Driving motorhomes with total confidence

Have you ever considered hiring a motorhome but were scared off by the thought of driving such a large vehicle on the busy roads and motorways? You should not be worried, the Holiday motorhome hire team are here to help you.

Driving a motorhome can seem intimidating at first, but really it is not that difficult and just requires knowledge and practice which will give you confidence.  Driving a motorhome is basically the same as driving a transit van or people carrier except for the size, you just need to get used to the space and time that is needed to drive a larger vehicle.

Motorhome driving with awareness

Breaking and acceleration

When driving a motorhome you should always drive in a slow and controlled manner, take into account that it will take you longer to stop in a larger vehicle and therefore you should break a bit sooner than you would in a car and acceleration should be taken at a slower pace and more steadily.

Motorhome sizes, considering other traffic and weather conditions

When driving and motorhome you should always be aware that you are driving a large heavy vehicle and you should manoeuvre in a slow and careful manner.  Motorhomes are longer than family cars and you have to take corners at a wider angle than you would do normally so that you do not clip the kerb or cut the corner.

Always consider how much traffic there is behind you when you are on the road as you will be slower than most other vehicles, when you can and it is safe to do so pull over into a lay-by or similar place and let the traffic pass. This will also take pressure of you as you will not feel as pressured by the build up of traffic that you can see in your wing mirrors.

Motorhomes are high sided vehicles so you have to be aware of several things.  The first thing to consider is the weather,  there is nothing worse than driving over a motorway bridge in very high winds and being thrown around like a rag doll on the motorway.  I even delayed my holiday one year because I was not prepared to drive in high winds and driving in these conditions is scary, energy zapping and can be dangerous.

Another thing to consider is the buffeting a motorhome can cause when overtaking other vehicles such as cyclists, motorbikes and horses and this is another area where your awareness becomes an important factor.

Parking problems and motorhome driving lessons

Parking a Motorhome

Parking a motorhome can be easy or difficult, you can actually make it easier by thinking in advance and considering any problems you may encounter in advance of making a decision on where to park.  Always consider the height of your motorhome against a car parks barriers height restrictions, the hire company will be able to tell you the height of your motorhome. You could write the height, width, length and weight of your motorhome on a piece of paper and have it in a handy place within the motorhome so you can tell if you will fit into a particular parking space. Also park neatly in a parking spot where you won’t cause any obstructions to others.

Learning to drive your motorhome

Finally, you must carefully check your driving licence to check that your are able to drive a hired motorhome before you take any motorhome on the road and I would strongly recommend that you take a days driving lessons from one of the many companies that provide motorhome training throughout the UK.

These professional drives will teach you how to drive your own motorhome, taking your motorhome out on the road with a qualified instructor will give you alot of confidence when it comes to driving on your own motorhome.