❌ AVOID THESE MISTAKES - Motorhome wild parking done wrong

I've driven over 90,000 miles around the UK and Europe, and I have been touring basically full-time for the past 8 years. In all of that time, I have only been moved on once from a wild parking spot, and that was entirely my fault. It was in the middle of the day, I was parked up, and I got my outside chair out, which I really, really know better than that. That was in Belgium. They're quite strict on enforcing their wild parking rules, which is fair enough. So I wanted to share with you a few of the mistakes that new motorhomers especially make when they are either wild parking or staying off-grid, so that the next time you want a little bit more freedom in your motorhoming and you want to use some of these places, you don't make the same mistakes. Hi, if you're new here, my name is Kat and I'm here to help motorhome and campervan owners make the most of their time on the road. So if you want more tips and videos about motorhome travel, road trip destinations you definitely should go to, or mistakes that should avoid, then make sure you are subscribed and follow along to this channel so you hear about our next video. Right, let's dive on into the mistakes to avoid. So the first mistake people make when they are wild parking especially is they found a place on Park4Night and they sort of doggedly head there, and either they arrive far too late and it's dark and they can't find their place, or it's just all too complicated, or they get there and there are already one or two other vehicles there, so the space is basically full, and they are so tied into staying there that they either park inappropriately, so perhaps blocking a driveway or an entrance or something like that, or they're parked sticking out into the road or something else equally foolish, or it's now like 10, 11 o'clock at night and you're tired and you have, like, lost the will Because you're like, I don't know where I'm supposed to go now. It's ridiculous. So, my advice to you—well, there's a couple of bits in there actually—is always have a backup plan. You don't necessarily need to have found a second space, but your backup plan should be: if I don't arrive at this destination by eight, nine, ten o'clock, whatever time is convenient for you to stop driving, then I'm going to stop. Unless you're traveling with somebody else, of course, which makes life a little bit easier. But if, like me, you tend to travel a lot. Solo, you're going to stop, pull over somewhere safe, and find another place close. Now, the way that I tend to do it when I am traveling on my own is I will drive 2, 3, 4 hours, whatever, in the direction that I'm going, and then I tend to pull over sort of 4 o'clock, maybe 5 in the afternoon, and look where I am, look how far further I'm prepared to drive that day, which will obviously be based on my energy levels, the weather, all of that kind of stuff, and then I start looking for around that kind of area, and then I will put that into my sat nav. So I don't generally start the day knowing where I'm going to stay that night. I do sometimes, like sometimes if I found a really nice park up whilst I've been looking, like, oh, that looks amazing, I want to stay there, like this one that I found in Norway. But most of the time I sort of do my driving for the day and then I stop and find somewhere around that area to stay, and that gives me a lot more flexibility. Now, of course, there have been plenty of times where I have arrived, especially at a wild parking spot, and other people have been there and there hasn't been enough room for me, in which case I've pulled over somewhere and had to find somewhere else, or I've arrived and thought it's just got a dodgy vibe and I don't like it, so I had to find somewhere else and driven off and found somewhere else. So those are all the things that could happen, so making sure that you have enough capacity left to go on to another destination Is the answer to that one, making sure that you're prepared for that, because that does happen quite a lot. The second mistake that a lot of new motorhomers make is not understanding that when you are not plugged into an electric hookup, then a lot of the things in your motorhome will not work, particularly anything that runs on a 3-pin plug. So you won't be able to plug in your kettle, your toaster, your hair dryer into the wall like you would normally do when you're plugged in at a campsite and all of these things will work. You'll also find, based on the type of battery you have, the power you have, and also how much you use, that that battery usage will be different to what you are anticipating. So if you are going to stay off-grid, whether that is on a campsite but perhaps a non-electric pitch, or an aire, or something along those lines, even a pub stopover, then knowing what your motorhome draws, how you use things when you are off-grid, really helps. Now the best way that you can do this is either stay overnight on your own driveway if you're lucky enough to have your van parked at your house. I'm not, mine's in storage, so the best thing that I could do if I was going with a new motorhome or something like that is go to a campsite and just don't plug in my electric cable for the night, so I am basically off-grid, and that way you can test your systems, you can understand what does and doesn't work, you can see how quickly your battery drains by the way that you use your vehicle and the things that you have on, and you can also then decide if you need an additional power bank, something like an EcoFlow to charge everything up. I carry 2 of them in my van because I tend to spend an awful lot of time off-grid, or whether you need like an extra solar panel or all of this other stuff. So the more time you spend off-grid and getting used to your vehicle, the more you'll be able to understand what systems might be available to you to make your life a little bit easier. Now, if you want to know more about how to set up your vehicle for being off-grid, for wild parking, for making sure that you can find places properly and stay safe whilst you are using them, I'm running a free off-grid and wild parking workshop at the end of July. Like I say, it is completely free. You do need to register because spaces are limited. The link for all of that is below in the notes. If you happen to be watching this video after the end of July, don't worry, the link for that will also take you to a way that you'll be able to watch the replay, so you should still be able to get that information on there. Next mistake that a lot of people make is not being discreet, and I see this all the time. It drives me insane. Like, people who are parked up near a seafront or something have then got their chairs out. That is not off-grid or wild parking. That is trying to camp on the side of a street, and it's no wonder that locals and other people get really quite upset about this because the two are not the same. If you want to get chairs and awnings and all of that up, Stay somewhere where it's approved and allowed to do that, which is normally a campsite. There are some aires, especially around France, where you can get, you know, your awning and your outside chairs and all that kind of stuff. It's quite obvious which ones those are. But normally, if you're parking up on the side of a street, and it could be motorhome parking, but that is not the same thing as getting all your outdoor stuff out and having a barbecue and all the rest of the stuff. The two are not the same. So be really aware of where you're parking, what the local rules are around that, and also being considerate for other people who might be using that area as well. Another huge mistake that I see new motorhomers and campervan owners make when they are going to be staying off-grid is not being prepared with their systems particularly. So there are a few really obvious ones that— things like making sure your fresh water tank is topped up. It doesn't even need to be full, but just making sure that you have got enough to last you for the amount of time that you want to be off-grid for, making sure that your toilet is emptied before you head off into the mountains for a few days, making sure that your various devices might be charged up. Now I've got an inverter fitted that runs, it connects to my leisure battery, and that runs whilst I am driving and charges up things like my laptop, my EcoFlows if I have got those, it charges like my drone batteries, so when I actually arrive at an off-grid grid place, whether that's an aire or just a wild park up, up in the mountains somewhere, everything is already charged, so I'm not then having to use my precious leisure battery power to charge up all of this stuff. So that I find really useful, and it's something that a lot of people don't anticipate before they're going to go. Obviously making sure that things like your toilet and stuff is emptied in an appropriate place. Please do not dump them behind a bush or anything disgusting like that, because that is how these beautiful remote places get banned to motorhomes and campervans, which is a real, real shame. So a little bit of forethought, particularly in Europe when there are so many places that you can empty out your waste and fill up with fresh water, sometimes for free, sometimes for a couple of euros, before you then head off. And in the UK, if you're going to go off-grid for a few nights or stay in a pub stop, then maybe book into a campsite for the night before you do all that, So that you can use their facilities, empty out your toilet and your grey waste, and then again fill up with fresh water. I think the last mistake that I see people make is just assuming that they can't do it in their motorhome. Like, you do not need a lot of extra kit. You don't need a lot of extra things. I literally took a brand new Bailey motorhome. We picked it up from the factory basically and drove it into Wales and spent 3 nights off-grid. There was no solar panel. There was no generator. You do not need a generator. I hear this question all the time. You won't be able to use them on campsites. You will not really be allowed to use them in Aires. You might get an hour or two in the middle of the day, but you certainly won't be allowed to use a generator running all night. Like, the people around you will be really unhappy with that. And if you're wild parking and trying to be discreet, a very loud, noisy generator is not going to help that. So I would not get a generator at all. Something like an EcoFlow, a power bank, some sort of portable system like that does give you the extra flexibility, and I highly recommend getting one of those if you are going to be staying off-grid. But I also recommend getting something like a lithium battery fitted, which gives you much more flexibility on how you use your battery power, and also getting a solar panel so that things can get topped up. But those are all things that can come after you have spent a night or two off-grid and seeing if it's for you. For some people, they always want electric hookup, and they want places that have got proper toilet blocks and shower blocks, and that's absolutely fine, but don't then go and spend a lot of money on getting things like lithium battery fitted or generator or things because you won't use them when you're at a campsite all of the time. So you do need to try these things out and see what type of motorhoming is best for you. I hope you found that video useful. If you did, a thumbs up and a follow is always very much appreciated. If you want to know more about staying off-grid and things that will help you when you go to do that, you'll find this video really helpful, and I'll see you there. Take care, bye!