When and where to go campervanning – the Coronavirus dilemma
The do’s and do not’s of campervanning right now.
It’s a tough one for those of us who want to maintain as much social distancing as possible whilst at the same time getting out of the four walls that we’ve been hibernating in for weeks.
The best time for campevanning
Reminding ourselves to be grateful for our health; our garden if we’re that lucky; and the freedom to take an hours walk a day……not all in Europe have been that fortunate.
Then there’s the dilemma of watching what others are doing: we’ve been seeing campervans out and about for weeks. I even had one drive past me towing a jet ski barely three weeks into lockdown.
So here’s our take on the do’s and do not’s of campervanning right now.
1) It’s not all about you.
Yup, that’s right folks – we are none of us the centre of the universe!
Any romantic notion you may have of driving off into the distance could easily be met by a police officer who is defending a local community who have asked for a longer period of closed doors.
And if you’ve planned a route to get past the Bobbies, then don’t be surprised if the locals aren’t as welcoming as they normally would be.
Suddenly it’s not quite so romantic.
Check out the local tourist information site and any village Facebook pages to give you a better insight into how the locals are feeling.
2) You still need a loo and a shower.
Generally, even motorhomes still need somewhere to empty their on-board khazi. So, in our humble opinion, one of the safest guides as to whether an area is both safe and welcoming is the fact that the campsites are open.
Camp sites are preparing to open as I type. Most camp sites provide a good distance between pitches anyway, certainly the ones that we recommend, but some work will still be required to make the toilets, showers and reception areas safe to use.
They might only allow one person in the toilet and shower blocks at a time. The upside is that this is likely to mean that they reduce the capacity on their sites…..more social distance.
But this may mean that you need to book well in advance to ensure that you can bag a pitch for the campervan.
3) Think about keeping it local.
Until the world gets to grips with Coronavirus, how it spreads and our ability to track it, the further you drive, the more you risk being part of any second wave.
Personally, the things we love about being in a campervan is the getting away from it all.
You sit in a garden and you still don’t escape the windows that need painting, the decking that needs scrubbing and the borders that need digging.
Whereas you sit in a campervan pitched up on a campsite, you listen to the birdsong, kids giggling and watch the sun set.
And that’s a great feeling be it 20 miles away or 200 miles away.
We’re quite deliberately going to start publishing some routes that are very local to the van base to help our customers to think and act local.
Likely to be pubs with campsites, often well known to us. Some of them have remained open as takeaways during lockdown so getting some camping customers on site will help to boost their revenue whilst they wait for the pub to be allowed to fully re-open.
Win:win.
4) Have a back up plan.
We are spoilt for choice for wonderful destinations in the UK.
If you were planning to tour the very North of Scotland but Scotland re-closes it’s borders because the Covid level has increased then just be ready to go somewhere else.
If you need help choosing an alternate route then we’d be happy to assist and will help you get booked into campsites as well if that helps.
The beauty of being in a campervan is that you can make it up as you go along, follow your heart.
So fill your heart with empathy for those that are now dealing with a new outbreak and commit to go back there once it’s safe.
Go into it in the true spirit of adventure. Be fun, be flexible but most of all…..be kind.
Tagged as: campervan hire, campervan hire Cheshire, driving holidays in UK, holidays in UK, Post lockdown, travel after lockdown
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