Touring Scandiavia

[jwj]

Hi All.

Would any one have any experience of touring Scandinavian countries using a combination of motorhome hire, rail and air travel.

My daughter,son.in.law and three children aged 5 to 10 yr old want to tour for approx 11weeks with an educational content to the holiday.

They want to cover Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, with a budget of 10 to12k.

 

Is this over ambitious or feasible?

 

Any advice on travel and motorhome hire in any of these countries would be appreciated

 

Regards. Jim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[George..]

Hi Jim,

At 1,000 a week I would think that will be more than enough (providing the alcohol is kept to a low level as that is quite expensive)

We had six weeks around Denmark and Sweden in 2010, going up and back through the Nederlands and Germany and stayed on campsites every night, used countless ferries and all the major toll bridges and it probably only cost between 1 and 2 grand. Addmittingly we only used our Motorhome and there was two of us but we didn't skimp on the sightseeing expenses.

Good luck with the trip it's a wonderful part of the world.

George

[Bailey]

Between 1 and 2 grand sounds incredibly good value. I would have thought 42 nights in sites would be around €800 alone and maybe more. Did your costing include the initial ferry/tunnel crossing from the UK and also diesel.

I would love to tour Sweden and maybe venture into Norway too but always thought it would be way too expensive - maybe I'll think again. I would be travelling from Ireland so there would be an added ferry too of course - still worth a second look.

[Tracker]

We spent 7 weeks driving some 7000 miles from home via Calais and back to the Nordkapp in Norway, Finland and Sweden in 2008 and we only used one site for one night which was bloomin expensive.

There is plenty of opportunity for 'off site' camping and overnight stays but these perhaps will be less appealing for family use unless you are en route and passing through?

Our main cost was diesel which then was the equivalent of £1.50 a litre in Sweden, a bit less in Norway, and a lot less in Finland, Denmark, Germany, Holland and France which were all similar in cost.

Everything is expensive in Norway and Sweden and although we were able to supplement our diet with freshly caught cod or trout (we like fish!) whenever I got the chance to fish we still spent a lot more on food than we did in the other EU countries.

Ferries and tolls in Scandinavia are not cheap especially if your van is over 6 metres long (our's wasn't!) when they can become eye wateringly expensive

We didn't count the cost, we never do, but it probably came in around £2500 or so for the entire trip at a guestimate, and if you add sites fees for most nights that would have added another £1500 at least.

 

[Robinhood]

...frankly, for the background you describe, I think the budget is rather ambitious.

 

Our kids really enjoyed Scandinavia, so I don't want to be a wet blanket, but the tour you describe will (IMO) be expensive. It might just be viable with an already-owned motorhome.

 

The main constraints will arise from a combination of accommodation (which is generally expensive in Scandinavia - though using campsites makes it more acceptable), travel, (which looks like it will need fares for 5, or a hired motorhome, this latter for 11 weeks would take a huge wodge of the budget), and food (particularly expensive in Sweden and Norway unless self-catering).

 

One thing they might consider to manage down the cost is the use of the "huts" that are common on Scandinavian (Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian) campsites. Whilst a step up from tent camping, they are (for Scandinavia) an economic alternative for touring at say €50-60 per night, and allow the use of one's own car, or a hired car (which will be considerably cheaper than a hired motorhome).

 

Patently, space would need to be found for bedding and basic cooking/eating equipment, but most campsites with huts have a campers' kitchen.

 

Having a car rather than a motorhome makes local sightseeing easier, cancelling out some of the motorhome advantages.

 

My post(s) from a couple of years ago gives an account of Denmark, Sweden and Finland, with some of the costs set out in the text, and a summary of our three weeks' costs toward the end of the second page (if you haven't fallen asleep by then ;-) ). Remember, these costs were for two, and a medium-sized 'van.

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/The-Scandinavian-Road-Trip-Part-I/31622/

[George..]

To add some flesh to costings, looking at our log for the 2010 trip. We covered 2,867 miles, fuel =£658. Fifty nights on campsites= £810 (18 on ACSI sites). Bridges/Tolls = £170. Eurotunnel = £130. So a figure of £1800 plus eating and social expenses was about right. I admit we went in May/June, mid summer would obviously be dearer.

George

[EJB]

Start here:-

 

https://www.motorhomebookers.com/europe/motorhomes.htm

 

http://www.allmotorhomerentals.com/Denmark/

[jwj]

This information is very helpful. My family will probably fly from Ireland to Oslo and then possibly pick up transport and move on from there. They are taking the children on an adventure holiday rather than a luxury break.

ALL INFO IS MUCH APPRECIATED

 

JIM

 

[Brian Kirby]

Regarding hiring a van, the two European countries in which this seems particularly popular (so I'm assuming fairly cheap compared to others) are Italy and Germany. Clearly Italy is out of the question for a trip to Scandinavia, but it may be worth looking at hire costs in Germany. If they were to hire in northern Germany (assuming availability) they would only need to drive up through Denmark. We see German registered hire vans all over, so I assume cross border travel is not a problem for insurance etc.

 

They will need a five berth van. They will also need a lot of baggage, which may be problematic if flying. They should check what equipment the hire companies include, especially bedding. I assume they will travel in summer, but should still plan for some cold nights in northern Scandinavia, so decent sleeping bags or similar will probably be required.

 

I'm just wondering if hiring a van even nearer to home, possibly in UK, and then driving it across UK to an east coast ferry port, would get better overall value from their budget? They could then load up their car with what they need, drive to the chosen hire depot, transfer everything to the van, and leave the car securely at the hire depot until their return. That would avoid five air fares plus possibly restrictive baggage limits.

 

Final thought. Driving licence categories. Most hire vehicles are 3.5 tonne, which I think all European car driving licences cover. However, 5 berth vans at 3.5 tonnes tend to have fairly restricted payloads, so they may need something over 3.5 tonnes to gain sufficient payload for all five over 11 weeks. It that proves the case, are the drivers licensed to drive vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes?

[Robinhood]

Brian Kirby - 2015-11-23 6:49 PM

 

Regarding hiring a van, the two European countries in which this seems particularly popular (so I'm assuming fairly cheap compared to others) are Italy and Germany. Clearly Italy is out of the question for a trip to Scandinavia, but it may be worth looking at hire costs in Germany. If they were to hire in northern Germany (assuming availability) they would only need to drive up through Denmark. We see German registered hire vans all over, so I assume cross border travel is not a problem for insurance etc.

 

 

Hiring in Germany is likely to be cheaper than some sources, and continental hire will normally provide insurance cover for use in the EU overall, BUT, for a five berth motorhome the basic price, without any add-ons for damage waiver, hire of kit, etc, the cost for 11 weeks is going to be in the order of €10,000, even out of high season, which is a huge chunk out of the proposed budget. Fully loaded, it will be in the order of €1,000 per week.

 

It would leave maybe £4,500 out of the propsed £12,000 for 77 days (and that isn't accounting for getting to Germany and back), so £50 a day to live on, for 5 just doesn't work (much of that could go on accommodation and fuel, let alone food and "entertainment").

 

For me it just doesn't add up using a hired 'van which is costing you a premium of around £100 a day simply to hire it.

 

 

[Tracker]

On that basis buying a say nearly new, or last years model, van in the UK or Ireland from a dealer with a guaranteed buy back at the end of say four months might be worth investigating?

 

You would need to factor in extras like insurance, ved, refillable gas bottles and all the kit that you cannot take from home but you would have the potentially invaluable advantage of knowing your van and it's kit before you set off as well as having all your food, clothes and personal effects together in one place and not having to cart it all half way around Europe in a car, or worse need to buy it in an already expensive country where you do not speak the language.

[Brian Kirby]

I'll buy that! :-D Also, if buying a left hand drive van second hand in UK, which is what you'd in any case get if hiring abroad, you would get more van for you buck since they sell cheaper in UK than RHD. It would absorb capital, but it may be possible to borrow the purchase price against suitable security (rather than taking finance with its likely charges for early termination), and redeem the loan once the van is re-sold. All depends on whether the family can absorb the risk of the van being slow to sell when they return. If they could negotiate a guaranteed buy-back at a sensible cost, it might work - but whether that would, in fact, be cheaper than hiring would need careful checking. Worth looking at, though, I would think.