The majority of us associate our motorhomes with going touring and getting away from it all. That’s the way it should be of course, but the reality is that being completely cut off from family, friends, and services such as internet banking can be disconcerting.
Let’s look on the bright side, though. Finding out how the grandchildren are doing at home is nice, but having access to the internet can really help you get the most out of your time on tour.
For example, if you find out what the weather is doing, from a WAP mobile internet site, you can plan your day around it. If there are road closures, you can find out in advance from a text-back message service and take the long way around, to avoid the tailbacks. And, if you change your plans and want to find out whether there is an overnight halt where you are heading, the internet can give you the answer. You can enjoy your trip a lot more if you take advantage of the information available to you on the road.

Snail mail - the old school
Seasoned motorcaravanners know how easy it is to stay in touch, armed with a mobile phone and a PC. But the traditional method of getting word to people on the move is to use a ‘poste restante’ service - effectively a flexible letterbox. Such a service allows addressees to collect their mail from main post offices, wherever they may be. The service is free and arranged via the Royal Mail.
People can address mail to you and send it to any UK post office, where it will be held until you come to collect it. For items sent inside the UK, the Post Office will hold them for two weeks before returning them to the sender, but if the items are sent from abroad they are held for a month.
Mail can also be sent to, and held at, post offices abroad so getting mail to major foreign towns is not a problem. The downside of the poste restante service is the hassle of having to visit a post office to collect your mail. It’s also a slow way of getting your information. However, if you need original copies of papers such as registration certificates or insurance documents, it’s the best option. If you are staying in one place, you can ask a friendly campsite owner whether you might have your mail sent to the site. Most don’t have a problem with that but it does tie you to one destination until your paperwork arrives, which is not ideal if you have a tight touring schedule.
If you only need to speak to people, mobile phones are pretty ubiquitous – but when you are overseas, pricing can be difficult to get to grips with and it is all too easy to end up with huge bills for just a few moments of chat.
The easiest way to keep track of what you’re spending is to opt for a traditional payphone. Most now accept credit cards. And, if you plump for popping coins into the slot, there are no nasty shocks.
The downside of payphones is actually finding them in the first place: they are disappearing faster than snowballs on a beach thanks to the relentless rise of mobile phone popularity.
The same can be said of internet cafés. Popping into a coffee shop to check your emails, research your next destination and drink an espresso is always a nice way to spend an hour, but the growing popularity of internet

 • The above is an extract from an article published in the August 2005 issue of Practical Motorhome magazine. The full article goes on to cover: Accessing the Internet, Comms on a budget, Case studies, Onspeed.

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