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2g2b2

Deleted User
hello all

New to motorhomes and got an awful lot to learn in a short time so any help from you guys will be great. Got a 6b LHD Ford Rimor coming over from Germany next week, the plan (a cunning one of course!) is to start travel end October, drive down to Portugal/Spain for the Winter, (maybe go into Morocco at some point, any advice on this would be really good) then continue travelling through the rest of Europe for about a year (or until money runs out :cry:). Got 2 girls aged 3 & 5, so whilst the idea of wild camping appeals to me, i'm not sure whether i should play it a bit safer and go for the established campsites with the facilities for the children.

Want to do it all really, Mountains, Beach, Countryside, Towns: Anyone know of a good long term site in Portugal/Algarve which would provide some or all of the above & have kids stuff too? preferences please, Algarve or West Coast?

Also best place to go for insurance & breakdown cover and is it best to use the laptop to search for campsites & other info or is there an indispensable book i need?

all thoughts appreciated
 

Jim

Ringleader
Jul 19, 2007
36,196
128,636
Sutton on Sea, UK
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1
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Adria Panel Van.
Exp
Since 1988
hello 2g2b2, sounds like you have some excitement and adventure ahead of you::bigsmile:. Everything you need to research your trip is here. Many of your questions may have been asked already so a good read through all of the forums is a must. That said there are plenty of friendly knowledgeable people here who delight in helping others so choose a relevant forum section and fire away, we will be only to pleased to help.

Welcome to the fun:thumb:::bigsmile:

NB. here is a good place to start looking at Link Removed:Smile:

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Wildman

Free Member
May 30, 2008
0
8,470
Ilfracombe, Devon
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welcome to the Funsite, enjoy and don't forget CHAT I am there some daytimes and every evening, look forward to meeting you.
Wild camping is usually safe because you are in remote places, never used a site myself in 40 odd years. But we do travel with two dogs who would warn of trouble anyway.Every day spent wilding is another day added to your trip especially if you are eeking out the pennies. Enjoy the the trip and the lifestyle. Wish it was me.:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
OP
OP
2

2g2b2

Deleted User
welcome to the Funsite, enjoy and don't forget CHAT I am there some daytimes and every evening, look forward to meeting you.
Wild camping is usually safe because you are in remote places, never used a site myself in 40 odd years. But we do travel with two dogs who would warn of trouble anyway.Every day spent wilding is another day added to your trip especially if you are eeking out the pennies. Enjoy the the trip and the lifestyle. Wish it was me.:thumb::thumb::thumb:

Thanks wildman

It is very exciting but also a bit scary, i have no idea how you even do the simple stuff like empty the loo, fill the water tanks etc, i think i will have to try and get away for a couple of w/ends before we go to learn/test it all, just bought a full European satnav, so thats a start. think i need to go through all these forums and pick out all the info i can.
 
Sep 27, 2007
837
289
Shropshire based
Funster No
453
MH
Globecar
Exp
started in 2001
Trip of a lifetime

Hi and welcome,

Yes, I think a trip out before you set of is a good idea, you will find out how every thing works, and most importantly, that they DO work. This shake down will also give you satisfaction with your investment, and a chance to redesign the payload etc.

The supplier should cover most of the essentials at the handover, so give yourself plenty of time for it. We hear different stories of how quickly some handovers are completed, but ours lasted about 3.5 hours. Then there was the manual.:ROFLMAO:

On your question of insurance, may I suggest, if you are not a member of the Caravan Club or the Camping and Caravanning Club, a good place to start is the webb sites of these organisations. Both offer vehicle and personal insurance, and as you have a young family, may be a good course of action. I know the caravan clubs vehicle repatriation service is unlimited on vehicle length, and I think the camping and caravanning club is now, but check, especially if your unit is over 25 feet long.

Combining your insurance with these usually produces a considerable saving. Of course there are other providers.

On your question of campsites in Portigal, the Orbitur organisation has at (www.orbitur.pt) has a number of sites scattered over the country, again look on the webb, you can join at the first site you visit, and obtain a discount at all there sites, usually around 10%, but of course better discounts are available for longer stays!

Another good organisation which has 25 sites in portigal, and over 1300 in 19 countries is the ACSI camping. This offers a range of fee tiers currently at 10€, 12€ or 14€ a night. Again look on the webb at CampingCard ACSI - Your low season discount card!, if you like the look of this then look at acsi@vicariousbooks.com from which you should be able to order the book on line.

Back to your unit, you will require beam benders on the headlights, and ensure they are correctly fitted, I hear the French Authorities are clamping down on this item, and imposing fines.

For your safety and that of all your family, (hopsfully you will not breakdown) all members will require high vis. jackets, which must be worn before you exit the vehicle. In addition to this 2 red triangles will be required to be placed on the roadside, to the rear of the vichle, to warn other drivers of a hazard! A replacement set of bulbs a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit are also required. :RollEyes:

Just had a thought about you motorhome, it may come with eu brakedown and recovery as part of your purchase, our last purchase did, and we did'nt know until we collected it. That saved us three years RAC subs, around £600.00:thumb:

Cash...we all need access to cash, along with many other members on this forum, we have recently opened an account with the Nationwide b/s. It is there flexi account, comes complete with interest paying current acount and debit card. The main advantages are:
1) On line account. so you can access it from anywere.
2) You are able to withdraw local currency, without commission being taken, and you are given the commercial rate, not the tourist rate, usually about 5% better.
You must ensure the atm operator does not charge for using the machine.
3) If you have a credit card account with another provider, a standing order can be set to pay the monthly expenditure.

Thats all from me I'm sure others will spot points I have missed, but we all have to start some where, and once you start you will enjoy and keep going.

Good luck and enjoy.

Nomadic
 
OP
OP
2

2g2b2

Deleted User
cheers nomadic, i think the caravan club might be a good place to start, the orbitur sites looked a bit more expensive than others but i have just been looking at the ACSI site and i think £8.50 for the book/card is a bargain :winky: the rimor is a LHD! so the beam should be set for Europe already, Ford Transit cab, so i am hoping to be able to buy 2nd hand u.k headlights and change them as necessary (depending on how easy to do of course), i'm hoping that it will have triangles and basic kit with it but if not i will have to put one together, the Nationwide one is a gem :thumb: will look into that v soon.

thanks for the info
 

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