Impressions from the trip
Having your own motorhome solved two of the main problems when traveling around Europe – finding accommodation and the costs associated with it.
Now you don’t need to pay for a hotel room and waste time searching for a suitable option. These changes are especially pleasing to the couple of tourists for the reason that it has always been difficult for them to get a good room in which a dog could spend the night.
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The point is that Vitaly and Larisa always take with them a dog named Kubik.
But even with an equipped car, certain difficulties remain. For example, you can’t just stop on the side of European roads. Almost everywhere the area is private property, which means no parking.
You have to look for a parking space specifically, since such areas occur every 50-60 km.
There are options for which you don’t need to pay, but there are no conditions for comfortable parking. All you can count on is a toilet and picnic tables. There are usually a lot of people staying in such places.
If desired, you can find luxury options. This pleasure costs 10 euros per day. But tourists get access to wireless Internet, a full-fledged shower and other benefits of civilization.
It is best to search for suitable parking using special applications. This method allows you to find picturesque places to stop. Vitaly and Larisa, for example, managed to spend the night near a destroyed English castle.
House on wheels
The acquired Sobol needed modernization, otherwise it would not have been able to provide the necessary conditions for young tourists. It was necessary not only to drive in this car, but also to rest comfortably at night.
It took several months of preparation to implement all the changes. As a result, “Sobol” turned into a full-fledged motorhome.
The first thing that started the transformation was an inexpensive mattress. Vitaly and Larisa purchased it along with a waterproof case. The need for such an addition is due to limited space: a small kitchen is located only 20 cm from the sleeping area.
The next thing the couple purchased was a compact dry closet. It is needed for those cases when the nearest campsite is still far away, and the body requires a visit to the toilet.
Another useful acquisition was a convenient gas stove with cylinders. We also had to buy a refrigerator designed for 30 liters of usable space. The young people supplemented all this with a battery with a converter and a metal sink.
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When equipping the Sobol, numerous useful small things were purchased: fasteners, mosquito nets, insulation, dishes, etc. The amount of all investments in the modernization of the car reached 60 thousand rubles.
Motorhome testing
It took 3 days to install everything that was purchased in the car. After the first trip was completed, it became clear that the motorhome needs two more things: a fan to reduce the heat in the cabin, and an autonomous heater, which is indispensable on cool nights.
Young people also said that they felt there was a lack of a compact clothes dryer.
But a trip to Europe helped me realize the uselessness of a shower and washing machine in a car. All these functions are available on the territory of any full-fledged campsite, of which there are plenty in European cities.
Sad results
It was not possible to completely restore the damaged Grant. It is now only suitable for short grocery trips. Prolonged voyages have become too difficult a challenge for the car.
And this was at a time when Vitaly and Larisa were already set to travel to the UK. Difficulties came at the most inconvenient time.
At first, the young people came to terms with the fact that for some time they would have to relax in the picturesque places of their native Krasnodar region. But they soon came up with an interesting idea.
One day Vitaly came home very inspired by something and began actively Googling in search of some information. At first, Larisa could not understand what exactly “hooked” her husband. But it soon became clear that the young man had found an alternative to the Lada, which did not require large investments.
This meant that plans to travel to London could become a reality.
Making your own trailer
If difficulties do not frighten you, and the desire for action is unstoppable, you can try your hand at building a house. And whether to remake a GAZelle or build a trailer from scratch - the choice is strictly individual!
DIY mobile home from GAZelle
To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a hand saw for wood and a lot of patience. The gradual modernization of the car looks like this:
- The seats are taken out of the cabin, the old trim is removed. All metal parts are treated with a special solution that prevents rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with foamed polyethylene, and sheets of plywood are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall cladding; this should be thought out in advance.
- The frame for the furniture is welded right in the body. If the car cannot be leveled, you can use a pipe as a level, its ends resting against the lower edge of the window openings. After rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and brought inside again.
- Window openings are covered with carpet. Ceiling panels covered with carpet are also installed. After completing the interior trim, you can attach the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.
- A swivel mechanism can be made for the front seats. To do this, you will need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ, and part of a rotary strut. The scheme is quite simple.
- The final stage is installing furniture on the frame, connecting lighting, installing a pump for the kitchen washstand, covering the mezzanines and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.
- Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made sets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. The kitchen also needs to be attached to everything - the floor, the sofa, the wall. This is done to protect the furniture from becoming loose while driving on bumpy roads.
We should not forget that such a modification of the car requires registration with the REO. To do this, you need to write an application and receive a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and a protocol from the authorized organization.
Stylish plywood trailer house
If your car has a towbar, it would be a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice “drop” trailer for overnight stays outside the city. For this:
- On the basis of the finished trailer, a floor frame with insulation inside and plywood sheathing is assembled.
- The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All holes for doors and windows, as well as to lighten the frame, must be cut in advance, so it is better to think through the drawing carefully.
- Shelves are assembled from furniture panels and installed on the base. These same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.
- According to the shape of the van, a plywood sheet is bent above the shelves on both sides, and a power frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is made liftable, providing access to the kitchen.
- The top hatch and skylight are cut out. The entire frame is insulated and the wiring is installed.
- Everything is covered with veneer sheets on top. Once the door and window openings are cut out, you can begin exterior painting and varnishing.
- Doors, an overhead hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After securing all the fittings, side lights and wheel fenders, you can safely set off on your journey!
And the video shows a detailed assembly of the motorhome with the installation of solar panels:
Gasoline costs
After Sobol was equipped, tourists from Ivanovo stopped spending money on housing, and this was the main expense item when traveling.
But gasoline costs have increased. A trip across Europe that lasted 25 days required 70 thousand rubles worth of fuel. The total distance that was covered was 8.5 thousand km.
During this trip, Vitaly and Larisa visited countries such as Belarus, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK.
