# Where to spend the winter?



## dolmen (Sep 30, 2010)

I had a fairly long post written and it disappeared  

Anyhow where does everyone go for the winter? say Oct - Mar? I fancy keeping on the move, even if it is only every few days and not travelling very far. In the past we rarely went on sites and we'd be happier sticking with that, different kind of camper on sites at least thats what I've always found, not bad, just different to us  

Cheers


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## Deleted member 967 (Sep 30, 2010)

*South!*

As far south as we can go!  Snowbirds following the sun.

Delayed this year, so we will be off mid to late November.  Heading for El Portus near Cartagena in SE Spain.  We will start making our way north again in April.

While we are waiting we are planning to do some wild camping on the Northumberland coast in October after a trip to Birmingham and Northamptonshire.

Keep moving as Joan says it gets boring if you stay on a site for any length of time.

John


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## vwalan (Sep 30, 2010)

hi ,you could try driving round the coast from the spanish /french border on the med and carry on right round spain portugal and back across north of spain. we did it last year .caught the ferry to santander then drove to barcelona then caught the santander ferry back end of april. nice journey. of course you could cross over to morocco andspend 3 months there . i hope to be doing it this year. its what i normally do. 6 weeks spain ,3mth maroc ,6weeks spain ,portugal. home. 
i find france too cold and too wet now . shame as i do like france, but not in winter. 
have fun what ever you chose. 
cheers alan.
if you do think about maroc .get a green card from your insurers here before you go .usually its cheaper than buying a the border.


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## coolasluck (Sep 30, 2010)

John Thompson said:


> As far south as we can go!  Snowbirds following the sun.
> 
> Delayed this year, so we will be off mid to late November.  Heading for El Portus near Cartagena in SE Spain.  We will start making our way north again in April.
> 
> ...


 






John your blog link is broken.


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## David & Ann (Sep 30, 2010)

For the last 11 years I have been leaving the UK on the 2nd of Jan and flying to India, Australia, Thialand, practially anywhere in Asia where it is warm/hot. This year it looks like a no go as the Mrs will be having ler leg in plaster. Maybe, just maybe if the plaster is off by the end of Jan, then we might still hit the Asian weather. I have read a lot about you folks heading to Spain in the British winter, at times I think of doing it but back off as 14 to 16 degrees is still too cool for me. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to the weather.


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## vwalan (Sep 30, 2010)

you are right .spasin and portugal are too cold thats why many cross to morocco. then expect 18 -24 c  not really any more but it does occasionally. at 18c we ar thinking of putting the fire on. it does get cold up the mountains .but it can also get warmer . i once remember sat outside in a campsite at midnight near marakesh and onley wearing shorts and t,shirt. we were playing chess by lamp light. it is getting wetter even there though. 
cheers alan


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## Byronic (Sep 30, 2010)

Southern Spain can usually better 14C-16c in the winter but only for a a few hours a day. I have been heading there most winters for the last 20 years, but more often than not end up in Morocco.
I lived for many years in New Zealand and Australia, and since leaving  returned several
 times to escape the UK winters. Virtually guaranteed good weather of course in Oz, not quite so in NZ.
I note on various m/home forums that a fair number Brits are taking this option, often rental motorhoming, much more expensive than the Spain/Morocco option, and unless you take a couple of stopovers the flight's a real killer.
I have friends who invariably spend their winters in Thailand, they live very well on a limited budget due to the low cost of living, but staying put in an apartment for  4 months doesn't appeal to me, each to their own. So it's off to sunny(hopefully) Spain yet again!


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## jovik (Sep 30, 2010)

*Scooter*



John Thompson said:


> As far south as we can go!  Snowbirds following the sun.
> 
> Delayed this year, so we will be off mid to late November.  Heading for El Portus near Cartagena in SE Spain.  We will start making our way north again in April.
> 
> ...



Hi John, Do you put a scooter on the back of your camper, also what camper have you?


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## barnybg (Sep 30, 2010)

Along with Spain and Maroc,there is also * Greece * the Peloponese and * Turkey * near Cypres or even further near the Syrian border,also another but more costly is Tunisia..
At the moment it's 28c in Turkey,usually approx 25c in Bulgaria now ,but it has that wierd  cloud and rain of Europe at mo,so dropped to a freezing 15c,should go back up for a month  or two,Greece usually 14c  to 20c in winter.
This pic was taken two weeks ago at the Agean near Kavala.


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## vwalan (Sep 30, 2010)

you will find tunisia and greece and turkey not as warnm as morocco. in winter. also its getting there and away if you need to dash home. having tried these places i speak from experiance . its a shame egypt is a bit hard to get to as it can be nice in the sinia for winter. but its not just weather its being able to turn tale easily and comfortably . 4-5  days you can be back in uk even from southern maroc , trouble if you go east is getting back through the winter months. but you make your choice . have fun thats the main thing what ever you choose. see you on the road somewhere . cheers alan.


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## Kontiki (Sep 30, 2010)

Although the weather in Spain is usually a bit better than Portugal we prefer Portugal. Last year we did Northern Portugal & had pretty good weather aound March. We found the people there more friendly, felt safer & they mostly have a more relaxed attitude to wildcamping. The exception being the Algarve where some areas seem to be a bit less motorhome friendly, this is probably due to a large number of motorhomes staying put for sometimes months on end. We like yourselves prefer to move on every few days at the most.


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## southport (Oct 1, 2010)

Lots of vans at quartiera Algarve


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## Deleted member 967 (Oct 1, 2010)

coolasluck said:


> John your blog link is broken.


 
Thanks. Now fixed I hope.

John


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## Deleted member 967 (Oct 1, 2010)

jovik said:


> Hi John, Do you put a scooter on the back of your camper, also what camper have you?


 
Hi jovik

Thought of putting a motor bike on the back, as the Hymer S700 has a built in carrier which doubles as a rear bumper.  Tried and decided it was not going to work.  Old bike too big to fit comfortably.  Then decided I was getting to old and preferred the warmth and comfort of a car.  Joan also drives the car, I don't think she would have driven the old bike (Norton Jubilee).

I have a diesel Smart Fourtwo on a trailer behind instead.  Trailer also makes carrying poles for a mast for my radio easier to carry.

John


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## dolmen (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks for the replies, the UK has lost much of its appeal as I've grown older, there are probably lots of good points, but the weather is my main reason for leaving in the winter.
I like my independance while I'm still fit, so hitting the road again has a certain amount of appeal, has any of our members travelled in the USA? if the weather is so pants even down in Spain, perhaps we'll have to look at the SW USA? 

Asia could still be on the cards, as the cost still plays a major part, but finding a suitable property to rent with some land to garden could take some finding? I know many like Thailand, I'll probably need to do much more research.

Please keep your ideas coming, it all helps ...

Cheers


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## applecore (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm just so green with envy reading this.

At my age I have to work work work just to make ends meet and can at most manage a month in France or Spain in June or September.

Happy Trips this Winter


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## vwalan (Oct 2, 2010)

you may be suprised .last winter my partner and i spent 5 months driving around the coast of spain and portugal. being carefull not useing sites and not bringing presents back. we spent about 2,000quid the ferry was 576 more . even a trip to morocco can only add another 1,000 .we are a bit mean ,dont eat out much and dont go into cafe,s etc but it costs as little as that. i know others that do it cheaper but they dont drink. i also know others that spoend that much on a two week holiday. it can be cheaper than staying home .my costs are diesel ,food ,drink, dont smoke so save there. 
cheers alan.


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## David & Ann (Oct 2, 2010)

Fo the last 2 years we done Goa in India. Flight to Mumbai and then on to Goa was a total of 10 hrs. A return for 2 adults was £1035.  We always go for 3 months.  We rent a room in a private family home with an onsuite shower & toilets, have the use of kitchen which we use only for making cups of tea. Rent for our place was Rs250 per day. We have breakfast at Felix's cafe for Rs40. On the beach bar/restuarant ( Benaulim beach) we have our lunch/brunch plus drinks for the whole day 11:00 to 17:00 for Rs250 maximum. Then our evening meal at one of the many Restuarnts in the village/town or also on a beach restuarant, again, Rs250. Multiply all the above by 90 days and you have paid a total of Rs48600. at Rs 75 to the £ (an average) it will cost you £648 for 3 months. Of course you can pay a lot more for hotels, but the average homes, mostly private, are between Rs200 to 300 rental. Temperatures are 27 in Jan rising to 35 in April. Water temp: around 30 degrees.    
Hope this helps. If you need more  info, give us a shout.


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## badgerfamily (Oct 3, 2010)

This is a fab thread!! Its great to hear how far your money goes and  that you are all going away for the winter.

We have just bought our first motorhome and quit our jobs to take our children age 5 around Europe for the next 12 months (maybe 2 years if the money lasts).

Do any of you tow a trailer? I was thinking of towing a box trailer because our starter motorhome is TINY. Its a 4 berth Hymer Camp and there is no storage so I thought a box trailer would be a good idea. Do you think it will be a problem wild camping with a trailer on the back?

Someone mentioned a green card. I was going to take out a regular insurance but am now thinking if I tell them I want to be in Europe for 12 monthis it might cause issues. Any way around this?

Lots of questions.

Toni


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## vwalan (Oct 3, 2010)

hi you dont need a green card for europe .but some insurers dont cover fully comp for you to be out of uk for a long spell. they do have to give you the minimum ins cover for all countries in the eu for all year. becareful taking your vehicle out for over 12 months . you really need to keep it mot and taxed to be legal and thats where the problems start . anyway lots of people have trailers its the only way for the older generation to get round the life style of a traveller. they need medicals at 70. make sure you have a licence to allow a trailer. no problems with a trailer i use a little one .ha ha . well a baby one .
 every thing depends on who you insure with though , safeguard ,comfort and saga i believe dont limit your stay . have fun fire away with questions .there are alot of us to answer and confuse you even more . cheers alan.,


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## Kontiki (Oct 3, 2010)

Also if you are fulltiming then you need the right insurance (which can be expensive) I am not sure but I think there is some sort of EU ruling that you have to register in a country if you are staying for more than three months. I don't know how they can know how long you have been in any one country though as there are very few border controls in most of the EU.


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## Deleted member 967 (Oct 4, 2010)

vwalan said:


> hi you dont need a green card for europe .but some insurers dont cover fully comp for you to be out of uk for a long spell. they do have to give you the minimum ins cover for all countries in the eu for all year. becareful taking your vehicle out for over 12 months . you really need to keep it mot and taxed to be legal and thats where the problems start . anyway lots of people have trailers its the only way for the older generation to get round the life style of a traveller. they need medicals at 70. make sure you have a licence to allow a trailer. no problems with a trailer i use a little one .ha ha . well a baby one .
> every thing depends on who you insure with though , safeguard ,comfort and saga i believe dont limit your stay . have fun fire away with questions .there are alot of us to answer and confuse you even more . cheers alan.,



I can confirm that Comfort give full 12 month cover UK and Europe.  They are also the only company that offers* Full Time use cover*.  We are with them.   Their insurance can also offer UK & Europe RAC commercial recovery for vehicles over 3500kg.  

We tow a trailer to carry the Smart Car.

You need to return to the UK to get your MOT (no way around that).  VED and insurance can be done abroad by post or on line, but you will need to get the VED disk forwarded to you to comply with UK law, particularly on entry to the UK.  You also need a UK contact address for insurance, licence etc if you are considering full time.  

John


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## badgerfamily (Oct 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info. On Sunday I took out insurance with Sure Term online but when I spoke to them today they said the max of one EU trip is 60 days. So I think I will give them a call and use my 14 day cooling off period and cancell in order to maybe use Comfort as I have heard many good things about them.

We plan to visit the UK to get a MOT done or just trade in the Motorhome because its just a starter to get us used to fulltiming. I would like to get a 6 berth with 2 fixed beds so I dont have to make them up every night of my life I also love the garage that comes with the models that have a fixed bed at the back. I think about 28foot would do us.

Do you have any problems getting these around little villages? 
Also are you warm at night, in Spain in winter for example? My mom is having kittens over us being freezing cold. I think my little Hymer is lovely and snug.

Toni


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## Kontiki (Oct 4, 2010)

If you are full timing you will find the insurance to be expensive, I'm with Saga who give me a full years EU insurance BUT his isn't the same as full timing, you need to be aware there are differences. 
Spain in winter can be pleasantly warm most days & sometimes almost as hot as our summers especially along the south coast. It can also be freezing cold depending where you go. Some areas of Spain get a lot of snow.


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## badgerfamily (Oct 4, 2010)

Ok I didnt realise there was a difference. 

We will be leaving the UK on 25th Oct and house sitting in france for 5 months. After that we will be going around Europe for a year or so. I am sure we will pop back into the UK to visit relatives at least 2 times a year so does this count as full timing or can I just get 12 months EU cover?

I suppose I should give a few insurers a call and see what they make of it.

Do you stay warm in your motorhome in the winter in Spain then? I know ours is winterised but have not had the pleasure of taking it out in this cold weather yet. Hopefully we will next weekend and it will be our first time ever!! Until now we have just driven it back from pick uo and it was really toasty but I suspect this is different to sleeping in it.

I am so wet behind the ears with this whole thing. I cant wait to get started and experience it for real.

Toni


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## Deleted member 967 (Oct 5, 2010)

badgerfamily said:


> Ok I didnt realise there was a difference.
> 
> We will be leaving the UK on 25th Oct and house sitting in france for 5 months. After that we will be going around Europe for a year or so. I am sure we will pop back into the UK to visit relatives at least 2 times a year so does this count as full timing or can I just get 12 months EU cover?
> 
> ...


 
Hi Toni

You will be classed as Full Timing if you do not have a UK address at which you are on the Electoral Register and are Paying Council Tax.  This is different from having an accomodation address for insurance and other documents such as passport, driving licence, etc.

Comfort are the only Company that offer true Full Time cover at present.  If you have a UK vehicle in another country for more than 6 months, it should be declared as exported and then registered in that country.  This does not stop you moving around from country to country only being in one for an extended period.

Comfort give cover for *6 months in any one country *in Europe during a 12 month period.  

We were warm enough in the UK last winter in freezing conditions, so for us Spain will be no problem.

John


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## badgerfamily (Oct 5, 2010)

Hi Thanks for the wealth of info

I have contacted the insurance company today and explained what we are doing. They added on 12 month cover for an extra £97. Its not Full Timing cover as we are living in a house in France for 5 months and comming back to the UK for the MOT and to visit family so they were happy with this.

Do you manage wild camping with just your leisure battery or do you need to use a generator? We have a Generator but I was going to leave it here as its bulky.

Do you know where I can find out what my payload is? From what I can see my notor home is similar in size to the Hymer Swing and the payload on that is 580KG. Is this good?

cheers

Toni


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## badgerfamily (Oct 5, 2010)

You guys have been so helpfull. I had no idea when I packed up the family and decided to go travelling that I would have to take in so much info.

I never even thought about the fact that we would not be paying council tax.

I will have to consider this one as we were just planning on using my husbans dads address for mail.


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## vwalan (Oct 5, 2010)

thats a difficult one to answer i used to use a vw far too small and overloaded all the time .now i have about 4 ton payload either in/on the truck or in the trailer . but i manage . soon lose lots payload with extra beer wine and food you want but cant get abroad or bring home whats expensive here. i also carry half ton of diesel . m,bikes etc but you cant have too much space or payload. brown sauce .ploughmans pickle, porridge oats , mixed dried fruit,english mustard . bacon ,chedder cheese , bacon joints , baked beans ,tea, all take up space and payload. you can keep cheese and bacon outside a fridge if its all cryovac packed. i take about 5kilo of cheese for the winter and loads of bacon. its a learning curve but next time you will know what to take that you missed . cheers alan.
anything you really like ask us we can say if you can get it abroad or take it.


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## Kontiki (Oct 5, 2010)

Don't rely on the specs for your payload, the only way is to get the van weighted then see what you have on your MGW plate, when you weigh the van it should have everything that you are taking including you & the family I personally think that 580kg can soon disappear. If you are overloaded the penalties in the EU can be high & in the event of a serious accident the insurance might only cover you third party. You can always check if you can uprate the payload (on many vans its just a paper exercise) as many of the motorhomes are plated at 3.5t so more people can use them at the expense of payload. If you passed your test before 1997 then you can drive up to 7.5t on your license, also if you tax your vehicle when it is over 3.5t it's slightly cheaper.

Have you got a solar panel(s) fitted if so then depending on your battery power & usage you can probably manage, we almost always wildcamp & don't have any problems with power. A generator even a small one will take a chunk out of your payload  (prefer to stock up with wine/beer instead of genny + petrol )


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## vwalan (Oct 5, 2010)

the tax differance is about 40 quid . the max fine in uk for overloading is 5,000quid . but you may never get that much .but can be stopped from carrying on your journey till you lose the extra weight. can cause a problem as the wife and kids keep climbing back in . best give them a fiver and say go and get some chips then disappear. ha ha . but it can be difficult. when i had my vw i was half a ton over leaving uk . with full water fuel and wine almost a ton over weight . we were travelling round africa, so carried alot you possibly havent got on board . my view is a camper for long terming really needs to be of atleast 5 ton gvw . the 508 merc did set the pace years ago. now a daf 7.5 truck can be bought cheap and make lovely campers . but suck it and see .surfboards wet suits etc all take up room. cheers alan.


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## Bernard Jones (Oct 5, 2010)

badgerfamily said:


> Thanks for the info. On Sunday I took out insurance with Sure Term online but when I spoke to them today they said the max of one EU trip is 60 days.Toni


My Churchill Certificate is valid all year.  I think thats just third party though, if you want Comp you have to pay extra and the max is 90 days.


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## Bernard Jones (Oct 5, 2010)

Kontiki said:


> Spain in winter can be pleasantly warm most days & sometimes almost as hot as our summers especially along the south coast.


 
I was on the Costa Del Sol last winter and found it made an enourmous difference which way the wind was blowing.  Around mid day if the wind was blowing North up from the Sahara it could be 24 degrees.  But if it was blowing south over the snow capped mountains it was not much above freezing.


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## vwalan (Oct 5, 2010)

all insurance took out in eu as to cover the minimumin each country for the life of the policy ,its eu law . uk insurers try to tell you its not true but it is . they are abit like crooks . also most foreign companies do a round the med cover you are lucky to find a uk company that does it.


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## Byronic (Oct 5, 2010)

It's not all plusses if you upplate over 3.5 tonnes there are more restrictions imposed particularly in France eg entry to towns, some aires and parking areas. Also some garages stick rigidly to under 3.5 tonnes MOT and the like. 
 I'm not suggesting that everybody sticks to these laws/rules but why give yourself potential trouble if you don't need to.


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## Byronic (Oct 5, 2010)

vwalan said:


> all insurance took out in eu as to cover the minimumin each country for the life of the policy ,its eu law . uk insurers try to tell you its not true but it is . they are abit like crooks . also most foreign companies do a round the med cover you are lucky to find a uk company that does it.


 
Quite so, which is why when I go to Maroc I note it's virtually only Brits (and Moroccans)queuing up getting Assurance Frontiere at the port. Other Europeans get automatic cover for countries bordering the Med. Most years my insurers refuse cover for Maroc let alone the other African countries on the Med.
Just too foreign for them could be a risk, I suppose they're not in the insurance business to take risks.


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## vwalan (Oct 5, 2010)

try saga you can get maroc and recovery all built in . and a very good policy to go with it . good price as well.


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## Byronic (Oct 6, 2010)

vwalan said:


> try saga you can get maroc and recovery all built in . and a very good policy to go with it . good price as well.


 
Thanks, but I'm too old, the van that is.
What I have experienced over the years is; that what the insurance company promises at renewal time ie Green Card for Maroc, is not necessarily available at the time when I apply.When you have a 1990 vehicle and it's selfbuilt and over 3.5 tonnes you don't have too many insurance companies rushing to give you cover even for these hallowed shores.
Some bods I know will be a bit disengenuous with the truth concerning the insurance co. so as to get round these problems.
I always tell the insurance company the truth re. age of vehicle etc it's not worth spending £300 or so on a premium only to find I'm not covered.


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## badgerfamily (Oct 6, 2010)

Scooting back to payload. I am confused. My vehicle reg doc (the bit you get from the people you bought it from as I am waiting for the rest in the post) says Revenue weight 1550.0kg unladen.

Will my full VRG show the payload?


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## Kontiki (Oct 6, 2010)

The V5 should show the MGW (max gross weight) which for the Hymer Swing I would think was 3500 kg (PLG private light goods)  or 3850 kgs. (PHG private heavy goods) I think the unladen weight is the empty weight of the vehicle but I can't see it being 1550 kgs that is more like the weight of a car. 
The payload of your van is the MGW minus the amount it actually weighs, many manufacturers have a definition of how this is made up, I think there are EU regulations to cover it. From memory it is something like = weight includes the driver (weighing 70 kgs) , water & fuel about three quarters full. Anything fitted to the standard van such as satellite, awning etc. comes off your payload also the rest of your family (580 kgs not looking that big now ) All you need to remember is the MGW of the vehicle when everybody is in & all your gear must not be exceeded, if you do you risk being heavily fined if stopped & worse in the event of an accident your insurance can be void (except for the third party cover)

Not wanting to be alarmist about it all but you should be made aware of the risks if you are touring the EU, in all my years & trips I have never been stopped but I have passed about 3 vans I saw being weighed


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## barnybg (Oct 7, 2010)

*Winter dayz ???*

So many go to Maroc,but what if you cannot get there,or Spain ,off the coast of Gibralter,where else have or would anyone suggest ?
What part of Greece for example and what temperatures would/could i expect from December to March,as i live in Bulgaria at the mo,and although stunning from April till September from December on it snows,and gradually the temperature drops,not so bad in the house but feel a little 'bear like' ,ok i have internet and television etc ,but might make the choice of  'foreign soil ' if the weather was warm or sunny,around 20 c  ???
I have the other choice of Turkey,right down by Cypres but i have a dog and you also need a 90 day visa there.


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## vwalan (Oct 7, 2010)

the trouble with greece ,turkey etc is its just not good enough weather .i have tried it . also its a bit harder to drive home in an emergency. as for going somewhere else i dont know where you can drive easily and have good weather.i have tried tunisia but its still not quite warm enough. its a very  difficult to get south enough to be warm and be able to get home with your vehicle .yes you can fly home but sometimes its hard to get your vehicle in a compound to keep it safe . it very often needs to be kept in customs sheds as it may only be allowed to be in the country a set time. all inconveniance to arrange. 
cheers alan


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## barnybg (Oct 7, 2010)

*Still asking ?*

Yes,Thanks Allan,but thats presuming your driving FROM the UK and you want to drive back,and in a hurry ...
I am asking if anyone knows where the temperature is ok,enough for me to Winter it out,instead of BULGARIA,where i am at the moment,it's far to far for me to travel overland the many countries to get to Spain or Maroc,so i was looking for an alternative,i thought lower edge of Turkey because it next to Syria/Israel etc,desert countries  ?? I might be totally wrong and again,i need that 90 day visa (no probs)but have to return within that time frame (and with a dog)
I asked about Greece,the very tip at the bottom,wouldn't that be warm as Spain as it's on the same %  on the map ?? but over a little ?
Thanks again Allan for trying to help,and i know your definately biased on Maroc,so ANYONE else been to ANYWHERE in the winter between Dec and March,which was good enough for t-shirt or shorts ? other than Spain ?


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## maingate (Oct 7, 2010)

Hi Barny,

I am afraid that it does get very cold in the desert countries. The exception being in coastal areas eg: The Gulf and the Red Sea coast. Parts of equitorial Africa can get surprisingly cold as well. I was only 8 degrees off the Equator and I spent some miserable 12 hour nightshifts freezing my b****cks off due to the altitude and being in the middle of a large land mass.

Did you ever read Bravo Two Zero. Those SAS lads got hypothermia when they were caught out in the open and it started snowing.

My advice is to get under the Duvet in November and stay there till April.


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## vwalan (Oct 7, 2010)

hi barney .yes i,m a bit bias but what i,m saying is true. for you it seems like you will have to do syria jordan and egypt. turkey isnt warn enough. i understand your problem but it would be the same for us to go to syria etc . its the countries that you have to pass through that makes it difficult to get back. just like you will have to leave early to get to spain. you need to look at an atlas and work off the30 degree line .its a good starter .agadir is possibly the best place to be .its sheltered by the canary isles as well from the west winds . but is getting a bit of a job to park . its about level with cairo .even syria and jordan are too high .they also get freezing winds from iraq believe me i.ve tried and cant find the ideal place other than maroc.i can say i decided to stay in uk to live as i dont mind the summer but its easy to get away in winter. i have spent summer time in other places but most get too hot , france was the other option but you still cant stay there in winter. and would have to come back to uk to see family so no gain on ferry saving. bit of a bummer if you live where you are . i did think about it but decided against it a few year ago. is cheap for land and property though. but cold in winter. cheers leave now see you on the med. alan.


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## AndyC (Oct 8, 2010)

The Med from Sicily to Turkey is usually not as warm as southern Spain. You can get good days but it's not guaranteed, we've been in Turkey Feb/March time (Kas/Antalya) and certainly had some shorts and t-shirt days but also cold and wet days. Average max temp ranges from 14C to 19C between December and March.

AndyC


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## jonghong (Oct 17, 2010)

vwalan said:


> you may be suprised .last winter my partner and i spent 5 months driving around the coast of spain and portugal. being carefull not useing sites and not bringing presents back. we spent about 2,000quid the ferry was 576 more . even a trip to morocco can only add another 1,000 .we are a bit mean ,dont eat out much and dont go into cafe,s etc but it costs as little as that. i know others that do it cheaper but they dont drink. i also know others that spoend that much on a two week holiday. it can be cheaper than staying home .my costs are diesel ,food ,drink, dont smoke so save there.
> cheers alan.


 
how the hell did you manage that?
I'm doing my budget for a 5 month trip
We'll be doing 10,000km which will be  over 1k on the diesel alone
Total we're looking at around 6k for 5 months and I thought we were tight. We do have a baby though.


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## vwalan (Oct 17, 2010)

hi . go every year ,either spain ,portugal or spain morocco spain portugal . just becareful what you buy . i dont smoke .but do drink. never really use bars or restuarants . never use a laundry . never pay top park if you can. no campsites . buy diesel in super markets . ang gib . etc . do have big tanks to allow advantage of cheap diesel. can get home from gib if i go direct route. build a stock of what you cant get cheap abroad up before you go. all takes practice and soon you will be saving a fortune. takes a few trips to know whats cheap in each country. maybe a few more will give an idea of what they spend and how. but i know some spend less than us as they dont drink . have never spent 6k and sometimes are away for up to 10 months .even 3 of us . might spend a bit just before we catch the ferry but thats for drinks at home.  
cheers alan.


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## coolasluck (Oct 17, 2010)

Hey Alan have a good time wintering mate and think kindly of us from time to time working in our crappy little jobs that we hate.
Enjoy the warmer weather.


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## vwalan (Oct 17, 2010)

the choice is yours . 26,000 campers hit morocco in th winter according to the maroc tourist board . so plenty have got the message. i first visited in 76 . and now its a different place no signs of the old maroc . first visited europe as a child in the early 60,s .again no longer anything like it was. but neither is cornwall. this is the best time to make the change . if you havent already you cant get it back. if you wait till later you have missed out again. today is the day. i cant remember a better time in the uk as today. forget the credit crunch . life here now is far nicer than its ever been. we live a life of luxury here . but i like to see the basic lives of others to know we are in luxury. go in on monday give a months notice and see you on the med . difficult for some .i planned this life of mine from being a small child . would have liked to be from true gypsy stock but never mind . cheers alan.


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## dolmen (Oct 18, 2010)

Alan, ever thought about writing a book? I'm sure loads of folks would love to hear your story! I'm a bit like you, but I'm only getting into my stride now at 50 ... been around afew corners of the world in my time but now we intend to take things a little easier and would love somewhere for the winter. 

Maroc sounds (to me) a little stressful, I like peace and quiet, hense my reason for asking about the USA some posts back. We would consider buying a camper out there for travelling Oct - Mar keeping to the sourthern states should mean a very plesent winter before coming home and touring perhaps northern europe, which has attracked me for years.

Oh, and I received my adapters, thanks.

Cheers


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## badgerfamily (Oct 18, 2010)

I have to add to what Allan said. We had wanted to travel for years but kept thinking we couldnt afford to leave our jobs. Then one day my husband who has worked for the same company since he left University, just snapped!! he handed in his notice and 8 weeks later we have sold our house and everything we own and are off travelling. We had no idea where the money was comming from but the dream was calling and we knew it would come if we wanted it enough. 

We leave in 7 days, we are sleeping on the floor and we couldnt be more excited.

We have a house sit for 5 months which has helped. We used housecarers.com

Toni


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## barnybg (Oct 18, 2010)

*Syria or Maroc ?bugger it i'll stay at home.*

Me in Bulgaria again,now 14c to 19c sounds good to me,so it'slike what it is now in Turkey in December/january ?
What is it like in Gibralter area the same timeand then Maroc and what part,for both for FREE  camping ? I'm thinking and working it out,Syria is approx 900 miles down the coast of Turkey from me,so i'm going to see how far Gibralter and maroc is,costs etc,and them dreaded ferry crossings,might useGreece/Italy one tosave driving round and up to Germany switzerland and cut across,then there's the Maroc ferry,how much approx for a 23' camper ? Arrgh,i hate decisions especially when it costs money,oh and what about the dog ? and Maroc ?Mmmmmm.


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## jenny and mitch (Oct 27, 2010)

*warm weather wintering*

This was a great thread I have learnt a lot just reading it . Thanks. Mitch


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