mac111051 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 OK the rest of you , you going to do a three month trip with two young children, where would you go, Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerGW Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hello, I'd add a couple of matters to the advice you've already had: 1. As a minimum, get a multi-language phrase book covering the countries you're going to. People will appreciate your efforts to speak to them in their language and you'll learn while trying. Your children will learn plenty, too, which will stand them in good stead for later in life. Being more ambitious, get instructional CDs on one or two of the languages (I suggest French and Spanish) and learn pronunciation as well. 2. Get a Europe-wide GPS (satnav) system. They're fallible but can get you out of a fix better and quicker than a map alone might. (Beware that they can also get you into one -- only a few are programmed with road widths and bridge heights.) Lock it, and any wiring, out of site when parking. Oh, and the E111 system ceased in 2006, being replaced by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which does much the same thing. See here for more -- http://www.travelhealth.co.uk/advice/ehic.htm . I hope you have a wonderful trip. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 colinfrier - 2009-02-19 10:08 AM Hi Good luck on your trip and don't worry to much about security issues its much exagerated but use common sense. Few obvious things you must/should have with you originals not copies Passports & Dogs Driving Licence both parts E111 medical card for each person Insurance cert green card if required Log Book V5 MOT if needed GB sticker if not EU number plate. Breakdown insurance Vehicle purchase invoice Warning triangles (2) High Viz jackets for all First Aid Kit Fire extingwisher Credit and debit cards (Nationwide best deals) Dialing codes for mobile phone List of main dealers for your vehicle Maps Have a great time Colin Frier Spare vehicle bulbs Photocopies of ALL documents, if for any reason the French police decide to want to keep your documents they will NOT be sent back to you, they will be sent to the French embassy in LONDON, they will not post them to you so you will have to go and collect them some three months later. Give them the photocopies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Welcome! Re the bogus bobbies: I've never met anyone who's personally experienced this (as opposed to "friend of the wife's brother-in-law's doctor's cleaner" etc). But if it bothers you, one suggestion I've heard is to do what Securicor do: lock the van form inside, and show a card in the appropriate language saying: "I will not open my vehicle, but will proceed to the nearest police station" or alternatively "I will not open my vehicle, but will now call the emergency police telephone number." Of course, you'd need to make sure you had the relvant numbers or addresses, independently of the person flagging you down. But the main reason for precautions like these is so you can forget all about the issue, and get on with enjoying yourself. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hi Tony Just pick up your mobile and pretend to dial a number then put it to your ear and they will quickly shoot off,of course let them see you doing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendipman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 :-D :-D A site for travel/insurance www.ehicplus.com It uses your cards and adds on extra .I was quoted half the cost of other firms.. :-D :-D :-D ..ehic being your European Health card!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Syd - 2009-02-23 5:44 PM Hi Tony Just pick up your mobile and pretend to dial a number then put it to your ear and they will quickly shoot off,of course let them see you doing it But not if you're driving, 'cos if they are bona fide, they'll do you for using a mobile while driving - now illegal throughout Europe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 And the international number for the police now is? :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 mendipman - 2009-02-23 5:53 PM :-D :-D A site for travel/insurance www.ehicplus.com It uses your cards and adds on extra .I was quoted half the cost of other firms.. :-D :-D :-D ..ehic being your European Health card!!! I had a look at this website being particularly interested in the quote "insurance up to 4 months". It certainly says this on the home page but when you look further into it the insurance is only for 31 days with the possiblilty of 45 days if you pay extra. I couldn't see anywhere the opportunity to add up to 4 months. At the moment I get 31 days free and can then pay extra up to 93 days if I want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Syd - 2009-02-23 5:44 PM Hi Tony Just pick up your mobile and pretend to dial a number then put it to your ear and they will quickly shoot off,of course let them see you doing it I'm a bit doubtful about this tactic, personally. It'll cost you an on-the-spot fine of €500 or more if you're nicked for using a mobile (without hands-free) in Spain. Plus an up-close-and-personal check of all your papers and vehicle. And they'll be talking to you, loudly, in Spanish.....(NOT English) as of course Spanish is the language of our country here. Spanish Police don't mess about......they are not like British Bobbies. Don't mess about with Spanish Police. And they have big batons, and guns. Big, real, guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judlington Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi, we have taken your advice on almost everything including reversed polarity, thanks Brian, lead has been made. Also we now have ACSI card DVD and book for 2009. CC Europe 2009 books 1&2, We have all the hi vis jackets, triangles, bulbs etc etc, right down to the tick hooks for the dog. Only a few details to sort out now, like actually spending a couple nights in the motorhome!!, photocopies and so on. Thankyou everyone for your sound advice. How about one last question, no body has mentioned this but do I need to get some stick on covers to protect other drivers from my headlamps, due to driving on the right hand side instead of left, or are these an unnecessary extra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 You have certainly been busy then. Make sure you keep the vis jacket handy - most French people drape it over their seat. French law dictates that you only need one jacket for the driver, not for all the passengers too, but what would happen if you all had to get out? Not a very logical law is it! As for the stick on headlamp covers I never use them although you are supposed to. My engine is a Fiat and I just adjust the lights downwards - I have never been flashed so all seems well. I have them on my French registered car though. When you try your van out don't forget pen and paper to note down problems or suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerGW Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Patricia - 2009-02-25 9:16 PM My engine is a Fiat and I just adjust the lights downwards. Scratching my head here, Patricia. What has one thing to do with the other? 8-) Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Fiats, and I think Peugeots, have headlight adjustment on the dashboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judlington Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi, yes adjustment is on dash Patricia, thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am sure that legally you should apply the stickers and I always carry some in the cab just in case I was stopped. I would just have to say that I forgot to put them on and hope to get away with it! If I thought that I might be blinding someone though I would put them on anyway but it is very expensive to keep buying new ones if they are not necessary. Also the lights are dimmer with them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac111051 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 One thing we have found really usefull is a Remoska cooker from Lakeland, runs on very low power and will not trip French power points, we allso use it at home as it is very cheap to run Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Re the enquiry about security: in the current CC magazine on the letters page there is advice about journeying in Spain and avoiding thieves on the road. Also a letter from a victim of night theft on a campsite in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-02-23 9:01 PM And the international number for the police now is? :-D still waiting............:-D Have you considered security? Have you a cat 1 alarm system? Does this system allow you to sleep in van with interior sensor disabled and all door sensors armed? Have you dead locks fitted too front 2 cab doors? Lockers? Habitation door? And garage if you have one? *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-02-26 5:09 PM JudgeMental - 2009-02-23 9:01 PM And the international number for the police now is? :-D still waiting............: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number#Europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 judlington - 2009-02-25 11:05 PM Hi, yes adjustment is on dash Patricia, thanks for the tip. This may not be reliable. There have been reports of the French police fining UK drivers as they emerge from the ports, for not having headlamp masks. I do not think they would accept the "turned down" argument gave adequate compliance with the law. There is also the point that with the lamp beams so depressed general illumination for night driving would be compromised.I assume one can still get the AA branded black PVC headlamp mask sheets with all sorts of cut lines printed onto them? They come with a scalpel in the packet for cutting. Halfords always used to have them. These have a polycarbonate friendly, peelable, adhesive and are silvered on the rear to prevent local heat build up. All you need to satisfy the police is a visible mask. It is easy to make one that works, just park in front of a wall (After dark, of course. Dohh!) and experiment with various shapes and sizes of paper to get the minimum sized template that eliminates the "upkick" of the dipped beam on the UK kerb side. Best compromise is a straight topped beam, as it is the upkick that will dazzle oncoming traffic. Lose too much, and you will compromise forward vision on the European offside. When you get the templates right, and they will probably be quite different left to right, mark on the headlamps where they were, and then cut the same shapes from the black PVC sheet, ignoring all the printed cut lines. If you cut carefully, so as to just cut the PVC but not the backing paper, you can peel away the masks, and transfer them to your headlamps. Then, when back in UK, you can peel the masks off the headlamps and put them back onto the backing paper for next time. They should last about three trips, after which the adhesive will be inadequate and you just use the original templates (you did keep those, didn't you? :-)) to cut some more, and so on until all the PVC has gone. That way, but depending on how often you cross the Channel, your PVC sheet will last for years: the initial cost is in any case quite low. Recognise the voice of experience? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Brian Kirby - 2009-02-26 7:44 PM Halfords always used to have them. These have a polycarbonate friendly, peelable, adhesive and are silvered on the rear to prevent local heat build up. Halfords still sell them , for a few pounds only and they work well - they deflect the beam rather than masking it, so you can see better. Being from Yorkshire, I re-use them using selotape - they last for years that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 what a few of us do is buy some plastic headlamp protectors and stick the beam benders on to these........Then it is a simple matter of putting them on and oft when going abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Brian Kirby - 2009-02-23 9:54 PM But not if you're driving, 'cos if they are bona fide, they'll do you for using a mobile while driving - now illegal throughout Europe!Yes it is, that didn't stop some idiot nearly driving head on into me yesterday 'tho !!! and on a narrow country road too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondo Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Mr Judge if you dial 112 IT WILL put you through to the emergency services believe me it works *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.