything as not to rely on others to help as they might not always be around or willing. 'Some' feel used even if it happens a lot.
Also and as well even again, most importantly make sure your little mate is happy with the arrangements too. Make sure, as I'm sure you do anyway that you clean up after your little mate and don't let him/her run around camp sites off the lead, it is most annoying to some neighbours. Just recently I have been around 2 big dogs and others allowed to roam around the camp and leave logs and they never got picked up or vary rarely.
Maybe even see if you can hire a caravan as well at another time to see if you prefere that way of travelling.
If you go down the track of Motorhome or large campervan, you could always add a small car to the back later if you feel the need.
The most important thing to remember is ENJOY.
Keep Safe on the roads.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Thursday 31st of December 2015 09:15:06 AM
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DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
And it's welcome from us two 2 Jacknscoob just a thought I have been considering an electric bike as an added mobility item I would think they would be great for motor home owners as one could run around on it instead of packing up everything just to go get some milk ect
Anyone out there with one how do you like it ?
Woody
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When the power of Love becomes greater than the love of power the World will see peace ! 24ft Trailblazer 5th wheeler n 05 Patrol ute and Black Series Dominator camper trailer ( for the rough stuff)
I doubt that you will find a private hire or "lend", as people are often very protective of their toys.
That said, you can look on line at places like Britz or Apollo and they have a selection of units that you could consider. In that way you could perhaps try 2 or 3 different layouts over a period to see what you prefer and handle easily. Certainly I would give it a week rather than just a weekend, and would also consider the bed issue, as while you are young and lithe now, in 5 or 10 years time, the bed over the cab may just become a PITA for you.
I suggest trying 2 or 3 different layouts, based on our experience. We are caravanner's, and had 3 different layouts until we found our current, and much preferred layout. SO much preferred that we have looked at changing vans over the past 12 months, and as there are limited units with "our" layout, we just can't bring ourselves to do change. Our first touring van (thankfully 2nd hand) was in our must have layout at the time. It took us 4 days to decide that it wasn't for us layout wise once we started to use it. We finally found our preferred layout 12 months and 12000 kilometres later.
Anyway, good luck in your search, and keep us all posted as you progress.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Thursday 31st of December 2015 10:35:25 AM
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Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
Hi Jackie. Welcome to the Forum and to the joys of holidaying on wheels :)
Particularly being by yourself to start with, you may find it a bit daunting, but once you get the hand of it, you'll LOVE it.
I would suggest you hire a van for a week, as a weekend will hardly be enough to find out if this is "your thing"
Many other singles (with and without dogs) travel the land and they sometimes travel in convey - usually just 1-2 of them if its long term, or they meet up in Nomads sites - and there are plenty. Have a look at the other topics like "solos" and also "Greens Lakes" - many from this site meet together as a group and stay there long term and its a great way to find out all about nomading and all the benefits and tips
There are plenty of RV hire companies that will hire you a motorhome - Britz and Maui are two very big companies and they have a range of vehicle sizes and configurations with both a bed above the cab as well as additional ones in the living area. Suggest you google "vehicle hire companies" and find out whats near to you and their prices.
The other thing with your dog is to remember to make sure it is up to date with its vaccinations and flea, worm and TICK medications (ticks are a major issue in some areas and will make your little one very sick, very quickly). I would suggest googling that topic so you know what to look for early on (or seek advice from a Vet) if your furry gets a tick and also knowing the correct way to remove them with leaving the head and poison attached when you pull off the body
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
There is so much to think about as there are sooooo many options....lol.
Is internet easy to get on the road, as long as you stay near the coast or towns?
Yes, in the small print of most of the Motorhome hire firms I have looked at, they do say no pets. However, I have a non-shedding spoodle who is crate trained.....could there be an option to declare ignorance about my stowaway pup, as i would want to see how she fares in the vehicle as well. As long as there was no damage, could it still be viable to take her incognito?
Lol I would not like to see you with an imaginary pet in your hired vehicle Jackie, the number of people I bust with pets in the motel I work in is frustrating (you can bet your bottom dollar that the next person to hire will have a sensitive nose and all hell will break lose)..... even more frustrating is the number of people that leave them locked in vehicles over night.......... So dont become one of them.....
Does scoob travel in the car with you now? If happy with that I am sure whatever mode you choose will work without a test run.
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I Remember It ...............All Too Well
Wherever the four winds blow. I'm restless, I'm ready
Hi Jackie
On the question of taking your furry with you - just be aware that when you return a hire RV, they are sniffing and looking for any animals who may have been in it - so if you go ahead with your best mate, just be aware they may try to hit you with "cleaning costs" to get rid of any smells they claim to have noticed (they will take it from your C/C or bond if you refuse to pay it.
On the subject of the Internet - you really only have one choice and that is Telstra. My wife and I both have laptops and we bought a dongle (which is like and oversized thumb drive that plugs into a USB outlet). You can also buy a short external aerial as often you will need one in fringe areas. You don't need to permanently mount it anyway and it comes with a magnet base that wont stick on as most RVs which are aluminum or gel coat). We go pre-paid and its $100 for 10GB. But the other Telcos have no-where near the coverage that Telstra does outside the metro areas.
We also have an Optus "hot spot" which is like a WIFI device - a little black box about the size of a cigarette pack. It operates the same as a dongle (but can be easier to misplace in an RV as we have found). With Optus they charge less than Telstra for data, so we use them when we are in or near metro areas and often large towns now have Optus cover.
For this reason, we carry a Telstra pre-paid phone just for use in emergency in areas where we can only get Telstra, but have our own Optus phones which are cheaper.
I maybe telling you how to suck eggs, but just be aware that pre-paid has expiry dates each time you buy credit, so make sure you use as much of it as you can. They don't give you a refund or roll over credits on pre-paid when you buy the next lot of credit (you can buy credit vouchers starting at $10 from most servos) or you can buy on-line (if you have internet reception at that time)
You get the hang of it really quickly. If you need more advice try to find a Telco shop when its quiet and hopefully has an older person working there - they will help explain more to you without trying to do a sales job or confuse you with techo type stuff lol
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Thanks for the info. Yes, I suppose Daisy doesn't have to come with me on my trial test trip, she's cool in the car anyways. It is more about if I am comfy sleeping in the vehicle, being a solo traveller and can actually drive it, doh!
I have a few basic questions...so I apologise in advance of my obvious newbeyness.
If you have the vehicle running to have the AC on in the cab does it use as much petrol up as if you are driving...is it the period that the engine is on that dictates petrol consumption? Would the AC in the cab fill the whole Motorhome, or is it too big (the vehicle not the AC :o).
Does the electric work if the motor is running eg could I plug in my laptop to charge?
Does the toilet and shower work without electricity?
Is the gas bottle just for cooking or anything else?
Does the fridge stop working when not plugged in or whilst driving?
If you stopped at a friends house, all you'd need is an extension lead and then you can plug in, right?
So if you stopped over night or anywhere where you couldn't plug in to the electric....would nothing work? Except the battery on my laptop
I have seen a few Automatic Motorhome's to rent that are in he style I am looking to test out but they are all approx 23 foot, whereas I would prefer a smaller one....17-18 foot. Will my main problem just be parking the thing?
Do you have to empty out the toilet everyday?
One motorhome I have looked at uses "Approximately 13 litres per 100 km"...is that good? I usually run an old Mazda 2...lol.
It says "Interior lights operate on the 12V battery only" does that mean that I have to take a torch?
Sorry for all the questions.........any pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated X
Would the AC in the cab fill the whole Motorhome, or is it too big (the vehicle not the AC :o).
Not a good idea. If you are in a van park powered site then the AC in the living quarters of the motorhome will keep you cool and comfortable. You could use a generator where they are permitted and your neighbours dont mind but it will need to be at least 2KVA (and pretty heavy).
Does the electric work if the motor is running eg could I plug in my laptop to charge?
A motorhome will have two battery systems, one to start the motor and run the vehicle accessories, and the other to provide power and light to the motorhome.
Does the toilet and shower work without electricity?
Yes provided the house batteries are charged up.
Is the gas bottle just for cooking or anything else?
It will probably work a hot water system and might have an option to power an external BBQ.
Does the fridge stop working when not plugged in or whilst driving?
There are two types of fridges. Some work off gas as well as 12V or 240V and others that work off 12V and 240V. The motorhome you buy will have one of these.
If you stopped at a friends house, all you'd need is an extension lead and then you can plug in, right?
The power plug on the side of the vehicle is 15A (larger earth plug). It is most likely that the sockets available at your friends house will be 10A. Adaptors are available, but care is required. If you want to use an appliance that heats, take it into your friends house and use it there.
So if you stopped over night or anywhere where you couldn't plug in to the electric....would nothing work? Except the battery on my laptop
All low voltage (12V) gear would work while-ever the batteries had sufficient charge.
I have seen a few Automatic Motorhome's to rent that are in he style I am looking to test out but they are all approx 23 foot, whereas I would prefer a smaller one....17-18 foot. Will my main problem just be parking the thing?
Auto transmissions are available in most brands and sizes. Ours is about 20ft. Side vision and narrow supermarket car parking spots are the main problem.
Do you have to empty out the toilet everyday?
Not even after a curry dinner.
One motorhome I have looked at uses "Approximately 13 litres per 100 km"...is that good? I usually run an old Mazda 2...lol.
Ours being fairly small uses 10.5 to 10.8L/100Kms
It says "Interior lights operate on the 12V battery only" does that mean that I have to take a torch?
No. There are some very good 12V lights. Think LED.
Most people you meet that are on the road are happy to talk about their set-up. Get all the info you can. There probably is no such thing as the perfect set-up, do the best you can but recognise that you will probably want to make changes Good luck.
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BJC
"A year from now you'll wish you had started today."
So are 'the house batteries' charged up whilst you are driving or plugged in to a campsite or both? They then last until the end of their charge life.
So the toilet, shower, CD player, AC, fridge, lights + other plug sockets (for my laptop) last until the stored power runs out...do all these items draw electric from the same system? Or separate mini systems?
Is there a meter/gauge so you can see how low your electric is on each item or do things stop working all at once?
Plus, like my Dad would always say...don't leave the lights on...to save stored electric, yes?
Is it like charging your mobile and eventually it will run out, unless recharged, so to save battery I would use it less and switch it off. Eg. only shower, use the microwave when you are plugged in.
I think I am getting it...lol. I will be hiring a motorhome before I decide to buy.
Your questions are good, the unknown aspects of travelling can be daunting to anyone, more so if you plan to do it solo. My advice to people that ask these sort of questions about going on the road is to go and mix with the people that are on the road.
Take a weekend off or longer, treat yourself and book into a cabin in a Caravan Park, in a nice location. Take a fold up chair and a bottle of whatever your tipple is, some nibblies and a glass. Spoil yourself.
Walk around the Caravan Park and say hello to all the Motor home owners you pass by (caravanners as well) Pass the time of day and ask where they are from etc. They love telling you where they've been where they're going. Mention you are thinking of going on the road yourself but not sure of what sort of vehicle to get.
You will be surprised how many will want to show you around their MH or caravan. The more you ask the more they will tell you. Be bold ask if there is a Happy Hour that they go to as your interested in talking to like minded travellers. Mentioning you will be a solo traveller and have reservations about travelling alone will get you the responses you need to hear.
Getting an invite to HAPPY HOUR (this is where the fold up chair and bottle, nibblies, and a glass come into play) or if you see an interesting group circling up. Be bold ask if they mind you joining them. I bet no one says No.
You will get great information, a good Idea of what is likely to suit you before you hire anything. Hiring is not cheap but I would recommend it.
We have had people knock on our door to enquire about our Avan and how do we find it etc. Or whats that Satellite Dish like, or who made your Awning etc. This goes on all the time while camping, so you wont be seen as a nosey neighbour at all. Most people are really happy to have a chat and show off their little bit of Heaven.
