Start with thinking about what you use on a day to day basis, such as:

• Phone chargers
• Medicines
• Credit / debit cards
• Personal documentation / ID

 
Then start thinking about the top things that you will need if you were out for a period of time, such as:

• Hair brush
• Mini toothpaste and toothbrush
• Facial / body wipes
• Emergency contact details
• Torch
• Notepad and pen
• Book
• Personal toiletries

Keep your absolute essential items in a separate bag / compartment so that they can be found quickly and conveniently when needed!

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The Touring Landau was unlike anything that had previously been seen before – and it was created with the camper in mind. Containing luggage and cargo compartments, a designated place for camping equipment and a toilet on board, the motorhome was the vision of luxury. Don’t forget, most toilets those days were found in outhouses in the gardens!

Come the 1920’s, building managers and manufacturers were beginning to convert 2nd hand panel trucks and buses to be used as camping vehicles. Local designers got on board and started adding their input, basing these motorhomes on the interiors found in buses, airplanes and boats.

However, during World War Two, the production of such vehicles was halted and was not resumed until the 1950’s.

Where did the name come from?
Motorhomes was the name coined for these vehicles in the 50’s by Raymond Frank who actually went on to design and create his first motorhome so that he could take his family on holiday to the mid-west of America. Mounted on top of a Dodge chassis, the 27-foot long motorhome soon caught the eye of other holiday makers who quickly asked Frank whether he would create and build one for them.

By the early 1960’s Raymond Frank has sold 7 motorhomes and decided to open a business. Frank Motor Homes, Inc. was opened and was a huge hit, especially with those who didn’t want to go down the trailer route for their holidays!

As happens in business, other manufacturers quickly cottoned onto the motorhome and the fact that there was an interested market available and in 1966, the Winnebago was launched – still to this date one of the world’s most recognisable names when it comes to motorhome travel.

Motorhomes now
Since the birth of the motorhome and the subsequent boom featuring the Winnebago, motorhomes are often found around the world and are a popular way of travelling around a country and seeing new things. In fact, just last year, in America, over 43,000 motorhomes were sold.

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Make sure you are prepared!
Keep a spare pair of sunglasses in the car with you. Although it might be cold outside, autumn still does have sunny days and, in fact the low level of the sun due to the shorter days can prove to be very hard to deal with. Typically the low sun is very dazzling, especially if you have a dirty windscreen, which leads us on to….

Windscreen care!
Make sure that your windscreen washer fluid is filled up – with more dirty and grit on the roads, combined with more rain, you will get a dirty windscreen pretty quick. Make sure that the fluid you use has an anti-freeze property to it so that it doesn’t freeze and is ready to go when you are! Also, autumn is a great time to check your windscreen wipers.

Check your battery!
It’s a fact that most batteries pack up in the colder months of autumn and winter as the car has to use more electrical juice to keep going. If your battery is over five years old, it would make sense to replace it, before it gives up the ghost on you when you least need it!

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In Germany…
Motorists can be fined if they are found guilty of making derogatory signs or hand gestures and using abusive or offensive language

In Sweden…
Speed limits are a little different to what we are used too. The speed limit isn’t enforced due to the type of road, but instead on the safety and quality of said road. As such, speed limits may vary on the same stretch of road accordingly and motorists are advised to pay attention to road signs.

In Romania…
Driving a dirty car is illegal.

In Switzerland…
It is illegal to pick up hitchhikers on duel carriageways and motorways

In Spain…
Two triangle warning signs need to be displayed if a vehicle breaks down.
Also in Spain…
It is prohibited to program or even touch a GPS navigation systems unless parked in a safe place

In Slovenia….
Motorists are not allowed to sound their horns in the vicinity of a hospital

Things have changed considerably over the past few years, with more and more electrical devices and gadgets around to keep little people entertained, but what else should you have in your kids bag?

Movies, games and apps
As just said, devices and gadgets are for more common these days, with many households home to a tablet of some description. Load it up with apps (and battery!) before setting off and encourage children to play on it for short spells when bored. Also pack a few DVD’s and earphones, so that your kids in the back seat can watch their favourite movie on the go either by the in car system or a portable DVD player.

Travel games
These never go out of fashion! Travel games are a scaled down size of popular board games, such as Monopoly, Guess who and Connect Four, these games can entertain kids and adults alike for hours. Also, these travel sized games are handy as they are smaller than the original size, so can be stored in travel / hand luggage sized bags nice and easy without given you too much more weight to carry!

Books
Colouring books, magazines, story books, travel books – books are an essentials! Encourage the children to dive into a book to help them escape, like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or simply crack open the colouring pens and get creative. Magazine are also popular, especially with boys who might find a book to daunting.

Oldies but goodies!
If nothing else and the kids still get bored, why not revert back to the old tried and tested games like I Spy and first to spot a yellow car!

Hopefully with a mixture of all of the above ideas, you will be able to enjoy your holiday travelling, with all of your hair intact!

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But some countries have some very, let’s say different rules for motorists to abide by.
Such as…

In Denmark, all drivers have to check under their vehicles before they even start the engine. This is to ensure that no one is underneath.

Eating or drinking anything whilst at the wheel is illegal in Cyprus. Even a bottle of water on a scorching hot day.

All cars must have windscreen wipers in Luxemburg – even those vehicles without windscreens.

Drivers in Russia face being fined if they are found to be driving a dirty car.

Those driving in Germany need to make sure they have enough fuel before taking to the Autobahn – it is illegal to breakdown on it due to running out of fuel.

Over in Scandinavia, it is illegal to drive around without headlights on – even in broad daylight in the middle of summer.

In France, it is law that all vehicles must carry a breathalyser kit. Failure to provide to the police the kit when stopped will result in a fine.

If you dare to splash a pedestrian with rainwater whilst driving in Japan, you will be hit with a fine of around $65.

In America, it is illegal to drive blindfolded. Which is good to know.
Staying in America, California law states that it is illegal to jump from a vehicle moving at 65mph or above. In Alaska, it is illegal to tie a dog to the roof of your car. You cannot cross state lines in Minnesota with a duck on your head – be that on foot or in a vehicle. Ohio will present you with a ticket if you drive around the town square more than 100 times consecutively. And finally, Colorado law still states that it is illegal to drive a black car around on Sundays.

Do you know of any other funny or strange road laws? Do let us know over on our Facebook page!

The official DVLA website has advised that drivers destroy their paper counterpart licence.

This new scheme means that all of your details will be stored online in a safe and secure government database that the police, amongst others, will be able to access.

Upon logging in to the website users can see if their current address is up to date, along with their licence information and renewal date.

Further tabs include information regarding the vehicles that the licence holder can drive as well as any penalty points.

And finally there is an additional tab that allows drivers to apply for a code that can be used to hire vehicles abroad. Now that the paper counterpart driving licence is no longer recognised in the UK, drivers will have to access the site and obtain a code before issuing this to rental companies abroad.

Although this new system has hit some teething problems in these early days, which is to be expected, we think that having everything online is much better!

Have you used the new online system?