First time motorhomers, 5 month trip in Europe for family of 4 - advice needed! (1 Viewer)

Linky

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Hello everyone! We are a family of four planning a five month trip in a motorhome, starting this April. The kids are in primary school and will miss one term. On balance, we think any disruption will be inconsequential compared to a few months of family time, an outdoor life, new languages, food, people etc. They are finding school stressful and overwhelming at times, and we long to let them run free and be (sort of) masters of their own destiny, even for a few weeks! Anyway, we've been looking at new or newish Autotrail Apache, or maybe a Dethleffs A class. We are complete newbies and are visiting the dealership nearby to talk through the options. And I have so many questions for the more experienced motorhomers! 1st:, we'd love to do a bit of wild camping where possible, or at least farm stays etc. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time or irritating locals, though. Apart from general courtesy and commonsense we (hopefully) possess, are there any useful; maps, guides etc we can buy to help us? 2nd: guides, maps, resources, cards for campsites - hit list to go for? 3rd: We really want something that won't get stuck on narrow roads, etc, easy-ish to handle. Recommendations on make/model? 4th: this is a biggie so may need to look at other topics, but itinerary: We need to be in Lazio, near Rome for a family get together on 15th August. We also want to visit friends and family in Holland, Denmark, Sweden & Norway. I think April will be too chilly in Scandi in April/May, so was thinking of ferrying down to Santander/Bilbao, spending some time in Northern Portugal, then meandering up to Holland and on to Denmark, Sweden and Norway - where I think we will spend a good chunk of time. Then slowly down to Italy, our last stop before home. Is this too much in too little time? Thinking maybe skipping Portugal/Spain in April/May but need to make use of our time off - and don't want to be frozen in Norway! ANY suggestions on any of the above welcome - sorry for the splurge.
 

CWH

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Hello and welcome to the Fun
upload_2017-1-9_11-12-33.png

- and BOY are you going to have Fun!

I'm sorry I can't help with your questions, I just don't have the experience, but I know there are plenty on here who will be more than willing to help.
Good luck, and safe & happy travels!
Oh - and enjoy your planning, that's Fun too :)
 

Lot lover

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The chorus of "are we there yet?" becomes wearing very quickly (but you already know this) and I have no idea how you will keep littlies amused while on the move. Motorways are faster but boring, can be expensive and a motorway is a motorway whichever country you are in. Local roads are far more fun, you see more of the "real" France or whatever but can be oh, so slooooww.

Suggestions
#1 - travel a day then stop for 2 at least.
#2 - don't be too ambitious about how far or for how long you can or want to drive in a day
#3 - work backwards from where you have to be on various dates
#4 - July and August can be a nightmare (particularly mid-month to mid month)
#5 - watch out for local public holidays (and remember that much of France closes every Sunday and every Monday)
#6 - have plans B - Z because plan A will have collapsed before you reach the Channel
#7 - finally, before strangling your youngest passengers work out how you will dispose of the evidence

Good luck anyway, you are a better man than I am, Gunga Din

p.s. you are the only ones who know what is important to you

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Riverbankannie

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What an adventure.
For campsites, you should get the ACSI guide and card (https://www.vicarious-shop.com/home.php) which gives you a great selection of nice campsites at a significantly discounted price when out of season. Most offers end around end June, first week in July. Can save price of card in 2 nights.
For Aires and other stopping places, use an app such as Camper contact.
Do take paper maps as well as sat nav. Search on this site for threads about good sat nav, but there is no substitute for having a route marked out in highlighter the night before. Sometimes you then see a small town or place of history just off the route to visit on the way.
Do read up on the different motoring requirements for each country. For example, in Germany you will need an emissions sticker if you intend to go into a city, and in Switzerland you will need a vignette to travel on a motorway.
Quite important......:whistle:..check that you have a C1 on your driving licence as the MH you are likely to need for a long trip with children will probably be over 3500kg.
Enjoy!
 

Riverbankannie

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Just looked at your age on your profile, so you will not have C1 on your licence but you can upgrade it, look on DVLA pages for information.
Be very wary of published weights and payloads. They often do not bear much correlation to the actual weight when on a weighbridge. If you do consider one under 3500, ask for a weighbridge ticket before committing and then decide whether you can add all the stuff you need to put in for yourselves and the children, including your own weight, weight of fuel and water etc.
 
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Linky

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Wow Riverbankannie - thank you so much. A lot of useful info. Hoping to discuss driving licence requirements/weight/length of vehicle needed with dealership - I agree, we probably will need a motorhome on the larger side, especially considering my husband is over 6'7''!

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Jul 29, 2013
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IMHO you will struggle for weight in a 3500 kg van with four up and all the trimmings for a long trip, you need to consider a van with a good payload and don't believe the payload weights quoted by Autotrail or any manufacturer you need to research it thoroughly and ensure it does what it says on the tin. Hymers are usually good for payload as very often on maxi chassis but not all.there are other makes as well that stand the test.
Good luck with your endeavour and enjoy it as I'm sure you will(y)(y):giggle:(y)
 

adonisito

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I'd buy a LHD for that trip, which probably rules Autotrail out. If a RHD drive needs certain parts, like exhaust bits or cables, then they can be hard to find over there. I certainly wouldn't go over 7 metres personally, Hymer, Rapido and Dethleffs all worth a look.
 
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Although I'm usually a fan of fixed bed a-classes, travelling with small children requires a more flexible layout. I have toured in my younger days with 3 children and found a 7m motorhome which has two or more separate areas so the kids can be broken up and the adults have space to themselves to be vital. Making up beds is a pain but kids like sleeping bags so not too bad.
the motorhome I found ideal was the 7 berth kon-tiki 650, but it hasn't been made for 20 years.
The most important thing to consider is layout.

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Bart

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Be very wary of published weights and payloads. They often do not bear much correlation to the actual weight when on a weighbridge. If you do consider one under 3500, ask for a weighbridge ticket before committing and then decide whether you can add all the stuff you need to put in for yourselves and the children, including your own weight, weight of fuel and water etc.
Put this to the top of your list if you are going for a :h:500kg MH , especially this part "ask for a weighbridge ticket before committing"
Or at the very least ask on here to see if someone else has the same MH and can give you an idea of the payload left
 
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We had a 59 plate escape 686, lightweight chassis, payload around 600kg, yes we did check it on a weighbridge, several times.
Think long and hard about what books to take, especially if you children love reading. Our reading material on the first trip was almost 25Kg, thank goodness for Kindles. Great opportunity for you all.
 

Xabia

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With that kind of travelling on the continent I think LHD would be sensible. An A Class motorhome will give you more room per metre of overall length as the double bed drops down from the roof. I would definitely recommend Hymer (not biased really;)) and suggest you have a look on Link Removed to get an idea of prices. You should haggle as you have no part exchange to muddy the waters.

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Riverbankannie

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You seem to be looking a fairly hefty investment. It might be a good idea to try and rent a MH similar to the one you are considering, just for couple of days.
Even though we are both confident drivers, my husband and I went on a MH manaoevering course run by Caravan Club last year. Learnt a few tips and tricks about parallel parking :eek: and manoeuvring with a larger vehicle and can also help with insurance premium in some cases. You can use the search facility on this site to find threads on long term overseas insurance. A lot have restrictions between 40 and 60 days.
Check your home insurance too if applicable.
 
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Hi there, welcome to fun.
I can't add anything other, to what's been said above. (Layout and payload are king! )
Apart from the fact that your hubby is over 6 foot 7 ...........
Our son is 6 foot 5 . He managed to get on our old motorhomes bed in the lounge , with his feet hanging off the end. But had to walk about stooped inside, unless his head was in the roof light !
He couldn't drink anything ,stood up , unless his head was in the (rooflight ) too :rofl: Fortunately we had a good size bathroom so he could sit on the loo comfortably , without his knees touching the door , sink , shower !
You'll know this though if you've been in one , or even a caravan , before.
 
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Welcome from West Sussex.

That's quite an ambitious challenge you've set yourselves. Choosing the right van and possibly upgrading to a C1 license will eat into your 3 month preparation timeline. I'd recommend you allow time to give the van a thorough test before venturing over the water (at least a long weekend). And another couple of weeks to rectify any shortcomings.

Travelling with young children, it's best to plan to stop early afternoon to allow for family recreation. Pay attention to the seatbelts for the children especially if booster seats are needed.

Best of luck.

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Minxy

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Wow, that's a heck of an adventure BUT before you get embroiled in looking for an actual MH and route planning there are other more 'closer to home' practical things to consider, in addition to some of the stuff that's been mentioned above, such as:
  • checking with the school regarding your kiddies being absent as it's not so simple as just taking them out when you want nowadays and they will probably require you to do some work with the kids to meet the 'home schooling' requirements
  • insurance for vehicle and breakdown, and health cover too
  • home insurance needs investigating for whilst you're away as most don't allow homes to be left unoccupied for long periods of time
  • you will more than likely need some internet access for playing and also for schooling so that needs looking into as well
 

Minxy

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Wow Riverbankannie - thank you so much. A lot of useful info. Hoping to discuss driving licence requirements/weight/length of vehicle needed with dealership - I agree, we probably will need a motorhome on the larger side, especially considering my husband is over 6'7''!
Please don't 'trust' dealers blindly for this sort of info! They are there to sell not be your friend and whilst some are really nice they won't know the full ins and outs a lot of the time, so ask the questions on here or do your homework and go forearmed.

Your likely driving licence restriction has already been mentioned so what you can legally drive will reduce what's realistically available to you, whether it's worth going through the procedure to get a C1 licence (for both of you?) is up to you but it isn't cheap so it might be better to try to stay within 3500kg if you can, even if it means towing a small trailer for extra stuff rather than having it in the MH itself subject to you being allowed to do this too, see this link for info: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/what-you-can-tow

I love our camper but I'm wondering if it would make more sense for you to have a day van and a caravan rather than a MH - you won't be able to use aires but it would allow you to have separate transport for touring in the area.
 

suavecarve

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Good luck with that! and wow. IMHO portugal and Spain to Sweden and back down to Italy doesnt make sense but i understand why. I would be tempted to bite the bullet on the weather and start up north and work down south, but thats me. One thing i noted was August 15th in Rome. In which case you may want to check out August 12th in Sienna, its a massively attended horse race in the town square (Think of a james bond film opening sequence with daniel craig in it).
I can see the point of ACSI card with kids in tow for swimming pools and stuff in slight off season but in season just check the aires out that are next to lakes in France. Pretty much all of them are swimmable and beaches on the lakes and rivers have lifeguards and because its france its free most of the time. Wildcamping in france is dead simple. Find a pretty spot and park there. Someone else is bound to join you.
Others have mentioned the little amount of time you have to plan for this and weight/licence issues.
France Passion is a book which covers free parking in vineyards and farms but it doesnt come out til end of march. If you can get it before April that could be worth a purchase for point 1 and 2 and the camperstop is worth buying for a year on the app for about a fiver. (that will save you a divorce)
Point 3 if youre not sure about the road dont go on it so if it says something like "Gorges this way" it might be an idea to have a think about it. Otherwise roads are great abroad and as for handling i presume youre not going to be throwing it around corners ?

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ceejayt

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Have a look at Vicarious Books website for lots of great camping books which allow you to camp for bfree or for very little. For example, France Passion has a small membership fee and gives you hundreds of places in France you can stay overnight for free. Generally vineyards or farms but ee have stayed at Chocolateries and even a prune museum. Well worth the 27 euros or so.

There are various schemes across Europe for Aires, Sostas in Italy and Stellplatz in Germany.

And get yourself a god satnav or satnav app. I use copilot and copilot rv and find them great. Available on iOs or android.
 

Stretto Boy

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Personally, I wouldn't consider anything less than 7 metres and perhaps with separate front and rear lounges. For nearly half a year you and the children are going to be living in an area not much more than an average kitchen. It will be huge fun but personal space will be at a premium!
 
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Linky

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IMHO you will struggle for weight in a 3500 kg van with four up and all the trimmings for a long trip, you need to consider a van with a good payload and don't believe the payload weights quoted by Autotrail or any manufacturer you need to research it thoroughly and ensure it does what it says on the tin. Hymers are usually good for payload as very often on maxi chassis but not all.there are other makes as well that stand the test.
Good luck with your endeavour and enjoy it as I'm sure you will(y)(y):giggle:(y)


Thanks - see the theme is, 'don't trust the quoted payload!' Admit have been using this as a guide, have some brochures at home and very happily earmarking the ones with 3500kg or under.

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CWH

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@Linky - I hope you don't mind me mentioning this - can you see that your name under your avatar is in green, where most are blue? This indicates that you're currently on Fun as a sort of 'registered guest' which gives you reading rights to SOME of the forum and just 5 free posts - you've had 4. Now you need to pay a subscription - it's just ÂŁ15 for the whole year which I'm sure you'll agree will be the best ÂŁ15 you'll ever spend!
You've seen how much help and advice you can get here on Fun. As well as access to rallies and meets, discounts, and a whole lot more moho and non-moho gossip, jokes, banter and silliness. It's a fantastic community.
If you decide to, here's the link:
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Linky

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We had a 59 plate escape 686, lightweight chassis, payload around 600kg, yes we did check it on a weighbridge, several times.
Think long and hard about what books to take, especially if you children love reading. Our reading material on the first trip was almost 25Kg, thank goodness for Kindles. Great opportunity for you all.
I have been thinking ALOT about books too! Kindles will be a lifesaver. However, my 6 year old loves picturebooks. Will have to be ruthless, and shed along the way.
 
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Oh dear, Linky, I see you've morphed into a "read only Funster".

You've reached 5 free posts as a registered user. To continue to post, you need to become a fully subscribed member which costs ÂŁ15 per year. Money well worth spent IMO (and I only joined fairly recently).

You've received good advice already, so good luck with your future plans. You know where we are if you need to ask for further advice :sneaky:

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