The perils of the Internet

March 2010

What a wonderful thing to be able to instantly access information on the web. It has brought a whole new dimension to shopping - whether you're after groceries, music, skincare or your new home on wheels.

But how quickly it can spill over into obsession. Suddenly evenings of relaxing had gone; quiet conversations in the back garden over a glass of wine were a thing of the past. Even pleasantly dreaming about what our planned new life could hold had taken a back seat.

Instead, we spent hours studying online ads for caravans and motorhomes for sale. Checking and comparing lists of specifications, discarding options one day then putting them back onto the list of possibles the next.

After a while, they all seemed to blend into one. Did we like that one because it had a separate shower and toilet, or did we dislike it because the sink was too small? Was it worth sacrificing a wardrobe to ensure there was room in the kitchen for the rice cooker? Diesel versus petrol and how does this petrol rebate thing work? Cassette toilet or black water...

So, how to clarify our thinking? It seems we had to really start looking at them. Not online, or in magazines, but the real life article. But that can be as exhausting and time-consuming as the Internet excursions. Not to mention costly. How could we find the time to check out the fifth wheeler in Christchurch, the caravan in Hamilton, the bus in Whangarei, the American behemoth in Lumsden?

Wait for them all to get together - head for the Motorhome and Caravan Expo in Hamilton in March.

Surely we'll find the perfect answer.