Anyone going on holiday?

Some of the mobile homes these days are like luxury houses. Much more spacious than you might think and with full kitchen facilities.
It's not the luxuriousness of it - it's being in a park full of people who are there doing the same thing you're doing.

To me, it's different than a hotel. A hotel, no matter how nice, no one wants to spend the day in the hotel (unless it's a resort hotel, but I don't like those either). A hotel, you sleep in it, maybe have breakfast in it, maybe a drink in the afternoon, but generally, you're out and about, doing your thing, and when you see others at the hotel, it's just for 45 minutes during breakfast, and no interacting.

Those campsite places, with those holiday homes, they're designed to for people who want to spend more time there. There's usually a play area for kids, there're kitchens and maybe outdoor cooking areas, and the next thing you know, you've got the family in the next cottage asking, "Where're you from, then?" and you're being asked over for drinks. There's too much opportunity for socializing like that when you throw everybody together.
 
It's called "being made homeless." Holidays didn't come into it.
I understand, sorry about that. I didn't mean to imply you had a choice. I was just speaking in general terms about those holiday camps.
 
hen you see others at the hotel, it's just for 45 minutes during breakfast, and no interacting.

Well when my kids were younger it was a fairly regular thing for us to do - ridiculously cheap compared to a hotel - peanuts in fact in comparison. I can't remember ever having interaction with other folk - we treated it just like a hotel base. But it was better than that because we could cook if we wanted and had far more space than in a hotel room, so in the evening you could relax and watch TV, have a few drinks etc. without feeling you were sitting in a bedroom.
 
Well when my kids were younger it was a fairly regular thing for us to do - ridiculously cheap compared to a hotel - peanuts in fact in comparison. I can't remember ever having interaction with other folk - we treated it just like a hotel base. But it was better than that because we could cook if we wanted and had far more space than in a hotel room, so in the evening you could relax and watch TV, have a few drinks etc. without feeling you were sitting in a bedroom.
The old saying "different strokes for different folks" comes to mind. :)

For years and years, MrsTasty wanted me to go to a Jamaican resort with her. She loves resorts, and she's been to several through work. Reading about them, I just knew it wasn't for me.

"Oh, no, you'll love it! Trust me!"

Went...did not "love it." Not a minute of it.

As to those camps, I like the idea of renting a house, we did that once, but it's being in a purpose-built holiday camp that gives me the shudders. We've done a couple of those at state parks here in the US, and it was just miserable for me.
 
What would be interesting is cooking good meals in a motorhome. I do recall that cooking for two adults and four children in our motorhome required a fair bit of inventiveness. Smash or the French equivalent (floccante?) was a godsend.
Cooking tends to be a little easier in motorhomes designed for the UK market rather than the continental ones - because UK-spec motorhomes will almost all have an oven and at least 3 gas rings. A lot even come with built-in microwaves. Whereas the continental models tend to have a couple of gas rings and that's about it.

Our last motorhome was British built and had a cooker with an oven, a separate grill, 3 gas rings and one solid electric one and a built in microwave. To be honest I thought this was overkill really so we removed the microwave to extra cupboard space. Our new French-built motorhome only has 3 gas rings and a combination grill/oven (and it only has the oven because it was spec'd for the UK market, the French domestic ones don't have the oven as standard) and although we've not had the chance yet to go on a long trip, I know this will be fine. We do a lot of cooking outside on a gas BBQ :happy:

I don't cook complicated meals when we're away on holiday though....grilled meats, baked camembert, pasta, roast potatoes, curry, stir fried veg, things like that are perfectly easily do-able.

It's not the luxuriousness of it - it's being in a park full of people who are there doing the same thing you're doing.

To me, it's different than a hotel. A hotel, no matter how nice, no one wants to spend the day in the hotel (unless it's a resort hotel, but I don't like those either). A hotel, you sleep in it, maybe have breakfast in it, maybe a drink in the afternoon, but generally, you're out and about, doing your thing, and when you see others at the hotel, it's just for 45 minutes during breakfast, and no interacting.

Those campsite places, with those holiday homes, they're designed to for people who want to spend more time there. There's usually a play area for kids, there're kitchens and maybe outdoor cooking areas, and the next thing you know, you've got the family in the next cottage asking, "Where're you from, then?" and you're being asked over for drinks. There's too much opportunity for socializing like that when you throw everybody together.
I've never really experienced that on campsites.....in general people are friendly and will call out good morning or wish you bon appetit if they walk past, but its fairly rare for there to be full-on socialising between strangers. Though we do tend to avoid the large holiday park type sites if we can - they're probably great for families with kids, but we prefer something smaller and quieter.

When we use campsites we use them exactly as we would a hotel.....have breakfast and decide on plans for the day, go out to visit somewhere/do some shopping, come back and chill with an apero, cook dinner or go out for dinner in the evening. And from what I've seen of other campers they mostly do the same. Not many people spend all day every day on site.
 
As to those camps, I like the idea of renting a house, we did that once, but it's being in a purpose-built holiday camp that gives me the shudders. We've done a couple of those at state parks here in the US, and it was just miserable for me.

I think maybe the UK sites (depending on which ones) are very different from the US ones. Holiday camps like 'Butlins' are not what I am talking about - the latter has mega entertainment laid on, funfairs, nightclubs, etc. etc. I'm talking about quiet country/seaside parks.
 
I think maybe the UK sites (depending on which ones) are very different from the US ones. Holiday camps like 'Butlins' are not what I am talking about - the latter has mega entertainment laid on, funfairs, nightclubs, etc. etc. I'm talking about quiet country/seaside parks.
Yup, we saw a few in Northern Ireland, up along the coast:

MrsTasty: Oh, look at all those cute little pre-fab houses, wouldn't it be nice to-

Me: Not in a million years.

:laugh:
 
Mrs Wyshiepoo and I were going to go to Prague for our 30th anniversary in August. We were days away from starting the booking process when the first hints of trouble with Covid-19 started to appear. I suggested we should wait until we could be sure it was safe to book. I'm rather glad we did as I don't think we've seen the last of this virus.

Instead we've paid for us, the kids and grandkids to have a weeks staycation on Sark, will be nice to all be together. Quite odd to think that there are 12 people in this world who wouldn't exist or know each other if me and the missus hadn't 'got together in a special way'.

For those that don't know, Sark is a small island off Guernsey approx 2 miles by 1.5 miles where there are no cars or motorbikes. The only transport means available are walking, cycling and the odd tractor. Although they did clamp down on tractors a little while ago as too many locals were treating them as cars.

We'll see how things go next year but may buy a motorhome.

I said to my wife only on Sunday the exact same thing about creating our family. After leaving our sons family dinner.

Russ
 
Cooking tends to be a little easier in motorhomes designed for the UK market rather than the continental ones - because UK-spec motorhomes will almost all have an oven and at least 3 gas rings. A lot even come with built-in microwaves. Whereas the continental models tend to have a couple of gas rings and that's about it.

Our last motorhome was British built and had a cooker with an oven, a separate grill, 3 gas rings and one solid electric one and a built in microwave. To be honest I thought this was overkill really so we removed the microwave to extra cupboard space. Our new French-built motorhome only has 3 gas rings and a combination grill/oven (and it only has the oven because it was spec'd for the UK market, the French domestic ones don't have the oven as standard) and although we've not had the chance yet to go on a long trip, I know this will be fine. We do a lot of cooking outside on a gas BBQ :happy:

I don't cook complicated meals when we're away on holiday though....grilled meats, baked camembert, pasta, roast potatoes, curry, stir fried veg, things like that are perfectly easily do-able.


I've never really experienced that on campsites.....in general people are friendly and will call out good morning or wish you bon appetit if they walk past, but its fairly rare for there to be full-on socialising between strangers. Though we do tend to avoid the large holiday park type sites if we can - they're probably great for families with kids, but we prefer something smaller and quieter.

When we use campsites we use them exactly as we would a hotel.....have breakfast and decide on plans for the day, go out to visit somewhere/do some shopping, come back and chill with an apero, cook dinner or go out for dinner in the evening. And from what I've seen of other campers they mostly do the same. Not many people spend all day every day on site.

Talking of camp sites, we used to,go,to,a place called quinneys bush, acres and acres of choice, set tent up under a tree, solar shower hanging from the tree. Toilet facilities a 3 minute walk, cooking on a three gas burner. My kids still talk about the great roasts I did on that cooker. Great times. Our sons taking his kids camping this year.

Russ
 
It's not the luxuriousness of it - it's being in a park full of people who are there doing the same thing you're doing.

To me, it's different than a hotel. A hotel, no matter how nice, no one wants to spend the day in the hotel (unless it's a resort hotel, but I don't like those either). A hotel, you sleep in it, maybe have breakfast in it, maybe a drink in the afternoon, but generally, you're out and about, doing your thing, and when you see others at the hotel, it's just for 45 minutes during breakfast, and no interacting.

Those campsite places, with those holiday homes, they're designed to for people who want to spend more time there. There's usually a play area for kids, there're kitchens and maybe outdoor cooking areas, and the next thing you know, you've got the family in the next cottage asking, "Where're you from, then?" and you're being asked over for drinks. There's too much opportunity for socializing like that when you throw everybody together.

Here's how you do it. Nobody stays in one of these all day, either. We gather together somewhere, eat, drink, eat, drink, drink -- you get the picture. I scored a great campsite by the river for this gathering. About 30 Teardrops showed up.

BTW, we eat VERY good food. People who grew up camping, as I did, can cook great food anywhere.

CampFood002.jpg


And yes, it has air-conditioning.

CD
 
Cooking tends to be a little easier in motorhomes designed for the UK market rather than the continental ones - because UK-spec motorhomes will almost all have an oven and at least 3 gas rings. A lot even come with built-in microwaves. Whereas the continental models tend to have a couple of gas rings and that's about it.

Our last motorhome was British built and had a cooker with an oven, a separate grill, 3 gas rings and one solid electric one and a built in microwave. To be honest I thought this was overkill really so we removed the microwave to extra cupboard space. Our new French-built motorhome only has 3 gas rings and a combination grill/oven (and it only has the oven because it was spec'd for the UK market, the French domestic ones don't have the oven as standard) and although we've not had the chance yet to go on a long trip, I know this will be fine. We do a lot of cooking outside on a gas BBQ :happy:

I don't cook complicated meals when we're away on holiday though....grilled meats, baked camembert, pasta, roast potatoes, curry, stir fried veg, things like that are perfectly easily do-able.


I've never really experienced that on campsites.....in general people are friendly and will call out good morning or wish you bon appetit if they walk past, but its fairly rare for there to be full-on socialising between strangers. Though we do tend to avoid the large holiday park type sites if we can - they're probably great for families with kids, but we prefer something smaller and quieter.

When we use campsites we use them exactly as we would a hotel.....have breakfast and decide on plans for the day, go out to visit somewhere/do some shopping, come back and chill with an apero, cook dinner or go out for dinner in the evening. And from what I've seen of other campers they mostly do the same. Not many people spend all day every day on site.

Oh, you should see what motorhomes are like in the US.

First, size is pretty much no limit. Well, no more that 55-feet (16.75 meters).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5dzBBSNwo


CD
 
I want to go on a vacation but covid has made that out of the question. i was aiming at Folly Beach or some similar Low Country destination in late summer or early fall.

One of the best holidays I ever had was a week on a houseboat. There was no wifi or cell signal. It was off season so there were no people. We just floated around on the river during the day in a covered boat, whatever you call those things, grilled dinner at night, went for walks around the lake and read and slept. There was no tv or cable. It was truly remarkable how rejuvenated I felt after a week away from all stressful media and work.

I really want to do that again.
 
Back
Top Bottom