Eleven weeks in Europe.

[Fullback]

Hello all my wife and I have just returned from our first European trip .we booked the eurotunnel
And 3 short stays on sites one in France /fucina in italy and camp bled in Sloveniaapart from that it was all just see how it goes .Our Van is a Burstner Lyseo Harmony 590 2.3 .140hp engine on a Ducati base 5.99 mtr long .
I thought it might interest some of you how much and what we spent our money on .

Our trip started on the 19th May and ended on the 1st August and clocked up 4350 miles .
We also put no tolls or motorways in the sat nav this was our best decision as some of the towns ,villages and countryside was outstanding .
Didn’t help on mpg but well worth the extra fuel.

Ok here we go .

Fuel - £1378 @ Av £125 per week getting 31mpg

Ad blue £16

LPG £67

Food £ 1062 @ 96.50 week.

Sites and Aires £ 823 @. £74 week

We stayed

3 days Annecy France
2 days saints -croix-du-verdon
3 days lake Garda Switzerland
3 days in a site in Frusina- France 3 days in a site Cinqueterra Italy 3 days in a site in Venice-Italy 5 days in camp Bled -Slovenia

These sites were used as we wanted to recharge the batteries ours not the vans and the areas were definitely worth a few days to enjoy the surroundings the rest of our stops were in aires or free park ups .

Treats . £1756 @ £159 week
We are on holiday after all this included meals out /ice creams /cakes and drinks .

Sightseeing £208 @ 19 week
Most of our costs on site seeing were very cheap
Citadels , museums and a few gondola rides towns and historic buildings in the main were free to enter

Car parks £28

Public transport £89 this was trams and valpoetti in Venice .

Must haves . £ 63
Swim trunks & caps in most public pools we needed swimming trunks not swimming shorts i have no idea apart from maybe pockets not allowed in the pools .
Also national souvenirs for the van .

Tolls and road vingnettes .£63.

Our total spend came in at £5,559 which works out at £505 per week

 

[Dezi]

I thought I was the one married to the chartered accountant.!

Dezi

 

[izwozral]

Very good value I'd say. You could easily add another 2-4 grand on a UK tour round Rip-Off-Uk.

 

[Fullback]

I totally agree fuel and food is cost neutral as would of use at home anyway.
So all in all a cost neutral trip .

 

[barryd]

Very good value I'd say. You could easily add another 2-4 grand on a UK tour round Rip-Off-Uk.

I'm gonna be awkward and disagree! our southwest Devon and cornwall tour for eight weeks was cheap as chips. Now we are in the Scottish isles even cheaper. being a top freeloader I know where all the cheap farmers fields like out of carry on camping are where everything is a quid and I've just become a wilding beach bum now up in Scotlandshire.

The OP's Euro trip sounds superb though. Done most of them. Brilliant. Long trips, it's the only way to go.

 

[Stanski]

A nice excursion that is in my opinion why a motorhome is to be bought, good to read your costs, as it supports the financial planning that some of us also maintain.
The surprising thing is mpg - would have expected this to be higher.
Our 24 Yr old Ducato does same mpg.

What savings could be made do you suggest?

For those on a tight budget a couple of ideas would be:
One would be at Venice, parking in Treviso, then catching a train to Venice for €12 per person.
Another would be to staying at the Aire at Bohinge Baptista further up the mountain not at Lake Bled campsite.

Any other suggestions?

 

[jagmanx]

We are just finishing our mini tour of France.
Cheaper than Uk even including Shuttle and medical insurance. (£500)
Nice quiet roads and very good overnights.
Many free !

 

[Moonraker 2]

Well it does sound like a wonderful trip, glad you enjoyed it and there are two of you but it's a tad expensive by my reckoning.
I am on a state pension so my first months pension pays for the ferry to Santander and some fuel and the second months pension has to pay the two months living costs which gives me approximately £80 per week!!
Tight, I know but it can be done with free stops in Spain and cheaper food, and I still have a great time.

 

[Stanski]

Well it does sound like a wonderful trip, glad you enjoyed it and there are two of you but it's a tad expensive by my reckoning.
I am on a state pension so my first months pension pays for the ferry to Santander and some fuel and the second months pension has to pay the two months living costs which gives me approximately £80 per week!!
Tight, I know but it can be done with free stops in Spain and cheaper food, and I still have a great time.

Hi Moonraker 2,
Apologies in advance should you have personal reasons not to do what I proffer below.
I see the Santander ferry as a pain both financially and having travel annoyances.
Often sailings are tormented by weather, thus why bother.
Using other ferries to France, Newhaven to Dieppe is one example, with the aires and available facilities in France to me this travel route makes more sense and greater enjoyment. The driving is as onerous as you decide so why not enjoy the countryside.
We take 5 to 9 days travelling various routes through France to then go to Spain, or to Italy, or other central European countries.
We try to obtain a ferry for less than £100, with a tank of fuel achieving just under 500 miles, 2 and a half tanks takes us to South France.
Current fuel prices are annoying, €1.94 to 1.98 here in Holland where we are as i write this, a little better in France at €1.84 to 1.89
Overall the freedom of travel is what is more enjoyable.
Also understand if you live near a port, or in the SW (as we do) but is it really the better option.

 

[trevskoda]

£96 a week on food, that would almost last me 3 weeks at home, treats, I would stick to licking the ice cream shop window, hope you had a good time.

 

[pamjon]

I must be a real cheapskate, we go to France three times a year the best I have ever done is spend 1 euro in 6 weeks on water.
We do not count our diesel as our hobby normally pays for it and more. I have a large freezer which I fill purely with meat because meat is expensive in France.
We don't aim to go to free aires it is just where we find ourselves. We normally go into a village and either have a coffee and beer and or bread to say thank you for the aire. The cost of the ferry normally covers my wine and cigarettes. We don't just go into central we go right down south as well as we like it down there. We have never been on a campsite ever in France we only use the aires. We have been doing this for at least 17 years. We generally take 1000 euros and always come back with about 300. It is of course everyone to their own and what they want to do but we thoroughly enjoy our 5 to 6 weeks and we see lots of Chateau's etc . We are programmed to save our hard earnt money and consider ourselves lucky.
PJ

 

[yeoblade]

..................snip/ We also put no tolls or motorways in the sat nav this was our best decision as some of the towns ,villages and countryside was outstanding .
Didn’t help on mpg but well worth the extra fuel.

It may have saved you some euro though, if not MPG because the route was shorter. Following SatNav routes along toll motorways can add a lot of miles to your journey.
Thanks for the account

 

[Rabkia]

Wow I’ve read all this post and can see that getting a van is for us, but I do tend to agree with the OP that toll roads are a no no for us too, we’re much more of the opinion that the countryside is a big part of the holiday, and stopping near a field to let the hounds out for a run and grabbing a quick drink yes please , I haven’t yet read anything here or anywhere that makes me think twice about getting a van , (except the bank manager )