Beginner's guide to taking your caravan abroad [CC]
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- Closed Captions are now available for those who wish to use them - thank you for your patience :)
In this long and detailed video, I draw on over 30 years of experience in taking my caravan to France, Spain, Portugal and beyond and bring you a guide to taking your caravan abroad for the first time.
Topics covered include considerations to bear in mind before you go, how to book your sites, insurance, and I touch on Ferry Crossings. Then we go through the Route Planning process, and how to make the most of your journey.
Finally, a word about Road Tolls, and how to pay them - especially if you are on your own in a right hand drive car!
For a more detailed video on taking your Pet abroad from the UK, please see: • Taking your pet abroad...
For more details on taking your caravan through the Channel Tunnel with Eurotunnel, please see: • Taking a caravan throu...
For more details on taking a P&O Ferry from Dover to Calais, including the boarding and on-board experience, please check out these two videos:
• P&O Ferries Pride of C...
• On board the P&O Ferri...
Check out the Overseas Travel Sections from the two Clubs -
CAMC: www.caravanclub.co.uk/oversea...
C&CC: www.campingandcaravanningclub...
Two things to consider: Correct front lights with a sticker (available on ferries); Your gas bottles might not get refilled abroad due to different systems. Otherwise great suggestions, applause from Germany.
Agree for first timers with the all one place sentiments. Red Pennant gave us excellent service when we had problems in France last time.
Brilliant. Really helpful info
Brilliant video absolutely brilliant thank you 😊
Great content Andrew 👍
Great video Andrew, very informative
Such a great and informative video. Thank you
As usual, thorough and informative!
Brilliant Andrew! Really helpful. Many thanks.
Brilliant set up you have everything to hand
Brilliant video.....’thanks for dddddoing it’. Peter
Great video with very useful information, thank you Andrew
Brilliant not enough for beginners or thinking about it. Excellent. Thank you.
Thank you Andrew for such a detailed vlog. I learned so much 😁
A great vlog and very informative. Big thumbs up
Always loving your work Andrew!! Keep that up. The sensible details you give out are life savers for newbies.
Hi Andrew another great video for new comers just starting out looking forward to your up coming videos cheers
Kev
I hope you both and all
have a truly amazing time
on your travels 🐕
😊😊🚐🌍🌍🌍
Big thumbs up from me Mr D. Good, sound, common scence information.
Looks like Dougle has made a full recovery. 👍🐶
Brilliant video Andrew. You answered all the questions I would have asked. 👍
Keep up the great vlogging.
Great to see you back, I find Waze a very good free satnav with good traffic
No problem with being thorough! The devil is in the detail as they say :) We did our first trip last year, Eurotunnel France, Spain, Portugal, Spain and ferry home and boy did we learn a lot. Firstly not to panic, it's not that difficult, secondly that there is no right or wrong way, just your way. For planning I like the look of Via Michelin. We used Michelin maps, a big book of printed ones, you don't need to be online for something on paper so always a good backup. The satnav of choice, for us, is WAZE. An app for your phone, has the correct speed limits at all times plus live traffic info. The ability to avoid tolls is there on every journey and we found it much more reliable than google maps. Google maps was the one time we found ourselves down a lane, on a steep hill, in the dark and ended up digging the van out of a field entrance! Ended up covered in mud. We made it but I don't trust it! We also travel with a JRT so give Dougal a hug from us x
Very informative as always will look into the red pennant if and when we decide to go overseas next year. Many thanks for this and all your other information videos, always useful and never boring so thanks Dougan and tell the small chap in th leather thanks as well😂
An excellent and detailed video. Thank you very much!
Glad you found it useful Mark, cheers!
Fabulous video Andrew! Very interesting! Kept me watching to the end! Cheers Oliver
Get that man a medal for endurance! Thanks Oliver :)
Hi Andrew, thank you for this video. Tina and I are thinking of taking our caravan to France next year and your video has eased a few of my concerns. I found it very useful. Ive used Via Michelin when planning bike tours of Europe so I know how good it is. Keep up the good work my friend.
Back to your very best. It’s what I have been waiting for .. can’t thank you enough
Cheers JC!
Sooooo helpful, im taking my daughter for a month this summer in our caravan. Thanks for all the tips
Great video, I've been to south of France the last 3 years using the A26 etc found driving abroad very easy and would recommend to all campers etc to do it
Look forward to your nxt blog
Great Vlog! Enjoyed it; it didn’t seem long because it was very interesting. By the way liked your reference to your shirt / curtain colour; the plain shirt worked much better.
Excellent video and excellent advice as usual. I like the Michelin route finder page, not come across that before. Have always used Google so that's on the list to try. We were planning a trip to France for 2019 but we decided to wait and see what happens after Brexit. So we booked Cornwall again to be on the safe side. Thank you Andrew for some cracking advice.
Excellent and thorough introduction. I'm looking forward to seeing your review of the towcar, I'm interested in your thoughts on the pros and cons compared to the Navara as I'm choosing between a big SUV and a pickup!
My compliments, very informative!
Thank you Jean!
Dougal just wants to be with you, wherever that is.
I've used Google Maps for the US. And Yes, switch to Satellite View, and check out the roads. All Interstates are the same, but US Highways are not. Some are crap, but some are great. Just be aware.
And the safety warning doesn't change. Don't pull over to check a deficiency someone points out until you get to a safe place. And always call your motor group to help with repairs. I carry the best AAA plan for that reason.
Very informative video :)
On point video Andrew. Not gonna lie though, seeing Dougal's #unimpressed face always brings a smile to my face! 😁
Very good
Wonderful good words
Best wishes
Safe travels forever to you and doogle ☺🐕
Great video. Good camping sites.
Thank you Andrew, we are planning our summer trip in our newly acquired Vw camper. The via Michelin app is great, has the road signs etc and fuel costs which is helpful for coatings.
Thank You, Thank You. This is just what we needed to see and learn from. Thanks Andrew. 👍😀 P&J
So when are you taking the Sprite to France then? ;@)
@@andrewjditton We are not sure at present. We would like to go to Spain more than anything.😀 P&J
We are recent caravan owners, I would love to take to Germany but currently lack the confidence. This video has inspired me.👍👍👍
Hi Andrew, Thank you for sharing this. We are just coming up to the end of second year of caravanning. Last month we booked our first ever trip to France so you sharing the vlog was really helpful. We still have a number of things to sort out and this video has come in handy.
Excellent! Have a great trip :)
you might think it's a long video but you are so knowledgeable and the information is so useful, it actually seemed quite quick - looking to do my first trip to France next year so this has certainly helped me, thank you
Thanks William, that’s so kind of you to say so. Good luck with your trip!
I think a lot of points are also useful for motorhomes/campervans. Certainly the points on navigation, I use a little bit different approach, although similar to yours. We have spend more on our satnav so we can enter weight and size of our combination, which means it takes the larger roads and automatically avoids with low weight limits and height restrictions that are important to us (driving under a bridge which only allowed a height 5cm higher was a little bit enervating). In case of the example you gave we would be suggested to take the road around the centre.
I plan mostly using google maps and our satnav, but also paper maps. The satnav gives me different options from which I choose the one that comes closest to what I want. After that I add points to the route so it has to take the roads I want and on some points I remember where to take another junction. Although planners tend to get pretty good, experience can be a lot quicker/shorter/nicer ;-)
I know we keep our daily distance low, but I prefer to spend not more than 3 hours driving a day, so you don't need a couple of days to recover from the trip if you are not used to driving larger distances.
I look forward to a similar guide for motorhome and campervans (although even that can differ a lot depending on your needs on the road).
Very informative video,Andrew,as a now retired international lorry driver,now a solo motorhomer,I agree with much of what you say,I use a tag and find it great for speed and convenience,also avoids mischarging on toll booths.One thing I would emphasise is that most French service areas even the one with garage service are not really safe for overnight stops,sites and Aires are far better.great videos and good advice.Thanks Paul
Fabulous video Andrew very informative, my van is away now until February so getting my caravan fixes from you and my other favourite Vloggers. Enjoy Portugal and looking forward to next instalment.
Something I’ve just thought of Andrew, Reverse Polarity on some European Sites. I made a reverse polarity lead and used a plug in tester to check if polarity was reversed. It may not be an issue anymore it’s a while since I toured abroad.
Great video as always. We would love to go round France in the future. :-)
I like google maps to put all the stuff we want to see... then we can group them into manageable days. No point in going in circles.
12:45 That road is a damn sight less busy than when we crawled along it in July!
That was an excellent guide, thank you. I think you overplay the threat of strangers a bit. One of the best things about travelling is meeting people along the way. Yes there are bad people but the vast majority are really very good. It is wise to be wary, but it is also good to be open to meeting and talking with people.
I'd rather overplay than underplay. Someone tried to break into my friend's motorhome in Spain, and yesterday someone had his backpack stolen from the beach with his keys in while he was in the water. I'm sure these things have happened in the UK, but it seems far more frequent here. I don't want anything like that being on my conscience.
I agree with you on this one,Andrew,it's pretty well known that us "grey travellers" heading to the warm winter climates,carry cash,cards,mobile devices and many other saleable goodies when we travel,when I was working in Europe with the lorry,I would often travel overnight,and have seen many shady characters wandering around service areas checking motor home and caravan doors,and have phoned local police having seen breaking.I've also made many good friends of all nationalities in my travels,but I've upgraded the security of my motorhome to ensure its safe when I'm sleeping in the night and sightseeing during the day.Its quite surprising to see how easy it is to break into most caravans and motorhomes
That Airstream looks the business !!
Good to give a mention for the two big clubs. We consulted them for our last trip. It can get confusing travelling through 5 different countries and different rules on the road. We never aim for much more than 200 miles a day. Just too tiring as only one driver.
JFYI. We booked through caravan club and needed to change crossing to get back short notice (Friday night for Saturday). You can only change via who you booked with. Friday night the club was closed, so I had to book Ferry online to get home. You can't modify your booking online with caravan club. So ended up costing us £100 more. Booked direct last time and was able to change date / time / people not problem at all. Thats a BIG gotcha for us. Great video as always... Thanks, Graham
Excellent video
Hi Andrew. Really enjoyed the video - as always. Particularly liked the ideas on route planning and the practical suggestions on site booking. Great ideas for when we take our first trip into Europe which we are planning now.
Excellent! Have a great trip!
Thanks Andrew. We have now starred our own youtube channel so we can share our adventures as well ( very early days for us!) Best wishes for all your travels@@andrewjditton
Andrew and the Gypsy Souls. Two excellent, sites full of caravan information.
I’ve been wondering how to pay a toll with a right hand drive car for a while, pleased to see that it’s ok to get out and walk around. 👍
Also that cover picture you took with the car, caravan, the dog in the window and the France sign going into the train is a brilliant photograph!
Thanks for creating such a useful and informative film. Stephen 😀
Cheers Stephen! But I have to admit that the snap was 99% luck, 1% skill :)
But you may get beeped at by irate fellow travellers.
Andrew's guides are not only useful but they inspire confidence, especially if you're new to caravanning or motorhoming abroad. Also, site reviews are invaluable both in the UK and Europe because there's nothing worse than travelling all day only to find dirty facilities on a litter strewn site. I know most leisure vehicles these days are self-contained, but at 6' 4" it's nice for me to stretch out in a mains shower occasionally and wash-up crocks and pans in purpose built sinks. Also, for what many site owners charge you'd expect the place to always be kept spotless. Unfortunately, many are so lazy that they can't be bothered to keep the site and its facilities clean, showing their contempt for the people who keep their businesses thriving. These slob site owners should be brought to book, and bad reviews and the resultant loss of revenue will hopefully make them change their ways.
Here’s a google map trick I’ve used many times in conjunction with a TomTom sat nav. If you can’t find a specific address or you want to identify a junction or other entrance. Right click the mouse on the feature on google maps. This gives you a very precise lat and long location, which can then be entered into to your TomTom. Works a treat, found many a factory entrance using this method and street view to confirm the location.
BRILLIANT! Top tip thanks.
Hi Andrew and Dougal. You don't need a printer, dependant on your operating system and potentially with Adobe viewer installed you can print to a pdf file. Click on the change printer output option.
I am a motorhomer and I found your route planning tips excellent. On the fun side - paying tolls when driving a motorhome is not as easy as just leaning out the window. The one set of buttons is too high (set for truckers) and the other set is too low (set for cars). I enjoyed my wife cursing because the change slot means she has to open the door and get out or contort around it (because she is only in her socks). Such fun!
Ha ha! Yes, I found exactly that in Italy with the Ducato-based Etrusco Motorhome! Glad it wasn’t just me 😃👍
Hi Andrew and Dougal. Love video and found it very informative. Now you done holidays and new Motorhome Reviews. How about you do a review and holiday in a 30year old Motorhome. But not a VW Campervan. Just a thought. Cheers from George and Jane UK
Thank you Andrew. I especially appreciate the tip about Via Michelin. I had not heard of that before. One thing I would maybe disagree about is the distance to travel in a day. Your advice is good for people on an extended touring trip. However if you only have 2 weeks and want to get south for the sun for example, I would go much further per day on the outward trip. Get there quicker. But on the way home, take it easy. You don't want to get home tired.
Thing is Neale, if I'm dishing out advice on RUclips, I have to err on the side of safety. The last thing I want is someone driving tired and having an accident on my conscience.
Thanks really useful info
You're very welcome Ruth. When are you taking the camper over? ;@)
@@andrewjditton later into 2019 to norway. Its where my partner lives. Need to get my van in tip top condition before i venture over the channel
@@andrewjditton later into 2019 to norway. Its where my partner lives. Need to get my van in tip top condition before i venture over the channel
Hi Andrew. This is a very useful video, thank you. I agree that Via Michelin is a real asset for caravanning, particularly because of the caravan check box option. Also, on security - unfortunately, incidents do occur - such as thefts at motorway toll points by motorcycle riders. Fo this reason, I would always lock the car even if exiting the vehicle momentarily to pay a toll. I'm not just being "clever" about his - we were victims in 2002...
Oh my, that's awful! I've never heard of that before. Crikey, you get lowlifes coming at you from every angle... Thanks for letting me (and everyone else reading the comments) know about this. I'll deffo do the same in future.
@@andrewjditton Thankfully this type of incident was more common in the late 1990s /early 2000s. The incident took place near Vallauris, on the Riviera. In our case all they got was an empty picnic rucsac grabbed off the back seat, but I had to prevent the thief from taking my wife's handbag. To get this in perspective, I've had incident-free trips to Europe since then. On a happier note, thank you also for your excellent article in the Caravan Club mag on North Wales - we are off to Min-y-Don next Spring :-)
thanks for this video but can you make a video for foreign tourist who wishes to visit UK or Europe and want to hire caravan/motorhome and go on a short trip a guide like this.
Hi Andrew, I agree with the distance per day you mentioned. I have found if I try to drive more than 200 miles in a day I get completely wiped out. If I’m in Scotland, I change that to no more than 4-5 hours. Have a great time xxx
Thanks Mads!
I wish it would be easier to take a long road trip like for example, a Eurasia expedition. Maybe one day I can tour Europe. I'll keep this video saved and bookmarked. ;)
Spot on 👍👌 Europe can get additive it's never as scary as we may think, go once an your hooked😊 so much to see an do🌲🌳🌴☀️🌈🍇🥨🍦🥂🍻🏔⛰🏕⛲️🏰🌅. Let's hope they let us in next year 😂.
Lee 🎩
Cheers Lee!
Great informative video You do need clean air stickers and vignettes for various countries too.
only if you are going into the cities that require them. I live in France and don't have one as I don't go into those places.
thank you
thank you for that andrew that helped me a lot mate
Downloaded the ViaMichelin and gave it a try. Even with the caravan toggle on it was guiding me down a single track road with a few passing places. Very scary. Good job I viewed the route on street view first and didn’t take the caravan. Doesn’t seem too effective.
Useful to know, cheers Brian! Yes, good to check on Street View first.
Hope you get your airstream sorted you are an airstream lover
Did Andew rabbit on? 🤔 = No! It was most informative. A excellent video 👏👏👏.
LOL yes I wondered about the curtains, whether the shirt was used for them or them for the shirt, thanks for solving another mystery. I'm not sure how you feel about the airstream now after that vid on how things went wrong with yours...
please try to get the campervan trip in during the first half of 2019 - 😊
Excellent video! Another tip if you don't have printer to print out route: click print button anyway. You will see "PDF" option. Click it, select "Save as PDF" and it will save your route as document that you can open later at any time. Then you can send it to your phone or just keep on laptop. During breaks you can look up parts of route from that file without needing internet connection.
Exactly what I do, and recommend. I go one step further, and save every document for a whole trip as pdf (many already arrive as pdf nowadays via email) , and then save them to a folder in one of the many free cloud services, eg. Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive, Dropbox. Then even if my phone / tablet / laptop is unavailable, or you just upgrade it, I can still get access from another device. I have also saved manuals for my Motorhome and all its appliances, media devices, security systems, cameras, etc etc
Found the video most useful, especially the tip about “via Michelin”, We’re long distance lorry drivers, but that app. Looks useful.
For fellow campervaners and Motorhomers can I point you in the direction of “park4night” app.
Thanks for sharing. My question is ; what are the best caravans to buy and how much petrol roughly is used on a trip?
14:06-14:16 In reference to maps, what about Rand McNally or the local motor clubs (AAA in the USA, CAA in Canada, or The Royal Automobile Association Club in the UK)?
Via Michelin TIP was worth the entire 30 minutes!
Just a thought. If you don't have a printer available, then "Print to PDF" and then you can have that file available on phone, tablet or computer, without having to redo the map each time.
Der Andrew, many Thanks vor this very good Video. I am german and I share your experience with Viamichelin. One more point is that a lot of road numbers in google are wrong. Realy terrible. And also important for me, You have more details. You can realy see on the map, even in the smallest village, where you have to go at the beginning in the middle or at the end. I have my paper Michelin too. Thanks a lot. Jürgen from Germany
Hi Andrew, Informative, information presented in segments, personal insight, anecdote reflections,....
Your demeanor & physical appearance as always friendly/pleasent. The Dougal stills are filled with personality.
Fabulous, 👬🇺🇸🇬🇧🌈💞😍🍌😮🌋😍🍩🍌😣😀💥🌋
Cheers Bob!
Shame that he caravan button on Via Michelin has now been taken away - was hoping to use VM more going forward but for me, that was one of the main reasons. Great video as always Andrew.
Thanks for the info!
ViaMichelin is a great tip. I also found free iPhone and iPad ViaMichelin apps that looks really useful.
Hi Andrew
Only just got around to watching this , yes it is a long video, but with great content. I'm aiming for a trip through France into Spain when lockdown and restrictions are lifted and was wondering about the marker boards on back of caravans that are needed if in spain. Is this a requirement in France also? Or are they only required if your rig is over a certain length?
Regards
Steve
Hi Steve, I believe it's only in Spain for caravans over a certain length. The CAMC website has up-to-date info about all that. Bon voyage!
Is the one nsurance only cover caravan,motor homes? Is it included A van convert into camper?
Please could you do an update to this video post brexit, and in particular, in relation to taking a dog, thanks
Oh wow, it's been a long time since I saw commercials on websites. You know there are adblocker for safari. It gets rid off all the annoying commercials on the webpages.
On the other hand, I can recommend Harry's 🙂
omfg Dougal is soo cute!
Oh, and great advice. Thanks.
You know Andrew, Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGreggor could use a good logistics guy in their London motorcycle HQ. I heard they will be doing "Long Way Up" next year in the Americas. You DO have that North American San Diego experience on your resume/CV, good motorcycle skills and, I'm sure Dougal would love chasing a few llamas, which are pretty much just tall sheep. 😀. Hmmmm?
I've been lucky enough to meet Charley Boorman, one of my heroes, and he is a total Gent. I'd love to be involved with that, but I think the reality will be a lot of being trapped in an office while the two 'talents' have all the fun! :)
That shot at the start reminds me, whatever happened to the Etrusco coffee maker give away? I never saw anything about it on their Facebook page, did I miss it?
I last heard they were waiting for the vans to arrive in the U.K. and then doing something. I did mention it to them a while back!
The first time I took a caravan abroad I booked nothing and that was stress free, Ok I booked a ferry the day before but only to get it cheaper. Not having deadlines is much better and there are plenty of places to park up en-route especially if you take the autoroute. If not France and Spain have plenty of places to park up, then find a site you like. I would never go in July or August as that is hugely stressful with very busy roads and damn HOT!! The rest of the year it's easy. Oh one major thing you fail to mention are the RN roads in France. Things have changed in the past few years and if there is a parallel autoroute forget the Route Nationals. They are festooned with roundabouts, traffic lights, traffic calming, 30km/hr limit sections meaning it will take you a week to do what you can on an A road in a day. If you are towing a caravan you will wear your gearbox out before you get to Spain...oh and the speed traps...Bonne chance.
Totally agree!
Would love an travel abroad video after Brexit, see all the new processes especially with a dog
Oh gees, the government STILL hasn't reached an agreement yet. It's a nightmare as I want to take Dougal over in April. To blood test or not to blood test? AAARRGGHHHH!!!!!!!
How abort coming to Denmark and do a roadtrip here? Lots of beautiful places to see and go.
So many beautiful places, such a finite amount of time! I would love to come to Denmark. And Sweden. And Norway. And Finland. And Estonia....
Excellent thoughts and information. I haven't received any notification of your videos in the past few months. I've subscribed and clicked on the little bell, but still don't receive updates. If you know what I should do additionally to receive notification of your new videos, please let me know. I wonder if it's happening to other subscribers, too?
That's not good Christina. I wonder if anyone else experiences the same? I do try to upload at least once a week but sometimes it slips a few days. If there is a delay I try and let people know in my 'community' chat on the Channel page. Thanks for your support!
try unsubscribing and resubscribe, it might help.
What a great resource Michelin maps are, thanks Andrew! True enough I can save £4 by taking an alternative route to Wales soon. Think I'll use the bridge on this occasion though, I can just about afford a £4 premium. Seriously, for European trips it's marvellous.
One minor detail, I entered my exact car details (which was a nice surprise) and it calculated the cost over 254 miles to be £47 (£4 extra with tolls) with or without the caravan. I would expect 25% higher amount than stated towing. Of course it'd be impossible to calculate the extra cost depending on the weight of the caravan.
The instructions for Portuguese tolls was only partly correct, its fine if joining at the extreme Spanish end of the A22 to rely on registering a credit card but intermediate junctions do not have the facility and the other methods will have to be used
Good point. I'd not thought of someone joining half way down, cheers!
By the way, I had an idle moment and was going to start creating closed captions, but you haven't turned on community contributions :-(
I’ll soon fix that when I’m back on the desktop. Cheers!