[Lily]

Hi everyone,

Summer has arrived and it is highly likely that many of you will already be planning a nice holiday on the continent. Positano, Madrid, Marseille, maybe even Split? 🏖

For those of you who are skipping all the airport hassle and driving there, we’ve come up with some useful tips and resources to help you have a smooth and stress-free trip:

🚗 1. Don't Forget Your Documents

Ensure you bring all required paperwork, including:

- A valid UK driving licence
- V5C logbook (vehicle registration document)
- Proof of insurance that covers driving in Europe
- Passport or ID card
- International Driving Permit (IDP), if required (check destination country rules)

Also, some countries require a Green Card from your insurer to prove you have sufficient cover, check ahead of time!!

🛑 2. Know the Road Rules (and Speed Limits)

Every country has slightly different driving laws. Key things to check include:

- Which side of the road they drive on (most are on the right!)
- Local speed limits (these can vary between rural, urban, and motorway areas)
- Low Emission Zones or Crit'Air stickers in places like France
- Requirements for winter tyres or snow chains (depending on the season)

💡 3. Compulsory Equipment in the Car

Many European countries legally require you to carry certain items in your vehicle, such as:

- Reflective jackets (one per passenger)
- Warning triangle
- Headlight beam deflectors
- First aid kit (required in some countries)
- Breathalyser kits (required in France, though enforcement is relaxed)

Pack these before you leave the UK to avoid last-minute scrambles at the border!

🔄 4. Toll Roads & Vignettes

Many European motorways require toll payments or vignettes (prepaid stickers or digital passes):

- France, Spain, Italy: pay-as-you-go toll booths
- Austria, Switzerland: need vignettes (buy online or at the border)
- Some cities also charge congestion fees

Carry some local currency or set up an account with services like Emovis Tag or Tolltickets for smoother travel.

🗺️ 5. Plan for Emergencies & Navigation

Make sure you have:

- Breakdown cover that extends into Europe
- A paper map or downloaded offline maps, just in case
- Knowledge of emergency numbers (e.g., 112 across the EU)
- Roaming enabled for mobile data (or know your options post-Brexit)

Useful links:

- German road signs
- Speed limits in Spain
- French road signs
- Speed limits in Italy
- RAC European breakdown recovery

Your turn guys!

What’s your top travel hack for driving abroad? 🚘💬

[Nick]

Some of my favourite childhood holiday memories are of road trips through France, all the extra paraphernalia my Dad used to have to carry back then, the yellow, dipped headlights, the "wrong side of the road" - especially that first time on the roundabout out of Calais! The Aires (service areas), the different traffic and views from the backseat. The huge European Road Atlas!

I've not done it as a dad yet but it's always good to have a reminder like this of things to at least think about before heading off.

I always think a good "hack" for people travelling with children is to make sure they've got stuff to keep them entertained back there. There's so many possibilities these days - I was never able to read for long in the car without feeling sick but back then my Sony Walkman kept me going, but also think about games to play with them, from the old favourite I-Spy, through to Roar Trip Bingo (Eddie Stobart trucks, different colour cars, sheep, cows, makes, models etc) - they'll sleep at some point but whatever you can do to distract them arguing and fighting lol!

[Lily]

@Nick nothing beats those memories, right? Feeling all safe and snuggly in the back of the car, and also all happy and excited for the adventure ahead! (was anyone else dissapointed when you couldn't see fish while in the Eurotunnel?)

I haven't had the chance to take my own baby on the road either but I know who I am going to ask for recommendations to keep him entertained!

My husband and I have lovely memories driving around France. The food in the Aires is very good, and after a long drive to Dover early in the morning we would stop and take a little nap before continuing our trip. Makes me want to come back.

[Santa]

Plan a route and make sure to allow plenty of time for breaks.

Have at least two credit cards from different sources. If one is lost/stolen, or just stops working, you can still manage.

When our kids were very small, we tried to be driving at times when they would normally sleep.

[Nick]

Good tips @Santa - Going on a road trip is not the time for winging it - definitely having a route planned is the way forwards - and plans for breaks - I do this even when I'm just travelling down South for my son's football tournaments, always good to know where you're stopping for a break, recharge, and bathroom.

One memory of my childhood trips through France is the driving through the night. I think some of it was largely because the night or early morning crossings on the ferry were cheaper but it made sense - we would leave home either really late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

I also remember my Dad pulling up fairly early in France, to have a nap in a lay-by. Not sure if people still do that, feels like you wouldn't these days I don't know. I remember it feeling a bit weird though back then lol

[Santa]

@Nick
We always used night crossings and ponied up for a cabin. I can't imagine driving across France after a night in a chair with a load of noisy teenagers. There would be more than one kip in a layby, I'm sure.

Even on a day crossing, especially if you are travelling with children, a cabin provides a base and some peace and quiet for a modest extra cost.

Of course, I am talking about the longer crossings, rather than Dover to Calais.

[Nick]

Love the cabin tip @Santa - what sort of crossings were you doing?
We would do lots of Dover > Calais - following which we often drove to the south with an overnighter somewhere like Lyon-ish I seem to recall. One year we did Portsmouth > Cherbourg, about 4 hours from memory - probably the roughest crossing I've ever experienced - I remember my dad having to wait until the staff banged on the roof of the car, at which point he had to basically floor it to get up the ramp and on the boat before the angle changed too much and we might not make it! Exciting but concerning. Could probably have done with a cabin on that crossing, just to be somewhere to try and ignore the roughness!

[Santa]

@Nick
Mostly Portsmouth/St Malo or Plymouth/Roscoff, as we liked Brittany. We also did Portsmouth to Santander on a Brittany Ferries package deal (excellent value).

We even did Folkestone to Boulogne on a Seacat catamaran in the early 1990s at the start of a grand tour of France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Italy with two children aged seven and three. We had a big frame tent with all mod cons, and the canvas was strapped to the roof rack of the Citroen Estate I was driving at the time.

[Lily]

@Santa and @Nick you have inspired my next post in the community "Tips for travelling with kids". Thank you, with this heatwave we are having, my brain feels like mushy peas.

UPDATE: @clarkra shared with us a link to ALL Spanish road signs: https://senalesdetraficoinfo.es/. Thanks Clarkra, it's super useful

[UnhappyExplanation65]

We have travelled to Morocco by car via the Tunnel, France, Spain and then crossing via Algerciras, setting out shortly for another summer trip there this year. Anyone else done/doing the trip and where do you have your stop overs? We try to do Bordeaux in one day, then to Toledo area on the second day and cross late afternoon on the third day. Also any tips on keeping your roof boxes secure overnight? Thanks

[Lily]

@UnhappyExplanation65 that's quite the adventure. I've travelled a bit around Spain and I'd add Segovia to my itinerary: fantastic city and a lovely castle that apparently inspired Disney's Snow White one. Also Roman aqueducts, still standing like they built them yesterday.

Regarding the roof boxes, maybe add an extra layer of security, like a bick lock or a steel chain. Also park wisely: well-lit areas with lots of foot traffic, maybe close to a camera. It's all about deterrance isn't it?

How long are you guys on the road for? Are you coming back to the UK the same way or are you taking the ferry?

[Rolebama]

My favourite Channel crossing is Harwich - Bremerhaven. Simply because it wasn't anywhere as crowded as Dover - Calais, and you could actually sleep without interruption. The downside was that it took 18hrs. I did it a few times, the first time because of where I ended up after a ride, and it just appealed.