Motorhome Life Reality: Staying Local Most Weeks

The Glamorous Life of Staying Within 3 Miles of Your House

From the outside, motorhome life looks like freedom on wheels: sunsets over mountains, dramatic drone shots, and a mug of coffee that’s definitely not just lukewarm Nescafé. The reality? Some days our “roaming range” is less wild wolf pack and more domestic cat. A very lazy domestic cat.

Family Comes First (And Keeps Us Local)

Life’s anchor points right now are Gemma (Kathy’s eldest), her uni/work shifts, and her one-year-old, Reuben. Lovely little guy, but with childminders, pickups, and random schedule changes, we often find ourselves parked within a 3-mile radius, ready to leap into action.

Then there’s Kathy’s mum. She “stays with us” a couple of nights a week, and we don’t tend to stray far until Thursday. Except when Gemma’s rota changes and we end up cancelling plans anyway. Ballykelly Forest and Springwell Forest Park have basically become our “holiday homes.”

What We Actually Do All Day

So, what do we do while parked in the same spot… again?

• Me: Wrestling with AI, automation, this very website, editing video, fixing bugs, and occasionally pretending I know what I’m doing with solar panels, batteries, and squeaky cupboard doors. Also: constant fretting about power levels.

• Kathy: A full-blown workaholic who’s either smashing targets for her job, glued to TikTok (sometimes creating, sometimes “researching”), or laughing at me when I discover the issue I’ve been troubleshooting for hours was an OCR blip where an “&” was read as an “8.”

Instagram vs. Reality

No, we’re not hiking snow-capped peaks or swimming in turquoise lagoons. This is Northern Ireland. September rain comes at you sideways, and our last trip to Binevenagh proved just how quickly “a lovely day out” becomes “drenched to the bone.” The highlight? Holding up an empty coffee cup at some soaked ramblers, purely to rub in how warm and smug I was inside the van.

Domestic Life, Van Edition

We still own our old house, which the girls run now. We just roll up on the driveway like laundry bandits, fill the tanks, dump the waste, and sneak back into the van. Just the other day, I tried to open the front door with my van key, that’s how quickly my brain has adjusted to living in the motorhome full-time. Most days, I tinker with the setup: adding hooks, tightening rattles, and plotting how to get more solar before winter fully hits.

Mundane, But Not Miserable

So yes, motorhome life isn’t always Instagram-worthy. It’s often repetitive, a bit damp, and revolves around family commitments. But I’d still take this version of “mundane” over what a lot of people are dealing with. Because even when life keeps us local, we’re still living it on our own terms. And sometimes that means enjoying the views with a little coffee smugness in a warm van, while watching others get soaked to see the same view for just a few moments.

Things That Keep Us Sane on the Road

• 12V Battery Monitor – keeps you from panicking every time you switch the kettle on.
• 6 Pack Heavy Duty Foldable Wall Hooks – stop jackets, bags, and cables from breeding on the floor.
• Microfiber Towels Car Wash Drying Cloth Towel – because rain follows us everywhere in NI.
• Helly Hansen Men’s Seven J Waterproof Jacket – “researching sideways rain since 1991.”