Leaving van in spain

[Wully]

Hi anybody done this I've been thinking of taking my van over to Spain via Santander ferry crossing using van in Spain for a couple of weeks in summer. Then finding a safe storage space fly home then get cheap flights back and forward when I get time off work over next winter use van then home I don't know if this is good idea or not but I've worked out that if took van home it wouldn't be worth it as I would spend most of my two weeks driving and there's the cost. It's just an idea at this stage any ideas would be appreciated

It's the 500 miles between here and Portsmouth I dread.

 

[n brown]

good idea, there's a number do it in Portugal, probably plenty do it in Spain. you have to think of the importing laws of course, not sure how they work these days, but it may turn out better to store it in Portugal and use it in Spain

 

[Pauljenny]

Also consider:
Insurance validity.. You are supposed to declare where it is habitually kept, length of time out of the uk,etc. Occupancy

MOT and road tax.

Just how secure is the storage, effect on tyres and batteries.


I know a Dutch guy, east of Faro, who stores vans outdoors
Not a good.long term solution, IMHO.
We used him for a month, 8 years ago.. He was charging 1.25 Euro per night for a 6 metre van.
There's another guy near Silves.


Things may have changed since then.. Look on the web.

.

 

[n brown]

the guy near Silves is still storing vans

 

[Wully]

That's what I mean I've not thought this through yet will look into insurance. Portugal sounds great
Maybe if I could find a really secure caravan site on coast either Spain Portugal put van on pitch and use when I get chance would really like to do this been thinking about it for months now it's when October comes around and you hear all the snowbirds on here heading for the sun you start dreaming of sitting in the sun. 🏝

 

[Pauljenny]

We looked at Spanish campsites.
The general impression was that they didn't allow long term unoccupied vans on the site itself.. And if they did, it was costly.The land on front line sites is too expensive.. they need it to be earning from vans with occupants and pets, using gas and electric and spending in the shops and bars.
Perhaps one further away from the coast may help.
Get yer Google finger going.

 

[Wully]

Been looking flight schedules and prices from Glasgow as we stay about 15 mins from airport and it looks like Spain is the best bet probably near Alicante as There are several budget airlines doing this route over the winter. So might look at somthing near there . But I'm still open to ideas and any suggestions airport parking might be worth looking at but could get pricey

 

[n brown]

there's other ways, everybody needs cash, ask in a village bar . there'll be someone with a patch of land who'll go for it, or ask in an ex-pats bar . my daughter just had a van on her land for a while, or like P&J said there's the guy west of Faro

 

[jagmanx]

Insurance and MOT and DVLA

These appear to be the several issues

1a you need to tell insurance the vehicle is kept abroad This will probably cause the premium to rocket
1b They may not insure it if you are storing it (eg in UK you need a CaSSOA site Find secure caravan storage across the UK
2 maybe DVLA / 3 maybe "Spanish DVLA"
3a MOT
3b How do you get UK insurance without MOT


Not wishing to be negative but "eyes fully open"...

Others do it so......

 

[Geraldine]

What if you had it stored somewhere abroad. Then once a year get someone to bring it back across to uk. i.e Portsmouth and have it MOT ed. Then driven back to site. It could be done out of season to save on ferry charges.
I have a friend who has two properties in South is Spain and he sometimes drives his car their touring the coast as he goes.
Cheers.
David

Ps those flights to Canada are cheap at the mo.

 

[Robmac]

I think the problem Wully will have is that it is not just a motorhome. It is a big, expensive motorhome (Dethleffs esprit i7870).

If it was mine, I would need to feel extremely confident about where it was left, how well insured it was and that anybody driving it for him was very competent and well covered. The size and value will compound the costs of keeping it abroad as well.

I think the only answer is for Wully to hire a van abroad and let me look after the big un while he is away!

 

[5andy]

Sorry to undermine your cunning plan Rob, but I was coming to the conclusion that storage might be the most straightforward part for Wullie . The site here offers the service and a lot about of people leave their Caravans without problem. I need the check about motorhomes. 1e per day although rumour has it that it is rising to 1.50. I would have thought that the larger sites on the Costa Blanca would offer this service.
Sandy

 

[Deleted member 9849]

On a rally in Spain a couple of years ago one of the members from the UK had a heart attack and was hospitalised for a couple of weeks.When he came out he wasn't allowed to drive because of it.He had an expensive tag axle Swift Kontiki.As he was on his own and his insurance didn't cover motorhome repatriation he had to put it in storage on the campsite and fly back to the UK.Fortunately the site had a long term storage compound which looked quite secure but his insurance company wouldn't cover the van whilst it was in there.

As has been said I think insurance is the main stumbling block and the terms and conditions should be checked carefully.In the case above the bloke had to leave a motorhome worth £50k plus in a Spanish storage compound uninsured.

 

[Robmac]

Sorry to undermine your cunning plan Rob, but I was coming to the conclusion that storage might be the most straightforward part for Wullie . The site here offers the service and a lot about of people leave their Caravans without problem. I need the check about motorhomes. 1e per day although rumour has it that it is rising to 1.50. I would have thought that the larger sites on the Costa Blanca would offer this service.
Sandy

Damn you and your local knowledge Sandy. Damn you I say! :mad1:

 

[Channa]

Right tree, wrong branch !..(Perhaps)

The problem with campers is they are supposed to conform with their host nation rules 1.e mot insurance and road tax.

The solution is keep the van in the UK and buy a touring caravan.

Let me explain

When I worked in France one of my sites was Le Port de Limeuil in the the Dordogne. and what I am about to describe was nothing to do with me but the cheapest holidays ever.

A few canny Brits had bought tourers or brought one from the UK. They stored them with a local farmer M Perdigat. Storage costs in line with the UK.


What would happen is ring the site can we come x-y ....assuming OK ring M Perdigat he would drag the van out of storage tug it to the campsite pitch it all ready to go. ( wash it down first)

Owners catch a cheap flight into Bergerac, Bordeaux or Limoges and Perigeux from the UK and rent a car. ....End of holiday the whole situation reversed.


People were flying into Bergerac £35 per person. (ryan air) I live in Northern England £35 wont get me to the ferry, plus you then have ferry charges and fuel the other side, wear and tear on the vehicles etc and all return and as you rightly say if time is a premium possibly save three days that can be tiring.

So even taking car rental in account instead of public transport or a taxi Still a cheap way of holidays.

It deviates from wild camping ...But I would rather do that than be stuck in Dewsbury

Channa

 

[Pauljenny]

Right tree, wrong branch !..(Perhaps)

The problem with campers is they are supposed to conform with their host nation rules 1.e mot insurance and road tax.

The solution is keep the van in the UK and buy a touring caravan.

Let me explain

When I worked in France one of my sites was Le Port de Limeuil in the the Dordogne. and what I am about to describe was nothing to do with me but the cheapest holidays ever.

A few canny Brits had bought tourers or brought one from the UK. They stored them with a local farmer M Perdigat. Storage costs in line with the UK.


What would happen is ring the site can we come x-y ....assuming OK ring M Perdigat he would drag the van out of storage tug it to the campsite pitch it all ready to go. ( wash it down first)

Owners catch a cheap flight into Bergerac, Bordeaux or Limoges and Perigeux from the UK and rent a car. ....End of holiday the whole situation reversed.


People were flying into Bergerac £35 per person. (ryan air) I live in Northern England £35 wont get me to the ferry, plus you then have ferry charges and fuel the other side, wear and tear on the vehicles etc and all return and as you rightly say if time is a premium possibly save three days that can be tiring.

So even taking car rental in account instead of public transport or a taxi Still a cheap way of holidays.

It deviates from wild camping ...But I would rather do that than be stuck in Dewsbury

Channa

That's the best answer, Andrew.
Us motorhomers tend to have tunnel vision,when it comes to tuggers and long stays on campsites.
That's what caravans and statics are for.

When I see these huge MHs lumbering along, towing a car behind, I get the feeling they'd be better off with a caravan. Only one engine to maintain, one tax, insurance and MOT. They are so limited about where they can park.
I'm sure the OP can pick up a cheap tourer on his chosen site..

 

[Byronic]

If what your after is a bit of winter sun on an irregular basis, then you could consider doing what many people here do, rent a cheap out of season villa/apartment/hotel room/finca/ cortijo. Cuts out all that faffing with MOT, insurance, square tyres, searching out a trustworthworthy storage facility.
Do you have the time on each occasion to prepare the van for a spot of wild camping?

 

[Lima Delta]

Back in October I did a bit of internet research into storage facilities in Spain, with a view to leaving the van over there for a couple of weeks whilst we popped home for Christmas. Even as I was expending hours in front of the screen I had a niggle about insurance and, sure enough, when I finally dug out the policy (with Safeguard), I found that it prohibited us from leaving the van unattended abroad whilst we returned to the UK.

I did find one storage facility (and I'm sorry I didn't note where it was or what it was called) which offered €25k insurance within their price, which would have covered the value of our van. However, even though the risk would have been small, I didn't fancy the thought of making an insurance claim in a foreign country with terms and conditions that we wouldn't be able to understand when signing up. So, we decided to drive home after all (and, as it happens, we didn't go back after two weeks due to an impulsive decision to buy a new van, but I digress...)

 

[Wully]

I think the problem Wully will have is that it is not just a motorhome. It is a big, expensive motorhome (Dethleffs esprit i7870).

If it was mine, I would need to feel extremely confident about where it was left, how well insured it was and that anybody driving it for him was very competent and well covered. The size and value will compound the costs of keeping it abroad as well.

I think the only answer is for Wully to hire a van abroad and let me look after the big un while he is away!

Not a problem any time rob but you might find you lost your c1 when you turned 70

Think that's what I might do I'll look into hiring a van for a week or two do a bit of snooping around didny relies there was so many pit falls insurance seems to biggest stumbling block. Mot just mot the van for year day before you travel but this insurance thing dose seem to be a plan buster. Found a really safe place with very high tech security near Alicante airport not cheap but 5 star and handy being near airport. I'll keep looking into it got plenty time to plan but really needed a wee touch of reality. Cheers

 

[Wully]

I know what you mean but I was thinking of taking van over say September using over winter then bring back say march April I don't use van much hear over the winter anyway was just dreaming of that wee bit sun and freedom don't want a villa static hotel even caravan site. I love Scotland there's no place on earth like it but nothing doing for me over the winter.