Keith Gooden
Welcome back to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden and as usual, the star of the show, Motorhome Matt Sims.
Matt Sims
Hey, Keith, how are you?
Keith Gooden
I’m fine. And you?
Matt Sims
Yes, I’m very well. It’s nice to be back after a holiday.
Keith Gooden
It is. I had a holiday – my first holiday abroad in three years, postponed twice, finally got off to Sicily and very nice it was too, but not in a motorhome. You didn’t give me one for free.
Matt Sims
Of course not. I’ve seen you drive.
Keith Gooden
Everybody pays around here. Okay, we’ve got a lot to get through today.
Catching up on industry news
Keith Gooden
First of all, industry news. What’s been happening in the motorhoming and caravanning industry?
Matt Sims
Well, yes, it’s been interesting. We were in the news ourselves, we were on the telly.
Keith Gooden
I heard, I saw!
Matt Sims
We were on the telly box, BBC One. It was amazing. Yes, a news article on how tourism businesses in the southwest – with local news – are going into the summer with a lower level of bookings than we’re used to, and then suddenly filling up at the last minute. And the trend for short-term short notice bookings has been more prevalent than ever this year. And certainly within our own motorhome hire business, Motorhome Holiday Company, that’s been the case.
It was very unnerving as we walked into the summer with a lack of bookings and inquiries way down on usual. And then suddenly, as we’ve gone through the summer, people were asking, ‘Have you got availability for this weekend?’ Only yesterday we took two bookings that are both going out on Friday. That’s not rare, but certainly unusual.
An increasing number of people are looking to take a motorhome holiday at very short notice, even in September. As we record this, our month is filling up now. That’s not normal at all. It’s been a very new pattern this year.
Keith Gooden
So why do you think that is? Because for the last couple of years with the pandemic and people not being able to go overseas because of rules in other countries and staycationing, for want of a better word, took off in the UK. But also a lot of people in this country did take advantage as far as prices are concerned. Do you think it frightened people off? Or is it something different, do you think?
Matt Sims
I think there’s some of that, and we’ve all got stories, haven’t we, of holiday cottages that were £1,500 a week, and they suddenly were £5,500 a week. Friends of mine had their flights cancelled for their family holiday, went to rebook and it had gone from a £3,000 week to a £5,000 week. There are lots of stories like that. I think people are using up their annual leave with holidays that they paid for two years ago.
And they’re keeping their options open. The lovely weather we’ve had in the UK in recent weeks has certainly helped. People are booking to go away for a weekend. And an increasing number of people, I think, are looking to buy a motorhome for next year’s season or at some point in the future, and they’re looking to try one to test the water and also work out what’s going to work best for them.
Keith Gooden
Yes, and a lot of people don’t realise that you can hire a motorhome. That’s a part of the business that you’re in. You don’t have to buy and lash out all that cash. You can hire and of course you get the support from people like you and your team if you’re nervous about driving, the right things to do, ‘I’ve never done this before!’ You give all that advice.
So that aspect of hiring is there for people, which I think is – I’m going to use the staycation word again – part of the whole staycation thing. I don’t think people thought that hiring a motorhome was an option for them.
Matt Sims
No, and it still amazes me that we get people walking in saying exactly that. ‘I had no idea you could hire a motorhome.’ And it’s a foreign idea for many. There’s been a huge boom in motorhome hire across the UK this last 12 to 18 months as people have bought them and used these third-party platforms like Airbnb where you can list your motorhome for hire and make easy money. In reality, it’s not.
Keith Gooden
It’s all hard work, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
It’s really hard work. And record numbers have registered for insurance for motorhome hire over the last year talking to our insurers. And I think we’re going to see huge numbers of those people not renew next year as they realise just what a headache it can be even-, not disasters with the motorhome, although things sometimes go wrong, but just waiting in for people to come back from a holiday and they’ve been delayed at the ferry or delayed in traffic or they woke up late. That happens. You’ve got to be organised and have a good infrastructure to do it well.
Keith Gooden
Right, which brings us to sales. I suppose some of your hire customers will then go on to buy a motorhome, and we’re talking a little bit later about buying them at shows. So how are sales going this year?
Matt Sims
Yes, sales are still very buoyant. It’s the same old story, though, with supply – some big big challenges coming again for next year. I was talking to a good friend of mine who has a big motorhome dealership and he’s agreed to come on the podcast and give us his take on it, which we’ll record for a future episode. So have a listen for that. But Paul was saying how the supply of the chassis-, so this is the cab and the wheels of the motorhome. There are still huge issues with supply.
And there are some interesting dynamics going on with the development of electric motorhomes and that Fiat in particular and no doubt others are focused more on the electric development than they are the diesel production. And motorhomes, of course, are all still diesel. And there are huge grants available for developing electric vehicles, and you can understand why these big corporates are focused there on that development rather than producing diesel vehicles, so I think we’re going to see a lot of changes in chassis makes being used in the future.
And there is going to be continued supply issues and delays. If you order a motorhome you could be waiting 18 months for it.
Keith Gooden
And you have to understand as well that a lot of the components for the motorhomes are made in different parts of the world. So when the pandemic hit, and China shut down in great large places, factories shut down completely, and some components couldn’t be supplied to European manufacturers and British manufacturers. Ditto wiring looms. I think you’ve talked about in a previous podcast due to the war in Ukraine.
So there are all sorts of different aspects and different things that are playing a part in these delays to manufacturing. It’s not just one thing that can be cured easily. And that is ongoing, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
No. And it was all pre-framed, of course, by Brexit. Remember that?
Keith Gooden
I do remember Brexit. That’s the word. That’s old news now.
Matt Sims
It is.
Keith Gooden
It still does play its part.
Matt Sims
But at the time, before we Brexited, there was a strong risk that there would be huge tariffs on a motorhome. So you ordered it in February. And there could be a 10% uplift on the price which you would have to pay as the buyer. And so people didn’t buy them, they didn’t order new motorhomes. And so producers of them just downscaled for the UK, because we weren’t buying them and who can blame us?
That issue then disappeared and then came COVID, and suddenly we came out of lockdown – huge demand. It suddenly became the best idea to have a safe holiday. And there’s just a massive lack of supply. So it’s going to take some years for the manufacturers who are working so hard to try and fix this issue. Believe me, they are, and they get a really bad rep.
Keith Gooden
Yes, and I think we should say that everybody is suffering – the manufacturers, the dealers, the end consumers, businesses like yours who are support businesses for people who enjoy motorhoming and caravanning.
As I said, there’s not one thing that you can press a button for and cure it. It’s a lot of different influences which are having an impact and of course, the cost of living crisis. In the UK, we have seen nearly a 200% or 170% increase in the cost of electricity and gas heading into the winter. And of course, people are budgeting, aren’t they?
Matt Sims
They are, yes, and that secondary spend – it was interesting listening to Radio 5 Live the other morning on Wake Up to Money. And there was a holiday park in Pembrokeshire on and they have static caravans as part of their offering. And they were reporting that people are coming to visit them less often because it wasn’t every weekend, it was one in three, and their secondary spend in the restaurants on-site and so on and in the shop was way down. And this is people just self-catering, bringing food from home and saving money. It is having a knock-on effect.
But holidays are sacrosanct. And in this country, they’re so important to us. And I believe that we will prevail. It’s definitely a new and bumpy pattern and we’re in for a rocky winter definitely. We will see some businesses fail as we go into the winter. But I think the British tourists, and the desire of Europeans that want to come here to this fantastic country as well, I think that will prevail. And I think we’re in for a great year next year. And I am an eternal optimist, that’s true. But I genuinely believe that.
Keith Gooden
But we do like to be optimistic on this podcast. And it’s not blind optimism. Matt has clients who own motorhomes who place them with his company and he hires them out, so supply is there. So if you are thinking about a holiday, your sacrosanct holiday, Matt is the person to come and see, believe me.
Matt Sims
Yes, and if you’ve got one you want to make some money from, do get in touch.
Keith Gooden
Absolutely. So that’s the industry news. Let’s talk a little bit about the possibility of a couple of tickets you might be giving away for the forthcoming October show, the big show at the NEC for motorhoming and caravanning.
Matt Sims
Yes, it’s the Caravan and Motorhome Show in Birmingham this October and we have got some tickets to give away. Are you going?
Keith Gooden
You invited me, so I think so.
Matt Sims
You haven’t got a choice.
Keith Gooden
I think maybe I’ll be a bag carrier. And I won’t be in the business lounge but that’s me – thumbs up and a smile.
Matt Sims
You can carry my bags. I love it. So yes, we’ve got a stand there and we will hopefully be able to recreate this little environment and record some live content from the show, which is why you’re there, Keith. We need you there. And all the team will be there. And we’re interviewing lots of friends, some industry commentators, a number of industry leaders, and it’s a fantastic show. And yes, we do have some tickets courtesy of the organiser to give away.
Keith Gooden
A bit more about that after the main meat of this podcast. Stick around, stick around.
The need-to-knows of motorhome shows
Keith Gooden
Let’s talk about buying a motorhome, shall we, or a caravan at one of these shows – not necessarily a biggie, but some of the regional ones or local ones that we see. A good thing to do or not?
Matt Sims
Yes, a very good thing. It’s a great, great way of seeing lots and lots of layouts. If you’ve never been to one before, it can be quite overwhelming. Certainly the NEC show, obviously, it’s indoor. And it’s the one in October. The show in October is massive. It’s the whole part of the new NEC, it’s lots and lots of halls. You could take two days walking around it, and you still wouldn’t see everything. But what I wanted to do – we’ve had lots of questions about buying at a show and how it works.
Now, I’ve been at a show treading the boards, as it were, as a dealer. It always fascinated me when I started out going to this show how it was actually operating and who the people were on the stands. And it’s really important that you understand this as a consumer visiting the show, so I wanted to talk about that and the differences between the NEC indoor show in Birmingham and some of the more rural shows that happen at race courses and in fields around the country.
And we’re about to embark as we go into September 2022 – this is the season for the shows to kick off. And there are shows every weekend somewhere around the country. The big difference between the NEC show and the other shows is that obviously the NEC is inside, and all the vehicles that you see there are brand new. Only new vehicles can be exhibited at the NEC show. There might be some exceptions, but they’re very, very, very unusual.
So it’s new models and brand new motorhomes, caravans and campervans, as well as all the accessories and so on, which are exhibited at the show. And generally, there are two types of stand. You’ve got the manufacturer of a caravan or motorhome brand that buys a space. And they will spend six figures filling that space with products, and it will be some of the staff from the manufacturer and most of the staff will be dealers. They pay to go on the stand and sell a motorhome or caravan to you. So when you walk on that stand, you will be talking probably to a dealer.
Check the dealer’s details
Matt Sims
Now, it’s really important that if you know what you want to buy that you make sure you know who you’re talking to and where they’re based. If you live in Cornwall, and you’re talking to a dealer in Scotland – they may not have a Scottish accent so it may not be obvious to you – and you bought a motorhome from them, you are going to have to go to Scotland to collect it. And furthermore, if anything went wrong with the motorhome under warranty, you’re going to be asked to take it back to Scotland. It isn’t a given that the dealer in Cornwall or Exeter will take it on and fix it for you.
So it’s really important you understand that and ask when you go on the stand. Go on knowing who your dealer is. There might be a dealer map on the stand, and go and ask if you can speak to your local dealer. And bear in mind they may not be on the stand, because not all dealerships can afford the cost of putting salespeople on the stand or the time of having salespeople out of the business for a week. And it’s a six-day show. It’s a big commitment for any business to go to the show, so it’s really important to understand that.
So that’s a manufacturer’s standard, and then some of the bigger dealers have a stand as well. You’ll get big brand dealers like Brownhills and Marquis and Glossop caravans. They have their own stands and they will have multi-branded motorhomes and caravans on the stand, so they sell lots of different brands. Now, those stands will only be staffed by teams from those dealerships. So make sure you’re aware of where they are based, and ask them. Just be honest with them. They will be honest with you. And bear in mind that you are only talking to that dealer.
And then you’ve got the smaller converters, perhaps the Volkswagen van converters, the small, niche caravan converters like Barefoot and so on, and they will go with their own products and have their own little stand.
Don’t rush into making a purchase
Matt Sims
So it’s important to understand who you’re talking to and who you’re buying from. And if you have a conversation with a dealer about a deal, and there might be a show offer on, I have no idea what there will be. They will be varied this year and they may not be frequent in offer. We won’t know until we get there.
Have a conversation with them. Don’t be afraid to just walk away and just slow down. Don’t rush into it. Often you can get caught up in the excitement of a show. Take a breath, go for lunch, go for a coffee, go home and maybe ring the salesman the following day. They will happily give you their mobile number. They have targets to hit as well, remember, and they will do the deal with you from your home on the next day of the show, but show deals generally finish on a Sunday night. Dealers are often unable to carry them forward into the following week.
Keith Gooden
So people can go along to the big show at the NEC and maybe more local ones and perhaps see a special show deal from some manufacturers.
Would I be right though, Matt, in thinking that if you go to the big show at the NEC, which is going to have all the major dealers and manufacturers there, that you should perhaps go along as if you’re dipping your toe in the water for this particular market like you would, say, to a boat show, or an ideal home show, and just see somewhere where you can see what’s on offer. Go inside, touch the shiny vehicles without necessarily buying them. In other words, are you pressured to buy?
Matt Sims
There’s some element of pressure to buy, but generally, no, it’s not a very high pressure sales industry. It’s generally very relaxed. Whilst the sales guys will have targets to try and hit, generally, you’re free to go and have a look and wander around. And in fact, you might even struggle to find a salesperson on some stands, because they just seem aloof or just not available.
I’d say if this is your first time going to a show, then leave your credit card in the car. Don’t get caught up in it. It’s so easy to make a very, very expensive mistake and buy what turns out for you to be the wrong layout.
Keith Gooden
And we have to remember, don’t we Matt, that this is a lot of money.
Matt Sims
Huge.
Keith Gooden
Buying a car is a big enough purchase, and people fall foul of that. But buying a motorhome is a huge purchase.
Matt Sims
Yes, and more money than it used to be as well. Models that three or four years ago were maybe £50,000 odd could well be £90,000 odd this year. The price hikes are massive. And that’s just supply chain issues. Gosh, there’s a plethora of reasons why that’s happened, which of course is great for the used market as well. So it’s a huge sum of money.
And I think people will be shocked at how much some of these motorhomes are going to cost. And manufacturers, because of the supply issues, have started using other makes of base vehicle such as Mercedes and we’re going to see more and more Mercedes-based motorhomes appear, I think, and they cost more money. It’s a chassis that just costs more.
Keith Gooden
It’s a premium brand.
Matt Sims
It is, and it’s beautiful to drive. It’s lovely. But they’ve always been the reserve of the higher priced products and that’s not going to be any different.
Keith Gooden
But you are getting what you paid for. And that’s not an advert for Mercedes! There are other brands in motorcars, for instance, which don’t make motorhomes that are premium brands. And you can tell that when you get into it. It’s build quality, that’s where the money tends to go. I’m at the NEC, I’m taking a look around, I’m dipping my toe in the water. Or maybe I’ve had a motorhome before but I’m looking to buy a new one.
Build up a relationship with your local dealer
Keith Gooden
Isn’t this where our local and regional shows come in, where you can go along and perhaps see a local dealer and start a relationship with somebody where you might purchase in the future but you won’t be subject to, ‘Just sign here and we’ll give you a call in two days’ time.’ The dealer actually wants to have a relationship with a customer.
Matt Sims
I think all dealers want to have a relationship with you, regardless of where they’re based. And don’t be afraid to go to your local dealer before the show and start that relationship now. In a previous episode we talked about the comparison, didn’t we, between buying privately and buying from a dealer.
Wayne at Chelston Motorhomes talked at length about their desire as a business to build a relationship with the consumer so they understand what they’re looking for and can help them find it. Used motorhomes particularly, but even new will arrive and go. They don’t hang around. Many of them are not even being advertised because there’s a buyer for them waiting in the wings.
Yes, going to your local dealer and building that relationship is a very, very sensible idea. And ask them if they’re going to the show. They will be presented with the show offer that is usually funded by the manufacturer which they can pass on. And a typical offer might be some free accessories. Previously, manufacturers have offered free ferry vouchers for going abroad. So there are all sorts of different types of offers that you can take advantage of over the show.
So make friends with your dealer as soon as you can. You may well need their help to find the layout that you’ve chosen. If it’s your first time at the show, my advice is to go and look at everything. Just wander around, kick tyres and just take pictures and just sit in everything and make notes.
As you walk into a motorhome or caravan, to the left of the entrance door there is traditionally an A4 laminated sheet with the model, the layout, the spec and the price. Take a picture of that, go inside and take photos. And then when you go home, you’ll have a chance of remembering what on Earth it was you saw. You can pick up the brochure, of course, as well. So take a backpack or a bag or even a trolley to put your brochures in because there are lots of them and they’re often very big.
This is an industry where we love our brochures. It’s not all online – paper brochures are still a thing. And that’s increasingly unusual, isn’t it? Go prepared. And an easy answer to this is research, research, research. And of course, that’s a boring answer. But if you’ve no idea where to start, just start at the beginning and walk in wide eyed and open armed and prepared to see what you see and see what you like.
Keith Gooden
Yes, it’s a volatile market. But remember, if you do buy a motorhome, the second-hand market is also buoyant. And we’ve said in previous podcasts, Matt, that people can buy a motorhome this year, and in three years’ time, it’s likely you’ll get your money back, if not sometimes even make a little bit of money on it.
Matt Sims
Maybe. Yes, we’ve actually just brought something into stock here to sell and we’ve advertised it for more than it was paid for five years ago.
Keith Gooden
Yes. So that volatility in the market could actually be to your advantage.
Win tickets to The Motorhome and Caravan Show 2023
Keith Gooden
So if people are coming to the NEC, they can see the Motorhome Matt podcast. The team is all going to be there. Come along and see us. Now, we were teasing the fact that you might have some tickets to give away. Do you want to say anything about that?
Matt Sims
Yes, certainly. So we want you to try and engage with us. So we want to hear your funny stories about motorhoming and caravanning, obviously, not just your grandchildren’s stories!
Keith Gooden
Or pets!
Matt Sims
Funny though they are…
Keith Gooden
Pets in a motorhome? Yes.
Matt Sims
Yes, that’s good. If it’s funny, disastrous or memorable for some other reason, we would love for you to share it with us, and we can possibly play a few on the podcast and it’d be fun doing it.
Keith Gooden
Absolutely brilliant. Come along live and be part of the podcast as well.
Matt Sims
Come and join in.
Keith Gooden
Absolutely. Our arms are open to you.
Matt Sims
There we are. Anyway, you don’t have to come and engage with Keith directly, you can do it from the safety of your home.
Keith Gooden
Or with my probation officer!
Matt Sims
All you need to do is go to our website, www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt. And there it’s very easy to record your contribution and face so easy even a child can do it. Listen!
Malachi
Hey, dad. It’s your favourite child Malachi here. I’m loving the work. Keep it up.
Matt Sims
Bless him. That’s my 11-year-old having a go. He discovered the Ask Matt page on the website, so you can do the same. Just press the orange button, record your message and submit it to us. If you’re a bit fearful of recording or don’t like the sound of your own voice, you can enter your contribution and type it in on the form and press submit that way. But we would love to hear from you. And then we will pick what we consider to be the best. What criteria are we going to go for?
Keith Gooden
Well, it could be the funniest, it could be the most interesting story, maybe. I don’t know. Yes, your caravan rolled down the hill and ended up in the local church. Maybe you actually, for instance, provided shelter for people who were in trouble themselves.
Perhaps it’s just a funny story about going on holiday and everything turned out exactly the way you wanted it to, but it was better than you expected. Whatever your tale, whatever you’ve got to say, we want to hear about it.
Matt Sims
We do, we do. So go on to www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt and share your story with us. We’ll pick the best one and the winners or the best ones will get a pair of tickets to the NEC show.
Keith Gooden
Yes, you’ve got to organise your own transport. We’re not doing that. If you need a hotel room, that’s your business too. We’ll give you tickets to get in the show and nothing else apart from perhaps an extra strong mint.
Matt Sims
An extra strong mint?
Keith Gooden
Yes!
Matt Sims
Well, I’ll come and say hello as well. Come and say hi to us.
Keith Gooden
You’ll be on the podcast, absolutely.
Matt Sims
We’ll let you know which day Keith’s not there. These tickets are only for one day, so you need to pick the day that you want to go and then they’ll be there at the entrance with your name on ready to collect.
Keith Gooden
When you leave your message, just put what day you want to go. Okay. All right then, so we’ve heard from Malachi. Anything else? Any other listeners who’ve been in charge?
Your questions
Matt Sims
We did. We had a great question from Eric, near Bristol, local to us, as you can tell when you hear this.
Eric Keith-Smith
Hi, Matt. My partner and I are looking to buy a motorhome with a rear lounge. There’s only two seatbelts in the front, but we want to take our children with us and they’re both under ten. Can we fit seatbelts on the back? What are the rules? Love the podcast.
Keith Gooden
Love the podcast, Matt!
Matt Sims
It’s like Steve Wright!
Keith Gooden
It is just like Steve Wright and the fact that you’re carrying on doing the podcasts and he has been given the old tin tack. That is not true, actually. He’s still doing the Sunday morning show. So yes, that’s the question – seatbelts.
Matt Sims
The seatbelt. Good question. We get asked this a lot. The rules are really, really black and white. So Eric’s question is, ‘Can I add seatbelts to my motorhome?’ The answer potentially is yes, you could. Can the kids travel in the back without a seatbelt? No, they can’t. If they’re over three, they potentially can travel without seatbelts in the back but it’s really, really frowned upon. Under three, they have to be in a child seat.
The rules are that any travelling seat should have a seatbelt. There are some exceptions if it’s an emergency or it’s a very short trip. But if you’re stopped by a police officer and they consider it to be unsafe, particularly if you’re travelling more than 60 miles an hour, they can pull you over and throw the book at you and they can fine you. So passengers can have a £100 fine and drivers can get a bigger fine than that.
Fitting seatbelts retrospectively to a motorhome is something you need to go and seek expert advice on. They have to be fitted to the chassis. You can’t just slap them in with a few wood screws, ‘That will do.’ Headrests are really important. They can only be forward or rearward facing.
I’ve seen motorhomes fitted with side seats with seat belts on, three point belts over the shoulder. Absolutely lethal. That is ridiculous. That would snap a spine or you could easily be thrown out. So there are some very strict rules around fitting seat belts to motorhomes. In fact, I think we’ll do a whole podcast on it, shall we?
Keith Gooden
That’s a very good idea. I think we should because yes, if you’re not restraining children properly, yes, you’re breaking the law, but you’re putting your children’s lives at risk. And also yours. An unrestricted child in the event of a collision will be flying around inside the cabin and could hit you and kill you. And it’s not funny. It’s a fact. It happens.
So listen to Matt, we will do a podcast on it. But don’t DIY your seatbelt. The answer is yes, you can fit them retrospectively, but it has to be done by an expert. It is not a DIY job.
Matt Sims
No, definitely not. And the age of the motorhome’s key as well. We’ll present the facts. So depending on how old the motorhome is, there are different rules for different ages of vehicles. So let’s unpack all of that in a future episode.
Keith Gooden
Yes, and just a quick mention as well, even though you don’t use seatbelts for them, pets as well. No unrestrained pets either. Again, a huge danger in the event of a collision. So we hope you’re happy, Eric, with Matt’s answer to that question. Anything else, then?
Matt Sims
Yeah, we had a great comment online, actually. This one intrigued me. I don’t know the guy’s name. He said, ‘I’ve been caravanning and motoring in France for 50 years. A couple of weeks ago, there was a post which stated that border police in France could check if you are in possession of sufficient cash for your stay.’ This was in response to our travelling in France episode.
I replied, giving this nonsense short shrift. I was wrong. ‘I’m currently in Spain, having landed last week in Calais, where a police officer actually made me produce my money and credit cards for examination.’ Gordon Bennett! I’ve never heard that actually happen before.
Keith Gooden
Well, we are a third country after Brexit. If you go to America, when you do that little form on the aeroplane, they ask you where you’re staying and they asked you if you’ve got enough money, and sometimes immigration will ask for credit cards. When we were part of Europe, there wasn’t free movement between us and the Schengen zone but they didn’t do a lot of checks.
But even so, when we were part of the EU, I was occasionally asked at the Spanish border where I was staying. So I don’t think it’s that unusual. Why would you object to producing the credit card and saying where you’re staying? That’s my answer.
Matt Sims
I guess we’re just not used to it, are we? We’re used to just roaming free out of Blighty across France into Spain and not being challenged. But this is new. So this is post-Brexit and the reality we live in.
Keith Gooden
It is absolutely. If you haven’t got an EU passport, or even if you have an EU passport but you’re a British subject, then you do not have the same rights as people either in the Schengen zone or the wider travel area in the EU. Like Matt says you just gotta get used to it, I’m afraid.
Matt Sims
Yes, the new normal.
Keith Gooden
I think we’ve covered just about everything in this podcast haven’t we, Matt?
Matt Sims
Yes. The only other thing I wanted to say about going to a show is if you’re going to one of the regional shows, there you will find loads of used motorhomes as well. So we talk very much about new. You’ll find used caravans as well.
So those shows are only populated and exhibited by the dealers, and there are loads of them. Go to them. They’re a great way of seeing what’s new, what’s innovative and what’s available to buy. Just Google, ‘Motorhome caravan show,’ for your area. I’m sure you’ll find one in it or close to it.
Keith Gooden
Yes. And have a look at the Motorhome Holiday Company website as well for lots of information from Matt and the team.
Keep up to date on social media
Keith Gooden
Listen to all the podcasts. We give you as much information as we can, and talking about social media or the socials, as we like to call them, how can people keep up to date and stay in touch with us?
Matt Sims
They can indeed. So you’ll find us on Facebook as Motorhome Matt and on Instagram we’re @motorhomematt.co.uk. On YouTube, we’re Motorhome Matt, and if you are watching us on YouTube, then make sure you click subscribe and hit the little bell and then the gods of YouTube can tell you when there’s a new episode.
Keith Gooden
And just a little final one – what is that online address where they can record their motorhome experiences to try and win those tickets for the big show?
Matt Sims
Please do. We love hearing them, it’s great. www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt.
