First trip to France

Alsyapal

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Hi Guys I am taking my campervan to France in June - what paperwork do I need for the van do I need something from the insurance company or can I use the usual insurance certificate. In addition anyone know the cheapest way to get to Calais special offers whatever Thanks in advance
 
hi, take the log book ,your normal insurance certificate .it covers all eu countries . ask your insurance broker company for a eu accident statement form ,its an official statement form identical throughout eu. if an accident occurs you both fill it in. it makes life easier if you have an english copy to look at. they are free.
drive carefully ,and slowly at first. you soon get used to it.
have your driving licence,mot, etc with you as well.
have a good time , let us know how you got on . cheers alan.
 
Not forgetting Warning Triangle, fluorescent waistcoats for each member in the vehicle, headlight deflectors and I believe spare lamps.

Take plenty of gas to last the journey and a very long power lead if you stop at campsites, aires etc

A sense of humour is great, getting lost can mean that you see areas that otherwise you'd have missed.

A satnav can mean that when the unexpected detours occur the sense of humour does not evaporate when you can't find a camp site!

Enjoy yourselves!
 
campsite what are they. best visit the first big book shop get an aire de service camping car booklet . helps if you can mumble a few words of french .but a good dictionary can help translate . there are thousands of free camping places . and more with a small payment. i personally have never used a sat nav, never take the wrong turning . it just turns into a different adventure. have fun i,m sure you will. campsites bahhh, in franc ,bahh.
 
Hi, Have booked a ferry in the opposite direction & found P&O to be the cheapest with a 6 meter van, 44.00 pounds departing Calais 0820 hrs.

Have a great trip. :have fun:

Nolly.
 
Did anyone also say take your driving license!?! I also carry a photocopy of EVERYTHING, then if you do get stopped you can always offer them a copy!

I have NEVER been stopped, and as motorhome drivers I'm rarely in a hurry and don't speed through villages... they are as bad as our police at hiding in villages, and they know when and where people speed. e.g. we saw more police driving down to Le Mans for the 24hr than at any other time - sports car drivers look out!

6 more 'sleeps' and we're off to Biarritz for 3 wks!!!
 
Trip to France

Thanks for all the good advice guys - do I need a plug converter I have the english hook up plug but read somewhere that they use a two pin plug in France

Thanks again
 
convertor

Yes, you may need a 2-pin to euro adaptor depending on how up-to-date the facilities are at your chosen sites.
You should also get a polarity tester and polarity reversing lead. You can buy kits from ebay containing all of the above
 
British switches isolate the positive lead so if you switch polarity switching off has no effect and the equipment remains live

Richard
 
I know I'm even thicker when it comes to electricity... but as we have AC electric is there really a pos & neg? Hence some 2 pin plugs fitting either way round? I know there's problems with earths & stuff, and yes I know we have blue & brown wires... but surely only DC has a pos & neg with a one way flow... Or am I even thicker than I thought???
 
The live or pos wire in an ac circuit will change between pos and neg VOLTS, 50 times a second. -240 volts still has the same energy as +240 volts. The Neutral/neg should be at earth potential ie zero volts. In short the N wire dead, the L very much live!

If the N cable has a break in it after the load then the N cable will carry the full load voltage. in other words fail to connect the N cable (incoming supply) at your fusebox then both P and N cables will be live throughout the installation

Paul
 
Reversed Polarity

It means these day the 2 wires (live and neutral) are crossed over inside the unit you hook up to. I have never found one and I think they are pretty rare these days. In practical terms it means the power will work but you could get a shock off an electrical device if connected up in such a way.

You can buy a reversed polarity plug/adapter for such occasions (or reverse the wiring on a spare regular 2 pin plug yourself IF you are competent AND mark it very clearly with a label.

Personally I don't bother.
 
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