# Travelling Costs Query



## bci151512 (Aug 18, 2012)

We are looking at travelling for an extended period in France and Italy in a motorhome (yet to be purchased) and are wondering what would be the approximate weekly budget we should allow for living expenses. Any posts on your experiences of living this way in France and Italy and any hints on where it might be the cheapest and easiest place to purchase a motorhome would be appreciated. We are very new to this whole experience and look forward to your replies.


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

Perhaps you are not getting any replies because your post is in the pets section. I can't help you as so far 3 weeks is the longest trip we have managed to make


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

We'll need some more information about your planned travels.

Using campsites or aires or wildcamping?

Travelling daily when away or holing up for some time at each place?

Self catering or eating out?


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi and welcome to the club.



bci151512 said:


> . . . any hints on where it might be the cheapest and easiest place to purchase a motorhome would be appreciated..


Best advice I can offer is to give up searching for the cheapest, right from the start. :roll:

If a dealer pares his margins down to the limit he will not be very keen to go that little bit extra in helping you with any problems, 'cos he won't have left any slack in the deal to pay for it. 8O We get a lot of reports on here about reluctant dealers, when it often turns out they had been beaten down to the last couple of quid before the purchaser would sign on the dotted line.

This is not to excuse the dealers, who are patently not very good and best avoided, but some purchasers bring it on themselves. For example, if you live in Exeter don't buy from a dealer who is ten quid cheaper than the others if he lives in Scapa Flow. It's a long way to take the van back if (when) something goes wrong. 8O

More info on your preferred mode of travel will help with advice on finance, as already suggested.

Dave


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Hi I work my travelling costs on 20 mpg above that I count as a bonus. Average actually is 24mpg.

How far do you want to go in a day.

At the end of any holiday I just pay the CC bill. When the tank is a quater full i fill it.
Don`t think about the cost. Think of the freedom, the pleasure and the places you have been to.

DAve p


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

If you are thinking of buying in the UK check out whether you can get insurance.

If you do not have a UK/EU licence that you have held for at a year there are virtually no insurers who will sell you cover at ANY price.

This thread gives some info.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-76298-motorhome-insurance-for-nonresidents.html

It has been said by some that it is far easier to buy and insure (through the dealer) in Germany.

The current insurance situation in the UK for Non-EU residents is a farce.

Another point is that if you acquire the vehicle in the UK you will be limited to a GVW of 3500kg irrespective of what your Aus licence allows. A Roadtrain driver using a UK registered vehicle is limited to 3500kg max but if the vehicle is registered elsewhere and driven into the UK the only limit is what his licence allows. :roll:


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## Sandy_Saunders (Nov 17, 2008)

bci151512 said:


> We are looking at travelling for an extended period in France and Italy in a motorhome (yet to be purchased) and are wondering what would be the approximate weekly budget we should allow for living expenses. Any posts on your experiences of living this way in France and Italy and any hints on where it might be the cheapest and easiest place to purchase a motorhome would be appreciated. We are very new to this whole experience and look forward to your replies.


We generally budget for €300 a week, but this can be reduced. It is broken down into €100 each for fuel, food and campsites. The cost of fuel depends, needless to say, on your mileage. You are the best judge of this. The food budget does not include eating out, but is a basic supermarket bill. This is probably a high figure as it includes wine and careful shopping will reduce this. The campsite budget depends on how much you use camping car aires/stellplatzes/sostas etc. which are free or reasonably cheap (say €5). So again this could be reduced.

You could probably get by on €150 if you are careful and don't travel too far or too fast. Of course you may want to spend more in bars, restaurants and buying souvenirs. 

Good luck. 

Sandy


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Apologies, I did not realise that you were from Brisbane.
Recently on hols we met up with some Aussies.
They found it easier to purchase and insure in Germany than the UK.
Most if not all UK insurers require a UK address.


Best of luck, keep us informed. I would like to come to Oz and do a MH tour.

Dave p


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Mrs D keeps extremely accurate accounts for all our trips. We have been away since
Early June and our current daily expenditure is £30. We hardly ever stay on campsites if they can be avoided, dont eat out much and do between 800-1000 miles a month at between 20-24 mpg.

The euro rate has been good on this trip but fuel ha recently gone up and in Italy it's very expensive. Italy and France however have superb stop overs (sostas in Italy and aires in France) and you can stay for free on most. Wild camping is easy as well.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Apologies, I did not realise that you were from Brisbane. Dave p


I'm as dozy as you Dave - I didn't notice either!  

Dave


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Budget*

Hi

We did ten weeks away last year and it came in at about £1000 per month based on two of us. A lot of that was diesel, so being static for a bit longer every now and again would reduce that.

Russell


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Hi I work my travelling costs on 20 mpg above that I count as a bonus. Average actually is 24mpg.
> 
> How far do you want to go in a day.
> 
> ...


I can't believe what I am reading, but when I read it again and who the author is I do believe it.

There are many people on here who have to budget for a holiday, not all members on here live as you do. For a start we do not have a "Lady" as a wife, most of us have or had working wives and struggle to make ends meet.

Might I suggest that you answer or endeavour to answer the question without informing us of your lavish life style. Climb down from your Property Manager, Kennel Manager, Tree Surgeon, Chief MHF Poster, etc etc .

The O.P. is from Australia and asking for assistance in planning a holiday, and what to budget for, not on what how you pay your bills.


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Drew said:


> DTPCHEMICALS said:
> 
> 
> > Hi I work my travelling costs on 20 mpg above that I count as a bonus. Average actually is 24mpg.
> ...


Hi.








He did apologise to the OP when he realised. :wink:

ray.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

And the bottom line is - he is quite correct.

You pay the money or you don't go. Simple as that. :roll: It's a basic, unquestionable fact of motorhoming life.

Envy is not the most endearing of personal qualities, and it does nothing to help our Australian friend. :roll: 

Dave


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Drew said:


> DTPCHEMICALS said:
> 
> 
> > Hi I work my travelling costs on 20 mpg above that I count as a bonus. Average actually is 24mpg.
> ...


Drew , I do not normally get embroiled in personal attacks, but,

Specsavers are open tomorrow.
And a fat lot of use your post is to the OP
I do not think anyone who is prepared to spend several thousands of pounds on a european jaunt is penniless.
Yes we have had to count the pennies but we have saved some too. Hard work 60 hours a week have put me where I am today.

My apologies to the OP for going off topic.
Dave p


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## bci151512 (Aug 18, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your replies. Still working our way around the site and hope this ends up in the right area and not "Pets" as our first post did! 8O We have found the information interesting and helpful. 
Re: Buying the motorhome we are not really concerned about buying "the cheapest" (incorrect choice of word) we are more concerned with it being the easiest, safest and also being the best country to purchase in. We also have been told Germany? We would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.
In Australia we use the metric system and usually say so many litres per 100kms. Can anyone advise an approximate usage with us realising this would depend on the actual vehicle. We are looking for a medium size motorhome. 
We are really open to where we stay using the combination of campsite, aires or wildcamping - here again any thoughts on wildcamping would be appreciated and know that this is something we will have to work out as we go :? 
As we have no time pressure on us we are happy to stay in one place for sometime if we like the area or move on.
For the majority of the trip we plan to self cater as well as eating out once in a while.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi and welcome to the site 
I had a look for you and found this link where I hope you find some answers 
http://goeurope.about.com/gi/o.htm?...ns/magazine/0411/motor_homing_in_europe.shtml

Russells answer of £1000.00 per month is very sound

Have fun :wink: :wink:


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

bci151512 said:


> Thank you everyone for your replies. Still working our way around the site and hope this ends up in the right area and not "Pets" as our first post did! 8O We have found the information interesting and helpful.
> Re: Buying the motorhome we are not really concerned about buying "the cheapest" (incorrect choice of word) we are more concerned with it being the easiest, safest and also being the best country to purchase in. We also have been told Germany? We would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.
> In Australia we use the metric system and usually say so many litres per 100kms. Can anyone advise an approximate usage with us realising this would depend on the actual vehicle. We are looking for a medium size motorhome.
> We are really open to where we stay using the combination of campsite, aires or wildcamping - here again any thoughts on wildcamping would be appreciated and know that this is something we will have to work out as we go :?
> ...


OK - try this as something to work from, not precise but close enough - travelling 500 miles a week at 30mpg at £6 a gallon = £100 per week.
Aire/wilding 5 days a week, camping 2 days = £50 ish per week.
Food - same as you spend at home now.
MH Insurance = £300 ish = £6 per week.

All very flexible, you can spend more or less depending on how you like to spend your time and how much money you have in your pocket.

Stay on a free aire/wilding for a week without driving anywhere and you just have to feed yourselves. 
,


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## Bob45 (Jan 22, 2007)

On our first extended tour of France (2months) I reckon that it cost us £1000 more than we usually spend at home. Now on our 5th year of motorhoming we can get away with spending nearly the same. Walking is still free!
We stay on camp sites, do a lot of self catering with the odd meal out.
Obviously fuel and camp sites fees are the big extra. Everything else is the same.

Hope that helps.

Bob


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## Bob45 (Jan 22, 2007)

Another point - while away you are saving on heat, light and water but more important is how you view your status. When we travel for 2 months we regard it as a change of lifestyle not "going on holiday" so we don't have to be doing something every minute or eating out a lot.

Bob


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