Last weekend we headed to Birmingham NEC for the Motorhome and caravan show 2019. It’s no secret that we love days out and holidays exploring the UK.
We love camping too but it’s so weather dependent and we’d love to upgrade our tent for a campervan. We went to the show to see what the options are if a new VW campervan is out of our budget. So I thought I’d share what we found out and how we got on at the show.
Advertisement feature – We were given press tickets in exchange for this review. All thought, opinions and photos are my own.
Highlights of Motorhome and caravan show
One of the big draws for the show for us was the chance to test drive a campervan for 20 minutes. We each had a turn at driving a campervan alongside a Caravan and motorhome club instructor. They were also offering similar training in towing a caravan and driving motorhomes. A fantastic idea if you are thinking of buying your first campervan, caravan or motor home.
The Freedom to go theatre had loads of great speakers giving advice and providing loads of inspiration. We loved Chef Campers showing us a simple and delicious looking recipe that can be made whilst camping. I also loved watching his video of his campervan travels in Norway. There were also talks sharing tips if you are new to caravans or motor homes as well as various celebrity guest across the week including Michaela Strachan and Helen Skelton.
If you’re wondering about taking kids you’ll be pleased to hear they are catered for. My two loved learning about lighting fires and various beach finds in the Haven area. They also love making their own dragonflies in the Woodland Trust area.
We loved the destinations area where there were stalls with information on campsites across Europe. There were companies with campsites across France, Spain, Switzerland and more. The perfect area for planning your next holiday. We also learned about saving money with an ACSI card.
Leisure vehicles exhibitions
Obviously the main draw of the show is all the leisure vehicles on displace. A chance to see the new vehicles from top manufacturers. If you’re thinking of purchasing a new caravan, motorhome or campervan the show is the best place to be able to see a wide range of vehicles from many different companies under one roof. I’ve heard that many are offering really good deals if you do buy at the show.
We didn’t spend a lot of time in the motorhome or caravan area as we were most interested in campervans. We looked at a lot of different vans at the show and spoke to a lot of people. We saw vehicles from VW as well as Ford, Renault and more campervan conversions.
We were able to go inside many of the vans. The kids loved this part and It was nice to get a feel for what size of van we would want. We loved the small campervans and would love to be able to buy a second hand one within the next few years. We’d love lots of short trips in the UK as well as a few longer trips into Europe. Now we just need to work out our budget and find a van that will work for us.
Planning your trip to the Motorhome and caravan show
Tickets can be purchased online and are cheaper than on the day.
Parking is included in the ticket price. There are plenty of car parks at the NEC. There was plenty of staff on hand to direct traffic and we were quickly parked and soon in the NEC.
There is an onsite campsite and free shuttle bus to the NEC for those who want to stay overnight.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink at the NEC, both inside and outside the caravan show. Picnics are welcome and there are several picnic areas. There are also lots of toilets which were always clean.
Pick up your free show guide and map from outside the show.
If you’re taking children along, pick up a free wrist band at the information desk and put your phone number on it in case they get lost.
Find out more on their website about the 2020 show.
Final thoughts on the Motorhome and caravan show
We enjoyed the show and found it really useful for finding out about all the different options for owning a campervan. We also loved the destinations area for inspiring our next camping adventures.
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