Aires

wotme

wotme

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I'm a newbie
This year I hope to take my MH for its maiden trip to France and make good use of Aires sites.
My wife and I used to enjoy touring the UK using basic CLs in our caravan but in the last few days I've been getting to grips with my Elnagh and I realise there are some interesting differences and not many similarities to my old tin box
I never did get round to towing abroad but I have driven a fair bit through France and Germany and noticed just how MH friendly European countries are.
I think my biggest disadvantage is not knowing any foreign languages and I have no experience at all using Aires.
Any tips that might save face as well as a few euros would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi,

We too started off with a 'Tin tent' and I agree that the difference between that and a 'van is massive.

First things first. You don't 'Need' a foreign language, BUT (big but), it will go a long way to increasing your enjoyment of the experience. You don't need fluency but the simple act of saying, the basics ie. 'Good morning' 'Hello' etc goes a long, long way across La Manche.

Others will be along with various sites to help, but, just to get the juices going, here are a few.

https://www.campercontact.com/en
https://en.airecampingcar.com/
https://www.camping-car.com/aires#France
https://www.lemondeducampingcar.fr/

The above are french site but if you look at them with Google Chrome they will be tranlated for you.

A final one is
https://www.france-passion.com/en/

This is a similar site to Britstops. They are places to stop in France that might be vineyards, Orchards, Restaurants, etc. There is no obligation to buy goods that will inevitably be on sale. Having done this system I can vouch for that.
It is polite to announce your arrival and departure but, although you can't speak the lingo, you could organise yourself a form of words that would include the fact that you can't speak french.

Enjoy.
 
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Get yourself a copy of 'All the Aires' from Vicarious Books. It's in English and has a really useful section at the front with the do's and don'ts. How to use service points, driving tips TC. First time we went it was invaluable.
 
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Lots of free Aires to be found, no problem checking in etc..

We're here at the moment, free water and waste too.
IMG_20190602_151328102.jpg
 
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Aires, Fantastic places. I travel solo, and always use them even the ones that are a bit run down or totally isolated. Never had a problem. I mostly choose free ones down to economy but some of the paid ones are amazing especially in coastal areas

I live in France now and have stayed on loads. Just remember, if you don't feel right on one, or its full move on as there is always another one in about 15 mins of driving.

Best stay off the motorway aires or Aires de repos as these are truck stops and can be a bit dodgy.

Aire de camping car are the ones you want. All the Aires books are my bibles when travelling

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wotme said:
All the Aires north and south are on order, can't wait to get rolling on foreign turf.
Click to expand...

good purchase as a starter. as time goes on you will be less reliant on it and progress to using apps or just being brave enough to identify somewhere just for the night and just pull up (though there may be no facilities) for the night.

I would start by going on the free aires and only pay for those you really want or need to stay on. there are plenty of free places to empty the toilet waste and 'sink' waste - referred to as black and grey waste.

the only real reasons to stay on an aire you have to pay for are that you want to stay there, need to recharge batteries etc or need electric hook up for whatever reason. lots of free aires have facilities to 'buy' electricity but it tends to be a limited supply for a limited amount of time.

read the all the aires when they arrive and you will soon start to get a feel for it all. its actually a lot simpler than you think it may be
 
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Another vote for 'All the Aires', North and South (if you need both)
Started doing exactly the same 12 years ago and lots will recommend different apps which are very good.
They point out that the book is out of date as soon as its published but we bought our last ones about 5/6 years ago and, yes there may be some extra ones by now but we've never been to one that's closed except Strasbourg and that was still current in Camperstop anyway.
I like the advantage that it's a book to look at and the information is there to hand, plus, if you need up to date assistance when in France, then get on this site for brilliant assistance.
Did so 2 years ago and saved us a lot of money.
 
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wotme said:
All the Aires north and south are on order, can't wait to get rolling on foreign turf.
Click to expand...
Download Camper Contact.No need for books then.BUSBY.
 
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Remember to smile (a lot)
and take a watering can to fill up your water.
and hand out a bottle of beer or glass of wine to neighbours

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Although we rely less of late on books, for a first-timer a hard copy book is probably easier to deal with. Another vote for the Vicarious publication, although it doesn't have ALL the aires - just keep an eye open for the motorhome symbol.
 
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As you never quite know what the facilities are going to be like at Aires use the following rule of thumb.
Arrive with full fresh water and leave with empty grey and black waste.

You could also take a peek at my YouTube channel (below) for a few ideas.
So many smashing places to explore............enjoy.(y):D

Richard.
 
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Just to add to the above have a look at the Park4Night app, we used to use some of the others but now find that this one has all we need ... we did 2 months in France, Spain and Portugal from November to January and it served us well.

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just a couple of suggestions
Passport
Also good satnav, the books " all the aires" or apps campercontact or camperstop

Light weight drip dry clothing if going in the summer.
Insect repellant - Smidge for me.
Books, phrase books, dictionary, guide books & a good map
Just in case the satnav packs up.
Satnav to put in GPS for aires makes it easier to find them

Maps - the laminated Michelin atlas is good and the Michelin Zoom maps if you want to look at an area in detail for cycling or walking.

Campsite and Aires info -
Vicarious guide, camper contact app etc.

Prepaid card such as Caxton or credit like the Halifax Clarity card or nationwide debit card.

EHIC card health cards

Breakdown and medical insurance.

Three "feel at home" sim card or similar plus Mifi (if you have one)

Unless you have specific foods you cannot live without, why carry any more extra food than you need, especially heavy liquids. We usually carry a few tins of meals, in case we should outstay available food.
Alcohol is much cheaper overseas,
so not worth carrying.
Fresh food is best bought when you want it from local stores.
We carry sun creams, shampoo's and other everyday items. Lidl's, Aldi and other supermarkets carry all of the familiar goods you buy at home.

all our documents scanned and copied , kept seperate.

Halve your planned mileage, halve your planned "necessary" equipment, double your spending money
  • In France, don't forget priority to the right in towns (unless you can see that the joining road has a solid white line or stop sign). They have a habit of pulling out as a matter of course, particularly in the larger towns.
  • The same applies on minor country roads where a junction is indicated by a diagonal cross (Saltire). The road to the right has priority. If a vertical cross then you are generally on the major road.
  • In towns, pedestrians have the right to cross in front of traffic. They have to give a clear indication that they are about to step-off. This right does not apply if there is an adjacent pedestrian crossing.
  • Hi vis vest for driver and every passenger. Must be able to put them on before exiting the vehicle so don't keep them in the garage or an outside locker.
    Warning triangle
    Spare bulb set.
    First aid kit
    Beam deflectors for your lights
  • Breathalysers. Technically compulsory but no penalties are issued if you don't because the French as a nation have collectively refused to carry them.

  • these items , i photocopy & keep copies handy , originals in my safe hidden in van( plus passport)
  • Driving licence
    Insurance certificate
    V5C
  • Two pin adaptor for the EHU.
    Reverse polarity tester kit, save blowing fuse on the control panel as some electrical points in france not all wired correct .

  • Remember when approaching a town or village the town/village name sign is the speed limit start & when ends when exiting T/V sign with lines thru. they are quite strict !!!!!

    Don't do what I did on my first trip , on first trip to an aire, I bought several jetons ( coins for water/ electric) thinking that they would be handy for all the other aires on our trip . Nope each aire has a different jeton, so I still have 3 jetons after 7/8 trips to france which don't fit any other aires.

    hope these help
    Terry
 
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A big thank you for all your help, you may not believe this but apart from my inability to speak French I have no idea when it comes to electronic gadgetry, I have this uncanny knack of causing anything electronic to malfunction and go into complete meltdown. In my day, before mobiles were invented public telephones were numerous and they were very simple to operate, they even had a button B you could press to get your money back, today you'd be hard pressed to find a public phone box and if you did more than likely it would be vandalised. I know its my own fault for not keeping up with so called modern technology, call it laziness if you like but I think my brain must be wired differently, I get so pizzed at my laptop trying to make it see things my way, and then there's this smart TV that cost a bomb, no one told me I was buying another computer with a mind of its own so that went back along with the mobile that does everything you techies could wish for because at that time I just want something to make and receive phone calls. My daughter and granddaughter might as well be from another planet, they are both wizards when it comes to cybernetic doodling and they do their best to enlighten me but anything more than sending e-mails and I'm struggling I realise that todays mobiles can be very helpful with all kinds of apps so I really must make the effort.
Posties just been and "All the Aires" have arrived so now I have something to get my teeth into while I drink my coffee
 
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@wotme when I was trying to explain stuff to one of my work colleagues about how computers etc work, store files etc, I related it to a physical Library with the building, floors, book sections, rows, shelves, groups, books etc ... maybe getting your family to relate it to you in this way will make it easier to understand ... assuming of course they know what a proper Library is like!
 
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let us know where you might be headed and funsters can give you some good ideas of particulary nice aires (safe)some possibly free

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you have received a lot of very useful info in the above posts but i did not notice any warnings about how full some aires might be in the height of the holiday season. you need to be flexible about your destination and arrive early if you can and keep in mind alternatives.
we just got back and some aires were very busy one was full while at others we were the only ones there.
 
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Minxy Girl said:
Just to add to the above have a look at the Park4Night app, we used to use some of the others but now find that this one has all we need ... we did 2 months in France, Spain and Portugal from November to January and it served us well.
Click to expand...


Offagain said:
Another vote for park4night
It's all we've used through France, Spain, Italy and a bit of Greece
Click to expand...


Park4Night now for us also. Camper Contact used to be our "bible" but not any more.
 
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