IN GENERAL

Wheels on the ground
* The best tip regarding all types of vehicles with wheels are often learned at the driving school, it’s pretty funny yet serious, and reads as follows: At all times, keep the black, rubberized surface to the ground.

You have plenty of time
* You’re on vacation, you should not stress – there is plenty of time to get to your destination – to the extent that you have a definite destination. The journey can be an end in itself, freedom and opportunity are two of the strengths of vacation by motorhome.
You have everything you need in the camper, fridge, shower, bed, toilet. Unless you have some sort of deadline (like for example a ferry that sails only once a day) you have all day to travel, and can eat when it suits and sleep when you are tired, the vehicle has all you need.

Avoid injuries and/or damage, think ahead
* Many incidents occur for example when reversing- for an example hitting a protruding roof. When travelling in a motorhome you are seldom by yourself, it pays off to have a person keeping a look-out behind the motorhome, assisting when reversing.

Motorhome width
* For profile models, the living area of the motorhome is slightly wider than the front. But the side view mirrors are always the motorhome’s widest point, regardless of model.

Motorhome height
* The camping car is higher than a normal car. Be aware of low bridges and signs indicating the max height.

Motorhome length, rear overhang
* Remember that the camper is longer than a normal car. The rear overhang can be quite long, pay attention to this as you maneuver around the narrow city streets, for an example.

Damage, windows and hatches
* Open windows in the living unit / open sunroof while driving a common cause of damage. You may be lucky for a short while while driving with an open hatch/window/sunroof, until there is crosswinds, passing a oncoming trailer, driving into a tunnel or similar, all involving rapid pressure changes or strong winds, this can cause damage to open hatches/windows.

Parking, windows and hatches
* If you are parked and have left the motorhome, remember to close the sunroof if you think there could be rain or strong winds while you are away. The awning should also be retracted if you expect strong winds. Also, remember to close the windows if you want to avoid theft.

Operation of various objects
* When it comes to items / furniture / interior, it rarely pays to use brute force if any hatch / hinge / lock / object does not behave as you would immediately expect – you may have to press a hidden safety switch to release the object. Everything inside a motorhome must be secured since a motorhome is an apartment on wheels!

Secure all doors, hatches etc. while travelling
* Before setting the motorhome in motion, check that all interior and exterior doors, windows, skylights, drawers and cabinets, tabletops, doors, refrigerator doors, gas bottles etc. are properly closed and secured. Also check that the step at the living unit door (if present) and rear outriggers are retracted. Any bikes on the bike rack must also be secure.

Loose items
* All loose items must be placed in a suitable location and / or secured before driving.

Secure the passengers
* Sleeping in bed, staying in the alcove, using the toilet, etc. – this must not take place while the car is moving. Any person inside the motorhome must wear seat belts during transport.

Tire pressure, directional stability
* Campers are more sensitive to incorrect tire pressures than normal cars. If there is low pressure in the front tires it will have an impact on the directional stability, wandering in the road, and ‘climbing’ if the road is rutted. Therefore, check primarily tire pressure if you notice anything of the above mentioned.

Weight distribution
* If you have a lot of weight in the garage under the bed in the rear, the motorhome’s behaviour when driving can be similar to that of low tire pressure, unstable and nervous. This is because there is less weight on the front wheels. You should try to distribute the weight forward in the camper.

Centre of gravity
* As with any other road vehicle it is important to put the heaviest items as close to the floor of the vehicle as possible. The motorhome becomes more stable, and in an accident heavy objects will have a harder time to come flying through the air.

Fridge
* The refrigerator in a motorhome can normally reduce the temperature ca.15-20 degrees relative to the surroundings. Once you park the vehicle it is beneficial that the sun does not shine on the refrigerator air grooves. The awning can be extracted, providing shadow for the air grooves. In addition, the vehicle must be parked roughly horizontally to ensure the operation of the refrigerator.

Lack of space, food
* Usually not a problem on shorter trips (under 10 days). If you are experiencing a shortage of space in drawers and closets, for instance you may want to take the cereal bags out of the surrounding cardboard box, roughly half the volume is air.