Ronael

Thanks for that swagman etc
We're thinking a lease car through France-Spain-Portugal. Leave it in Lisbon. Then fly to Morocco. From there fly back to Nice. Pick up another car. Drive into Italy. What do you guys think?

swagman

Ronael

From Australia, you'd probably fly straight to London Heathrow which is the European hub and from there you can fly to anywhere in continental Europe and Africa.

I'd suggest from London, you fly to Morocco which will be the warmest place of your journey and presumably where you won't be driving (I haven't been so I can't comment). It'll also be a place easier to climatise for the kids coming from the Aussie summer.

When done in Morocco, fly to Portugal, pick up car, do Portugal, then Spain, into France, finally to Italy, leave car in Italy, then fly back to the UK to complete your journey. By then, hopefully Scotland will be warmer!!

To have one car in a continual stretch will also work out to be cheaper.

Ronael, I promise you, 110 days will fly by very quickly. We did 183 days with our 3-yr old last year and only in France. We stayed 3-4 weeks at a time in each of the major regions. It was an amazing experience for us as a family and one we will remember and talk about for the rest of our lives.

I strongly suggest you don't squeeze in too much, don't try to see every sights recommended by guide books. Do weekly stays in villages and take in the European local lifestyle.

You have almost 4 months (around 16 weeks), if I were you, I would concentrate on Europe and finish off in the UK (you sounded very keen on England and Scotland). Roughly Portugal and Spain can be done in 4 weeks, France 4 weeks, Italy 4 weeks and finally the UK 4 weeks. Spend more time on the road and less flying/transiting, hence leave Morocco for another time.

Good luck mate!

s

mpprh

I live quite close to a France-Morocco car ferry. My neighbours take their cars to Morocco for holidays (some drive down into Spain to reduce the ferry costs).

I've rented cars for short visits to Morocco without problem. The main roads are OK.

Watch out for donkeys in the towns !

Peter

tcreath

I too would head south, although keep in mind that even the southern countries may be cold. We were in Turkey this past February and it was damp and cold the entire time, and we ran into light snow on several occassions. We still had a fantastic time, and walking through the streets of Istanbul one evening with snow lightly falling around us was quite a beautiful scene.

I was in Ireland in February a few years ago and to be honest the weather was similar to what we experienced in Turkey. Cold and damp, but with lots of fog/haze in the mornings and short days. Again, we still had a great time. We prefer traveling during off-peak season because we don't like crowds and heat/humidity and are thus willing to sacrifice good weather.

I love the idea of short-term apartment rentals. We've rented apartments in Italy, Germany and Croatia and have always been thrilled with our experiences.

I think this sounds like an amazing experience and I am truly envious. I can't wait to read about it!

Best wishes and happy planning!
Tracy

RoadEmperess

Best wishes on your travel plans. We are venturing on our 4th 100 day+ trip with our three kids (11, 10 and 10). Each trip lasts between 3-5 months (I homeschool our kids). My little bits of advice are to:
Try to have the kids take some ownership of the trip and pick 1 or 2 countries to learn about, then they can share the info with everyone during the trip.
Stay a minimum of 4-5 days in each place.
Bring some books/books on tape in English for the kids- leave them as you go (ditto for winter clothes)
Try to plan for lots of hiking/beach/playground afternoons so that the kids burn off some energy and don't get bored
Eat at home wherever you can!!!
Good Luck!!!! You'll have a blast