first trip to france (1 Viewer)

Sep 30, 2012
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We´re off for our first trip to france on Friday and getting a bit nervous we've remembered everything! Photocopied insurance, mot,log book etc, passports, including the hound, breakdown cover sorted, is there anything else we may have forgotten? We travel pretty light as we were relief managers for 12 years and living out of suitcases for that long really does tailor stuff down, but now I'm panicking that we might forget that vital item!!

Eek!!
 
Apr 22, 2013
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Original documents, including passports and money. Anything else can be sorted on route.

We always take four meals from home, so we don't have to worry for a couple of days when we are concentrating on traveling. After that we always keep two day's meals in stock to cover weekends and the odd bank holiday the French slip in to surprise us. Also keep the fuel and gas tanks topped up to give maximum flexibility.
Relax and enjoy, the blood pressure always lower in France.
 
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Styx

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(y)

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Oct 12, 2008
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Hi Sticky!

I understand you're feeling a bit nervous but you have a whole forum ready to help in case of trouble. You can get a wifi connection in Mac Donalds restaurants and shout for help anytime.

You've got all your papers, don't forget your different adaptors (electricity, gas, water) . Keep in mind that most shops are shut on Sundays (bakers, and sometime little shops like Carrefour market or Coop are open till noon or 1.00pm).
Try to have a few euros coins for aires as you might need them to pay for EHU or even water.

You can have my mobile phone number if it makes you feel better, just PM me , and I'll do my best to help in case of problem, but I'm sure you'll be fine! Keep on the Right side of course AND don't forget to look LEFT FIRST when pedestrians!

Enjoy

Amicalement

Frankie:)

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Minxy

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DBK

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Get some anti-diarrhea medication for your dog (you don't want to have to try and explain to a French pharmacist what you need with sign language believe me ... been there, done that, got the t-shirt!) - this is a good one:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/diarrhoea-tablets-x-12-for-dogs-and-cats
And get the same for humans! French pharmacies can supply it but it will almost certainly be cheaper from your local supermarket. Also take plenty of shampoo, French supermarkets don't sell it in my experience and you have to go to a pharmacy. Every French village has a pharmacy, staffed by at least 3 people and with prices to suit. All part of the charm of the place, I love it!
 
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Oct 12, 2008
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And get the same for humans! French pharmacies can supply it but it will almost certainly be cheaper from your local supermarket. Also take plenty of shampoo, French supermarkets don't sell it in my experience and you have to go to a pharmacy. Every French village has a pharmacy, staffed by at least 3 people and with prices to suit. All part of the charm of the place, I love it!


Errrr...... Are you sure you were in France?:p Ok I believe you might have had some unexpected experience in some lost wild village but I can assure you that I have never ever bought any kind (except for anti lice shampoo)of shampoo in a pharmacy.
All the shops I have been to in any town have shampoo on their shelves! No way for me to buy a shampoo in a pharmacy, it would be half of my budget of the week gone!:eek:

Please Sticky , believe me you are not going to a savage country... We are very civilised and even have drinkable water nearly everywhere! And when I say nearly I mean may be not in very high mountain villages.

Frankie:)

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sticky130
Sep 30, 2012
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Thanks so much for your replies! :D

I should have added it's not our first time to France, I've been every year since I was about 8 up until we had a dog a few years ago and then got nervous about dog passport etc so stayed in the UK for a quite a few years exploring. Now we've bitten the bullet, got the dog a passport bought a motorhome in November and looking forward to hitting the road on the other side!! ;)

I know things have changed now with breathalysers etc, and we just wanted to make sure that we had all correct bits and bobs, corrects documents etc.

We've missed France so much, all we've done is book the tunnel and we're just going to wing it armed with the book of Aires & our ACSI card.

As for gassing, I thing we'll be ok, we have a fully trained attack airedale (yeah right if she can attack people with her tongue!) and a strikeback fitted, so I'll just have to keep Steve away from rich food and we'll be fine. :eek:

Should we have different water connectors? we've managed here with just the one so far are their different ones across France? we've also put in a watering can just in case.

Nicky
 
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Sep 2, 2014
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Have just returned from five weeks in France with our caravan (hey, calm down, it goes back tomorrow in exchange for our first MH!) and I didn't pack any 2 into 3 adapters as I didn't expect to need one. When our onboard battery charger packed up halfway through the trip we had to buy an external one locally and then buy an adapter! Mental note, will always take a handful in future just in case. I'm very jealous and wish we were heading back this week too! Have a wonderful time!

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Minxy

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Don't bother with breathalysers, waste of money and not necessary - they can't do anything to you if you haven't got one so why waste your money!

Take different tap connectors though, we have quite a few and have used most, if not all, of them at some time or other! What we tend to do now is use a couple of 5L rigid plastic water containers (easier to carry two than a single 10L one, easier to stow, easier to lift and one can be being filled whilst the other is being poured into the tank), along with a funnel/adaptor so we can top up our tank regularly as/when we see water (we only have a 66L tank), the containers are slim and can be stored easily in our washroom if necessary, even when full, so we can gain another 10Ls that way to top the tank back up. We also have a standard good quality gardening hose (IMV a 'specific' drinking water hose is a waste of money) but haven't used it at all so far this year as the 'topping up' methods works well for us, but we'll kept it in the van anyway for the time being.
 

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Minxy

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Please Sticky , believe me you are not going to a savage country... We are very civilised and even have drinkable water nearly everywhere! And when I say nearly I mean may be not in very high mountain villages.

Frankie:)

... no, in the mountain villages they have wine on tap!

French wine on tap.jpg

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