In this article we tell you about the latest developments regarding our house, the motorhome we bought and the features of our new motorhome.
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (1) | Traveling indefinitely: introduce yourself!
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (2) | Selling a house and looking for a motorhome
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (3) | Camper bought + features and upgrades
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (4) | Camper insurance full-time living and travel
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (5) | Final preparations and departure
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (6) | Experiences and tips for motorhome travelers
An update
If you have read our previous blog, you may have remembered that we were about to sign the preliminary purchase contract. That has now happened and the reflection period is over. We now have to wait for the message that the buyers have finalized the financing.
In addition, we have both submitted our official letter of resignation to our employers. At the end of July we have our last working day. Our adventure really starts from August!
More items have been sold in the meantime. The display cabinet has been given a nice place with a colleague and the sofa bed with a student.
Furthermore, the plants, sports equipment and other items that cannot be included have been sold. Although quite a lot has already been sold, we still have plenty to sell. We have also started sorting things that we want to sell on King's Day.
Also read: Sell your used stuff for a world trip | Fast extra money
Taking a break
Recently we went to Alicante for a few days in Spain where we had a wonderful time. We had already booked this trip before we made the final decision to travel. We weren't sure if it was the right time to leave, but we're glad we went. During these days we had the time to really realize what a wonderful, exciting and challenging adventure we are embarking on. Mentally we have calmed down and are looking forward to discovering all kinds of beautiful places every day in a few months.
The search for a motorhome
We went to motorhome dealers for the third time to look for our cottage on wheels. In recent weeks we noticed a clear difference compared to the previous searches on the internet. If we had found a potential motorhome at the beginning of the week, it would often have been sold by the middle of the week. Because of our work, we depend on the weekends to be able to do a viewing. Last Friday there were four potential campers on the list.
Saturday morning we set the alarm at 6.00 am to go for 'a round' again. This time with success. We have found our motorhome! This was the third quest and that's a charm, right?
Research and knowledge
The price of the motorhome is certainly not unimportant. We would like to advise everyone to do sufficient research in advance and ultimately come up with an amount for the maximum cost of the motorhome.
We are lucky to have a neighbor and uncle who know a lot about campers and cars. They have given us a lot of information. In addition, all the hours of reading and searching on the internet have also brought us knowledge. The motorhome dealer said he could tell that we had done good research and had adequate knowledge.
What are the important features of the motorhome for us?
The length
In our previous blog we told you that we find a number of features important in a motorhome. We were hoping to find a motorhome that would be a maximum of 7 meters in length. That worked. Our camper is 6.90 meters long. We've looked at RVs of various lengths and layouts. We think this is a nice length for us and hope it will allow us to park easily and get into small streets.
The bed
We have seen all types of beds in the campers. Think of pull-down beds, bunk beds, transverse beds, queen beds and length beds. Our preference was for a transverse bed or a longitudinal bed. Our camper has a length bed and is bigger than what we now sleep in at home! We both have a mattress and we can enlarge the bed by placing both intermediate parts (mattress pieces). We think it's so nice to sleep next to each other.
The cooking facilities
Last time we stated that we also find this important. Our preference was for a camper with a 3 burner stove. It is present in our camper. Laura loves to cook and experiences it as a luxury to have 3 burners at her disposal.
Some motorhomes are equipped with an oven, but we don't have one. We will probably miss them a bit. An oven is a luxury. We may eat dishes from an oven elsewhere. We got a tip for a 'wonder pan'. We'll take a look at that option soon.
The kitchen
The rest of the kitchen is equipped with a sink with tap, refrigerator, freezer and cupboard space. This camper has a spacious refrigerator. As a result, there is less worktop space. We will probably be using the table later when cooking and cutting vegetables and the like.
The storage space
That we have to declutter is certain and we have been busy for a while.
However, we would like to be able to take something with us in the camper. During the search for a motorhome, this was one of the most important features. We find it difficult to estimate how much we can and want to take with us in the end. In our camper we have small wall cupboards and under the bed are two cupboards. We also have a 'garage' at the back of the motorhome. Here you can (folding) bicycles and the outdoor table and chairs. In addition to the available space, we also have to take into account the maximum number of kilograms that we can load.
The plumbing
The shower and toilet are in the bathroom of the camper. When you open the door of the bathroom, you will see a toilet and a sink. Then you can click a lever and a door will appear. You can turn this completely to the wall of the toilet. That way the toilet is out of sight. You will then see the shower hose hanging in the cabin. When we first saw this system in pictures on the internet, we didn't immediately understand how it works. We have now seen many motorhomes with this handy invention!
Solar panels
When traveling we mainly want to use (free) camper places. It is not the intention that we make frequent use of paid places with all facilities. We would like to be able to live without electricity and water for a few days. There are already two on our camper solar panels and an inverter. If it hadn't been for these, we would have installed them ourselves.
The BlueSolar panels from Victron Energy are of high quality: the toughened glass ensures improved impact resistance and stiffness of the panel. The sturdy, fully anodized housing allows for easy mounting on the roof.
Victron Energy solar panels come with a 25-year power and performance warranty.
Even in low light, energy can be generated with the BlueSolar panels, thanks to the high light sensitivity of the solar cells. When the BlueSolar panels are partially shaded, the energy loss is minimized by the bypass diodes.
- Best tested consumer association
- High yield
- Work even in low light
- 25 year power and performance warranty
- No supplied cables
Heating
The camper can be heated by means of ring heating. This one works on gas. We are going to experience what this will be like. If the costs for gas become too high or if it turns out that purchasing gas bottles is too difficult, we can look at LPG. An LPG tank could be built in the camper to replace the gas bottles. You can then fill up with LPG at a gas station. For the time being, we will stick to how the camper is now equipped.
Water tank and filter
The camper has a clean water tank of 110 liters. We will no longer shower every day while traveling. We will use some water and a washcloth more often. This way we can still wash ourselves and save water.
There is no water filter in the motorhome (yet). We are still thinking about purchasing this. If you have these in the camper, you can filter water from a tap into drinking water.
Do you ever doubt the water quality? The AquaLogic Inline-C-Ultra water filter is a water filter that is easy to place in your motorhome or caravan.
The AquaLogic Inline-C-Ultra is a drinking water filter with the ability to absorb taste, color and odors, including chlorine and other chemicals. This will greatly improve the taste and quality of your drinking water.
- Best tested
- Affordable
- Odor and tasteless water
- Easy installation
Age and mileage
While looking for a motorhome, we also paid attention to the age and mileage. We had not set a limit for the year of manufacture of the motorhome. It depended on the condition of the camper, mileage, costs, etc
We bought a diesel camper. We have been told and read about that a diesel engine can generally travel a lot of miles.
Also read: Our 4×4 world trip camper (2) | Gadgets & Upgrades
Roadworthy and other practical matters
Our camper is made roadworthy, gets a check and any defects are repaired. Soon we will be able to pick up our house on wheels. We are now going to get started with the insurance and looking for a parking space, which we need for the coming months. We are now one step closer to our adventure and can now focus on the following points.
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (1) | Traveling indefinitely: introduce yourself!
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (2) | Selling a house and looking for a motorhome
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (3) | Camper bought + features and upgrades
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (4) | Camper insurance full-time living and travel
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (5) | Final preparations and departure
Also read: Traveling with a motorhome (6) | Experiences and tips for motorhome travelers
