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taking a camper van to europe

  • 29-04-2017 10:07am
    #1
    dermita
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5 ✭


    Hi there
    Looking for some advice please. We would love to take a camper van to Europe and travel around for a few weeks. no specific route planned yet but possibly ferry from rosslare, go through france and into Italy, return 3 weeks later.
    We have never hired a campervan before so are complete newbies. Its my partner and I and 5 year old will be going.
    Can I hire a campervan in Ireland and take it on the ferry rather than fly and hire abroad? Or is flying and hiring abroad a better option?
    Any do's and donts? We weren't going to book a whole lot either just see how we go. looking to go the first 3 weeks in july. Should we prebook everything? Can you pull into places abroad rather than official camp sites?
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
    Many thanks


Comments

  • #2
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    Hire abroad is the way to go - The ferry fare to Europe would cost you a fortune and I am not sure that any of the local hire companies would be happy to let you take the van out of Ireland anyway. Without having looked I suspect the hire rates in Europe are probably a bit more reasonable.

    You can hire a van abroad through the likes of EUBookings https://worldwide-motorhome-hire.com/ My nephew used them for the Euro Finals last year and found them good. You should be able to get all the essentials - bedding, furniture etc. as part of the hire. It won't be cheap in any case but a great way to see if motorhoming is for you.

    Regarding options of where to stay, there are literally hundreds of child friendly, inexpensive campsites throughout France and Germany that won't be too busy in July (August is the holiday month in France where everything tends to fill up) There is an excellent network of Motorhome stopover options in France, Germany and Italy (Read up on Aires, Airee di Sosta, Stelleplatzen ) that can be used as well. They are safe, usually located somewhere nice and - importantly- inexpensive. France passion is another option offering hundreds of stopovers in farms, vinyards etc. - usually free. With a five year old you will probably want to use a mix of campsites and aires - this is what we did when our kids were that age but everyone is different and there is enough variety available to suit every taste and preference.

    I've never booked anywhere in twelve summers of motorhoming (six weeks at a time) around France Germany Italy and Spain. If you search back through this forum you will find lots of threads on travelling in Europe including places to see, stay and things to do.
    There are some excellent guides available, in print and online. I am a great fan of 'All the Aires' for France, There's the 'Bord Atlas' For Germany and the 'Guida Camper' for Italy. A google for 'France Passion' will tell you all you need to know about that.
    I posted some links to online sites a while back if you want to search for them.

    Regarding Do's and Dont's.

    - GPS and guide(s) are essential.
    - Don't try to drive too far. Pick an area/region and take your time to enjoy it.
    - France is a safe option to start off with and completely set up for motorhoming.
    - Be aware that using the gas/water/toilet/electricity on the van can seem daunting at first.
    - Driving is not difficult in France or Germany apart from the smaller mountain passes.
    - Size matters. Small is good - don't rent anything bigger than you need. A 6m long van is the most you would need.



    If you want include a bit more detail on what type of thing you like to do I am sure you will get plenty of advice here.

    That's just my 2c worth - It's a great experience and although not for everyone, well worth giving it a go.

    Edit: one good thing about flying in is that you can get to places like the south of France in a few hours from home. Driving there from the north in anything less than a week with a five year old isn't much fun. You're pretty much guaranteed good weather in Provence at that time. Not so dependable farther north. Especially the Atlantic Coast.


  • #3
    dermita
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5 ✭dermita


    Many thanks for your response. That was so helpful. Much appreciated.

    dermita wrote: »
    Hi there
    Looking for some advice please. We would love to take a camper van to Europe and travel around for a few weeks. no specific route planned yet but possibly ferry from rosslare, go through france and into Italy, return 3 weeks later.
    We have never hired a campervan before so are complete newbies. Its my partner and I and 5 year old will be going.
    Can I hire a campervan in Ireland and take it on the ferry rather than fly and hire abroad? Or is flying and hiring abroad a better option?
    Any do's and donts? We weren't going to book a whole lot either just see how we go. looking to go the first 3 weeks in july. Should we prebook everything? Can you pull into places abroad rather than official camp sites?
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
    Many thanks


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