Motorhome Entertainment Ideas

You climb into your motorhome and set off on your staycation, anticipating day upon day of blissful sunshine for all the family to bask in. But it doesn’t work out that way. You drive for hours, arrive at your chosen destination and, within a couple of days, the British weather is playing its unfortunate part. Literally, it puts the dampener on things. The rain buckets down, and you’re more-or-less confined to quarters in your motorhome all day. So how can you fill the time? What are some things you can do to stop everyone going stir crazy? In this edition of our blog we’ll run through a selection of the best things to do on holiday – to beat the rain or just to up the ante on the fun, whatever the weather!

I Spy: This is an absolute classic, and it is particularly suitable for journeys when the kids are going cuckoo in the back and you need something to occupy their attention for stretches at a time. There surely can’t be anyone who hasn’t played this before, but just in case there is… One player picks something that’s within everyone else’s sight (the more obscure or cleverer the better), and gives the first letter of the object as a clue. For example, if they pick a lorry, they would say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with L”. The other players then take turns to guess until someone comes up with the right answer.

Handheld console: Although handheld consoles are less popular than they were a couple of decades ago, they is still a huge market. If you can stand all of the electronic bleeps and warbles while you’re trying to concentrate on the driving or doing the navigating, then you should find these small video game machines a great way to keep the kids focused on something other than asking you if you’re there yet! If they are slightly older and have a mobile phone of their own, they are likely to use that for gaming.

Others: There are plenty of other games, pastimes and gadgets that the kids can play with on journeys (and during the rest of the holidays). Top Trumps, the comparison card game, has been a staple of every family’s downtime for the last 40 years. There are so many different decks associated with different sports teams, animals or TV franchises (and so on), you’re sure to be able to find one that appeals specifically to your young ones. There are also travel editions of some board games available, scaled down versions which don’t necessarily require the big board and all of the paraphernalia. For babies and toddlers, a ‘busy board’ is a fantastic option. This is an interactive toy consisting of a variety of tactile elements, such as locks, latches, zippers, buttons, dials and knobs, all attached to a soft ‘board’.

Once you’re ensconced at destination, you can break out the big guns – in other words all of the board games and other pastimes which you’ve safely stored in the overhead lockers while you’ve been on the move.

Games: One of the best ways to get all the family into bonding mode is for everyone to take part in playing games, including board games. From enduringly popular old stagers like Cluedo and Monopoly right through to the ultra-quiz of Trivial Pursuits or the brain-stretchers like Scrabble, there are so many classics available that you’re spoiled for choice. There are also many exciting ‘new’ games that have entered the market over the last 20 years or so, which will test the skill or strategies of everyone taking part, as well as (for adults only) humorous and often outrageous games such as Cards Against Humanity. Games can become a regular evening feature of holidays, a way for everyone to regroup at the end of a long day over something social and inclusive and – of course – fun. You could always try crosswords or sudoku if you want some brain-taxing time to yourself.

1.     Cluedo

2.     Monopoly

3.     Trivial Pursuit

4.     Risk

5.     Scrabble

6.     Cranium

7.     Cards Against Humanity

8.     Chess or Draughts

9.     Connect Four

10.  Card Games

Reading: Making your way through a good book is one of life’s true pleasures. Reading is a way to completely switch off from the world around you and enter totally new realms. Whether you’re nine years old and into Harry Potter, the boy wizard, or much older and into international spy rings and big business shenanigans or reading an autobiography of someone famous and interesting (yes, there actually are a few) then taking a book on holiday with you can be a great way to relax. Living in such close proximity for a week or two comes with its own pressures, so if all of the family takes a book each it gives everyone an option to switch off for some time to themselves.

Crafts: Being some beautiful might spark off some creative thinking, and that could lead to sketching or painting your holiday environment. You may have a smartphone with a camera which can take incredible photos, but is there really a better way to ‘record’ the vistas in front of you than with your own drawings and paintings? You might not be skilled artist, but taking some time to slow down and relax in this way is great fun. Other arts and crafts you could indulge in include crocheting and knitting – and if you knit quick enough you might be able to whip up a scarf or shawl ready for the next time it’s cold and rainy!

TV: Okay, so watching television is something you’re likely to spend a little too much time indulging in over the course of your lifetime. They say it ‘rots the brain’ but it’s something you probably do as a way to chill after a hard day at work, and that’s fair enough. Television years ago was, as archive viewing will attest, often absolute garbage – but these days there are a huge number of cinematic quality shows available. Things with depth and a deftness in the storytelling. However, for the purposes of this blog you’re on holiday in your motorhome so the TV ought to be a bit of a last resort.

If you do find that TV is a part of your evenings during your staycation, then having something special to watch is a must. Perhaps, back at home, you’ve been making your way through a box set of some kind (either on disc or via streaming), and you don’t want to break the run of a couple of episodes a night. Perhaps there’s a couple of recent films you’ve been meaning to catch up on. Perhaps there’s some big sporting event being broadcast live while you’re away. Whatever there is, TV on holiday can be a familiar and pleasant way to ‘chill’ for a couple of hours.

1.     The Darjeeling Limited

2.     An American Werewolf In London

3.     Roman Holiday

4.     Mr Bean’s Holiday

5.     The Inbetweeners Movie

6.     Mamma Mia

7.     Stealing Beauty

8.     Eat Pray Love

9.     The Shallows

10.  The Beach

There will be days – hopefully most of the ones you’re away – when the weather is absolutely fine, if not fantastic. These are the occasions on which your activities will almost certainly be outside of the motorhome. Perhaps you’ll be off exploring a nearby town or historical site, or hiking through some wonderful countryside or having fun down at the beach. If you’re not doing any of those things, you may just be hanging out around the motorhome. There are plenty of ways to keep yourself and everybody else amused and entertained, al fresco.

Sports: Usually a little more physical than the type of games we mentioned earlier on, outdoor games tend to revolve around some sort of sport. You may have taken Swingball on holiday with you (this tennis-based game has been extremely popular for several decades), or you may have set up some sort of cricket-based or football-based game for everyone to get involved in. If you have younger children, it’s possible to buy family friendly cricket sets, or small goals and softer footballs from sports or toy shops (so as not to damage your vehicle then things are, inevitably, kicked or hit against it). Rounders is also a very popular sport for everyone to join in on, and if you are on a campsite it’s not uncommon for the residents of various motorhomes to band together and create larger matches.

1.     Family BBQ

2.     Water play

3.     Go for a run

4.     Hiking

5.     Frisbee

6.     Dog walking

7.     Petanque (ie. Boules)

8.     Bike ride

9.     Wildlife spotting

10.  Skittles

There are so many ways to stay entertained on holiday in your motorhome, even when the weather is a bit rubbish. You don’t need to spend vast amounts of money to keep all of the family amused, either: Just a bit of imagination and a bit of outlay in advance to buy some kit can really do the trick, and provide you with something which can contribute to lasting motorhome memories – and, luckily for you, we have a stack of motorhomes here at Lowdhams that you can choose from!