I am thinking about travelling around Europe, need some advice

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:10

Hey

Mid September to start October, I’m looking to drive around Europe for a couple of weeks by myself and sleeping in my tent. I haven't 100% decided which route to take yet but the image below is a rough idea where I want to go.

I shall be travelling through France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain stopping at different destinations finding a camp site or hostel or maybe even sleep in my car for a few days to tour the area which I enjoy.

Things I need to know are:

- Where do I start planning my trip?
- What do I need to make myself secure in other countries? (IE, travel insurance, Break down cover)
- Where can I find useful information about regulations and rules in European countries?

Or if you have any other advice please let me know

Thanks a bunch

semi-pro waster · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:21

Martin_Man said:
- Where do I start planning my trip?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this but I'd start by taking a look at the places you want to visit then searching for camping sites etc in the area. It sounds as if you've got fairly free reign in your choices so take advantage of that, I'd possibly however choose somewhere within a reasonable distance of the ferry arrival point for your first nights stop just in case of problems.

Martin_Man said:
- What do I need to make myself secure in other countries? (IE, travel insurance, Break down cover)

There are quite a few places that will do travel insurance, just shop around. However I would also get a European Health Insurance Card which is free and guarantees you to the same standard of care as a national would get in that country apply here. It's not a replacement for travel insurance but it's a backup in case there are any problems.

Martin_Man said:
- Where can I find useful information about regulations and rules in European countries?

Be aware that in some countries when driving you've got to carry specific pieces of equipment (e.g. warning triangle in some) so find out those sorts of things before you go. Wikipedia may give you a start if you don't have any other sources.

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:35

Thanks for this bit of advice.

What I meant by the question: "- Where do I start planning my trip?", Sure I have a rough idea what route to take, but I meant on planning the trip in general such as what do I need to take, how much spending money I’ll be needing, etc….

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:38

Might get abit cramped in the back of your Clio bro if you were sleeping the car

Shame we havnt got one of those escort vans lying about as that would have been ideal, stick a matress in the back. Thats what Nathan (Kevins son) did when he went travelling

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:40

DJMK4 said:
Might get abit cramped in the back of your Clio bro if you were sleeping the car

Shame we havnt got one of those escort vans lying about as that would have been ideal, stick a matress in the back. Thats what Nathan (Kevins son) did when he went travelling

Its going to happen as i shall be traveling light weight

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:42

Martin_Man said:
Its going to happen as i shall be traveling light weight

Cool

If I could get the time off work I would come with you, are you going anywhere near where Paul is working in Italy?

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:45

DJMK4 said:
Cool

If I could get the time off work I would come with you, are you going anywhere near where Paul is working in Italy?

I'm planning on stopping off at different locations but if i reach him maybe. And if i like some areas i might even stay there longer then what intended to do.

So far i have worked out 36 days

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:47

Martin_Man said:
I'm planning on stopping off at different locations but if i reach him maybe. And if i like some areas i might even stay there longer then what intended to do.

So far i have worked out 36 days

Go for it I say, it will be good for you to get away for abit and do some exploring.

KPeh · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:03

Why not go through Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy.... Saves 70% of your trip being France this way....

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:08

KPeh said:
Why not go through Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy.... Saves 70% of your trip being France this way....

The man speketh the truth, you want to try and hit as many countries as possible on your trip, seeing as your journey down through eastern france is not that far away from the borders to Belgium, Germany etc then you may aswel go thorugh these instead of sticking to france for most of your journey.

Heliospherez · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:13

Yep - I'd be more inclined to go more into Belgium - Germany - Switzerland - Austria - Liechtenstein then down and West to miss most of France / Spain (as they are pretty much run of the mill European Countries & the above are so much nicer)

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:17

Depending on weather you are interested in the history of the world war, you can see quite a few area's up there which have been preserved historical sites where battles were taken place, I visited some in France and Belgium and also visited some huge war cemeteries which was quite sad. In Belgium I visited some of the front line battlefields and walked through the trenches.

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:21

I was thinking about travelling through Germany as well, but as well as having a scenic tour, I also want to spend a bit of time down the west cost beaches doing a bit of body boarding and enjoying the last of the sun, so that’s why I chose the route I did and wasn’t sure if going through Germany would take up to much time. I would like to complete this trip under 2 months accept if I find a spot I love and settle down with a job for a while.

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:28

You will still get to do that, im assuming you are going around clockwise yeah? driving down east of france in that plan above, then hitting south france etc, if this is the case, then your not going to hit any type of coast anyway until you get down to italy/south of france.

semi-pro waster · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:39

Bit further as I've had a chance to do a little more searching, the AA has a list country by country for what to take in Europe in terms of driving which might be helpful.

The AA do happen to do travel insurance also, no idea how good or bad it is. Money Supermarket which could give you a start, do however read the small print closely to make sure that you are covered for your chosen sports.

Both the AA and RAC offer European breakdown cover. No idea which is better but hopefully you'll not need to find that out.

For spending money, I'd probably be budgeting around £15-20 per night for a campsite, it may well be less but I'd be erring on the side of caution while budgeting. Then you've got food, petrol and activities on top of that - they're quite specific to you and your car, I know I can eat decently, if unexcitingly, enough for £10 a day but maybe you'll be looking for haute cuisine.

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:40

Also get a good satnav with europe maps unless you want to go old skool and use paper maps

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 09:56

Great advice guys, I shall be taking a European navigation but only for the use of when I get lost and need to get back on track.

As for the first few stops, I’m thinking once I get to the French boarders, find somewhere to kip for the night then head off to Paris and find a hostel for a couple of nights to take a look around the lovely city but whilst there, plan for my next stop.

I shall be looking into the AA European breakdown cover but slightly closer to the time.

I'm trying to find out weather climates back in 2009 for France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain so that I have a rough idea what to pack praperd for the weather conditions and like I said, I want to travel as light as possible.

DJMK4 · 11 Apr 2010 at 10:06

Martin_Man said:
Great advice guys, I shall be taking a European navigation but only for the use of when I get lost and need to get back on track.

As for the first few stops, I’m thinking once I get to the French boarders, find somewhere to kip for the night then head off to Paris and find a hostel for a couple of nights to take a look around the lovely city but whilst there, plan for my next stop.

I shall be looking into the AA European breakdown cover but slightly closer to the time.

I'm trying to find out weather climates back in 2009 for France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain so that I have a rough idea what to pack praperd for the weather conditions and like I said, I want to travel as light as possible.

Make sure you pre-plan the hostels if your going to stay at any, or atleast take a batch of phone numbers for sleeping locations at each place you are staying.

Be careful driving round Paris too, as no one seems to give a damn and its quite an accident prone city to drive through more than others.

Hank_Marvin · 11 Apr 2010 at 10:08

i'll pm you my travel diary from when i drove around europe for a few months, may be of someuse to you.

Also check out campingcard and camping cheques, you'll save a lot as you going out of main seasonsplus you'll get a directory of 1000's of campsites around europe.

Martin_Man · 11 Apr 2010 at 10:11

Hank_Marvin said:
i'll pm you my travel diary from when i drove around europe for a few months, may be of someuse to you.

Thank you very much

Make sure you pre-plan the hostels if your going to stay at any, or atleast take a batch of phone numbers for sleeping locations at each place you are staying.

Be careful driving round Paris too, as no one seems to give a damn and its quite an accident prone city to drive through more than others.

As for driving through citys, i think i'm a pretty confident driver, i can drive through bristol, cardiff and london easily enough, but i suppose over there its a complete different thing as your on the other side of the rode.