A-Z OF MOTORHOMES
Aires
Looking for a cheap, flexible place to stay when you’re touring on the Continent?
France is well known for its fantastic network of aires – public parking places where you can stop off overnight, often with no charge.
These are normally on the outskirts of villages and towns (you should avoid staying overnight at those on autoroutes or other busy roads), and are therefore within easy reach of somewhere great to eat and drink, or shop if you want to buy provisions for dinner. There’s no need to book in advance: just turn up and if there’s space, you’ll be allowed to stay.
Many aires have a service point for fresh-water collection and grey-water disposal, for which they may charge a few euros. Those near popular tourist destinations might charge more, up to €20 for an overnight stay and water. You should bear in mind that ‘camping’ is not allowed – in other words, you can stay overnight, but shouldn’t roll out your awning or put out chairs.
Plan your whole tour using the All the Aires guides by Vicarious Media (vicariousshop.com), which also publishes guides to similar networks in Italy (aree di sosta), Germany (Stellplätze) and further afield.
Barbecues
If you enjoy cooking al fresco, think about ditching the disposables and investing in a barbecue that will take you all the way through summer, year after year.
With so many great choices out there, try narrowing down what you need:
■ How many people are you cooking for?
■ How much space do you have and how portable do you want the BBQ to be?
■ Which fuel do you want to use?
■ What will you be cooking?
Here are some of our favourites:
1 Back to basics
Valiant Folding BBQ
This lightweight barbecue weighs only 3kg and folds away neatly for transportation.
Price £44.99
Web amazon.co.uk
2 Top of the range
Lotus Grill Charcoal BBQ
This stylish and innovative grill uses 90% less charcoal to cook the perfect meal. It comes in a choice of bright colours and two sizes, and includes a free carry bag, lighter gel and a 1kg bag of charcoal.
Price £149
Web cuckooland.com
3 Multi-tasking
Campingaz Camping Chef Folding Stove CV This multifunctional stove, supplied with four free CV470 cartridges, has two main 1500W burners and a central grill, all with piezo ignition. It also folds away for easy storage.
Price £59.99
Web camping-intl.com
4 On the go
Jetboil Zip
The space-saving Zip boils water in just over two minutes. Including a fuel canister stabiliser and drink-through lid, it’s easy to carry at only 340 grams.
Price £94.99
Web jetboil.co.uk
Cassette toilets
A less glamorous (but very important) consideration of touring is choosing your on-board facilities. If you’d rather not brave the midnight cold to answer a call of nature, the cassette toilet is your friend.
Cassette toilets make waste disposal as stress-free as possible. They’re made up of two chambers, one storing the flushing solution and the other holding waste and a chemical. The waste chamber is tightly sealed to retain odours, so the toilet won’t smell in your motorhome.
Make sure to empty it at least every two
