How many nights away per year?

[CAB96]

Get away and nights in the van is a confusion for me, as I just like being in the van and will spend nights sleeping in it on the Storage site and a couple of quiet spots in Cardiff!

I have no interest or intention of travelling abroad, I did all of that throughout my life and have no reason that it would be any better that the wondrous countryside and views we have.

But it has provoked a thought of keeping a log in 2025, but that might be a bit organised for me!

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/2025-yearbook-and-journal.313781/unread

 

[Reallyretired]

That 14 day one we did was Spain & Portugal and didn't get passport stamped at all, so my 'allowance' is intact.

It occurs to me that if the passport crap is dealt with by the ship staff, we may have days knocked off even if not actually going ashore. We are going to the Caribbean and probably won't go ashore except for a particular reason as most of these islands we have visited several times before. We go for the on-board experience and the weather, which is why we only go on smallish adult only ships, not floating (barely) theme parks.

 

[nicholsong]

It occurs to me that if the passport crap is dealt with by the ship staff, we may have days knocked off even if not actually going ashore. We are going to the Caribbean and probably won't go ashore except for a particular reason as most of these islands we have visited several times before. We go for the on-board experience and the weather, which is why we only go on smallish adult only ships, not floating (barely) theme parks.

I assume by 'days knocked off' you are referring to your 90/180 day Schengen allowance.

I cannot think of anywhere in the Caribbean which is part of the Schengen area, not even the French islands there are part of it.

 

[Reallyretired]

I assume by 'days knocked off' you are referring to your 90/180 day Schengen allowance.

I cannot think of anywhere in the Caribbean which is part of the Schengen area, not even the French islands there are part of it.

I just assumed the French and Dutch ones were. Also calls at Madeira and Ponto Delgardo which are EU (but hopefully nor Schengen).

 

[Brummie64]

Still newbies here, picked up our van end of February, and so far had a total of 35 nights, 21 in France/Belgium, 9 in Scotland, the rest in England/Wales.
Unfortunately I still work full time, but have good leave allowance, plan to do more next year!

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[Barriesimpson]

Still newbies here, picked up our van end of February, and so far had a total of 35 nights, 21 in France/Belgium, 9 in Scotland, the rest in England/Wales.
Unfortunately I still work full time, but have good leave allowance, plan to do more next year!

If work gets in the way of having fun, you need to give up working.

 

[bladerunner]

we are up to 67 this year - probably a bit down on usual as took car to France for a long distance walk.
Normal service will be resumed next year. - 5 weeks to ski Austria, 3 weeks down France and Spain, plus a few weeks UK in the diary already.

 

[Brummie64]

If work gets in the way of having fun, you need to give up working.

Very soon Barrie, very soon

 

[TwistNShout]

Funnily enough several friends have commented recently that it is a long time since we've been away This year, we've had 65 nights away in the MH, 12 in the UK and the rest in France or Spain. But we've spent a further 52 nights abroad and 25 nights away in the UK so we've not exactly been homebodies. reading some of the responses on here we need to up our game.

 

[MichaelT]

116 nights for us, one 6 week trip in winter to Spain the rest on DA meets, running and staying on THS plus a carthago meet.

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[KiwiKampers]

Only about 110 this year but we were vanless from early May until the 1st August so missed our UK travelling and fun rallys this year. Also had our daughter’s wedding in August just after we collected our new van.

Plan on doing better next year. We’re off to Iceland and the Faroe islands in June and July.

Please post photos and share your experiences in Iceland and the Faroe Islands with those of us who are green with envy on Motorhome Fun.
They have been on my Bucket List for quite a while, but nowadays my bucket has a hole in it and things keep falling out.

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

120 UK 30 EU

 

[Wildbill]

It les complicated to count nights at home
WB

 

[Jo-jo]

I calculate that we spend the equivalent of 3 months of the year touring NZ in our motorhome. We have just returned home after spending 5 weeks going around the South Island (again). Next year, we’ll go around the North Island (again). That’s all we can do and it’s quite frustrating that we’re limited to NZ with our van. 99% of the time we are wildcamping.
We arrange a lot of house exchanges around the world, so when we have to leave our house for the exchange guests we just go away in the motorhome.
Most Funsters are very lucky to have the whole of Europe on their doorstep. We can’t even take our van to Australia. If we could, we'd probably be away for six months of the year.

Please forgive my ignorance of your part of the world, but why can't you take your van to Australia

 

[Pausim]

Please forgive my ignorance of your part of the world, but why can't you take your van to Australia

Several hundred miles of Tasman Sea in the way.

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[Jo-jo]

Several hundred miles of Tasman Sea in the way.

Ah, I thought there was a legal restriction or something like that

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Ah, I thought there was a legal restriction or something like that

That's the way I took it, we have to get ferries or tunnels to Europe so just a different scale. And a fair few ship vans to the US and Canada.

 

[KiwiKampers]

Please forgive my ignorance of your part of the world, but why can't you take your van to Australia

When we investigated shipping our newish motorhome to Australia it was an extremely costly exercise, plus you have to pay a large bond which is only refunded when the van is shipped back to NZ. It was considerably more expensive to export the van from NZ to Australia than it was for us to privately export it from the UK to NZ.
I watch ships leaving my home port bound for Australia more or less every day and wish I could just pop down and put my van on board. It’s very frustrating.

 

[CustomBuild]

During 2024 we lived in our TT while fixing up an old house, then had 87 nights away covering 6,000 miles. In total the last 3-1/2 years has been 1,035 nights and 23,910 miles of fun. Longest drive 513 miles, shortest 43.

 

[Sheddy]

85 days in Spain January - March, 40 days in Germany July & August visiting family in Berlin and then about 30 days on Rallies and meets during the UK summer.
We have been in Vietnam and Thailand for the past 7 weeks, we're heading home next week to get the van ready for the Boxing day ferry to Santander to start it all again.

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[Mleabon]

About 100 per year.

 

[wp1234]

I'm interested to know how many nights you get away in your MH's/PVC's etc per year?

We had our MH on 29th June and have had 59 nights away so far this year.

What's your number?

Just done 6 months straight in my Adria 640 , 3 months in France and 3 months in the UK .

 

[Marky146]

Full time worker here, but I commute, and take all my leave in the winter, living in my van 4-5 days a week in Summer. If only the weather was controlled by an Eberspracher control box! About 140-150 nights a year.

 

[alasdairandannie]

I'm interested to know how many nights you get away in your MH's/PVC's etc per year?

We had our MH on 29th June and have had 59 nights away so far this year.

What's your number?

120+ and hopefully rising; 8 weeks plus in Europe in the Spring and Autumn then a few weeks in UK early summer (whenever that is!).

 

[1090alex]

I'm interested to know how many nights you get away in your MH's/PVC's etc per year?

We had our MH on 29th June and have had 59 nights away so far this year.

What's your number?

Unfortunately only managed around 18 nights.

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[Coolcats]

Isn't it about the number of quality nights away rather than the number ?

Some with huge numbers would be like me saying I spent 310 nights in a house and 55 in the motor home

310 in a Moho to me slightly skews the point of a leisure vehicle but each to their own I guess.

 

[scousebird]

71 nights so far, we're in France at the moment so that count will rise. We missed out on August, September, October and November as I had an operation in July followed by cancer treatment .

2 ferry crossings already booked for next year

 

[BikerJon]

I'm interested to know how many nights you get away in your MH's/PVC's etc per year?

We had our MH on 29th June and have had 59 nights away so far this year.

What's your number?

This year we've been 160 days in France and Spain and 90 days in the UK. Bought the van new in 2022 when we retired and have done 18,000 miles. Just love it.

 

[Whiteknight]

I'm interested to know how many nights you get away in your MH's/PVC's etc per year?

We had our MH on 29th June and have had 59 nights away so far this year.

What's your number?

It’s nearly the full 180 days a year throughout Spain, Portugal split into 2 day 90 trips and also about 3 weeks in the uk before we return to work for the summer months. Our business won’t allow us to take holiday during the busy months or all the staff will walk out on us

 

[Murrays]

103 so far this year, mix of Europe & Scotland, mainly, with a few bits of flitting around England too. Off on the 22nd for a couple of weeks, so will hit 113. Aim is for more next year. Want to be somewhere warm in November……, hence planning 2 Eurotours next year.

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