When travelling abroad in a caravan no matter how experienced the driver is and how well he knows his vehicle it is always a good idea to have a trial run out a week or so before departure. Exactly the same applies to travelling with a motor home.
Any niggles can often be spotted on the practice run and even if everything is fine, one can set off more relaxed knowing that all went well the weekend before. Personal experience last year showed how valuable this practise is and just how valuable motor caravan insurance is also.
A run to Anglesey a fortnight before a planned month long sojourn in France came to a grinding halt on the M1 when my 1996 Swift Royale Classic started emitting large clouds of black smoke and steam. Thankfully the breakdown insurance, that was purchased with the motor caravan insurance resulted in a tow back home and the local garage had a fortnight in which to make good the repairs. Fortunately the garage had looked after the motor home for years and the mechanic did his job in time for us to have quick trip out 48 hours before we set off for France.
The ferry crossing from Dover to Calais was a brilliant £54 return courtesy of P&O ferries and once Calais was reached, our Swift Royale did us proud taking us across France to the west coast at Meschers-sur Gironde, across to Confolens via Angouleme, up through the Poitiers area and then a leisurely saunter through the Loire and Sarthe valleys before paying a return visit to the Somme and back to Calais.
A huge tip for travellers in motor homes visiting France for the first time is the use of the aires rest areas, these are fantastic value. Aires are rest areas for motor homes only, where travellers can stay overnight (some allow up to 3 days) and top up with electricity, fresh water and waste water for the toilet etc. They are very inexpensive ranging from no charge to about £9 depending where you are. The aires rest areas are dotted all around France and a book called ‘All the Aires in France’ published in ENGLISH by Vicarious Books can be bought online and is an absolutely invaluable guide for a Motor home holiday in France.
