5 reasons to buy a campervan
Written by Daily Fix - Published 07-Aug-2022, last updated 21-Jun-2024
Are you looking for an adventure? Do you want to explore the open road on spontaneous road trips in your home country or as part of foreign travel adventures? Determined to spend more time away than last year? A camper van may be the perfect solution for you. They are versatile, customizable and your very own holiday cottage on wheels.
Here are 5 reasons we think you should buy a camper van:
Spontaneous trips in your campervan. Every day is a new adventure!
Pack up the van and head out onto the open road. Point the camper and just drive, see where you end up. Or plan everything and build an adventurous itinery exploring a part of the country you've never visited before which may be a good idea so that you don't miss anything along the way or in the local area when you arrive.
Travelling in a camper van is a great way to explore beautiful places and is just more fun than staying in hotels or guest houses. And the kids will love the sense of adventure.
Spend less time waiting at airports and more time on holiday! Shorter trips can be mixed with longer trips away making time away in a campervan, or motorhome road trips, a new way of life.
Campervan life - Freedom, convenience, flexibility
A camper van is the ultimate in convenience. You can go where you want, when you want and don't even have to worry about finding somewhere to stay if you are up for a bit of wild camping. Just park up and you're all set for the night.
One of the best things when you have your own campervan is that easy getaways are the new norm - you don't have to worry about schedules or transport timetables. Just hop on the road and go wherever you want and whenever you want. Got Friday off? Jump in the campervan on Friday morning and head off for a long-weekend. As others are stuck in the office in their 9 to 5 job, you are enjoying fresh air, beautiful places, and your latest adventure.
The first time you go away in a campervan you will understand why so many people embrace the campervan life and motorhome ownership and all the benefits campers and motorhomes bring.
Campervans are versatile
Aside from their primary use, campervans are versatile. They can be used as a mobile office, or even as a guest room when you have friends or relatives staying with you and you need some extra space.
Choose the right campervan and you can even replace your own motor vehicle, using the camper van as your daily driver and family vehicle with its own bed and kitchen facilities!
Affordable travel
There are lots of types of vans and a huge range in asking prices, but camper vans can be very affordable and save you money in the long run. You can find a used camper van for under £5,000, but you should probably budget at least £15,000 for a camper van which doesn't have galactic miles and all the repair bills such mileage can bring.
New vehicles can easily cost upwards of £60,000 for those with deep pockets.
And camping costs a fraction of what it would cost to stay in a hotel or guest house saving you money you can spend on more time away. Staying in a decent bed and breakfast when you visit relatives or go on holiday can easily cost £100 per night (and more if you have children), and a hotel at least £150 if it's not run like Fawlty Towers - and that's not to mention the other hotel bills you may rack up such as spa treatments, midnight mini-bar raids and room service.
You can also cook your own food if your campervan has kitchen facilities and save even more money compared with dining out in restaurants while you are on holiday.
Compare that with the cost of a pitch on a camping, caravanning and campervan site in the middle of glourious countryside that might only cost £15 per night.
Yes, you have to maintain your campervan and pay for things such as campervan insurance, but if you bought a holiday cottage you would pay thousands of pounds in stamp duty, legal fees and kitting out the cottage. A campervan can be your very own holiday cottage by the sea, countryside retreat, bolthole in the Cotswolds and Lake District hideaway all in one!
Build strong bonds and happy memories with your kids
Holidays with the family in a campervan offers up a unique and fun way to spend time together and that has to be a great thing. Large families may have trouble squeezing into a VW Camper, but there are plenty of larger motorhomes that sleep 6 or more people. And you can always pack a tent if you have a particularly large family.
In a world where we spend less and less time interacting with people face-to-face, and more and more time with our heads stuck in our phones and on social media, a bit of enforced closeness isn't a bad thing! Young children will love nothing more than piling into a campervan together, sharing beds, having movie nights in the camper and being in each other's pockets for a few days.
High quality time on a campervan holiday, whataver the length of stay, has to be one of the best thinga about owning your own campervan.
And one more reason to buy a camper van, you can take the dog
For dog owners, a holiday without the doggie just doesn't seem like a proper holiday.
If you are going away and staying in a hotel or bed and breakfast, you need to make sure they allow pets. Or if you choose to stay in a self catering cottage, you'll need to make sure it's a dog friendly cottage.
But having your own camper van means you can take your furry friend along with you and your pooch will love it. Just be sure your dog travels safely, in a purpose built travel cage or crate if possible. And never leave them alone in the van, especially on warm days.