European Road Trip !

[martinc]

For France we got one of the Sanef tolling tags which enables you to avoid queues and scrabbling for change, you get billed later. For Portugal you have to pay in advance as a foreign-registered vehicle which is awkward on tour as you're not necessarily certain where you're going to go. For Spain we just paid up at the toll booths.

No permits required for where we went, not sure about the rest of Europe. Get an insurance green card too because even though your UK insurance covers you abroad, it only insures you for the minimum level required in that country, so normally 3rd party only. A green card issued by your UK insurer will raise the cover to the same as you get in the UK.

ok brilliant , thats interesting thanks . how much does the sanef tags and green cards cost?

[dvisor]

If you don't have a pull out canopy or similar, I would recommend getting something like this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/tarp-camping ... 63223.html. I managed to get two for a tenner each a couple of years ago. No good in a storm, but will help keep the light rain off, and more importantly, the sun. We do a 3 week drive through Europe every year, and this has been one of the most versatile items in our kit. Packs down very small and lightweight, and can be erected in a number of different ways. I usually attach one edge to the brackets under the raised roof, using some clever self-clamping bungees that I have (clamps around the fabric and holds it very firmly indeed). Under that, we cook in the evenings. I also have a proper, heavier weight canopy, but never bother taking it, as weight and space are at a premium.

As Muz says, organization before the holiday is vital, but we don't bother booking camp sites before we go. Even in August, we have only ever been turned away from a site twice in 7 years, and even then, there was another site just down the road.

We usually pick our camp sites from the ACSI guide, and have always found them to be good. You can download an app now, for phones or tablet, which lists the ACSI sites in specific countries or regions, and includes reviews. These can be read offline, so no data charges. Each region costs a couple of quid or so to download, though. If we don't know an area, we look at the map in the ACSI guide and look for a cluster of camp sites. If there's several camp sites in an area, there's usually something worth seeing!

Make sure you have enough cash - some campsites only accept cash. Also, its worth getting a camping carnet card. Some sites demand to see, and sometimes retain your passports during your stay. With a carnet card, you hand it over instead of your passport; much better. And speaking of security, we use a small travel safe to hold some documents and small items. Not foolproof, but enough to dissuade the opportunist - you can't carry everything around with you all the time, and its a good idea to split your money.

We often get trouble with both debit and credit cards, especially in France and Belgium at self-service/payment-automated petrol stations. We've also had a problem at toll booths on a couple of occasions. So again, its good to have enough cash.

Think carefully about your cooking equipment before you go. I manage to last a full 3 weeks on a full bottle of Campingaz 907, and have plenty left over at the end. A 904 would probably do us. Campingaz is supposed to be easy to get hold off in Europe, though I have never needed to. I understand you would have difficulty getting hold of Calor. Campingaz is hellishly expensive over here for what it is. The last two years, we have left the Campingaz behind and used 227gram CP250 cartridges instead. You can pick these up for less than a pound each, and on average we use less than one a day. Carrying around 20 gas cartridges doesn't really take up any more room, and are much easier to stow, than a bulky Campingaz cylinder, and of course, you have less of them as time goes on. The cookers for these you can pick up for less than a tenner.

Be aware that you cannot take a diesel Bongo into some cities, especially in Germany. There are websites showing the relevant cities. We usually camp outside of the cites anyway, and take public transport in.

May also be worthwhile getting a blue parking disc before you leave. In many places in Europe there are parking restrictions where you have to show the time of arrival and leave within an hour or two. A blue disc is mandatory in such places. You can get them via ebay, or pick one up in a shop over there.

[Muzorewa]

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

[Muzorewa]

Having said all that about security etc, in some places it's sweltering overnight especially if you've only just stopped and you have a smoking hot engine & transmission under the floor. In Pamplona we wild-camped in a city-centre public carpark with the side door open, with all the cameras etc out of sight. I guess when your name's at the top of the list to be bounced, there's nothing you can do about it

[martinc]

If you don't have a pull out canopy or similar, I would recommend getting something like this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/tarp-camping ... 63223.html. I managed to get two for a tenner each a couple of years ago. No good in a storm, but will help keep the light rain off, and more importantly, the sun. We do a 3 week drive through Europe every year, and this has been one of the most versatile items in our kit. Packs down very small and lightweight, and can be erected in a number of different ways. I usually attach one edge to the brackets under the raised roof, using some clever self-clamping bungees that I have (clamps around the fabric and holds it very firmly indeed). Under that, we cook in the evenings. I also have a proper, heavier weight canopy, but never bother taking it, as weight and space are at a premium.

As Muz says, organization before the holiday is vital, but we don't bother booking camp sites before we go. Even in August, we have only ever been turned away from a site twice in 7 years, and even then, there was another site just down the road.

We usually pick our camp sites from the ACSI guide, and have always found them to be good. You can download an app now, for phones or tablet, which lists the ACSI sites in specific countries or regions, and includes reviews. These can be read offline, so no data charges. Each region costs a couple of quid or so to download, though. If we don't know an area, we look at the map in the ACSI guide and look for a cluster of camp sites. If there's several camp sites in an area, there's usually something worth seeing!

Make sure you have enough cash - some campsites only accept cash. Also, its worth getting a camping carnet card. Some sites demand to see, and sometimes retain your passports during your stay. With a carnet card, you hand it over instead of your passport; much better. And speaking of security, we use a small travel safe to hold some documents and small items. Not foolproof, but enough to dissuade the opportunist - you can't carry everything around with you all the time, and its a good idea to split your money.

We often get trouble with both debit and credit cards, especially in France and Belgium at self-service/payment-automated petrol stations. We've also had a problem at toll booths on a couple of occasions. So again, its good to have enough cash.

Think carefully about your cooking equipment before you go. I manage to last a full 3 weeks on a full bottle of Campingaz 907, and have plenty left over at the end. A 904 would probably do us. Campingaz is supposed to be easy to get hold off in Europe, though I have never needed to. I understand you would have difficulty getting hold of Calor. Campingaz is hellishly expensive over here for what it is. The last two years, we have left the Campingaz behind and used 227gram CP250 cartridges instead. You can pick these up for less than a pound each, and on average we use less than one a day. Carrying around 20 gas cartridges doesn't really take up any more room, and are much easier to stow, than a bulky Campingaz cylinder, and of course, you have less of them as time goes on. The cookers for these you can pick up for less than a tenner.

Be aware that you cannot take a diesel Bongo into some cities, especially in Germany. There are websites showing the relevant cities. We usually camp outside of the cites anyway, and take public transport in.

May also be worthwhile getting a blue parking disc before you leave. In many places in Europe there are parking restrictions where you have to show the time of arrival and leave within an hour or two. A blue disc is mandatory in such places. You can get them via ebay, or pick one up in a shop over there.

wow ! thanks dvisor thats a very comprehensive reply, i have looked at getting a side awning so that link will be helpful. We also will be looking into the carnet card as that sounds very handy indeed, i plan to take 2 907's with us just to make sure we dont run out and as theres only two of us i think that should be enough.
Ive never understood why you cant take some diesel bongos into cities ??? very strange ! and aren't the blue badges only for disabled drivers ?
Thanks for you help .

[martinc]

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

hey muz ,

thanks for the link , how does this thing work ? do you prepay or does it just charge you as you pass tolls? and lastly where did you place it within your bongo ?

cheers

[martinc]

just to give everyone a rough idea of what we are undertaking , i have done this plan . any helpful ideas and tips would be great , cheers.

Day 1
Oswestry – Dover
Dover – Calais (ferry)
Calais – Lille
Day 2
Lille – Brussels
Brussels – (via Antwerp) Eindhoven
Day 3
Eindhoven – Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf – Frankfurt
Day 4
Frankfurt – Wurzburg
Wurzburg – Nuremburg
Day 5
Nuremburg – Prague
Day 6
Prague – Vienna
Day 7
Vienna – Orsegi national park
Day 8
Orsegi – Zagreb
Day 9
Zagreb – Venice
Day 10
Venice – (via Verona) Milan
Day 11
Milan – genoa
Day 12
Genoa – Monaco
Day 13
Monaco – Turin
Day 14
Turin – Chamonix
Chamonix – Geneva
Day 15
Geneva – Basel
Day 16
Basel – Strasbourg
Day 17
Strasbourg – Luxembourg
Day 18
Luxembourg – lens
Day 19
Lens – Calais
Calais – Dover (ferry)
Dover – Oswestry

Thanks for looking any advice on European travel insurance , regulations in the different regions , and anything really would really really help !

[dvisor]

...and aren't the blue badges only for disabled drivers ?
Thanks for you help .

The blue badge is something different. Info about the blue parking disc at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_parking

[martinc]

...and aren't the blue badges only for disabled drivers ?
Thanks for you help .

The blue badge is something different. Info about the blue parking disc at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_parking

ahhh ok , now i understand a little bit more , would this item be what you are on about?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-PARKING-D ... 463c067743

[mikeonb4c]

just to give everyone a rough idea of what we are undertaking , i have done this plan . any helpful ideas and tips would be great , cheers.

Day 1
Oswestry – Dover
Dover – Calais (ferry)
Calais – Lille
Day 2
Lille – Brussels
Brussels – (via Antwerp) Eindhoven
Day 3
Eindhoven – Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf – Frankfurt
Day 4
Frankfurt – Wurzburg
Wurzburg – Nuremburg
Day 5
Nuremburg – Prague
Day 6
Prague – Vienna
Day 7
Vienna – Orsegi national park
Day 8
Orsegi – Zagreb
Day 9
Zagreb – Venice
Day 10
Venice – (via Verona) Milan
Day 11
Milan – genoa
Day 12
Genoa – Monaco
Day 13
Monaco – Turin
Day 14
Turin – Chamonix
Chamonix – Geneva
Day 15
Geneva – Basel
Day 16
Basel – Strasbourg
Day 17
Strasbourg – Luxembourg
Day 18
Luxembourg – lens
Day 19
Lens – Calais
Calais – Dover (ferry)
Dover – Oswestry

Thanks for looking any advice on European travel insurance , regulations in the different regions , and anything really would really really help !

Wow! Does the schedule allow a bit of time to stop and take in some/all the various waypoints?

[Muzorewa]

It's not as ridiculous a schedule as it at first seems, it's 'only' about 3,400 miles, we did 4,600 in the same time so you should have time. I'm not sure the tolling tag will help you, you're not going to be on toll motorways much if at all, I assume from Luxembourg to Lens you'll go through Belgium rather than Reims, so you're not on tolls really at all.

None of the daily runs are too bad either, the most we did in one day was 350 miles which is a lot of driving but still gives time to see some of the sights.

But remember you'll do more miles than you plan, getting lost and going places you hadn't planned, our plan originally was only 4,200 miles so another 400 crept in by then end

[martinc]

Hi All,

I realize that at first it seems a lot ,however i am confident that we have left our-self's enough time in each place to see a few things before we move on . regarding the tolls and other motorway expenses i.e vignetting in Switzerland i am wondering whether it would be needed or to just take the risk and see if we need to pay by using one ? The only other concern is all the ZTL'S in Prague , Italy and other cities with historical areas . i have heard horror stories of people getting fines through the post ? (no thanks).

and to makesure we can complete our journey we are going to change the cambelt , full service , new full exhaust and new tyres on our bongo.

Thanks

[Muzorewa]

I don't know the score in the places you're going but we parked & took the train into the likes of Marseilles, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia & Lisbon on recent tours, not because of any charging system but just because it seems a sensible thing to do.

For the Portuguese motorways we'd heard tales of people being chased back in the UK for tolls plus fines, and we couldn't believe how difficult it was to play it straight and get the toll in advance. It was ok if you were entering Portugal via the most common routes but that wasn't our plan and so we had no option but to buy before we travelled. But then you've got to figure out where you're going on the tolls, what class vehicle you are etc, and in the end our plan changed and we weren't on the motorways we'd planned for at all. Purely by chance and because they weren't tolling us at the correct class we ended up with a €1.12 balance at the end. But having only paid €25.00 in the first place, it's no welcome to foreign tourists to make it so difficult to try to use their roads

[dvisor]

For Prague, we found this site to be ideal for us: http://www.pensioncampprague.com/. It cost 760.00 crowns per night (family of 4), which works out at about £20. We then took public transport in to the city. Very friendly site owners, who couldn't be more helpful.

Here are my notes about the public transport: "A 90 minute pass for the buses and trams can be purchased from the campsite at 32 Crowns (about 85 pence), half price for children under 15. The bus leaves from the end of the road, and 2 stops (or 3 minutes) later you are at the Metro station Opatov, where Line C takes you to the "Muzeum" stop near Wenceslas Square in 9 stops (17 minutes). On boarding the bus, you need to insert your ticket in the yellow machine to be stamped with the date and time. Your 90 minutes starts from this point. You need to catch the Metro in the direction of Letnany. When returning, you need to stamp your ticket at the entrance to the platform and catch a Line C Metro in the direction of Háje. The relevant buses taking you back to the campsite are 165, 326, 327 or 385. Ensure that you press the "Stop" button on the bus to warn the driver in advance that you wish to get off."

The weather wasn't brilliant when we were there, but if you are interested in the site, there's some dashcam footage at https://youtu.be/ba-6ighdlBA, showing the residential area around the site, and the campsite itself, which was literally someone's back garden.

[martinc]

I don't know the score in the places you're going but we parked & took the train into the likes of Marseilles, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia & Lisbon on recent tours, not because of any charging system but just because it seems a sensible thing to do.

For the Portuguese motorways we'd heard tales of people being chased back in the UK for tolls plus fines, and we couldn't believe how difficult it was to play it straight and get the toll in advance. It was ok if you were entering Portugal via the most common routes but that wasn't our plan and so we had no option but to buy before we travelled. But then you've got to figure out where you're going on the tolls, what class vehicle you are etc, and in the end our plan changed and we weren't on the motorways we'd planned for at all. Purely by chance and because they weren't tolling us at the correct class we ended up with a €1.12 balance at the end. But having only paid €25.00 in the first place, it's no welcome to foreign tourists to make it so difficult to try to use their roads

I agree that parking outside a city and taking alternative transport seems the best idea as you are a lot less likely to get a fine !! and i am with you on that a lot of European countries dont make it very easy for anyone else to use there roads and cities!