Motorhome rental for France trip (1 Viewer)

[Ness67]

This will be a totally new experience but next summer we'd like to rental a motorhome and travel through France - just the 2 of us and our dog. Please would you let me have recommendations for the best company to hire from. I'm thinking it'd be easier to rent in France so that we will be driving a left-hand drive vehicle ...? I'm sure I'll have loads of further questions but this one will get me started!
Thanks in advance

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey.

 

[Spriddler]

You don't say how long you be hiring or when you'll be going. From mid July to end August is to be avoided.
My son and D in Law looked at costs to hire for a 3 month career break and it became clear that if they bought right they could resell and be better off than renting. In fact they did so and sold it for £1800 more than they paid for it (£19,000) after a 9,500 mile European tour from Scandinavia to Italy, across the South of France into Spain and back.
However, I've never found driving my R/h drive car and m/home (tens of thousands of miles in Europe) any problem whatsoever, even though I'm always driving solo. After all, everyone else is on the correct side of the road so you just follow them! Overtaking is the only time the restricted view ahead is a consideration but I don't overtake much, never being in a tearing hurry, and in a m/h you can often see over the top of the vehicle(s) in front. I never use AutoRoutes either.
I think your best approach is to make some enquiries to a French and a U.K. rental firm and compare offers.

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[yodeli]

Hi and welcome!
Best thing right now would be to become a full member and subscribe, so that 1) you can ask all the questions you think of and 2) you'll have all the answers ... as well ... yoohoo!

Now, I will let you do the searching about "French Hire Companies" as I have not enough time in my hands to do it for you, but once you found a few, tell me which they are and I will find out all the answers you need in the right language.... French that is!

Amicalement
Frankie

 

[suavecarve]

You don't say how long you be hiring or when you'll be going. From mid July to end August is to be avoided.
My son and D in Law looked at costs to hire for a 3 month career break and it became clear that if they bought right they could resell and be better off than renting. In fact they did so and sold it for £1800 more than they paid for it (£19,000) after a 9,500 mile European tour from Scandinavia to Italy, across the South of France into Spain and back.
However, I've never found driving my R/h drive car and m/home (tens of thousands of miles in Europe) any problem whatsoever, even though I'm always driving solo. After all, everyone else is on the correct side of the road so you just follow them! Overtaking is the only time the restricted view ahead is a consideration but I don't overtake much, never being in a tearing hurry, and in a m/h you can often see over the top of the vehicle(s) in front. I never use AutoRoutes either.
I think your best approach is to make some enquiries to a French and a U.K. rental firm and compare offers.

I have to agree here. Purchasing and selling. It has its pitfalls in that any possible maintenance issues are yours to sort out but in hiring there is an immense cost for taking abroad and the mileage you use.

 

[Lenny HB]

Probably best to hire in France or if you have plenty of time hire in Germany. Before we bought a Motorhome we hired twice in Germany it was ½ the price of hiring in the UK. If hiring in the UK a lot of companies increase tye cost or stitch you up on the insurance if you want to take the van abroad.

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[Spriddler]

If you rent abroad bear in mind that you may have to transport all your stuff to the collection point in your car - perhaps sleeping bags, pillows, sun loungers, clothes, shoes, boots, bikes, fishing rods, BBQ, umbrellas ;-)............
Some may not hire if a dog will be in residence......?
Needs thorough research.
M/homing abroad is no more difficult than at home (much easier in France IMHO with generally less traffic and loads of very good camp sites) but maybe as it's your first m/h venture a U.K. tour would be a more gentle learning curve? But I realise it may be a daft idea if you've sent your heart on going foreign.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[Ridgeway]

Dogs and rental may be an issue ? not sure but worth asking early on in the process.

Good luck and enjoy, bet you'll buy a MH within 12 months afterwards

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[hilldweller]

See the advert on the RHS - Johns Cross - one of the good guys and very close to France.

 

[EX51SSS]

We've just come back after 6 weeks and nearly 4,000 miles in ours. RHD, not a problem whatsoever

 

[Chris Laing]

The problem with hiring it will cost you a fortune and it might turn out to be an old banger.
Just do what most people on the forum do and go ahead and just buy one. Your worlds your oyster after that.

This will be a totally new experience but next summer we'd like to rental a motorhome and travel through France - just the 2 of us and our dog. Please would you let me have recommendations for the best company to hire from. I'm thinking it'd be easier to rent in France so that we will be driving a left-hand drive vehicle ...? I'm sure I'll have loads of further questions but this one will get me started!
Thanks in advance

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[Lenny HB]

The problem with hiring it will cost you a fortune and it might turn out to be an old banger.
Just do what most people on the forum do and go ahead and just buy one. Your worlds your oyster after that.

Both the vans we hired were nearly new both only done only 1000km. Hymer dealers are not aloud to hire vans over 2 years old. They normally put new van out on hire in April and sell them at the end of September.

 

[Paddyfrog]

If you want to buy/rent a motor home in France, use this site Leboncoin.

The category you want is "camping car", you can then add in what regions you want to search and the max price.
Lots and lots on offer there, we bought ours off this site.
And you'll see ones to rent out also " camping car à louer".
By the way, 'occasion' means second hand.
Good luck, bonne chance