Motorhome Ideas- 7 useful jobs to do when you can’t travel

Stuck at home, not able to travel? Need useful jobs and motorhome ideas to be getting on with? Here are 7 ways to make the most of your time, organise your camper storage and get ready for your next trip- whenever that may be! 

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Like it or not, there are going to be times when you can’t travel in your motorhome. (Such as, you know, a certain killer virus sweeps across the planet and we’re all told to stay indoors or die. That sort of thing…)

But what do you DO when that happens? (Apart from washing your hands for an inordinately long period of time) What jobs can you be getting on with while you have to work, or the kids have to be in school, or a million other reasons which add up to you not being able to travel.

Well, here are some ideas to keep you busy and get your van prepared and ready for its next adventure!

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Motorhome ideas- useful jobs to do

A motorhome is a lot like a boat (stay with me.) There is ALWAYS something to do. Apart from the yearly and regular  maintenance, there are always some niggly jobs which you keep putting off ‘until you have the time’ or, if you’re like us, because you forgot all about it, only to remember it on your next motorhome trip!

So, here are some ideas/ reminders for you:

• Fix things that squeak or rattle
• Replace/ fix things that are broken/ loose- wiper blades, lights, lining, window blinds
• Fix things that you bang your head on- or find a way to protect it from your nasty head!
• Make your motorhome more secure- both at home and while travelling. Here are 12 essential tips for motorhome security

Even if you have a newer motorhome, there will still be things which need fixing. We have a drop-down bed and even though we don’t use it, it regularly comes loose on the rails and needs to be retightened.

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Motorhome ideas for storage – Organisation tips and hacks

 

ie- Fix things that are frigging ANNOYING to get out of lockers

The longer you spend in your motorhome, the more that semi-annoying locker will DRIVE YOU CRAZY. When we’re touring Europe in our motorhome, we spend a LOT of time finding new things which annoy the heck out of us- and then we find better solutions for them.

Admittedly, there are some things which just don’t fit anywhere else (for us, that’s toilet roll… which seems oddly fitting in this post! The only place we can store more than 2 rolls of that or kitchen roll is under the seat. We don’t have to get it every day, but it feels like we’re constantly in there, battling with the stupid lift-up bit which just wants to cut my fingers off…)

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Security Motorhome Ideas

When you’re not travelling is the PERFECT time to review your motorhome/ campervan security. Is it protected while it’s at home? What could you do to make it less attractive to thieves who might be passing?

Also, is it protected whilst travelling? What tools or security devices do you carry on your road trips? Are they adequate? Where can you secure valuables should you go for a walk/ sightseeing for the day?

I have an entire mini-book on Motorhome security- grab your copy by popping your details into the box below and it will be sent to you. (Don’t see a box? You’re already on our list and should have your copy already!)

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More motorhome job ideas- Sort through everything onboard

Now is a GREAT time to sort through EVERYTHING in your camper. I kinda like this game, although Mr WB HATES it because I make a mess…. 🙂  But, if you feel like being really productive, here’s what to do:

• Take EVERYTHING out of your van. (If you have a fussy partner, maybe do a section at a time)
• Now, channel your inner Marie Kondo. (If you have no idea who that is… honestly, I’m not sure I have the words to explain. Google her.) You need to decide if every item you’ve just pulled out DESERVES its place onboard. Remember, every single thing takes up space and, more importantly, adds to overall motorhome weight and payload. Is it REALLY worth its weight?
• Clean EVERYTHING properly. This is especially important in the current world. Anti-bac and wipe down everything. Start again nice and clean.
• Now, clean your motorhome thoroughly. Wipe down all surfaces and hoover into every nook and cranny. (Need a 12v hoover? THIS is the best one we’ve ever tried!)
• Put everything back, ideally so it won’t rattle.

READ MORE: Storage Ideas to stop rattles in your motorhome! 

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Learn how to wild camp

If you’re lucky enough to keep your motorhome or camper at home, now is the PERFECT time to wild camp… on your driveway.

I’m serious- there are some huge benefits for doing this.

Firstly, you learn about power- and what you can/ can’t do whilst you’re not plugged in to mains electric. It’s a great time to realise that your 240v kettle, hairdryer and toaster just DON’T work whilst you’re off-grid. So you need to find some solutions which work for you, such as a gas kettle (we LOVE this one.)

Also, it’s a great time to feel like you’re going somewhere, even when you can’t. You can have a BBQ, sleep in the van, sit out and look at the stars- exactly like you would on holiday. Sometimes, that small change can be enough until your next trip.

If you’ve never wild camped before, here’s a guide to motorhome wild camping in the UK to get you started.

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Vanlife job ideas- Make things better

There are going to be things on your motorhome or van which aren’t broken… but just don’t work as they should (probably because very few motorhomes are designed by people who actually USE them.

For example, on our motorhome, a Swift 685 Escape, we love pretty much everything EXCEPT for the wardrobe. And we can tolerate the wardrobe but we can’t tolerate the wardrobe door. It opens the wrong way and drives me CRAZY. Seriously, when the bed is made up, you have to contort yourself into crazy positions just to get a top out.

So one of our missions is to find a way to fix that door… somehow.

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Motorhome ideas- Make things prettier

Once you’ve done all the necessary jobs, you can start doing some fun jobs (or, if you’re like me, start with the fun jobs and make your partner do the boring ones…)

I have ALWAYS wanted to convert a campervan, and I love the look of the cute campers. So, in each van, I try to make it look a little less… mass-manufactured.

Of course, everyone has their own tastes and ideas, so here are a few of the things we’ve done to put some personality into our vans:

Put in a colourful backsplash

This is just sticky back plastic tiles. Crazy easy to do and adds no weight at all, but makes such a difference to an otherwise bland area. These are the ones we used, but there are hundreds of different variations, colours and styles on Amazon- have a look. Also, this magnetic knife storage is awesome- we were worried it wouldn’t be secure but we’ve had no problems *touch wood*.

Mirror Tiles

One thing which is rarely in a motorhome under 7m is a full-length mirror. Of course, there’s not always an easy place to put one, but we get around this by putting mirror tiles on the door. An added advantage of this is I can sit on the sofa and do my hair whilst a certain someone is STILL in the bathroom (seriously, van boys take so much longer to get ready than van girls!) These tiles are great quality and have a clear mirror like reflection.

Photo wall

This is a newish idea that we’re still working on. For a while, we’ve been collecting postcards of places we’ve visited. However, we’ve recently treated ourselves to a handsize photo printer, so we’re going to start a photo wall.

One thing I LOVE about this idea is that, again, it adds no weight to the van (apart from the weight of the printer, which is about the size of two iphones), but it’s such a brilliant way of brightening up and personalising a space. We just use blue-tac to fix the photos/ postcards in place- we do NOT stick them as that may ruin the surface of your van- not good if you ever want to sell it.

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Our final motorhome idea for when you can’t travel- PLAN your next trip!

For me, planning our next adventure is part of the fun. I love researching where to go, places to visit along the way and spots to stay at.

So, use this non-travelling time to start dreaming of your next trip- even if it’s just to the campsite down the road. Here are some posts to help you with that:

I hope you found these motorhome ideas useful and you can make the most of your time at home.

Let me know what jobs you’re going to be doing!

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Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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