A day in the lockdown life of MMM's Deputy Editor, Rachel Stothert

With many of the staff at Warners Group Publications working hard to bring a bit of motorhoming, campervanning and caravanning joy to your lives during lockdown, we thought it was about time we got up-close-and-personal with our editorial team and designers to share with our readers what it takes to put your favourite magazines together whilst working from home...

About me

I’m the deputy editor on MMM and have been for 13 years, although I’ve been motorhoming since I was four.

My lockdown diary

My day starts with a coffee in bed and a bit of social media/news gathering. By the time my computer starts itself up at 8.30am, I am normally heading downstairs to make a start – although the start-up fanfare is commonly a timely reminder to do so.

After checking and responding to urgent emails and forum requests/queries, the daily routine is not really that repetitive. Some days, I’ll be editing submitted features and checking facts. Other days I’ll be picking out readers letters. Then there’s the monthly admin of the magazine, checking and approving the digital issue and liaising with contributors and readers regarding future features. My days are rarely the same from one day to the next.

My boyfriend is still travelling to and from work each day so he gets home at around 5.15pm and we have a brief ‘discussion’ about what’s for tea (if this hasn’t taken place the previous day). I’ve just fitted a window bird feeder, so it’s great to see finches availing themselves of a snack while cooking.

Some evenings involve binge watching TV series (I’m trying to complete Netflix) and some involve Lego; we take it in turns to do a mid-week shop, so the supermarket gauntlet occasionally happens on an evening.

My top tip for surviving lockdown

Not developing a routine. Some days I eat lunch at 12, other days at 2pm. Some days I won’t have breakfast, other days I’ll snack all day. Some people cannot cope without a firm routine, but I like to have a slightly different schedule each day. It just makes it all feel a little more normal and can help to separate the days from each other.

My earliest motorhome memory

My stand out memory is waking up in the middle of the night (it might have been very early in the morning) to find the motorhome moving. Me and my brother were asleep in the overcab bed. As far as I understand, there was an incredibly noisy cockerel crowing through the night and my dad finally got fed up with it, got up and drove the motorhome to a layby down the road where we couldn’t hear the noise. I don’t think anyone but me woke up through the whole thing…

My top motorhome tip

Always have space in the fridge for local delicacies. Whether you eat them on the trip or convey them home for a tasty reminder of your adventures, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of sampling homemade and rural produce – whether you are around the world or around the corner from home

My dream motorhome destination

Northern Spain – wild dramatic coastlines and incredible food, with the lottery of changeable weather. I know it’s not that far but it’s on my bucketlist.

MMM is the UK's best-selling motorhome magazine, packed with motorhome and campervan reviews, travel and campsite inspiration in the UK and abroad, plus handy technical help and advice. Find out more and subscribe to MMM magazine here.