Years ago when we first went we spent most of our month there questioning why we had not done it years before.
Had a puncture on 2nd trip and Gendarmes pulled up within 2 minutes of me pulling over. I got to the jack before I reached the warning triangle. Friendly Gendarme kicked the jack away and led me by the arm to get the red triangle that I was about to get. As soon as I had that out they left us to it!
Had a rock damage gas pipe and lost all gas only to find that European bottles are different to calor, so had the choice of buying new European or Gamping Gaz bottles or drive 90 miles to a gas supplier that a site rep told me about. They filled bottles OK but said they could not do it until the end of the day, so we had to have 2nd trip out thenext day.
Polarity plug for mains testing in France is a must unless you van has system that automatically switches if Polarity is wrong.
ie. live and neural wiring can be either way around in France. Some multi point box's can have a mixture of correct and incorect box's. My tester has been used by many first time visitors to France as I see them plug in amd then wander about shaking their heads.
You will see petrol station signs saying 24 hour petrol, generally this means they have a Card pump. Don't expect to find stations open in the evenings or at night or on the weekend. Even with the new chip and pin cards in the UK, they still do not work on most forecourts in europe! They work in cash points fine and shops take them some places, some ask to see passport in out of the way places if their machines do not accept british chip and pin.
Make sure you keep topped up with fuel and don't get to low at nighht or on a weekend.
French never check signatures on cards, so don't lose a British card as they still need signature most places and with no checks anyone can use it.
Remember french also have two hour lunches, so arriving at a dealer at 11.50am to have a broken window replaced I got a nice smile and was ushered to the door and they pointed to the 2pm on the door. All the shops closed in the small rural town and I walked in 100 + degree heat before I found the local hypermarket, 1 till out of twenty + open and me the only customer, the cafeteria lady managed to stir herself reluctantly and make a lunch.
Driving is easy, just take care. I take the ferry loading ticket that you hang on the the rear v mirror and tukk it in my side of the window so it is always at the edge of my line of sight all holiday. First few days you cancentrate on being on wrong side of the road. I and most people I know seem to lapse a few days in when all relaxed, the little constant reminder
that the bit of card has to be next to the kerb works well for me and others.
On our first trip my wife and I had to go out and buy bicycles as to take make the best of coastal cycle ways, most sites do bicucle hire.
We have found most sites over the years to go dead quiet at 10pm with many banning cars after or around that time. So if you go out late make sure you have all valuables out of your car as you can find cars have to be left outside sites after 10 or 11pm. Its not a problem most places but some areas do have problems. Most sites I have used have night time security who do wander out and keep and eye on cistomers cars.
Booking privately is easy especially with internet and fax, but don't be surprised if they want full payment up front and I have still found large sites that will not take a card.
I have travelled 500 + relaxed easy driving miles in a day in France with seven in the car with no problems and we averaged obout 56 mph trundling from west coast to near Niece. I would never dream of doing it here, but most trips have been without traffic or road work hold ups over the years.
My wife is happy to share driving on French roads towing a large caravan but she will not tow it in England
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