On the Road with Let’s Go Motorhomes
In the past few years, camping has become a huge part of our lives and has created so many amazing family memories. It is a great way to see more of our own state (Western Australia), is so affordable and gets the kids out in nature and living the simple life. Whilst camping isn’t for everyone, there are so many different options these days to make things simpler, more enjoyable and cut out the need to pack everything including the kitchen sink! Let me introduce to you the holy grail of road trips – the Motorhome!
After growing up watching American movies and TV shows, I was always intrigued about trying a motorhome / RV style holiday one day. Images of the kids happily playing cards at the seated table while we drove the countryside made it seem like a dream holiday, and I am so excited to finally be able to share our experience with you.
Our Home on Wheels
Our Motorhome was the 6 berth Jayco Conquest, the perfect van for a family of five. The front cabin was so spacious and the wide, high seats were so comfortable. I hadn’t driven in anything quite this big before so definitely enjoyed the leg room up the front!
The Motorhome has a fully equipped kitchen with a microwave, 4 burner stove and grill, sink and all your utensils and cutlery. Being used to staying in tents, this was such a luxury! Not having to drag dishes over to the camp kitchen day and night and being able to clean up straight away was amazing. There is also a large 2 door fridge and freezer which means you can pre prepare meals before you go away if you want to be in the kitchen as little as possible. The kids thought it was great when we were out driving and they were hungry yet again, that we could just pull over and they could make themselves a snack or raid the “pantry”.
There is a toilet and shower in the motorhome which we used only when necessary during the night as our site wasn’t far from the shower block, but this was such a luxury and would be amazing for when you are camping off grid. Emptying the cartridge from the toilet was super easy and the caravan parks will have dump points for these.
Having a comfortable bed and good nights sleep makes for a much happier holiday for everyone right? Well I am happy to report the beds were amazing! There is a double bed up the back which was one of the best beds I have actually slept in, and we played musical beds a little so everyone got a turn on it. The bed has a gas lift so you can store everything underneath like your camp chairs, cleaning equipment and whatever else you want to get out of the way. Above the front cabin there is a double bunk bed which the kids slept in most nights, but I spent a couple of nights up there too and slept like a log. There is a ladder you can attach to get up and down, and a cargo net you can clip up to stop anyone falling out. It also acts as a great spot to store your luggage when you are travelling without it falling down.
The dining table becomes the third bed by night – Simply convert the table and cushions into a bed which is quick and easy and the kids all said it was really comfortable. There is also storage under the seats here for anything else you want to keep out of the way.
Speaking of storage – there is so much room in this motorhome! We found places for everything and still had cupboard space left over. There is hanging space in the cupboard for clothes so make sure you bring coat hangers if you want to hang things up, but we just popped our packing cubes straight into the cupboard.
Did I mention their is air-conditioning and heating throughout aswell? An absolute lifesaver when travelling and can make a camping trip a lot more comfortable and enjoyable!
Some of the other amazing features of the motorhome include
– Colour TV with DVD player
– Awning (loved this for sunny afternoons)
– Reversing camera
– Provision to add 2-bike rack
– Solar panel for charging house battery
So where did we go on our roadtrip?
We travelled to one of our favourite places in Western Australia – Kalbarri which is around six hours north of Perth. We stayed five nights at the Kalbarri Anchorage Caravan Park in a riverside site. We found reversing the van into our site really quick and easy, especially with the reversing camera and it was defnitley the least stressful set up we have ever had! Hooking up the electricity and water was easy, and after rolling out the awning and laying out some chairs, we were good to relax with a wine. Camping really couldn’t be easier could it? We spent our days hiking, abseiling, canoeing the gorges, swimming and visiting all the amazing tourist spots around the town. We really love Kalbarri and everything it has to offer!
Our top tips
- Colouring books, cards, and lego etc slide off the table fairly easy as you drive (we found that our the hard way haha) so I think next time we would stick to Ipads/ laptops with movies or less fiddly activities to do whilst driving.
- Bring all your staple pantry items like sauces, spices, spread etc as there is so much room for food items and saves you buying so much when you are away.
- Plan and research your destination. Kalbarri is really well setup for motorhomes and had plenty of large vehicle parking around the tourist spots!
- Check the depot times. Some motorhome depots require you to make an appointment to pick up your vehicle so make sure you check ahead to avoid disappointment when you arrive to see the depot closed.
- Remember the size of the vehicle is much different to what you are used to driving and will take up more space on the road and may sway in the wind. Take it easy and take it slow!
Would we take another road trip with Lets Go Motorhomes? You betcha! We found the motorhome holiday as enjoyable as a cruising holiday for families because both share a similar advantage – convenience! Not having to pack and unpack anything just made the holiday so simple and relaxing and the kids’ had the absolute best time. We cannot wait for our next road trip!
