# Hints and Tips for France Noobs Do's and Don'ts etc



## riverboat2001 (Apr 2, 2009)

Okay 95% convinced to go to France on or about the 23rd Sept for a fortnight.

Can manage to glean the legalities of what i need to have physically, ie, breathalysers etc

I've read about Aires, but cannot get hold of a copy of the book, so will settle for the Camperstop book.

What about the less obvious things like internet access. Credit Cards (don't have one!) Camping Cheques, Public Transport, Crime, Dunkirk or Calais, Insurance, Recovery, Green Card,

I know I've left it a bit late, but the thought of it just popped into my head, a few days ago.

Not really sure where to go, Can't afford silly money for the Ferry, so picking a short/cheap crossing. Love the South of France, but don't really want to spend days Bombing down there. Will have Mum with us, and she doesn't really like spending hours and hours in the passenger seat. She just loves shopping!
I do all the driving.
Our Van Really struggles uphill, so the wonderful Pyrenees are out for now. So i guess North-western France for us. Would prefer to stick to main roads to start with.

Any recommendations?


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## ambegayo (Jan 7, 2007)

*Last Minute trip to France*

Sounds like this is your first trip over tuther side! and strapped for cash. Do goggle search of ferries, but sure someone will come on later this morning to advise you about that(searching ourselves)
The aires book is really a must(I find data base on MHF very confusing and hardwork. better if it was aires and campsites separate.
If you phone C&CC they might have an aires book left or more likely Vircarious Books. £13.50 for ACSI sites(but for only 2 weeks might not pay you, next year get Aires and ACSI ,both brilliant.
Loire Valley lovely, depends how far you want to go. Also weatherwise.
Be interested to hear from other members.


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## riverboat2001 (Apr 2, 2009)

First trip in Motorhome, used to fly to the South of France regularly, then hire a car.

Vicarious books out of stock, non on ebay or Amazon, but will keep looking.

We don't tow a car, so public transport or village stop would be fantastic.

Just had a thought, do we need a different hook-up lead? do we need a reverse polarity tester?


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

Calais or Dunkerque, both equally as good in terms of access. I usually use Dunkerque and head straight south on the D600. Aires are a bit few and far between in Northern France. Plenty in Champagne or the Loire.

No need to go too far in my opinion but even the old Aires book would be useful, and yes another vote for ACSI next time you go.

Many sites use the same 3 pin plugs as the UK but some have 2 pin. You could do with an adaptor but sites may lend you one.

Reverse polarity is not a problem, just don't carry out any electrical repairs/maintenance without unplugging.

JohnW


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

D600 ? Can't see it.


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## thegamwellsmythes (Jul 29, 2008)

Another vote for the Loire Valley and a trip over to the Ile de Rey on the coast near La Rochelle.

Castles and wine in the Loire.

Beaches and pretty harbours on the Ile de Rey.

Great food and good campsites everywhere.

All within around 7ish hours of Calais. Make the trip there and back part of the holiday so you don't drive for too long. A series of two night stays so you aren't driving everyday.

Municipal sites can be a good standard and are generally cheaper than private sites. They do vary though.

We did this in June and had a wonderful time.

Have a great trip.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

For various guides see the MMG's

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/forum-185.html

for aires and sites , get hold of MHF's sites guide on USB, or various other platforms, you can search on there for lots of sites. It may be possible to get an aires guide from Camping Car Infos at Supermarkets- not sure whether any will be left now?

your regular insurance should cover you, make sure you have european breakdown cover. Cash machines all over the place, it may be useful to get a Caxton card or something similar to load up euros, and the draw cash or spend as a debit card. Much better rates than most Sterling cards. You can get one within a week.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

riverboat2001 said:


> What about the less obvious things like i


internet access.

Visit www.motorhomewifi.com and talk to Addie (he is a member on here) what he doesn't know about internet access on the move abroad isn't worth knowing. If you have a smart phone then download Opera Mini Browser app which compresses data and keeps charges down. Im currently paying 69p a MB and use less than 1MB a day using Opera. Addie however has a new Europa Sim on offer I believe.

Credit Cards (don't have one!)

Halifax Clarity Credit card is by far the best. No charges for use and a very low commission charge for cash withdrawls. Just set up a DD to pay it off each month from your normal account. There is nothing better. Also you get the commercial exchange rate.

Camping Cheques,

Not sure what they are as don't really use campsites but ACSI card is good if your going to use sites as you will pay just 12,14 or 16 euro a night but sometimes taxes on top (this is for out of season which september will be. Bare in mind some sites close end of September?

Public Transport,

Sorry cant help on that one as we use a scooter but it does exist

Crime,

Certainly in France its much less likely than in the UK. In fact most countries crime rate is less than the UK. France just feels safer. Aires and wilding feel much safer.

Dunkirk or Calais,

Which ever is cheapest. DFDS Dover to Dunkirque was the cheapest when we came out in June.

Insurance,

We use Safeguard for van insurance and recovery. IF you mean travel insurance, I get 30 days free through Lloyds bank, after that I dont bother.

Recovery,

See above Safeguard but there are plenty of others about, do a search on here. Many however have a single trip limit of 90 days

Green Card

You need the EHIC health card. Worked for us in Italy. Mrs D had to be rushed to hospital (two hospitals actually) no bill. I understand however sometimes you have to pay and claim it back either locally or when you get home through the NHS. THIS CARD IS ESSENTIAL.

EDIT: If you cant get hold of the Aires book visit www.campingcar-infos.com and download them all for the sat nav. You can also purchase the whole site as an offline download and it really is "All the Aires". Unlike the book!

My choice that time of year would be Dordogne probably for a shortish trip but if its too far, Normandy and Brittany are superb. The Cherbourg Peninsula which is often missed out is wild camping beach heaven and all of Brittany is great and there are more Aires there than any other region in France. Weather could be great, could be awful.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

France is easy to operate in and VERY MH friendly, the number of aires is massive and if you cannot get hold of a copy of the current book and old one will be 99% accurate still, few close, new ones do open but they are usually signposted too....

Put a request on the Classifieds for an old Aires book - or the loan of one fro someone who has finished for now - they do exist and it is worth asking.

Insurance is automatic but do tell them to maintain comprehensive cover otherwise it's 3rd party only. But take all your documents with you (the MHF France Touring section has lots of info.) Green cards are no longer used so don't worry - EC regs mean that all insurance covers Europe unless there is a specific exclusion for a limited time. But documents are required (original + photocopy "just in case").

Things like warning triangle, high vis jackets accessible, first aid kit, spare bulbs are all dealt with in the Guide on MHF - worth going through there is a lot in there!!!!!

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/forum-185.html

Recovery is a good idea - if you are an RAC member you can extend that for the time you need to European cover quite economically.

If you are unsure then Normandy and Brittany are great places to visit but the weather tends to resemble the UK although it may be a tad warmer and dryer..... :lol:

Our forecast for the next 10 days is dry, dry, dry and sun, sun, sun with temperatures around 32C - c/w the UK ? :roll: :lol:

You can check for the are you want to go via;

http://france.meteofrance.com/

put in the place or area you are interested in and you can even get forecasts sent daily to your e-mail foc........ (and they are accurate IMO)

Ferry prices are cheaper the further East you go in the UK - the tunnel can be used with Tesco vouchers to reduce the cost markedly, if you go further West (Portsouth, Poole, Plymouth) then you have to use the expensive Briuttany Ferries but I have a membership number which reduces the cost by 10% - you only have to ask!

Middle of the night ferries mid week are usually the cheapest - same with tunnel I believe, no-one is keen to travel at 0300! 8O

We are always happy to help - like most people on MHF, we live in France so do know a little about it so feel free to ask - there are several French based members on here and we can all help! 

Dave


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

bigtree said:


> D600 ? Can't see it.


Sorry D300.

Sure it used to be the 600, probably had a number change in common with many other French roads  :lol:

JohnW


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

We have All the Aires 2nd edition, which we don't need, as we now have the 3rd edition. PM me if you'd like me to send it to you.

We are off to France (Dover - Calais) on 24th Sept, straight after the Lincoln Show, not sure where we'll go yet.



Chris


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