# Full timing in Europe with a tag axle



## martynj (May 14, 2009)

Help needed please.We retire next March and intend to rent our house out to fulltime tour around Europe.We have decided on an Autotrail but cannot decide whether to go for single or tag axle (we would enjoy the room and storage space that the tag axle offers) To keep costs down we will be staying on aires and France Passion most of the time and are wondering whether the tag axle will fit. Our next dilemma is my wife owns a Fiat 500 and it would be our intention to tow this as much as possible on an A frame (we are aware of the Spanish towing issues) Would the size of motorhome plus car limit us on aires and ACSI sites.Any help would be gratefully received.
Many thanks
Martyn


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

No problem at all in 99% of places.

We have been fulltime in Europe for over four years with an 8.5m twin rear axle van, Alan.


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## johnthompson (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi Martyn

We have a 24ft (7m) van and find Aire parking no problem. We have been full timing now for 5 years. UK in summer and Spain in winter.

We did tow a Smart car on a trailer but decided last year to leave it in the UK and just tour solo. We thoroughly enjoyed the freedom to wild park and not having the car made this a lot easier.

Parking on some small Aires with a car in tow can be problematic.

We toured down through France to the west coast, across Spain down the Costas to Gibraltar, back around Portugal. Then back again following a different route through France.

We stopped at 3 campsites en route to do the washing, but otherwise wild parked or used Aires.

Tag axles attract a higher fee at tolls but if you are full timing just avoid toll roads, as you can afford the time to travel slowly and enjoy the scenery.

We have used France passion but some of the parking can be very tight. ie. The snail farm on the Crozon Peninsula. We also stayed on a goat farm and that was just rough verge parking outside. We found these sites to be poorly signposted so didn't bother renewing a second year. Aires are so easy to find in France.
We may however give the Spanish version a try.

France can be very cold in winter. We prefer to go further south to the Spanish costas. Our waste tanks froze at Narbonne Plage on the Med 2 years ago and we couldn't thaw them until we got back in the UK at Birmingham. Italy was also very cold in winter.

John


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

HI.

Although not full time we are away for a year in our tag axle. We are travelling in Greece at the moment and even though getting round some of the corners on mountain roads and tiny villages with narrow streets and 90deg corners are interesting a 7.5 meter van has managed it.

We have only been a total of a week or so on camp sites, all the rest of the time we have wild camped with no problem.

I have had normal vans but this tag axle Hymer is brilliant and the payload is a out of this world at a ton and a half.

Ray.


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