The first rule of motorhome etiquette is the wave! When we first got our motorhome no one told us about the secret wave, the greeting, the ‘how do you do’ to fellow campers. For weeks, motorhomes would pass and wave and we would stare at them in bewilderment. At first, we thought something maybe wrong with our motorhome and then we wondered if they knew us? Derrrr. It was only over time we realised it was a greeting from one motorhome to another.

This international greeting comes in all shapes and sizes from the high 5 wave to a slight raise of the hand and anything in between. No matter what country, it is a common language amongst motor homers and camper vans.  Unless of course they are on their way home or had a blazing row and the wave goes straight out the window. What ever your wave preference, it makes for a more pleasant journey, so if you are new to motorhome life start practicing your royal wave!

With wave mastered these are a few other etiquette tips that might want to consider

Your Beast

Reindeer Jam

The average person (us included) is only used to driving an average sized family vehicle. Most people, unless you are a truck driver never drive anything with more than four wheels or longer than a couple of meters. If you buy a motorhome however, you will quickly need to learn how to operate a motorhome. Which is likely the biggest thing you have ever drove on the road. One of the things to consider when you are driving your motorhome is the other vehicles on the road. You are taking up a large portion of the road in your motorhome, so you need to be aware of your positioning. Be cautious when turning left or right because the rear end of the vehicle often kicks out. Height too is a factor to consider not only at bridges and but at garages and service stations. The main thing to remember is keep safe and keep traffic moving.

Shift!

You’re a big vehicle that is likely to be going slower than most vehicles. If thats the case then it costs nothing to be courteous and allow other vehicles to safely pass. It keeps a good flow of traffic, which in turn promotes safer travel. That means using the right lane whenever possible to keep the traffic moving.

If you are travelling on a single track country lane with traffic behind, it is good manners to pull over at a suitable passing point to let the vehicles overtake. Often the passing vehicle will honk their horn in appreciation. When climbing a long hill or mountain pass your speed will reduce significantly. It is important you keep an eye on the traffic building up behind you and if there is an option to allow vehicles to pass then do so.

Curtain Twitchers

When parking your motorhome in a residential area be mindful of where you park. Do not park straight in front of someone’s house without considering how they may feel. We always apply the rule, would we be happy if it was our house and if the answer is no, we move. For example, don’t block someones access or if there is no pavement then don’t block their door or completely block light from entering the property.

Bumper to Bumper

Nothing will make a driver more nervous than a large vehicle coming up quickly from behind. If you are driving a motorhome, make sure to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you. Even if the car is going slower than they should or the traffic is moving very slow, keep your distance. You don’t have the flexibility in a motorhome to stop as quickly as you could in a car especially if you are fully loaded. Plus who wants half the contents of the cupboards on your lap. Keeping your distance and staying back provides you with more time to react should they stop suddenly or you need to break.

Tuck Away

When you park your motorhome at a supermarket or restaurant, make sure to use parking spaces provided for larger vehicles.  If no large vehicle space available then park well away from the entrance to the supermarket. This not only prevents your motorhome from being pranged with a trolley but it does not restrict access to entrance. Also if you need to take up more parking spaces then at least you are less likely to cause an issue if you are away from the entrance. Plus less of an obstruction.

Do you have a favourite etiquette? If so, we’d love you hear from you…don’t be shy!