European touring tips

[LizziePope]

Hi all. What are your top tips for anyone touring abroad for the first time? Thanks!

 

[emmerson]

Go for as long as possible, don't try to do too much, and enjoy it!
Really, there's nothing to it.

 

[intransient1]

Depending on what time of year your planning to go get an ACSI card to help the budget go further.
Take it easy, 50 mph will get you there but with less stress.

 

[RayS]

Don't expect Caravan Club Site standards of pitch and facilities everywhere.
Do some homework as reading the motoring rules before leaving.
Don't expect much leinency from police just because you are a visitor
Do learn a little of the language so you can at least exchange courtesy please, thank you etc.
Don't get over ambitious about how much to se, how many places to go to, how many miles to do in a day. It's not a contest.
Do get to understand your satnav and update it . Don't expect it to be infallible,, have and study a map as well.
Do read the threads on this forum about use of credit cards at pumps, speed limits etc.
Don't be put off by the list above, it's largely common sense and for some planning is part of the fun and very gratifying when you have a nice easy enjoyable trip with no nasty surprises.
Written from site in south east Spain on our 15th annual visit, enjoying the weather, our regular friends of several nationalities, the staff at the site,

 

[VicMallows]

Don't expect Caravan Club Site standards of pitch and facilities everywhere.

No indeed
You should expect a decent sized pitch, often delineated by hedging. On this you can place your unit exactly how you wish, along with any other structures/tents/etc.
You will most likely have your own water tap and grey-water drain. (The EHU may though be limited to around 5A).
You can stay as short or as long as you wish, and prices drop dramatically if you stay for more than a month. Most often you do not pay until you leave.
All for considerably less than UK prices. (We are paying EU 8.90/day long-stay + metered elec).

Cheers, from Spain

 

[DianneT]

Have a look on here lots of tips for Europe.

www.joysofeuropeancaravanning.co.uk Any questions please ask.

 

[RayS]

Couple of comments Vic
We've not found many serviced or semi serviced pitches in Spain but maybe because we prefer rural or smaller sites rather than those with pools, bars, entertainment etc.
You are right about discounts for long stay. Our current sit rises to 45% at 85 days 30 at 60 etc but discount does not include EHU and everything is subject to 10% IVA (VAT)

Other sites have offers, e.g 3 nights for price of 2 which makes 24 euro/ night site a little more reasonable. ( nice site and one of few open all year away from coast)

 

[Buckman]

Don't take the in laws with you!

 

[YorkieF]

Turn your Alko spare wheel carrier around so you can access it from the offside which will be the nearside abroad or put the spare wheel in the boot.

 

[Buckman]

We removed ours and stored it under the bed for easy access. Less hassle than trying to fight with the ALKO spare wheel carrier.

 

[Hutch]

Same as Buckman, removed the carrier, wheel goes under the bed, it also saves 6 kg from the carrier.

 

[otherclive]

We removed ours and stored it under the bed for easy access. Less hassle than trying to fight with the ALKO spare wheel carrier.

I would agree totally especially when French hard shoulders can be so narrow. We always carry our in the van.

 

[Buckman]

We removed ours and stored it under the bed for easy access. Less hassle than trying to fight with the ALKO spare wheel carrier.

I would agree totally especially when French hard shoulders can be so narrow. We always carry our in the van.

Spanish ones are non existent!

 

[Harby]

If you're going on the French autoroutes, get a Sanef toll tag! You cruise past lines of traffic waiting at the peage tolls, but more importantly (for our marriage at least) the passenger (me) isn't leaning out of the window trying to reach the machine with a credit card (forward a bit, back a bit - no! too far! The alloys are too close, you'll scrape them! I can't get out to pay because you're too close... just reverse back and start again, oh no we can't there's a great big caravan behind us! etc)

 

[Craigyoung]

... just reverse back and start again, oh no we can't there's a great big caravan behind us! etc)

Course you can reverse , hazard lights on , reverse light on and just wait for them to move at the back ! I did the first time we made a mistake at the toll booth , I needed to be 3 over for a different road, it's amazing how fast someone will move behind you when the reverse lights come on!!

 

[RayS]

Particularly in low season do not rely on opening and closing times in site guide book, or even on the sites own webpages unless these are seen to be current. Over the last year we have found Municiples that have not been open despite both these sources and indeed notices at their enrptrances saying they should be, and have had to leave another which decided to close early. Further some were not open on Sundays and had barrier controlled access. Existing 'residents' were strictly instructed not to use their tags to let in new arrivals.
I think this is down to economies at French town Halls.
Sites marked as OPen all year have proved not to be, a clus is if they don't reply to email enquiries. Direct telephone contact seems to be the best insurance.
The problem has been in France, but I have reports of similar in northern Spain.

 

[RayS]

Another to add after recent trip. If using satnav be prepared for some very odd pronounciation of place names.
My Garmin lady says Zomer for Saumur and Angers as it upsets for Angers rather than an jay.
Street names have to be compressed to fit into the second or so time slot in the software and can be totally impossible to understand. Places such as Lons le Saunier fool her completely.
French roundabouts seem to have more small exits to service roads etc. Than is common in UK. Satnav sometimes knows about them and gives correct instructions 'take the third exit' but sometimes does not which can have you going down a dead end to the back of a supermarket particularly after dark.
Next time I may try switching it to French language but then there will be other things not understood.

 

[otherclive]

Another to add after recent trip. If using satnav be prepared for some very odd pronounciation of place names.
My Garmin lady says Zomer for Saumur and Angers as it upsets for Angers rather than an jay.
Street names have to be compressed to fit into the second or so time slot in the software and can be totally impossible to understand. Places such as Lons le Saunier fool her completely.
French roundabouts seem to have more small exits to service roads etc. Than is common in UK. Satnav sometimes knows about them and gives correct instructions 'take the third exit' but sometimes does not which can have you going down a dead end to the back of a supermarket particularly after dark.
Next time I may try switching it to French language but then there will be other things not understood.

Mine has problems pronouncing Welsh and Gaelic names too. But then so do I, but thankfully it’s spelling ability and my reading ability seem well matched.

 

[Hoomer]

Don't expect Caravan Club Site standards of pitch and facilities everywhere.

No indeed
You should expect a decent sized pitch, often delineated by hedging. On this you can place your unit exactly how you wish, along with any other structures/tents/etc.
You will most likely have your own water tap and grey-water drain. (The EHU may though be limited to around 5A).
You can stay as short or as long as you wish, and prices drop dramatically if you stay for more than a month. Most often you do not pay until you leave.
All for considerably less than UK prices. (We are paying EU 8.90/day long-stay + metered elec).

Cheers, from Spain

Shocking, isn’t it! And no ‘peg police’.

 

[Hoomer]

Same as Buckman, removed the carrier, wheel goes under the bed, it also saves 6 kg from the carrier.

Wheel lives in a carrier in the front locker on my German van, although I have a spare spare underneath.
Payloads not an issue with a 300kg payload on a 390 van - take note uk makers with your sub 100kg payloads!

With a UK van, put a breakdown triangle behind the van if you are in an out of the van on the roadside, even in lay-by.
the Europeans aren’t the greatest at pulling out round stopped vehicles and leaving plenty of clearance.

 

[otherclive]

Same as Buckman, removed the carrier, wheel goes under the bed, it also saves 6 kg from the carrier.

Wheel lives in a carrier in the front locker on my German van, although I have a spare spare underneath.
Payloads not an issue with a 300kg payload on a 390 van - take note uk makers with your sub 100kg payloads!

With a UK van, put a breakdown triangle behind the van if you are in an out of the van on the roadside, even in lay-by.
the Europeans aren’t the greatest at pulling out round stopped vehicles and leaving plenty of clearance.

UK and some EU countries advise regarding warning triangles differs. In the Highway Code warning triangles should not be used on motorways, yet abroad it can even be illegal not to carry one in the car, and Spain requires two to be used.
The last times I needed to use one was on a straight B road. It got run over within a few minutes. When my wife was in a bad car crash the police placed their Police warning sign around the bend to warn oncoming vehicles. That too got run over. The PC was not too pleased. I guess the use of such triangles must be the audible warning that they give as they clatter along the underside of the car that hits it first, who then stops and becomes the real warning device.

 

[Hoomer]

Same as Buckman, removed the carrier, wheel goes under the bed, it also saves 6 kg from the carrier.

Wheel lives in a carrier in the front locker on my German van, although I have a spare spare underneath.
Payloads not an issue with a 300kg payload on a 390 van - take note uk makers with your sub 100kg payloads!

With a UK van, put a breakdown triangle behind the van if you are in an out of the van on the roadside, even in lay-by.
the Europeans aren’t the greatest at pulling out round stopped vehicles and leaving plenty of clearance.

UK and some EU countries advise regarding warning triangles differs. In the Highway Code warning triangles should not be used on motorways, yet abroad it can even be illegal not to carry one in the car, and Spain requires two to be used.
The last times I needed to use one was on a straight B road. It got run over within a few minutes. When my wife was in a bad car crash the police placed their Police warning sign around the bend to warn oncoming vehicles. That too got run over. The PC was not too pleased. I guess the use of such triangles must be the audible warning that they give as they clatter along the underside of the car that hits it first, who then stops and becomes the real warning device.

For nighttime stopping on the road, I carry a few red Cyalume sticks in the glovebox to chuck in the road well back. I dread to think what the attrition rate for European roadside repair and recovery people is!