Christmas gift ideas for campervan owners

December 4, 2019

Most people have practical Christmas gift ideas for campervan owners and I have received quite a few of these myself over the years so my blog about Christmas presents for campervan owners is usually full of handy gadgets. I was running through my mental list of ideas for this year’s blog and had a chance to reflect on the best presents I have received. It suddenly struck me that none of the practical gifts were amongst my favourites and all the roaring successes had been less than practical so I say go crazy this year and buy the most unnecessary, indulgent and impractical thing you can think of for your RV owning loved one.

Campervan travellers are forever making do, settling for things that “will do for the campervan”, finding dual usage things like crocks instead of slippers (because you can wear them to the campsite showers too), clothes pegs which double as chip clips and washing up bowls that will also serve as an ice bucket. Another typical camper owner trait is to buy unbreakable but unlovely things such as plastic cups and melamine tableware which is not much of a compromise on a picnic or a weekend break but definitely gets old very quickly on a long European tour when you want to enjoy French wines and gourmet food. There is good reason to make such compromises when equipping a rental van but if you are going to be stowing your own tableware after each use and you don’t plan to drive over Belgian cobbles or make rough sea crossings daily, you can use the best crystal and dine on Royal Doulton in your campervan if you want to.

Think frivolous and totally unnecessary this year when buying for motorhome owners. Us campervan travellers tend to try and keep accessories and clutter to the barest minimum in the interests of travelling light but every now and then it does not hurt to have something undeniably gorgeous and totally indulgent to enjoy, especially if you are on a long trip. It needn’t be anything big and showy but your gift should add an unexpected touch of luxury to the usually uber-practical campervan approach; a divine silver cake slice, a china teapot or a Peugeot pepper mill will do as long as it is handed over with strict instructions for use only on the campervan.

You don’t have to restrict the gift to an item, you might want to buy an experience to look forward to, especially If you are travelling with the recipient. You can even get away with buying an experience gift that you will enjoy too (cunning but you probably won’t be busted as long as you don’t buy your other half something only you will enjoy). How about a voucher to dine in a Michelin starred restaurant in the region you will be travelling to next, a spa day, tickets to an event or hot air balloon ride? All suppliers are easily found via the internet these days so minimal effort is required to come up with a unique and impressive gift. If you normally travel to our depot from Paris by public transport to collect your motorhome from storage, how about arranging to be picked up by a chauffeured car for your next trip? This great local firm will collect you from any Paris airport hotel, airport or station for a very reasonable fee.

If you are stuck for an inexpensive but effective gift, how about a cosy, fleece throw if your recipient is travelling during the spring or winter. It will bring instant cheer to a campervan on a cold, rainy day.

Finally, you could just run with the herd and Google “Campervan gifts” which will bring up something like this site which offer VW campervan themed gifts. Given what I do for a living, I have received many items purchased from suppliers like this and I roll my eyes whenever I receive them but I always seem to use them and never tire of comments like “Oh look, she even has a campervan ruler, coffee mug, slippers, woolly hat, doormat, cushion …….”.