It is the only universal truth. That leaving your home for a holiday, you’ll have an uncomfortable feeling that you’ve forgotten something, a gnawing in your stomach. You’ll brush it off, check for your passport and purse, and try to ignore it. But then an hour, or two, or three later, it will hit you. All the things you forgot to bring. We can’t promise that reading this blog will ensure you forget nothing; doing so is part of going on holiday and part of life's rich tapestry. No matter how extensive the checklist, something will always slip through. However we can have a fair stab at helping you remember the easily forgotten essentials, the most commonly forgotten things to pack for a motorhome trip. Some of the items are more obvious than others, but isn’t it the most obvious and annoying items that we usually forget? However, we do hope that you will remember the blindingly obvious things like a toothbrush and your children (let’s not bring Home Alone off of the screens).
1. Bring Warm Clothing for the evenings
The first of out travel packing tips may have you shaking your head, it’s summer! But whilst we are glad you’re able to go on a seaside camping holiday, or driving to Spain to work on that tan, this is still a vital item. It's easy to when thinking ahead to picture your upcoming holiday as an everlasting bonanza of sunshine and warm weather. Why should I take up space in my suitcase with a jumper when I could pack another bikini? *Spoiler alert* virtually everywhere on the planet gets colder in the evenings. Being able to enjoy the heat of the day on a holiday is a lovely perk of your time away, it’s good to continue being in comfort after the sun goes down. Especially seaside areas pick up wind and cool air. So don’t be silly, pack one jumper that you can wear in the evenings. And since you’ve got a motorhome anyways, why not take pack a blanket away somewhere just in case?
2. Entertainment for your Trip
Unless you are a gambling addict craving poker, a pack of playing cards might not spring to mind when you think of things to take on a motorhome holiday. You’re thinking of hikes and days at the beach and exploring historic sites, who would want to stay home with some silly playing cards instead? Well, consider what you’ll do if it rains, how you’ll keep entertained in your motorhome. Consider your evenings, when it is too dark for moving and exploring. I’m a big fan of conversation, but in a two week holiday of just the two of you, at some point conversation can wear thin. Don’t risk this. Bring some cards and board games to keep the fun going into the evening. If you have hired a particularly spacious motorhome you could even bring the monopoly set! There is a whole rainy day of fun! You can’t always have the best weather on holiday so a good family board game can stop a rainy day from feeling like a wasted day.
3. Don’t Forget the Power!
So you've made a conscious effort to pack all of your appliances in order to have the most luxurious glamping bonanza on the continent. You’ve got your phone, iPad, laptop, blender, and who knows what else! In this time of technological marvel, most motorhomes will have power sockets, thank goodness! However, there may be times when you need to use a EU socket to charge or use something. This is more of a general and fairly obvious thing that one should bring whenever going abroad. Nonetheless, in thinking that you will be in the motorhome all the time it could easily be overlooked. Also, you would be shocked at how many people forget their chargers! It is such a vital thing, yet given its more hidden location in our homes, it is easily to neglect. Bring your charger and avoid paying extortionate fees for a new one.
4. The Sun Cream!
It is official, sunburn is not cool. Aside from the fact that nobody looks good with a sunburn, it is also extremely dangerous and can have lifelong effects. Don’t be fooled by clouds or places that aren’t exceptionally hot, for you can still get burnt. Even if you’re driving in your motorhome on a super hot day with the sun shining through, you can get burned! Do not risk it, your skin will thank you for it. Somehow this necessity never makes it into out suitcases, even though it is one of the most important things you need for camping. You can buy sun cream in most pharmacies and many campsites will sell it, but bringing it will save you time and money, and will avoid any risk. The biggest bonus is that not getting a sunburn on the first day will definitely make the rest of the holiday all the more enjoyable and comfortable.
5. Kitchen Utensils
This following situation has happened to almost everyone. You’re sitting in a hotel room, by a campfire or in your motorhome. You have a lovely bottle of wine chilled and ready, and glasses to drink from. When you realise… you don’t have a bottle opener! In the ideal world of motorhome hire, the person you are hiring from will have detailed what kind of kitchen utensils they provide if any. But if they don’t or you’re unsure - do not risk it! They are light and small to pack, so bring bottle openers, tin openers and all that jazz! Motorhome trips are a lot like camping trips with all the trimmings, but as that scout motto goes “always be prepared”, we cannot stress these travel packing tips enough. Holidays on the road are a great time to bring out and use all those little survival gadgets you have acquired over the years that have little to no practical use in our everyday domestic lives. "Finally, an excuse to use my spork and solar powered phone charger!" I hear you all chorus.
6. Not the Swimmers!
It sounds painfully obvious, but we have all been there. When considering things you need for camping, your polka dot bikini doesn’t always make the cut. Or not realising there was the option of swimming at your holiday destination and thus not being prepared for it. Many campsites in the UK and abroad have a swimming pool you may want to take a dip in. You don’t need to be going to the beach to benefit from your swimmers. Some motorhome owners will provide you with a towel but we are yet to have someone listed with us that provides swimming trunks.. Let's face it, we don't get to use our swimming attire all that often in the UK, so it’s important we remember it for when we can finally get to use it! If you think you will be swimming more than once a day and swapping between the sea and a pool you might even want to bring a couple swimming costumes- shocking, I know!
7. Spice up your Trip
Motorhomes are a relatively luxurious way of camping and life on the road, they combine camping and exploration with comfort. And part of that comfort is in all the cooking possibilities it opens! So make sure you can make meals that aren’t lacking in flavour, and be sure to bring some spices and herbs. Given the limited space for ingredients and cooking possibilities, these will make all the difference and give your meals the punch they desire. You will probably be able to get basic ingredients in most places you will end up on the road, however buying a set of spices just for a road trip seems a bit excessive. So remember those spices you need to make some legendary road trip chili! Unsure which spices to take, or just looking for some general cooking tips, check out our blog on camping cuisine!
Well there you have it, the 7 most commonly forgotten things to pack for a motorhome holiday. And hopefully after reading this, you’ll always remember these 7 items, if nothing else! Please remember to bring all the more obvious things as well, these 7 can in no way get you through an entire trip! And finally so that you don’t forget the motorhome for your motorhome holiday, we have another list for you. You can find a list of motorhomes for hire on Goboony here!
