Retirement/wintering abroad.....

alisonwo said:
Do you guys plan where you are going or just meander in Spain or Portugal? We are heading out end of Jan till early March. Also getting a bit jumpy about MH thefts and break ins so not sure I want to go anymore.
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I felt the same first time we did it nothing to worry about .
There thousands of vans in Spain Portugal on the roads .
I feel safer there than here.
Loads aires and stopovers .don't let people put you off.
 
alisonwo said:
Do you guys plan where you are going or just meander in Spain or Portugal? We are heading out end of Jan till early March. Also getting a bit jumpy about MH thefts and break ins so not sure I want to go anymore.
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Hi, Alison, thought I'd reply as I started the thread !! This is our 4th wintering in Spain/Portugal and it can be a bit of a learning curve first time..we now combine established and enjoyable stopovers with new ones as they become available. All part of the fun !! There's continual updates on here and WC as to people's latest experiences as they travel around. The POI's provide great wilding information. If you need a campsite then there's the "acsi" card for off season discounts or increasingly there's the "in-between"... ever more "Camper-Parks" springing up everywhere where you pay 8 to 13 euro for the security of being behind a locked gate overnight.
All horses for courses....as for your worries about break-ins etc....do you ever cross the road ? Do you ever leave your house to go shopping ? Life's all about "risks".... that's why somebody invented "insurance" LOL ?!!!!!! Make sure your house is fully insured for the length of time you are away (we have "add-on" cover as away more than standard house insurance covers) and adequate van and contents cover........THEN GO FOR IT !! Maja
 
where do you guys go for winter? im new to motorhomes & love the idea of missing the UK winters
 
I am currently enjoying my first venture 'South for the Winter' After a slow and enjoyable meander down through the centre of France and a right turn (Clyde) accross and over the Spanish border. I am now just outside the town of Peniscola.

I intend to continue South, until my tyres feel the cold Atlantic water, then turn right again and continue to enjoy this adventure

Ed
 
maja07 said:
that's why somebody invented "insurance" LOL ?!!!!!! Make sure your house is fully insured for the length of time you are away (we have "add-on" cover as away more than standard house insurance covers) and adequate van and contents cover........THEN GO FOR IT !! Maja
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What add on cover do you have and from where?
Thanks
Pete
 
Retiredandtravelling said:
where do you guys go for winter? im new to motorhomes & love the idea of missing the UK winters
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I think that to get guaranteed nice weather during the UK winter it’s necessary to fly somewhere outside Europe. The Mediterranean offers warmer weather, but not hot and it is very unpredictable. Unfortunately of course this means leaving the motorhome at home,
Failing that, the UK winter can be great in a warm motorhome. Lots of quiet and spectacular places to park, away from the crowds.
 
Retirement means having choices not available during one's working life and that doesn't mean having to sit in southern Arizona for months, or sitting on a beach in Spain or sitting anywhere in Morocco - all of which would be worse than working in my opinion.
For us, one aspect of exercising choice was to spend late autumn/early winter freezing our proverbials off in Iceland watching the northern lights every second night, or travelling slowly down from northern Alaska to the Mexucan border enjoying three months of vivid autumn colours, or as in our current trip, spending deepest darkest winter in England and Ireland - benefits and wonders to be determined after the event given how many say we are crazy. One benefit might be alnost complete absence of annoying tourists, screaming kids, barking dogs and crowing roosters, sunburn and annoying insects, but time will tell. Our choice.


Hmmmm, just realised I already said all this. Sorry, don't see a delete post option
 
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Tony Lee said:
Retirement means having choices not available during one's working life and that doesn't mean having to sit in southern Arizona for months, or sitting on a beach in Spain or sitting anywhere in Morocco - all of which would be worse than working in my opinion.
For us, one aspect of exercising choice was to spend late autumn/early winter freezing our proverbials off in Iceland watching the northern lights every second night, or travelling slowly down from northern Alaska to the Mexucan border enjoying three months of vivid autumn colours, or as in our current trip, spending deepest darkest winter in England and Ireland - benefits and wonders to be determined after the event given how many say we are crazy. One benefit might be alnost complete absence of annoying tourists, screaming kids, barking dogs and crowing roosters, sunburn and annoying insects, but time will tell. Our choice.


Hmmmm, just realised I already said all this. Sorry, don't see a delete post option
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No need to delete. All that miserable weather has perhaps addled the brain ?
 
Very interesting thread, loved it. Thanks to everyone who contributed and extra thanks to Tony Lee for photos and the associated notes. Jagmanx, what a nice house.
I am retired but my wife, who expected to retire at 60, has to keep at it till 66 so I need to stay healthy enough to enjoy some of these experiences later.
Are driving licence categories in US similar to UK, or can anyone drive one of those RVs?
 
Peteabix said:
What add on cover do you have and from where?
Thanks
Pete
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Hi Pete, interestingly we looked on internet first...did not find what we wanted just by clicking. Would involve ringing and talking to people which we thought defeated the object of searching online. Just as an off chance we walked into BP brokers on the high street...explained our requirements...left them to it...went shopping. An hour later returned to find an Aviva policy waiting with the add on and half the price of anything online !! Maja
 
jagmanx said:
After my Parents and sister died (1995 Mother, 2001 Father,and 2003 Sister) I sought to change my life ahead...
I still keep in contact with my niece (a lot) and nephews (FB).
But I found a lovely Thai woman whos came to Uk with me whilst I was working.
We bought a MoHo and enjoyed..
SO we now let out UK house
Have built a Thai house (Or Hovel as PaulJenny might say !).
WE "hibernate in Thailand" for 6 months and we return to UK and travel in the MoHo for 6 months.
You may have seen other posts re our travels etc.
We started this in 2013 and so far so Very Very Good.
An image of our "hovel" 4UView attachment 39402

It has not all been "Easy Peasy" but overall it has been great !
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Hi, we too have the same idea! I met my wife in London, a thai girl who has lived in UK for past 30 years; we have bought land in Chiang Mai and are currently building our winter home there.. plan is in a couple of years to spend winters there and summers in UK.. possibly travelling in our MH
 
Retiredandtravelling said:
Hi, we too have the same idea! I met my wife in London, a thai girl who has lived in UK for past 30 years; we have bought land in Chiang Mai and are currently building our winter home there.. plan is in a couple of years to spend winters there and summers in UK.. possibly travelling in our MH
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Go for it..There will be problems etc but mainly able to overcome
 
Retiredandtravelling said:
Hi, we too have the same idea! I met my wife in London, a thai girl who has lived in UK for past 30 years; we have bought land in Chiang Mai and are currently building our winter home there.. plan is in a couple of years to spend winters there and summers in UK.. possibly travelling in our MH
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I note I cannot PM you ..If you want more info about your Thai visa situation and how we have managed 6 months plus for the last 5 years then email me jagmanx@talk21.com
 
I was planning to go South for tje winter, again. Alas, some minor stuff keeping me here until after Christmas.

Not sure if i will take the campervan or just rent a place. I do fancy a few months in Porto though.
 
My wife and I are planning to spend time away next winter - any recommendations on locations / sites - not too pricey and not too isolated, thanks in advance
 
Pauljenny said:
Fuel Prices. ... France ...1.45€ at supermarkets.. 1.55 at garages.. 1.65 on motorway Aires..... Spain , about 20 cents cheaper...filled up at Repsol, 2 miles south of Salamanca... 1.21.
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2cv said:
We don’t RV out there, though may possibly try it sometime. We just rent a car and stay in Palm Desert. The weather there is perfect in October/November and February/March, a little cool otherwise and horribly hot in the summer.
We often combine our stay with a road trip, for example had a few days in Vegas in March. Elsewhere such as Arizona can be a little cool in winter, though not cold generally. It would certainly be pleasant in parts of Arizona in the winter and warmer than anywhere in Europe.
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I’ve got got an itch that won’t go away. I follow Bob Well’s YouTube channels. CheapRvliving, and the new HOWA one.
Homes On Wheels Alliance helps near destitute nomads improve their lives. One way is by buying a cheapish minivan (people carrier) , taking the rear seats out, putting in a bed , bit of solar, battery’n such. All for under $3000, then giving it away.
Now, hotels car hire and the like over a six month trip would come to a lot more than that. I doubt if Nik would agree, but wouldn’t it be great to see the Pacific Ocean, the North West of the US during a 6month holiday, and still be able to do someone a good turn.
Daydreamsarestillus.com
 
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