Vicarious Media Limited leaders in motorhome travel guidebooks since 2006
Our personal storey is located below these 5 short paragraphs
Vicarious Media Limited (formerly Vicarious Books) is a UK-based independent publisher and online retailer specialising in travel guides for motorhomes, campervans, caravans, and tent camping across Europe. Established in 2006, the company is led by directors Chris Doree and Meli George, who both live and breathe the touring lifestyle.
Located in Folkestone, just 8 minuets drive from the Channel Tunnel, Vicarious Media offers meticulously researched, highly detailed publications. Their flagship “All The Aires” series, now spanning 21 regional editions, are widely recognised as the most comprehensive and reliable guides to motorhome stopovers (“aires”) in France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Chris and Meli’s passion for touring began in 2003, clocking over half a million motorhome miles inspecting stopovers throughout Europe. Their hands-on experience is infused into every guidebook, ensuring accuracy, real-world insight, and trustworthiness.
Vicarious Media also provides a diverse range of additional resources, campsite guides, road-trip books, road atlases maps, and practical accessories like BedAirer serving both seasoned travellers and novices alike.
Their devotion to quality shows in glowing customer reviews: users regularly highlight the accuracy of the guides, value for money, and exceptional service, referring to Vicarious as "indispensable aids" on journeys.
How did we completely change UK motorhoming?
Meli George left, Chris Doree right
We had been caravanning in the UK for a couple of years before we sold up in 2003 and set off full-timing around Europe in our self-imported 10 year old Hymer 654 A-class motorhome. One year and 27'000 miles later we returned to the UK to buy Archimedes and Ara a pair of working narrow boats. That is a story of the one that got away and would probably be the end of this particular blog.
This was the second Hymer we imported from Germany
Firing the first shot
We eventually grew shallow roots in Minehead's' beach sand where we were living in a Dunster beach hut. This accidentally became Vicarious Books HQ when we realised we had no choice but to self-publishe our first book, Go Motorhoming Europe (now titled Go Motorhoming and Campervanning). This book exposed everything that was getting very little coverage in the motorhome and campervan press at the time.
Aire we go again We discovered Aires whilst we were full timing - also known as motorhome stopovers, stellplatze and sostas. We had no idea they existed all over Europe despite a year of intensive research. We were selling Go Motorhoming at outdoor motorhome shows along with the ACSI Card and the French Aires guidebooks Le guide officiel and people kept asking us "Is that all the aires?" Just as fellow traders cottoned on that we had a good product, we had already been on the road inspecting, photographing 600 French Aires. All the Aires France was first published in 2007.
Le guide official aire de services camping car quickly became unsellable in the UK and by 2009 we had published All the Aires Spain and Portugal, and All the Aires Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
In 2008 and 2009 Vicarious Books expanded its range of publications again with Sea View Camping Britain and Camping Morocco respectively. After several editions, Sea View Camping Britain was split into the Sea View Camping series between 2014 and 2016. It’s now published as individual camping guides for Scotland, Wales and the West Country.
As well as these, Vicarious Books produced two driving tour publications, Road Trip Europe: The Great War and More and Road Trip Europe: Go Dutch, in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Road Trip: Best of Belgium was published in 2023.
Vicarious Books officially changed its name to Vicarious Media in 2016, looking to broaden its offering beyond just books to suit the modern motorhomer, camper and traveller.
Vicarious today
The company has come a long way since Minehead, 250 miles in fact. Today Vicarious Media is based in an industrial unit 10-minutes from the Eurotunnel in Folkestone, Kent. The company is now an industry leader, producing and retailing unique, ground breaking travel guidebooks for motorhome stopovers, camping and touring across Europe.
All the staff at Vicarious Media work tirelessly to update existing guidebooks, plan new and exciting publications.
Beyond its own guides, Vicarious Media is the trusted UK agent for France Passion and the ACSI Camping Card and retails a wide range of specially selected guidebooks, maps and atlases from travel publishers all across the world.
Vicarious vision
Vicarious Media strives to provide the best motorhome and travel information available through our unique range of handpicked travel guidebooks. Using their extensive touring and motorhoming experience across Europe and the rest of the world, the team at Vicarious Media has the knowledge that will make your journey easier and more enjoyable.
Chris and Meli tell their diverse and informative story on the BBC's Listening Project This is a fascinating record of how they met then prepared ended up going full timing in Europe. Having struggled to settle and how that led to launching Vicarious Books and their impact on UK motorhoming.
2025 AI Summary of our store based on recent customer reviews:
