Six people, six weeks in a motor home. Need help on the route!

hi 'kat,

firstly, I'm a bit confused about the parameters of your trip - are you locked into flying into and out of Frankfurt? -

taknig it that you have already worked out the Frankfurt-italy route, where are you ending up in Italy? - "northern Italy" covers a multitude of sins!

However, here's a first stab-trying to stick to roads that won't be too bad in a motor-home!

Milan - innsbruck - salzburg - Vienna - bratislava - prague - bayreuth - frankfurt

or Milan - innsbruck - salzburg - Vienna - bratislava - krakow - wroclaw - dresden - frankfurt

of course, in a motorhome you don't havr to book accommodation like t ehrest of us. so you could change your plans depending on how long it takes you to get to Bratislava. so long as you allow yourselves long enough to get back to Frankfurt from wherever you are, it doesn't really matter.

regards, ann

Thanks, Ann. Yes, we have tix in & out of Frankfurt, and that's where we are renting/returning the motor home. We're actually going to Pisa, Assisi, Rome, Pompei & Venice in Italy. I have heard great things about Prague and Budapest, but that means quite a bit of zig-zagging and time. We want to spend more time in Poland, as my husband's family is from there. Kat

Rome in a motorhome? Promise you'll share the photos.

Rome in a motorhome? what about Venice? - does it have flotation tanks???

Supposing you are aiming to leave Venice round about June 3rd [giving you 2 1/2 weeks for the 2nd half of the trip] this means that from May 12 -June 2nd, [approx 3 weeks] you are "doing"

Frankfurt, Belgium, Luxembourg [why these two? - not very exciting and in the wrong direction] Switzerland, then "Pisa, Assisi, Rome, Pompei & Venice".

can I make a plea? book a holiday for when you get back home - you'll need one.

I strongly suggest that you factor in one, or preferably two longer stays somewhere where you can have a spot of R&R. where the kids can play, swim, run, play. the rate you are gonig, their strongest memory of this trip is gonig to be the inside of the motorhome.

on you way out, the bernese oberland would be an option. park the van somewhere like Lauterbrunnen and go walking.

on the way back, a few days on lake garda would fit in well.

then cut out the cities [Rome is just not on, unless you can find somewhere to park outside the city and get the train/bus in] and forget about pompeii - you are adding many 100kms just for one place.

just my two penn'th

regards, ann

alsaskan, just curious about Venice and Rome with a motorhome, and sorry if this seems a silly question. I live near DC and I know there is one motorhome park near the Beltway but where do you put a motor home when visiting Rome or Venice. Are there places with hookups or do you do park and ride near public transportation. It's too bad France is not on your schedule because there are wonderful natural sites to be seen with travel parks for a motorhome. Have a great trip and enjoy the planning. Deborah

Do you plan to use the motor home as a hotel or just for transportation? Europeans did a lot of camping when we lived there (many years ago), and there are RV parks in Germany and Italy, but I know nothing about their locations.

Many areas we go have narrow winding roads or are in cities, so we rarely drive, but I would think roads and location of places to park would influence your route.

Even though the cost of rental was not much more than the van, will the cost of gas, tolls, & parking be so high that it outweighs the advantages? Please keep us posted on the progress of your plans. Since no one I know has done this, I would really like to know how it turns out. If it turns out to be a viable, fun option, other families might like to do it.

Re routes, I can't give specific advice; you're talking about a lot of territory. Try using mappy.com, though personally, at the initial stages, a relatively-good map that I can spread out on the floor works better. I looked at a general, Europe-sized map, and I think your route will depend a lot on where in Poland you want to visit, and the proximity of highways. Given the amount of ground you're thinking of covering, you'll need to use highways. Keep in mind, that in some of these countries, there aren't many highways, and they may not go the direction you need to go.

Last year, we travelled by car, with our 13yo son, from Prague, through the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, ending up in Budapest. Many areas of the countryside are beautiful, and we visited many castles, which our son (and we) LOVED. That part of the world has many old castles, because it was historically a border area. In terms of timing, we had about 10 days outside of Prague and Budapest, and did a bit more driving than we always enjoyed (but we knew in advance that we'd have at least 1 big driving day). Not much less time than you, and we only drove through 3 countries.

Let me know if you want names and locations of castles - they were great fun!

To plan your route, first decide where you need to visit in Poland, and how much time you want to spend there. Use a calendar and block out the number of days you might spend in each place. Then use maps and mappy.com to determine the distance and time from place to place. (For example, from Warsaw to Frankfurt, per mappy.com, it's 1,000 km, which would take about 13 hours or more. That's a lot of driving!)

Oh, and in the countryside, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were cheaper, especially Slovakia.

Thanks, Lexma90, it was especially helpful on route ideas. You and others mentioned mappy.com, so I'll check that, too. I know we can't see everything, but are looking for some great stops along the way. We live in rural Alaska, where it's 8 hours round trip to do our major grocery shopping and doctor appointments, so we're used to driving, and small roads aren't especially scary (although I'll let you know if I feel the same after the trip). There are tons of campgrounds in and near all of the cities and regions we are looking at visiting, most with stores, laundry and pools. They almost all list public transport within walking distance. With 6 people it was going to cost 200-400 euro a night because it would require 2 rooms, so we chose this. Other travelers say they got 22 mpg with the motor home, so hopefully they are right. With a kitchen, bathroom and beds, it seemed like a no-brainer to us. Plus, we love a challenge!

Some people here seem to think that people drive their RVs to the Collosseum or Place de la Concorde and look for a place to park there.
And wonder how hard it will be to drive there.
The secret solution to this mystery is: you don't.
You find campgrounds by the dozen at the outskirts of those big cities. You stay there, and use public transportation, as alaskankat explained. Usually you don't have to drive more than a few minutes to the nearest motorway exit.
At major destinations like Rome or Vienna, I would reserve in advance, though. May is a popular month for travel, especially as in several countries, schools close for a week after Pentecost. So have more families on vacation during that time.

Just get an up-to-date travel guide for those countries, or ask your local AAA. They should have campground guides for European countries, as the Eur. auto clubs have the AAA campground guides.

There is just one difference between driving 8 hours in Alaska versus 8 hours on European motorways. You will encounter much more traffic. You should rather compare it with driving an RV for 8 hours on freeways in Greater L.A.

Depending on size and weight, lower speed limits may apply for you RV here. Which will force you to share the slow lanes with all the trucks.

Familiarize yourself with the metric system and how warning signs for limited headroom before underpasses or narrow lanes look like over here.

You will find tons of information material on "RV friendly" routes, mountain pass roads, etc. either on Amazon or with local tourist informations or auto clubs.

Hi kat,

I will assume that you have already done 6 weeks in crowded and cramped conditions and know that you won;t be at each other's throats by the end of week 2.

>Frankfurt, then Belgium-Luxembourg, Switzerland, Pisa, Assisi, Rome, Pompei & Venice, .....We want to spend more time in Poland,....<

Plot the path from Frankfurt to Rome at www.viamichelin.com, both "recommended" and "sightseeing".

Belgium and Luxembourg are not on your route.

If you go by the "recommended" route, you could detour to Strasbourg, and drive the Route du Vin to Colmar before heading East.

Passing through Switzerland, you could detour from Luzern to Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland before heading South toward the Italian Lake Country (well worth 2 days).

Before Parma, detour to the Cinque Terre before going to Rome.

How important is Pompei?
It's a day South of where you want to go.

Taking the "sightseeing" route from Rome to Warsaw via Salzburg and Vienna takes you through Venice.

You can detour to Innsbruck. The Salzkammergut outside Salzburg is worth 2 days.

Bratislava is on the way to Krakow and then Warsaw.

Return from Warsaw via Wroclaw, Prague or Dresden, and Nuremberg.

You will need an International Driver's Permit:
http://www.aaasouth.com/home.asp

Will the rental agency let you go into Eastern Europe?

Enjoy your schlep adventure.

Amazon has a couple of books that look good. Take Your Kids to Europe, 8th: How to Travel Safely (and Sanely) in Europe with Your Children (Paperback)
by Cynthia Harriman (Author) which includes information on kid friendly sites and camping and a reference to www.eurocamp.com which also has a route planner feature between their campgrounds. And also RV and Car Camping Vacations in Europe: RV and Car Camping Tours to Europe's Top Vacation Destinations (Paperback)
by Mike Church (Author), Terri Church (Author). Have fun planning your trip!

You probably have already started to do this but I recommend lots of googling to find blogs written by people who RV/camp in Euroe and to find reviews of campgrounds. As with hotels, they will vary greatly.

Your trip is before summer school hoidays but try to book campsites once you have your route set.

As you'll have the RV for two 1/2 weeks, plan a route like ira suggests with detours once you have a handle on distances and tolerance for the drive.

I recall reading things a while back about needing to check with the rental company about taking a rental car into eastern Europe - that it's not always allowed. Is this the case with your motorhome? Perhaps you should check with the rental company to be sure there aren't limitations on where you can go with it.

Thanks for the viamichelin.com site and the book reviews. I've heard of the books, but will check them out now. The reference to LA traffic is duly noted! All of the countries we considered are OK by the rental company to visit, with no extra paperwork required.

hi again, 'kat,

how often have you spent 6 weeks in a motorhome with your children? ok, you know your kids better than I do, but our best hols with ours were when we spent the majority of time staying still.

by that I mean staying in one place and exploring the area. the list of places you mention just don't fit your interests - you say that museums and architecture aren't as popular with your family as the countryside, and then you tell us you want to see Pisa, venice, Rome, and Vienna. ???

there are some fabulous places that you and your kids would love roughly along your route. Ira has mentioned a lot of them.

regards, ann

In Rome, I've seen numerous RVs parked by the Palace of Justice right on the Tiber, by Castel San Angelo. I've also seen them at Circus Maximus.

My wife and I were considering a similar thing. My turn-off was the 1,000 euro deductible, with no ability to purchase additional insurance.

With McRent you can pretty much travel anywhere you want to go, eastern Europe is fine. Which RV are you renting, we were looking at the small 2-4 person model.

dave

Dave, we got the McRent Family Standard through Ideamerge. Check out the many reviews on their site, good and bad-some speak to the 1000 euro deductible. The other brand, DRM, offers more insurance, but is more expensive. They also require more paperwork to travel in some countries. The McRent we rented technically sleeps 5 (we have 6), but another family said the big bunk on top is almost a king-sized bed-our three kids can go there, as they are small enough. If not, one can sleep on the floor or we can get a tent. I know it will be cramped, but we're going to stop a lot for breaks and hiking.

Our neighbors traveled Portugal-Budapest with a small camping van and had some issues parking in the cities because of the height, but they went during the winter and didn't stay in camping parks. I think we'll do mainly parks to let the kids run around, with a few free camping days here and there. I understand the rest areas in some countries have showers and cafes. The neighbors stayed in a pullout one night and were broken into, but there was no one else parked there. Luckily they woke up and frightened the culprits away. That, and being pulled over by fake policemen, were the only snafus in their trip.

The places we want to visit are mainly outdoor-Colliseum, Circus Maximus, water taxis, Pompei, Vienna amusement park. The Spanish Riding School and the Vatican museums are some of the main indoor activities. There have been some great tips so far on other outdoor places & activities. Thanks everyone!

The kids will love the overhead bunk. When I first started doing RVs (LONG AGO) we would take the kids everywhere. At that time we only had a little 19 foot Mobile Traveler, but it had plenty of room. We actually did a week camp with our family (4), a friend and her son. Cramped but fun.

The dinette was in the back and while traveling we'd leave it down as a bunk for the kids to stay on. The only problem we ever had was that for some reason my son liked to stand on his head and I'd have to keep yelling at him to sit down while we were driving.

Once the kids grew up, we bought a 34' Bounder. I think you'll have a blast. I'll try to find the links we found for RVing in Europe, unless you already have them.

dave

This motor home is about 19' as well. I rented the table and chairs to sit outside and eat, which should be fun. I will have to remember the standing on the head thing-my 9 year old is grumbling about having to use a booster seat, by German law. I've found quite a few RV sites, but if you have any other tips handy I would appreciate it. My friend in Germany will help me outfit it with extra things we will need when we get there. I'm very excited for the trip!

be sure to write up a trip report when you are done!

Hi Alaskankat! I just want to say that I'm sure you will have a great time! Your trip sounds just like ours - just a bit longer and probably more relaxing!! We are spending the whole month of May in Europe with our 5 children (7 people for 4 weeks!) Outside of the 4 days that we will be in England, we will be in an RV the rest of the time. Our family has traveled to most of the states in the US in our van and trailer so we are not anticipating any issues doing the same in Europe. However, we ARE anticipating some interesting stories as we try to find our way and understand the signs during our 6000 mile road trip! We are having each of the kids keep a journal so we don't loose any stories!!

Judging by all the comments, you have been doing the same research that I have been doing and seem to have a good grip on all you need to know. We are going to France, Germany, Estonia, Poland, Austria, and Italy. I feel we have a good mix of visiting friends and seeing landmarks. The best part about having the RV is that we can tailor the trip to meet our families needs! I might add that I have read you sometimes need a camping carnet card or some campgrounds will keep your passport while you stay there. I didn't see that in any of the comments but maybe I missed it.

Enjoy your trip!!! I know we will!

Crazyams2, I'm not sure about more relaxing! I have also heard of the Camping Carnet, but then read it is called by a different name. Have you found where to purchase one? Are you planning on doing so? I am thinking of buying the AA Caravan & Camping map, which has reviews for 3500 sites. The only problem is that they don't ship to the US, so I will have to send it to a friend in Germany, which means that I won't have it when we land. Have you found anything better? I am also buying the Michelin atlas, as opposed to individual country maps. We'll see if we change our minds on that when we get there. What are you using in the way of maps and campsite maps? I have most of the free ones available from the countries we are visiting, but these are often 'pay to play,' which don't show us many sites.

ok. so maybe "relaxing" wasn't the right word. But if that is what we were both looking for, we wouldn't be doing this trip!! I am buying a camping carnet. I have read in enough places that it is required so I figured the $30 fee is worth just knowing I have it just in case. I bought it from this website. www.fcrv.org/programs/carnet09.pdf

I have found the book Exploring Europe by RV by Dennis & Tina Jaffe to be very helpful. It is a bit outdated but still had some good advice. Also, I purchased the AA 2008 Caravan & Camping book (says it has over 3300 site rated). I got mine from Amazon but I'm not sure that is the same one you were wanting. I actually found more campsites on these two websites. The book had some very good information about driving an RV in each country but the campsite listings weren't as helpful as I had hoped.
www.campingcard.co.uk/gb/en/home/uc33-l2-n253/
www.europe-camping-guide.com/

As for my maps, I bought Frommer's atlas because it contains Estonia which several atlases didn't. I also am printing out detail maps from viamichelin since the atlas doesn't cover down to that detail. But hopefully, I will be relying on my Garmen Nuvi 270 GPS. For only $130 it comes with USA and Europe maps. From the reviews I read, I'm expecting it to do well. I've already programmed the addresses of all the stops we are making. So hopefully, the atlas won't be needed!!

I feel kind of funny giving advice since I have not executed this trip yet! I have driven in Europe several times but never like this! But no matter what happens, we will have the adventure of a life time!!!

btw... my wife is wanting to know if you home school by any chance? We do and are picking up some WWII sites since they are studying that next year!! (sorry for being so noisy!!)

Crazyams2, I did see one of those camping sites. Thanks for the Camping Carnet site. It is $60 for the card and the membership, correct? I am bummed that the AA Camping & Caravaning book was a disappointment. I've seen the sites you listed, but we aren't taking a computer. Besides certain sites, we are winging the itinerary, which makes it difficult without a book. We want to be able to explore where we find something interesting, another reason to rent the RV. Printing off and taking the camping info from the websites would be a hassle. I found a lot of info on the
Ideamerge website, where we rented the RV, but I will check out the Jaffe book. Do you think this is better than the Mike & Terri Church book?

For general information, I think I've settled on the Lonely Planet Central Europe book. The Let's Go Europe has great info, but not good on maps. Rick Steve's was too focused on just a few spots. The Europe on a Shoestring has less detail and too many countries, the DK Eyewitness isn't detailed enough. I haven't seen the Fodor's Europe yet.

My husband said no to the GPS, so our kids will get a lot of experience reading maps! I'm going to check the atlas out, then I guess we'll buy country maps when we get there if we still need them.

Are you getting a cell phone? My friend who lives in Germany is very worried about us driving in Poland. The cell phones I found were all from the states and several hundred dollars. I thought we could just use calling cards, but my friend is now researching cell phones there. Again, very worried.

We don't homeschool-yet-but this is certainly their social studies for the year. We're studying the foods, some WWII sites, some archaeology and more at home. This is definitely a trip of a lifetime. All of them will have journals, so hopefully they'll be able to remember things; they're pretty young. Besides Estonia and France we're hitting some of the same countries. Maybe we'll run into each other over there!

This article on cell phones abroad is a bit old, but I think the info is still valid: www.frommers.com/articles/4045.html. I bought an unlocked quad band phone off the Motorola web site, and either buy a SIM for the country I'm in, or a "global" SIM from ekit.com or telestial.com.

If you need 'net access while traveling you should still be able to find Internet cafes.