12 months round Europe , PLEASE HELP .

shano118

shano118

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Hi team, got some basic questions.. Anyone got an idea on budget for a family of 4 round Europe for a year? Also what's the deal with Internet round Europe so the kids can Skype friends and family .
 
It really depends on how much travelling you are going to do and how many attractions you plan to pay to visit.

As for the internet, skyping uses quite a lot of data so you may find that using McDonalds for their free wifi is worth while.
 
did it for three years with two kids .. as said.. all depends what you want to do and where you go ..

Minimum £12k.. that includes, fuel, food, ferry, site fees, van insurance, repairs and maintenance VED, MOT , etc..
and that is a tight budget.. not staying on all singing all dancing fancy sites, not eating out, and not vising lots of expensive attractions..
We traveled all over Europe and Morocco , spent one winter in the UK

for Internet and Skype, plenty of places now have free wifi .. sorry, not up to date with the latest roaming data plans
 
There are also "labour exchange" possibilities. You work for someone for a fixed time ( from a week to a whole season) and in exchange get accommodation ( in your case say a pitch with EHU and water) I can't remember site names at the moment but I'll have a look online. Work varies from house and garden maintenance to small holdings to harvesting.
There are people on here who've home schooled their children and there's a lot of info and resources online.

http://www.workaway.info/hostlist-FR.html. Don't be put off by the gap year mention. I had mature people come to my place in France.

http://www.wwoof.net

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Hollyberry said:
There are also "labour exchange" possibilities. You work for someone for a fixed time ( from a week to a whole season) and in exchange get accommodation ( in your case say a pitch with EHU and water) I can't remember site names at the moment but I'll have a look online. Work varies from house and garden maintenance to small holdings to harvesting.
Click to expand...

Here you go
http://www.helpx.net
 
Right what's people thought on a autotrail apache 700? Think this is the bus for us! Oh and need to find one now for under 25k ...
 
When you are looking for you van try and get one with all the toys on Solar Panels , Awning bike rack all these will save you money, think about getting a water filter fitted if you are on the road that long it would be a benifit. For wifi look for the best deal from the 3 Shop, now it is available over most of Europe and should help keep you on line when camp site and MacDonalds is not available.

 
Apache 700 great van for family... I had a 2005 model for 5 years and then changed to the current 2012 van.
BUT..... I dont think that there is anyway I want to live in it with 2 kids for a year !!!!!!!!
As a couple we have done 3 months...
As a family with us and the 2 grandkids we have done many trips lasting several weeks..

Older models, as your budget would suggest will not have enough storage room plus weight could be an issue.
You need to have a serious thought on what layout you need, what you will carry and more important what will the payload of the van allow you to carry legally... !!
4 people = more water needed, toilet fills quicker and just more of everything..
Hope you have a pre 1997 license otherwise you are stuck at 3500kg and that just aint gonna work..

Imagine a crap weather week of non stop rain and you 4 all stuck in a van with wet clothes etc.... Sort that and the sunny days will be fine...
 
Listen to what @tonka says.. he is absolutely correct.. we had a 36ft USRV and believe me it soon shrunk.. for a family of four you need lots of space and payload.. often we felt like climbing the walls.. it tests your ability to get on to the limit.. we survived three years .. but that was enough.

my previous posts was just a joke , but you do need to be handy with a tool box.. no matter what make .. motorhomes are notoriously feisty ..small things can and do go wrong, so you need to have basic DIY skills and ideally some 12v electrical knowledge..
 
Yeah I'm clued up.. I've self build 4 vw transporters into campervans in my time ,
So what can should I be looking for? My kids are only 4 and 7.
 
Can you tell me more about the payload ?

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ScotJimland said:
It's British .. hope you are handy with a tool box and gaffer tape.. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

Indeed....A year in europe? why not buy a lighter better built LHD German van and save a bundle, as you simply get more for your money as its a bigger more competitive market place....... not sure how old you are and what license you have but no way will an AT be usable @ 3500kg

Three mobile network has a feel at home apackage that allows use of device in certain Euro conntries at no extra cost. check website, they include France /Spain/Italy which are main countries we visit. There are euro sims available, use site search function, loads of travel info on there...
 
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Your license covers you up to 7.5 tonne. Says you passed in 1995. So just in before the new rules,,
The 700 pre 2006 are 3850 kg max weight.... You can very easily get to that weight for just a holiday trip and soon be overloaded... Especially when things like bikes etc come into it... There is rear locker space but the same van after 2010 has much more space as they dropped the rear floor level...
If you like the 700 then look at the Arapaho, same layout but a bit longer with a tag axle and more weight....

Payload.... It is what you can carry... The difference between the max weight you can legally run at and the empty weight before you put any personal effect, driver, passenger etc inside....
 
god its so hard…! a bigger vans gonna make it harder to get into town etc
 
i know that ,but its finding a parking space for a mother ship. :)

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Just a thought---someone will know the answer--- does the payload alter if you tow a trailer? Just wondering if that would spread your weight load a bit.

Your idea must be doable. Look on Youtube--there was a family of about 8 full timing!
 
If you put " fulltiming in RV" into Youtube lots of videos come up.
Also put same into Pinterest and again,lots of stories,lots of advice.
 
Hollyberry said:
Just a thought---someone will know the answer--- does the payload alter if you tow a trailer? Just wondering if that would spread your weight load a bit.

Your idea must be doable. Look on Youtube--there was a family of about 8 full timing!
Click to expand...
Payload will be influenced by the nose weight from the trailer but probably not by more than 50kg. But the trailer might nudge you towards the gross train weight.
 
Ok a 2006 Apache 700 is 650kg payload. Now is the payload my weight I can put in the van ? Sorry I'm confused
 
As someone with two young kids, I'd go 7berth, separate beds and plenty of living space, ideally with alko chassis (warmer, lots of storage) - extra length is a small price to pay for the benefits.

Laika Kreos 3002 on an Iveco base - Would be my first choice. I can't see any for sale in UK at the moment and they might be a bit over budget tbh, but lots for sale in Italy if you wanted one enough. http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/reviews/motorhome/30271-laika-kreos-3002

Euramobil 770 would be my second choice(a few for sale, different layouts, and will lose very little in value over a year)
Hymer 684 or more recent 682, Chausson Flash 09, CI Mizar Living, Corrado, Dethleffs Sunlight, all give plenty of living space. Some have a good payload, all lack Alko Chassis.
You could argue a good case for a Burstner 747 but they are long...

We spend a maximum of six weeks away and really could use a bigger van sometimes.
Our van's 6.5m, we've made a big compromise on living space but it's as big as we can fit on the drive.
Parking's not a problem for the most part, you can either go somewhere or you can't, size of van isn't normally the issue.

Regarding annual spend, I'd budget for at least £12,000 probably closer to £15,000 if you want to travel and do more than 'get by'

With kids, you'll inevitably have a few expensive days which will dent the budget, worth bearing in mind...

Hope this helps !

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I think towing a box type trailer is probably your best bet..
Good luck and have fun.. Head for the sun !!!
 
shano118 said:
Ok a 2006 Apache 700 is 650kg payload. Now is the payload my weight I can put in the van ? Sorry I'm confused
Click to expand...

This is where you can become confused.....
From the factory and if your reading the brochure then yes about 650kg is what you can load into the van..
You need to look at what they include beforehand as some manufacturers will state that this weight is AFTER allowing for a 75kg driver, 1 bottle of gas, 90% fresh water and so much fuel....
HOWEVER... If the previous owners have fitted ANYTHING extra to the van then this will reduce your payload.. Example, a towbar can be -40kg, an extra battery -10kg.. etc..

Be aware that getting stopped on the continent and found to be overweight will be in instant cash fine plus you need to remove the excess weight before you can carry on.. Getting stopped and checked is quiet rare but can and does happen..
 
jenny and mitch said:
I think towing a box type trailer is probably your best bet..
Good luck and have fun.. Head for the sun !!!
Click to expand...

yes.. that is a good suggestion.. what we had.. and it was full....
great on sites to use as a bike shed and for keeping chairs etc ..

High Atlas traverse

PICT0278.JPG
 

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