Touring in Europe

If you’re an old hand at visiting Europe, you don’t need telling about the joys of European touring but, for newcomers to motorhoming, it’s a must to get the most from your ’van. For all of us, though, there are a few things to catch up on post-Brexit.

There are so many facets of each individual country in Europe to consider. For me, it’s wide-open roads, the abundance of overnight stopovers, warmer weather, and exciting foods, places and people to meet.

Visiting southern Spain and Portugal for some winter sun to help get through the British winter is so worthwhile, especially when you can take off for a month or two or more.

Modern motorhomes are well insulated and winter sports may be your pleasure or you may prefer the cultural highlights of European cities. Whatever your passion, it is worth preparing beforehand to avoid any problem with bureaucracy and the law.

GENERAL PREPARATIONS

For newcomers, take a few UK trips so you have mastered your ‘van and know how it performs. Always check the roadworthiness of a vehicle before any long-haul trip and ensure scheduled services have been undertaken. Don’t forget you need to be UK road legal to be legal in Europe, so if your MoT is due, get it done before you go as European garages can’t issue MoTs.

European vehicle breakdown cover is essential to avoid major disruption should a breakdown occur. Most motorhome insurers include European breakdown cover or offer it as an optional extra. Always check the cover includes breakdowns on the campsite and that there’s no restriction on weight or length of unit.

THE EUROPEAN WAY

It’s important to remember the continentals often do things differently from us. For instance, the UK (except Scotland) has a legal drink driving limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, while for most of Europe, including Scotland, the limit is 50mg of alcohol. The Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary have a zero tolerance of alcohol when driving.

If you’re into winter touring, some countries like Germany and Austria require the use of winter tyres and some regions will also require snow chains when on snow-covered roads.

Once you enter the EU you can travel freely from country to country. Between most of the EU states there are no border posts as such and generally all you will see is a roadside sign to indicate you have entered another country. Despite the lack of formal border control, if there is a toll booth at or close to