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We’ve spent years travelling together in two motorhomes and an overland truck. We’ve shared incredible views, unexpected adventures and more time in each other’s company than we ever did when we lived in a house.
We’ve also disagreed about directions, where to stop and whose idea it was to take that road in the first place!
Travelling as a couple in a motorhome brings you close in every sense. You’re sharing a small space, making decisions together and seeing each other at your best and your grumpiest. Whether you’re heading away for a fortnight or planning to live on the road, these are the things we’ve learnt about making it work.
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1. It Takes Two
Motorhome travel gives you plenty of opportunities to work as a team. Finding an overnight stop, negotiating a narrow village street or working out why the water pump has stopped all go more smoothly when you’re helping each other.
You’ll soon discover where your individual strengths lie. One of you might enjoy route planning while the other is happier sorting out the practical jobs. Share the responsibilities in a way that works for you, but make sure neither person becomes responsible for absolutely everything.
Our Tip: When something goes wrong, deal with the problem first. Taking a wrong turn is frustrating enough without a running commentary from the passenger seat!
2. Grow Together
There’s something special about sharing an experience with the person you love. Opening the blinds to a mountain view, finding a quiet beach or having an unexpected conversation with your campsite neighbours can become a memory you talk about for years.
You won’t always experience a place in the same way. One of you might remember the scenery while the other remembers the people or the food. Talking about what you’ve each noticed can help you see a place differently.
Our Tip: Make room for each other’s suggestions. A stop you weren’t particularly interested in might turn out to be one of your favourite places.
3. Get to Know Each Other Again
Even if you’ve been together for decades, travelling in a motorhome can reveal a different side of your partner.
At home, work, routines and separate commitments fill much of the day. On the road, you have time for conversations that go beyond what’s for dinner and who’s putting the bins out.
You might also discover that your ideas about motorhome life are different. Perhaps one of you imagined moving every few days while the other pictured a month beside the sea.
Our Tip: Talk about what you both want from the trip before you leave, then keep talking as you go. You’re allowed to change your mind once you discover what life on the road actually feels like.
4. Give Each Other Some Space
In a motorhome, small habits can become surprisingly noticeable. Leaving shoes in the doorway, spreading belongings across the seating or singing the same song for the hundredth time can test anyone’s patience.
Some things need a practical solution. Others need a deep breath and a sense of proportion.
Being together doesn’t mean you have to spend every minute doing the same thing. A solo walk, a bike ride or an hour with a book can give you both a welcome bit of space.
Our Tip: Say when you need some time to yourself. It’s much easier than expecting your partner to work out why you’ve suddenly become irritated by the way they’re making tea.
Places We’ve Explored Together by Motorhome
5. Recognise a Bad Day
A long drive, a full aire and a disappointing second choice can leave you both feeling fed up. Add hunger or tiredness and a minor irritation can quickly become a much bigger deal.
When your partner is the only person around, it’s easy for them to bear the brunt of your frustration.
Learn to recognise when you’ve simply had enough for one day. Sometimes the answer is to stop searching for the perfect pitch, make something to eat and leave the decisions until tomorrow.
Our Tip: If one of you is struggling, ease off the plans. An extra night somewhere perfectly ordinary can do more for the trip than pushing on to another must-see destination.
6. Learn How to Fall Out
A lovely view doesn’t make you immune to an argument. You’ll still disagree, and sharing a small space can make it harder to let things settle.
Try to explain what’s actually bothering you. An argument about paying for a campsite might really be about money worries, needing a proper shower or feeling that one person always makes the decisions.
If the conversation is going nowhere, agree to pause it. Take a walk or do something separately, then come back to it when you’re both ready to listen.
Our Tip: Agree how you’ll handle stressful driving situations before they happen. A difficult junction is a poor place to settle a disagreement about navigation.
7. Accept That You’ll Want Different Things
One of you wants to explore the town; the other wants to sit outside the motorhome. One loves remote overnight stops; the other enjoys the company and facilities of a campsite.
Neither person needs to be wrong for there to be a disagreement.
Take turns choosing, build a mixture into your plans and do things separately when that makes sense. Compromise works best when both people feel they get a fair share of the things they enjoy.
Our Tip: Be clear about what really matters to you and where you’re happy to be flexible. Your partner can’t tell the difference between a passing preference and something you’ve been looking forward to for months unless you say so.
8. Have Fun and Make Memories
It’s easy to get caught up in driving, shopping, laundry and finding somewhere to empty the toilet. Even on the road, everyday jobs have a habit of taking over.
Remember to enjoy the life you’ve made room for. Take the detour, have a picnic, stay for sunset or spend a lazy morning drinking tea with the door open.
Some of your best memories will come from ordinary days when you weren’t trying to achieve very much at all.
Our Tip: Take photographs of each other as well as the scenery. You’ll want to remember yourselves enjoying those places, too.
9. Keep Your Own Interests
Sharing a motorhome doesn’t mean becoming one person with a single set of interests.
Reading, photography, walking, working or learning something new can all give you something of your own. That matters particularly if you’re travelling long term and have left behind a job or a busy social life.
Make space for those interests in your routine, even if you have to negotiate who gets the table!
Our Tip: Talk about the time and space you each need. Working on a laptop while your partner is waiting to head out can cause friction if you haven’t agreed the plan.
10. Make Time for Each Other
You can spend all day within a few feet of someone without giving them much attention.
Route planning, looking for overnight stops and scrolling on your phone can fill an evening surprisingly quickly. Make time to talk about something other than tomorrow’s drive or how much water is left in the tank.
Eat outside together, go for an evening walk or put the phones away over a cup of tea. Being in the same motorhome is only part of spending time together.
Our Tip: Keep doing the small things that make your partner feel appreciated. Saying thank you still matters when emptying the toilet has become somebody’s regular job.
Sharing the Road, Making a Life
Travelling together in a motorhome won’t mean agreeing on every destination or enjoying every moment. But learning how to share the decisions, give each other space and laugh when the day goes sideways makes the whole experience better.
And when you find yourselves parked somewhere wonderful, with nowhere you need to be tomorrow, you’ll have someone beside you who knows exactly what it took to get there.
More Motorhome Life Tips to Explore
How to Stop Condensation in a Motorhome
25 Motorhome Mistakes That Could Cost You Money and How to Avoid Them
Christmas in a Motorhome: Practical Tips and Festive Ideas
Gap Year for Over 50s: How to Take Time Out and Make It Count
Motorhome Safety: How to Stay Safe & Legal on the Road
Motorhome Payload: 16 Ways to Reduce Weight & Stay Legal
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