Navigon lists some of the software features included as:

Personal profile building: Before setting out, the user can enter their vehicle specifications including size, height, length, maximum axle load, and vehicle / trailer weight. The software then finds the best route based on this information and may for example plan alternative routes to avoid narrow roads or low bridges.

Points of Interests: The software is able to notify drivers of points of interest including 24 hour petrol stations offering HGV diesel and pumps, refreshment stops and details of clearance heights at service stations.

Navigon MyReport: Drivers can share road information with other Navigon users by uploading updates to the Navigon Fresh portal. Other users can download this up-to-date information onto their own devices. For example, a driver could upload information about new road blocks, routes where hazardous materials are not permitted, or changes to the maximum height clearance en route.

Navigon truck navigation software is going to be available to download onto the NAVIGON 6310 and 8410.

Sureterm Direct are specialist insurance intermediaries. If you need campervan or motorhome insurance, give us a call on 0800 999 2030 and our team will be more than happy to provide you with a quote.

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Most children love caravanning and camping, and the main benefit a motorhome provides is the freedom to roam and visit several places rather than staying in one location. A motorhome or campervan provides most of the luxuries you would find at home or in a hotel – place to sleep, kitchenette to cook, small bathroom and a shower.

Holidaying in a motorhome gives the freedom to spontaneously travel to any destination you wish. However, a little forward planning such as a general route, sights to see and places to stay will mean you get the most out of your holiday and stop off every few days at a campsite to recharge your motorhome batteries and empty the toilet.

For those lucky enough to own a motorhome or campervan, Sureterm Direct offers fantastic deals. Visit our motorhome or campervan page for a competitive Motorhome Quote or Campervan Quote, or call FREE on 0800 999 2030.

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Yesterday she visited a Hampshire superstore and dropped into Hedge End’s M&S store to help launch their new range of womensware, but due to problems with the campervan, she arrived late at her destination. However, today she is due to arrive at her new destinations which are the Gemini Retail Park in Warrington, and Handforth Dean in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Sureterm Direct offers competitive insurance quotes for owners of Camper vans. Find how much you can save today by clicking Camper Van Insurance or ringing 0800 999 2030.

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So what are your options to be able to keep in touch with your inbox, Facebook and tweet your holiday moments when you’re sitting in your motorhome and there’s no phone connection for miles around?

WIFI enabled campsites

If you have a laptop 4 years or younger or a new PDA, chances are you have built-in WIFI. Is that good news? Well, if you’re lucky enough to be staying on a campsite with WIFI hotspots you should be able to get online for a price. A quick online search reveals directories of WIFI enabled campsites so if internet access is on your holiday wish list, check before you go or be prepared to go without. Campsites offering internet access via WIFI typically charge on a per hour basis at a price of around £3-£10 per hour for this service.

3G wireless internet

On smaller campsites or in more rural areas WIFI may not be available. In this case 3G maybe the solution. 3G is wireless internet access and its UK coverage is approximately 80% (according to Vodaphone’s 3G network). Although it is advisable to check the coverage of the providers to ensure your campsite, home and main stay areas are covered. However where there is a solution like 3G, costs can be much higher. Like a normal home broadband package, 3G packages typically come with fixed 12-24 month contracts, monthly fee and a monthly data limit. For a once a year holiday this may not be cost effective.

So is there a reasonably priced solution around? Over the last year 3G prices have come down to around £15.00 per month for the lighter data usage packages. For those who venture around the UK frequently this may suit their needs. However, for the majority, the price point of wireless internet access will remain a luxury. Finally, be careful to monitor your time spent whilst online else your holiday could cost a lot more than you budget for.

1.    Directory of WIFI internet access campsites: http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=174

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However, there are still some limited places left in the campervan/caravan areas for weekend ticketholders who want to have the luxury of their own toilet, washing and cooking facilities and a proper bed to retire to after a long day and night of festivities. To have a truly comfortable Glastonbury, hire a modern, spacious and luxurious campervan that’s within a festival-goer’s budget. Company’s like Celtic Campervans (www.celticcampervans.com) have been helping Glastonbury-goers enjoy the festival in comfort for years.

Glastonbury 2009 sees a new field being allocated purely for campervan and caravan use with a cost of £50 per ticket per vehicle. This new area was created on the back of huge public demand from the increasing number of people wanting to enjoy the festival without the usual queues for communal toilets and soggy tent scenarios.

Companies like Celtic Campervans boast a large fleet of modern and comfortable motorhomes that range in size from 2 to 6 berth. While the family-run company has helped countless families and groups enjoy a self-drive holiday in Ireland and all around Europe, they have also helped many a festival-goer on their travels

The benefits of seeing a festival in a campervan go beyond the obvious luxury of having your private toilet, shower and proper bed. A safe, secure, watertight and sheltered haven to come back to after hours spent either in scorching sunshine or – more likely! – muddy puddles is perhaps the finest luxury, as it means every day at the festival you awake refreshed and ready to enjoy more of the attractions. Last year, the campervan field at Glastonbury even saw mini-festivals pop up around people’s motorhomes, proving that campervans are one of the most social ways to travel!

For a fabulous motorhome, caravan or campervan insurance quote, then give our team a call on 0800 999 2030. They won’t charge you for the phone call but they will save you money on your motorhome, caravan or campervan insurance policy.

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Its classic conversions of the 1970s-style brand-new Type 2 have been reduced so that they range from £20,699 for the Picnicker to £30,499 for the SE Camper.

A new budget Amigo motorhome model has also been introduced at just £18,999.

The firm’s VW T5-based Royale and Surf campers have higher specification, which includes a lower profile electric rising roof, colour-coded bumpers, electric windows and mirrors, twin airbags, part-LED lighting and twin swivel cab seats.

These extras would previously have added almost £4000 to the standard price, but the Royale is now £33,999 and the Surf from £33,499.

The micro-camper conversions of Fiat’s Doblo have been reduced in price, and now start at £16,999 – a saving of £1,750.

Danbury have also introduced a new conversion of the Fiat Scudo. The Versito camper (from £26,999) features a 135Ah leisure battery, an elevating roof  with roof bed, two-burner hob and grill, four seats with three-point belts, partial LED lighting, ABS brakes, radio/CD and a removable onboard 10-litre water carrier.

Danbury have also just announced reduced prices for the Type 2 panel van and people-carrier base vehicles, all with three-year warranties.

With the value of the pound falling against the euro, Danbury are also offering what the company claim are extremely tempting deals in a bid to clear their 150-strong current motorhome and camper stock ahead of the imminent arrival of 2009 Type 2s, some of which could, Danbury say, cost up to £4000 more than the equivalent current models.

For fantastic motorhome and campervan quotes, give our team at Sureterm a call on 0800 999 2030.  They won’t charge you for the calls but they will save you money on your motorhome or campervan insurance policy.

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The price of a new T2 camper now starts at just £18,999 for the Danbury Amigo, with the better equiped Camper model available for £24,599.

The best news of all is that, more than half a century after its launch, the Volkswagen Type 2 is still going strong and is still available to British buyers through the efforts of Danbury.  To find out more about the new T2, call 01454 310000 or visit their website www.danburymotorcaravans.com.

For a fantastic camper van insurance quote with the most incentives, give our team at Sureterm a call on 0800 999 2030.  They won’t charge you for the call but they will save you money on your camper van insurance.

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A CLASS
Built on just the chassis cowl, a motorhome manufacturer fabricates the whole body. Strong but lightweight, these vehicles can be very striking and the vehicle has a really integrated feel.

COACHBUILT
The most popular motorhome type, it’s built on a chassis cab with a coachbuilt body wider than the cab and built over the top of it. The walls are of GRP or aluminium and have insulation to provide strength and warmth.

CAMPERVAN
Compact, clever and dual purpose, there are two types of campervan today, the high top and the rising roof.

LOW PROFILE
This is a popular alternative coachbuilt. With the overcab on the conventional coachbuilt dispensed with to allow extra storage, the lower profile allows sleek looks and lower fuel consumption. It’s fitted out as the coachbuilt using many different layouts and is the ideal vehicle for two people who want plenty of space.

MICRO
The beauty of the micro coachbuilt is that it has many of the characteristics of a coachbuilt but is highly compact, making it perfect for one or two people touring.

For a fantastic motorhome insurance quote with the most incentives, give our specialist team at Sureterm a call on 0800 999 2030.  We don’t charge you for the calls but we will save you money on your motorhome insurance.

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American Airstream caravans have always been different. Celebrity owners have included Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn and Matthew McConaughey. And these sleek, aluminum supermodels of the ’vanning’ world conjure up images of wide open American highways and the spirit of adventure, rather than a bank-holiday trundle down the M4 to a caravan park outside Weston-super-Mare.

Now the Airstream has come to Britain, and to drive home its cool credentials it’s been given a makeover. Shown for the first time at the International Caravan & Motorhome Show in Birmingham, the Ecostream, though just a demonstration model so far, may prove a hit with environmentally conscious politicians keen to demonstrate solidarity with their cash-strapped constituents by opting for a British camping holiday rather than a fortnight in Tuscany.

Until now, a caravan’s green credentials have been limited to the grass it’s parked on. The Ecostream is packed with planet-saving gizmos and recycled materials, from solar panels to a wood-burning stove. The custom-built display model also features an entertainment system salvaged from a Mini and a shower unit crafted out of a Harley-Davidson motorbike’s fuel tank.

The timing couldn’t be better for the Ecostream, arriving as it has in the middle of an economic squeeze and with almost two-thirds of Britons saying they are planning to switch to cheaper UK holidays during the next 12 months, according to a recent survey. It was unveiled in the National Exhibition Centre last month, by — of all people — Patrick Duffy, better known as Bobby Ewing in Dallas, the glamorous, money-loving 1980’s soap, who is a recent convert to caravanning.

However, it is the brainchild of Steve Berry, former Top Gear presenter and radio DJ, who pitched the idea to the Caravan Club. He had seen an exhibit called “caravan of the future” at a motor show and decided he could do better. “I thought it was a bit Flash Gordon,” says Berry, “but, as I understand it, we might well be living less sophisticated lives in the future, because we’ll have fewer resources.”

Berry started work on his own 1967 Airstream, but when Bob Wheeler, the chief executive of Airstream, got wind of his plans, the company donated a new 22ft, four-berth Airstream for him to overhaul. The Ecostream retains the original brushed aluminum shell, except that the shiny, dome-shaped roof is lined with four square metres of solar panels, removing the need to hook up to a mains supply. The panels produce the electricity needed by the master control unit, which in turn powers the low-energy LED lighting and water pump.

Above the seating area an original Mini dashboard has been fitted to the ceiling. This is eco-ICE — “in-caravan entertainment” — and runs off a Samsung Omnia mobile phone that sends sound to the speakers via Bluetooth.

Many features have been salvaged from reclamation yards. The wood-burning stove, which provides heat, hot water and cooking facilities, was reclaimed from a narrow boat. The flue running up the inside of the van adds a surprisingly homely feel.

The shower unit uses water that has been heated by the stove and stored in that Harley tank. The “compacting toilet”, originally developed for offshore powerboats, separates solids from liquids then compacts it all into natural compost. 

The floor has been laid with bamboo, chosen for its durability and the fact that the plant takes three to five years to mature (as opposed to 15-20 years for most other types of wood). Soft furnishings are made from hemp; chair backs and cushions are stuffed with straw or animal hair. The swivel-top table is made from plastic sheeting manufactured by Greenpac UK from old shampoo bottles, mobile phone covers and yoghurt pots.

“Wally Byam, who founded Airstream, thought caravanning should be about adventure, not parking up your tin box and watching EastEnders,” says Berry. “The Ecostream gets you back to that spirit. You can take it to the remotest places and be self-sufficient.” To prove his point, Berry plans to recreate one of Byam’s famous caravan journeys, taking his Ecostream on the road from Cape Town to Cairo.

“This kind of experiment can show us a way towards caravans that tread more lightly on the planet,” says Wheeler, who hopes to use some of the Ecostream’s innovations on future models.

It may seem an insignificant response to the potential destruction of Earth as we know it, but, as any seasoned caravanner knows, good things can come in small packages. Or to quote Duffy: “If you can make even just one small change to the way you live your life . . . you can always do something . . . and that’s really the message we’re trying to give people.

“The Ecostream is a remarkable feat of construction. I’d take it as carry-on luggage if I thought I could get it back home with me.”

For a fantastic caravan insurance quote with loads of benefits, then give the team at Sureterm Direct a call on 0800 999 2030.  They won’t charge you for the phone call but they will save you money on your caravan insurance policy.

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They are the ultimate symbol of 1970s hippy cool, but one Highland tourism business is proving that VW campervans can still be groovy 30 years later.

Happy Highland Campers hires out the mini-motorhomes to visitors wishing to tour the far north.

For the past few months, their vintage vans have traveled the Highlands, attending the RockNess music festival and a summer wedding in Achiltibuie, among other similar trips.

The Evanton-based business, run by Flora and Tom Corbett, has just been shortlisted in the category for best new tourism business at this year’s Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards.

Mrs. Corbett, 33, combines running the business along with looking after the couple’s two-year-old twins, Grace and Harry. She said the Happy Campers idea grew after the couple tried to find a cheap way of touring the Highlands.

She said: “We wanted to go on a trip round the north of Scotland, but could only find motorhomes at a cost of £800 for a week. There was nothing cheaper. We had seen a similar idea in Cornwall and elsewhere, and decided to try it. VW vintage vans seem to be growing in popularity.” From buying their first van in September, the couple has added a further two to their touring fleet. A fourth van is being refurbished by mechanic Mr. Corbett, 33, who normally works with wind turbines in the area. All are pre-1979 vehicles with a double bed, gas hob and fridge, and are fully equipped with cutlery and linen.

The vans are about to be taken off the road at the end of the month for the winter, but will be available again for holidays, starting in April.

Mrs. Corbett said customers had fallen into two groups – those aged 25 to 45 who are too young to have experienced the VW the first time around and those in their 50s and 60s looking to take a trip down memory lane.

If you’re looking for a fantastic motorhome insurance quote or VW Camper insurance quote with loads of benefits, then call the team from Sureterm Direct on 0800 999 2030.  They won’t charge you for the phone call but they will save you money on your motorhome or VW Camper insurance policy.

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