Trip to France

TJBi said:
Yes, the POIs should be up-to-date but they only tell you the geographic coordinates. The app or website will give a lot more info, including a link to Street View and in most cases user comments and photos. I'd recommend downloading the POIs again a few days prior departure to have the most up-to-date version.
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Yes of course. I would always use it in conjunction with the website. I used to have the offline version as well which would work on a laptop without an internet connection. Dont know if they still do it.
 
barryd said:
Yes of course. I would always use it in conjunction with the website. I used to have the offline version as well which would work on a laptop without an internet connection. Dont know if they still do it.
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I presume that you are referring to the downloadable version of the USB stick. It is still available, costs €12, and may require use of the PaleMoon browser as others may not function correctly. It is updated 6-monthly; latest issue Jan 2024, next update due July 2024. I reckon that the Android app, at €5 for 3 months, is the way to go; in online mode, you always have the very latest updates to the database and you can download for offline use whenever you wish during your subscription (being sure to download the map data, which some users have issues with).
 
TJBi said:
I presume that you are referring to the downloadable version of the USB stick. It is still available, costs €12, and may require use of the PaleMoon browser as others may not function correctly. It is updated 6-monthly; latest issue Jan 2024, next update due July 2024. I reckon that the Android app, at €5 for 3 months, is the way to go; in online mode, you always have the very latest updates to the database and you can download for offline use whenever you wish during your subscription (being sure to download the map data, which some users have issues with).
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Yes that's it. I think it was a tenner the last time I purchased it. I'm not sure I would bother now. It was very clunky. If Kev has them all in Autoroute he can research them online when he's connected. I used to do that before I left the UK. Save the details as pdf files and then I could easily plot the routes in Autoroute on a night in the van.
 
barryd said:
Yes that's it. I think it was a tenner the last time I purchased it. I'm not sure I would bother now. It was very clunky. If Kev has them all in Autoroute he can research them online when he's connected. I used to do that before I left the UK. Save the details as pdf files and then I could easily plot the routes in Autoroute on a night in the van.
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I seldom plan much before leaving the UK. I occasionally have a specific stopover planned at some point during a (2-month) trip, but generally let myself be guided by Météo France. I generally use the CCI, France Passion and WildCamping apps, plus recollection of previous trips. The latter is a two-edged sword as aire management changes are implemented. The WildCamping app user verifications and reviews are useful, but relatively few and far between compared to CCI when touring France.
 
TJBi said:
I seldom plan much before leaving the UK. I occasionally have a specific stopover planned at some point during a (2-month) trip, but generally let myself be guided by Météo France. I generally use the CCI, France Passion and WildCamping apps, plus recollection of previous trips. The latter is a two-edged sword as aire management changes are implemented. The WildCamping app user verifications and reviews are useful, but relatively few and far between compared to CCI when touring France.
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Im the opposite when it comes to planning. I think it stemmed from the early days when internet access was a right PIA and before all the various camping sites and apps got going. I used to spend days creating translated PDF files from the CC Infos site for each region we visited. Back then the only other resource was the "All the Aires" book which really was just "Some of the aires" and as you say CC Infos often had some really good crafty wild spots. There may be better ways now for Kev as things have moved on.
 
barryd said:
Im the opposite when it comes to planning. I think it stemmed from the early days when internet access was a right PIA and before all the various camping sites and apps got going. I used to spend days creating translated PDF files from the CC Infos site for each region we visited. Back then the only other resource was the "All the Aires" book which really was just "Some of the aires" and as you say CC Infos often had some really good crafty wild spots. There may be better ways now for Kev as things have moved on.
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Back in the day before the internet, and we had first tents and then campervans with no toilet, we mainly relied on municipal sites, Michelin had a great book which had AFAIK every French campsite, then came aires and a book (which I'm struggling to name) which was in most French shops and listed campsites and aires, 'roam as at home' and internet has changed everything.
 
Liz is in planning mode today :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I just want to get in the van and drive, never been a one for planning, I like to be surprised around every bend.

she want to know about motorways, is there a cheaper way of using them?
 
Planning is all part of the buz, then don't follow any plan and make it up as you go.

I'd only use toll motorways if in a hurry. Class 2 works out a fair bit.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Liz is in planning mode today :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I just want to get in the van and drive, never been a one for planning, I like to be surprised around every bend.

she want to know about motorways, is there a cheaper way of using them?
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Sometimes they are free if there is no alternative toll free route. For example in Brittany all the motorways are free and this can be useful as there is one running east to west on both the north and south side of Brittany which means you can blast along quite quickly if you want to get from one end to the other. The Peage (Pay) motorways elsewhere can be expensive but sometimes worth it. Takes a bit of planning. Google maps and your TomTom can be set to avoid tolls but I used to work out the difference in time for say 100 to 200 mile sections to see how much time it saved. If its an hour or two then it might be worth it. 9 times out of 10 using non toll routes they always worked out longer than the sat nav said they would.
 
I never use toll motorways in the motorhome; I limit myself to a maximum of 90 km/h for fuel economy, so don't see the point of paying to be able to do 130 km/h, though being able to drive at a steady 90 km/h might also offer some fuel savings. Nice to see the places along the way that the motorway bypasses and it's not as though I'm in a hurry to get to overnight accommodation - I have it with me and there are normally plenty of overnighting options..
 
Not yet, she's still looking at maps and seeing where we might want to go, so no firm decision yet Tom, might be a while yet as it's still 8 weeks ish before we go, and I still have a few medical things to get sorted so it might be even longer.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Liz is in planning mode today :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I just want to get in the van and drive, never been a one for planning, I like to be surprised around every bend.

she want to know about motorways, is there a cheaper way of using them?
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I always use the toll motorways (much quicker and better) I don't think that they are too expensive either.
Just a bit of advice .. make sure that you have your credit/debit card (or even cash) handy for the passenger to pay at the peage kiosk (cuz its obviously on the left hand side :LOL: )
most peages are fully automated now
but make sure that you don't go into the telepeage only fast lane for all the "regulars" that use the prepaid system (denoted just by an orange "t" ) or you will end up having to reverse and piss off all the other drivers behind you.. (I speak from experience)
this is a good link for French peage etiquette

 
zzr1400tim said:
I always use the toll motorways (much quicker and better) I don't think that they are too expensive either.
Just a bit of advice .. make sure that you have your credit/debit card (or even cash) handy for the passenger to pay at the peage kiosk (cuz its obviously on the left hand side :LOL: )
most peages are fully automated now
but make sure that you don't go into the telepeage only fast lane for all the "regulars" that use the prepaid system (denoted just by an orange "t" ) or you will end up having to reverse and piss off all the other drivers behind you.. (I speak from experience)
this is a good link for French peage etiquette

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Get a Fulli gadget [other brands available] . Best gadget for me anyway , mostly travel solo .
I get all the arguments about motorways being boring and missing all the sites . I tend to go to an area and then wander so I'd rather get to that area reasonably quickly .
Think also non toll roads can be a false economy all those rondpoints in France can't be good for fuel consumption
 
What the heck is a "Fulli gadget" please.
It'll be a suck it and see trip, we prefer to do the small towns, sit, sup and watch the world go by, If I have put on 10kilos by the time I get home I will be a bit peeved, gorra get Liz on the frogs legs n snails too.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
What the heck is a "Fulli gadget" please.
It'll be a suck it and see trip, we prefer to do the small towns, sit, sup and watch the world go by, If I have put on 10kilos by the time I get home I will be a bit peeved, gorra get Liz on the frogs legs n snails too.
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Kev. make sure that you deffo eat the frogs-legs and snails..
they are bloody lovely especially when served in a nice creamy garlic sauce with some cheese
got me feeling hungry now so I might pop down to the local Co-Op for some 🤣 NOT
(but i think that you can still get garlic snails at Aldi or Lidll )
 
alcam said:
Get a Fulli gadget [other brands available] . Best gadget for me anyway , mostly travel solo .
I get all the arguments about motorways being boring and missing all the sites . I tend to go to an area and then wander so I'd rather get to that area reasonably quickly .
Think also non toll roads can be a false economy all those rondpoints in France can't be good for fuel consumption
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I agree. It can get quite tedious. Hence it being a good idea to check out the routes toll and none toll in some depth the night before you travel. I think it depends where you are also. Not all of France is delightful scenery, sometimes you just want to get to where you want to be as quickly as possible and then get out and start enjoying it.
 
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