Hello, freedom seekers! We hope this finds you well, and we do hope you’ve managed to get out on the road over the past few months. Let us know in the comments…
Where do we even start with this one?
OK, since getting our motorhome, we’ve been talking a lot about travelling abroad versus travelling in our motorhome, the benefits of both and what our future plans look like going forward.
Where we’d once have hopped on a flight and travelled abroad, we’re now starting to question whether we really need to, or even want to, take holidays abroad without our motorhome.
We Don’t Want a Holiday, We Want to Explore...
We’ve been lucky enough to travel to some beautiful countries, both in Europe and the UAE, but if we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’ve never really explored the countries themselves.
Take Rome, for example. We visited, had a great time and absolutely loved it, especially getting to learn about the history, something Gaz absolutely loved. But we often found ourselves wanting more. It would have been nice to explore more of the surrounding areas or visit other cities that weren’t too far away, but we never did.
Dubai was a similar experience. We absolutely loved Palm Beach, and it was one of those holidays we’d happily do all over again. But apart from booking onto daily excursions, we never really got to experience the “real” Dubai.
Although, we did get to ride camels and try some of the local cuisine, which was honestly some of the best food we’ve ever had. So, we can’t complain too much. 😂
Maybe There's More to Travel?
I suppose what we’re trying to say is that, for us, a holiday abroad has always been just that. You visit a destination, and that’s usually all you’ll see. You’ll do all the tourist stuff, indulge in the local food and drink, and spend the rest of your time on the beach or at the side of the swimming pool.
And we must say to the readers of Roamin Atlas, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s each to their own, and everyone is looking for something different. If it wasn’t for the motorhome and the freedom it’s given us, I don’t think we’d have changed our approach to travel and adventure.
The Motorhome Gives Us More Freedom
Having the motorhome has given us the freedom to travel and discover places we never would have, and it’s the little things that make travelling special now. Like driving through small, quaint villages, seeing place names we’ve heard about but never actually visited before. It’s the freedom of not having a plan and being able to stop wherever our hearts desire.
Like literally every village or viewpoint. 🤣
It’s the time spent together, the conversations, and experiencing something together for the very first time. Those are the things we never really thought about before getting the motorhome, but now they’re some of the things we enjoy the most.
Motorhome Travel Costs Less Than You Think
There’s this misconception that travelling is expensive, and yeah, it can be! But the beauty of it is, you get to decide the cost.
We’re actually saving money travelling around the UK in our motorhome compared to what we’d normally spend on a weekend break in a hotel. And the best thing is, we’re not just visiting one place and heading home. We’re getting to explore different locations, see new things and experience things we otherwise wouldn’t.
We’re not ready to talk about travelling abroad just yet, but that’s coming. In fact, next year we’ll be travelling to Poland with the Hosty’s to visit Anna’s family, stopping in multiple countries along the way. So, it’ll be interesting to do a proper price comparison and tell you exactly how much it costs us.
The Price of Freedom? Let's Talk About Fuel
Time to get political, or maybe not… We don’t do politics here, but we do get pissed off, just like the rest of you freedom seekers, because currently, the cost of our freedom is fuel (diesel).
And yes, although it’s expensive, it’s still actually cheaper than paying for hotels (you’d still have to drive there!), and it’s most definitely cheaper than flying abroad, booking hotels and everything else that comes with it.
Below, we’ve added a fuel price chart, mainly to document what we’ve been paying and give our fellow freedom seekers a better idea of what it costs to keep Atlas on the road.
Keeping an Eye on Fuel Prices
Don't let the fuel bill put a price on your freedom.
Diesel Price per Litre
Estimated Cost per 100 Miles
Estimated using 27 UK MPG for our Elddis Aspire 215 motorhome. Actual fuel consumption will vary (depending on how much beer we're carrying)
Freedom shouldn't come at a cost
Freedom shouldn’t come at a cost, but unfortunately, that’s how the system is designed. If you want freedom, you have to pay for it, and we suppose that’s partly why we’re trying to escape the rat race. Sometimes having less is more, but I suppose it’s about finding that balance. For now, we’re happy paying for this lifestyle, and where this journey takes us, who knows… That’s why you should follow us. 😉
We suppose the biggest takeaway from this is, don’t be put off by buying a motorhome and using it to travel. From the outside looking in, it might look costly, and it can be, but from our experience, it’s been no more expensive than holidays abroad. And like we said, we’ve actually been saving more money travelling this way, while seeing more along the way.
Also, we can’t control geopolitics, wars, etc., so why put life on hold? Why not accept that these are the current circumstances and enjoy the life you have? Because one day you’ll look back and wish you’d experienced more. At least, that’s how we look at life.
We hope this has helped you in some way, or maybe you can relate? Either way, we’d love to hear your views, so drop us a comment below or follow our Facebook page to keep up to date with our adventures.
Alternatively, you can follow our journal, where we discuss our thoughts and feelings, basically somewhere we can offload.
Looking for Somewhere to Stay?
Why not check out some of our affordable BritStops & Pitchup reviews? Not every adventure needs to be costly.
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