Motorhome the EU and U.K.
Being Australian where we drive on the left side in a right-hand car, we naturally started researching in the U.K and quickly came to 2 conclusions:
1. It's cheaper to buy a motorhome for anything over 6 months, than rent one. Don't forget, you can resell it and at the moment motorhomes and campervans are holding their resale value well.
2. It's cheaper, and easier, to buy a motorhome a long way from the U.K. despite not getting a steering wheel on the right hand side.
Fast forward to today, and we are 7 months into our semi - fast travels and have decided to bring the purchase of our own wheels forward by 5 - 6 months. The reason behind this was a combination of many things; too many apartments with no elevator and our bags weighing 25 kilos each holding just the very basics for permanent travel, hire car prices becoming very expensive, wanting freedom of movement to explore outside of our immediate area etc.
So while we have loved the fast travel and some of the fabulous accommodation hosts we have met, it was time to change our method of motion. The first major decision, after lots of searching and discussions with far more knowledgeable people than ourselves, was to ditch the larger motorhome idea and move to the campervan variety. We discussed the pros and cons including 2 years of comfort and we simply decided we wanted to retain the ease of access to the towns and villages with narrow roads and streets. Simple right?!
Cue the very overwhelming world of campervan searching and the weeks to months of trawling through sites!
What length? What interior layout? What basic comforts? What luxury options?
YouTube became our best friend! Facebook groups provided so many needed answers, there are some amazing apps out there and Google ran so hot I had to replace my laptop.
And this is where we landed:
- Length; 636 cm - because it fits down tight streets and normal car sized car parks and accommodates the interior layout we preferred.
- Weight; 3500 kg - so we can drive it on a normal drivers license, any heavier and a C class license is required.
- Layout; full bathroom, large rear bed, automatic, diesel heating, windows all round, sat nav option with infotainment system and a bit of sparkle.
- Left hand drive - because it is cheaper to buy in Germany and our preferred purchase option, My Car Turf, is in Germany.
- What models fit our bill; Mobilevetta Admiral K6.3, Roller Team Livingstone Advance Duo and Karmann Davis.
- What did we splash the cash on: ...?
There are 2 "reasonably" straight forward options for foreigners from outside of the EU to purchase motorhomes, campervans or any other form of vehicle. There is a few more options but they were so convoluted and complex that we chose not to even entertain the idea. Europe Roadtrip, a motorhome company with a popular buyback plan in the Netherlands that assists with sourcing the type of van you want, and all the extras required including insurance and roadside assistance. And, My Car Turf, a purchase facilitator in Germany that provides a wide range of assistance for a complete vehicle purchase and follow up assistance.
As mentioned, we contacted both companies and chose to move forward with My Car Turf , the reason being it is a very straight forward and transparent system, it offers a clearly explained variety of choices for ongoing service, we could complete everything remotely and, while still a young company, the owner, Marcus, worked with us for weeks before we had even discussed a contract. That sort of service will always gain rewards.
The most frustrating aspect of the process, so far, has been the lack of response from dealers when sending inquiries. Thankfully, Marcus stepped in a couple of times to assist us to make contact.
Useful links and Apps EU:
Campingcarpark-France
Eurocampings
Campercontact
Pitchup
Aire Services
Useful Motorhome Sale Sites
Mobile.de - Germany
Motorhomedepot.UK
Truckscout24
The Parking - EU
Autoscout24
Extra things to take into consideration when planning a multi country trip:
Toll fees- each country will have its own, so either pre-plan with toll tags, check for relevant country's apps, plan alternate routes where possible and/or have that country's currency in cash and coins to pay at the time.
Road Vignettes - A road vignette is a payment for the use of certain roads, highways, or motorways, often in the form of a sticker displayed on a vehicle or an electronic registration linked to the number plate. It's a common system in many European countries, including Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, and Switzerland, to finance road maintenance and improvement. You can purchase vignettes from gas stations, toll booths or online, for various duration. Online vignettes can be purchased either from the website of each individual country as required or from a third party app. As we will be travelling through multiple countries and do not want to visit individual countries online sites, we chose to use one app for all vignettes. Vignetim.com
Failure to display or register a valid vignette can result in significant fines.Ferry charges - very large motorhomes (generally starting at 7.5 meters to over 10 meters) will incur much higher charges.
Some bridges have very high charges i.e. the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden is $355 AUD ($214 EU) for a motorhome under 10 meters, one way! A little further north is a 20-minute ferry that is significantly cheaper, just not as cool.
LPG gas. Gas bottles were one of the most confusing and time consuming subjects to research! And, until we have travelled for a year, I still don't think we will have an intelligent grasp on the complexities. In short - we will get refillable bottles in Germany and a couple of other countries fittings I.E France and U.K. We will tackle other countries like Spain, who have a different system, as we cross that proverbial travel bridge. Bottle swapping seems to be difficult and expensive but again, lived experience required.
Address
Anywhere our adventures take us