What did you bring?
Outfitting your motorhome can be as personalized as you want it to be depending on your interest and commitment in cooking some or most of your meals in your own motorhome. You can outfit your rig minimally enabling you to make coffee, or more extensively with a plan of making multi-course meals in a small space. Our list reflects our passion for cooking and eating good food.
What tips do you have for kitchen storage?
We brought with, but found we could by in European supermarkets, a roll of shelf liner. We not only lined our motorhome’s kitchen shelving with it, but cut it up to sandwich between plates and bowls. We use an IKEA dish drainer for glasses storage and a divided plastic tray for organizing spices.
Do you have a pantry?
We use a divided cardboard box in our garage as our wine cave and the unused shower with two large plastic bins bought at IKEA to store paper and bathroom goods. We have ample cupboard storage so there are food staples that we can rely on as backup when necessary.
What are your top go-to items you have in the kitchen?
Our pots and pans are used every day as are our knives, and we’ve been through three French Presses already this trip. Apparently we’re vigorous when it comes to coffee consumption.
Do you have any unnecessary “splurge” kitchen items with you?
Not really, but we did bring our own pepper grinder (bought in Turkey on a previous trip), and reusable wine corks which feel a bit like a splurge but we use them all the time.
What do you miss most about your kitchen?
Our last kitchen was one we designed and built ourselves with an ample pantry and counter space. Space was not an issue. While our motorhome kitchen is small, it’s amazingly efficient. That said, we don’t have an oven which we’d like, nor a microwave which might come in handy, nor a dishwasher, which we’d be forever grateful to have, but know dishes are a necessary evil. Aaron, our head chef, also misses counter space and a blender.
What did you do for bedding your first night in your motorhome in the Netherlands?
We brought our sleeping bags with us and slept in them the very first night we arrived, although in a years time, we haven’t used them again.
Are you still using your sleeping bags?
No, our second day in the Netherlands and after measuring everything to size our purchases, we drove to IKEA and outfitted ourselves with sheets, duvets, duvet covers, and pillows. Additionally, we rigged a sheer privacy curtain in front of the fixed bed for our daughter’s “bedroom” that really is just a bed.
Do you have any recommendations for outfitting a mobile bedroom?
We do – make sure you know how to block the light that will invade your sleeping space from outside. One of the more important features of a good bedroom is for the rig to be balanced or slightly sloped with your head higher than your feet. We use a free level app on my iPad. Finally, putting a bit of extra comfort into your bed with good sheets, a foam memory pad, or even a mattress upgrade will be appreciated on long-term journeys.
Do you recommend bringing from home or buying new bedding?
This is really up to you whether you can afford the luggage space getting there, whether you have strong attachments to your bedding, and whether it’ll work to buy your bedding in time when you need it!
Can you get all the products you like in European stores?
Yes and no. Some products are the same like you can find Colgate toothpaste and possibly your shampoo in markets across Europe, while most toiletry products will be entire new to you. Some of our best moments communicating with a local have been when they’re trying to help us decipher what we need and what we’re looking at.
What do you recommend for outfitting motorhome bathrooms?
Your own toiletries, a toothbrush cup, 2-3 hand towels, soap, stock of toilet paper, a small trash (ours is connected to the wall) you can use grocery bags for TP waste, and toilet “blue” found at a motorhome or camping store.
Any other recommendations?
As you will likely use campground showers rather than fill your grey tank and deplete your good water, we recommend a pair of flip flops, a waterproof bag (we use an old Trader Joe’s shopping bag) to store your clothes in while you’re showering, a good hanging toiletry bag, and a quick dry towel in a larger size for a bit-o-luxury. We also enjoy our stand-up hanging toiletry bag from Eddie Bauer – the best toiletry bag we’ve used in 35+ years of international travel as it stands on its own, hangs well, and allows full-sized bottles to stand upright.