how to buy your PERFECT ’VAN

1 Who is travelling?

This is the most fundamental question you need to ask. It dictates what kind of layout you are going to need.

The days when passengers in the rear could swan about doing what they liked came to an end back in 1991, when wearing seatbelts in the back seats (if belts were fitted) became compulsory in the UK.

If there are going to be more than two of you travelling, you should ensure that you have enough belted forwardfacing travel seats in the rear (A). This means that you’ll likely need to look at motorhomes with a rear dinette or full rear lounge (although some motorhomes have fold-away belted seats).

Also, don’t assume that because a motorhome is, say, a four-berth, it will necessarily have four travel seats. There are manufacturers who offer models with more than two berths, but that only have the two cab seats for travelling in.

The idea is that the extra passengers will travel in a separate vehicle. This is why some other manufacturers have started using the term ‘beds equals belts’ in their information, to make it clear to buyers what they’re getting.

Of course, you might feel you want to be flexible (isn’t motorcaravanning meant to be all about the spur of the moment?). Or you might think that a parallel settee arrangement is more comfortable on-site (usually, but not always, true).

So you might be tempted to go for motorhomes). Bear in mind that the quality of these seats does vary, and they do take up what would otherwise be valuable storage space, whether they fold under the settee or dismantle so you can put the parts away. Some are tricky to set up, and when upright, aren’t as comfortable as the cab seats.