ChaChi

just wondering if anyone has taken their RV from the USA to Italy or France.... if so, please share any information with us.... if you don't mind sending your email address that would be great....
thanks,
nancy & bob

nukesafe

I do hope someone knowledgeable answers you on this. On first blush, I would think it would be a bureaucratic nightmare to bring in a vehicle that might not conform to EU standards, plus the cost of insurance and transport.

If this is your dream, I hope I am wrong.

PalenQ

You can of course rent RVs in Europe that would probably be much cheaper when shipping costs (and time) is considered.

Plenty enough RVs in europe and many well-equipped campgrounds to welcome them. europeans often also seem just to park them in cities on certain streets overnight.

walkinaround

if it's a dream, then go for it. in fact it is doable with some planning and a lot of time and money. i recently met a couple that drove a campervan all around the world....from london, across asia and across america.

but forget getting advice from here. from some past threads, it's clear that this mob hardly believes you can hire a caravan in europe, never mind take your own.

hetismij

I agree, if it is your dream then go for it. It can be done. I have seen a campervan here in the Netherlands with Oregon plates on it.
It will cost a lot, and you may want to consider renting a camper in Europe. WTnow is travelling around Europe in a campervan. Do a search on their name. You can also e-mail them for help.
There are companies that will lease you a camper, to save the insurance hassles yu may have with a long term visit in your own.

crefloors

I think, if I remember right, WTnow bought their camper in the Netherlands. Hopefully, she will see this post and respond to you.

bozama

One caveat about our North American veichles, ,, they are generally wider here, and so in Europe you can encounter some tight squeezes, and in fact there will be some little towns you just don't want to drive into ,.. also watch height. If you are planning on taking your RV I hope it is a campervan or small RV. We own a 28 ft Class C and love our RV, but when hubby retires and we are able to do a long trip ( 3 or 4 months) in europe and if we decide to RV , we will rent there) ..
PS Have you seen the book " Europe by ban and Motorhome" by David Shore and Patty Cambell, its a fun read and has good information.

Sassafrass

To walkinaround,

Your quote: "but forget getting advice from here. from some past threads, it's clear that this mob hardly believes you can hire a caravan in europe, never mind take your own."

I have never before responded to any of the jabs I've seen here, but I am curious. Why did you feel it necessary to collectivly call the wonderful group, who helps others by posting here, a "mob" and infer they were limited in their thinking?

There are many situations which may be somewhat unusual in nature and, therefore, someone who has also delt with that situation may have more expertise to answer questions about it. It doesn't negate the opinions of others who have some related experience.

Everyone is limited in some way by experience, education, etc. but many people who contribute so much to this forum are far more knowledgeable than most of the rest of us, and are very generous with their time and sharing their advice based on their experience. Collectively, their experience and expertise is amazing and I value it very much.

Sassafrass

Oops, "collectively" sorry for misspelling.

StCirq

Walkinaround walks around with a huge chip on its shoulder...always has, probably always will....<<shrug>>...just ignore it.

2Italy

WOW!!! That certainly redefines the advice of, "Pack light, pack light, pack light!"

walkinaround

>>>>>
Why did you feel it necessary to collectivly call the wonderful group, who helps others by posting here, a "mob" and infer they were limited in their thinking?
>>>>>

remember that this is an international website and we all use vernacular differently. mob = 'gang', 'crew', 'bunch', etc.

i was only trying to caution the OP not to get discouraged if people here have the attitude that 'it's just not done in europe'. in past threads people were made to look like fools for even asking about campers in europe even though it is quite common. these people have only been in paris, london, rome, etc and do not understand that this is very popular among europeans.

as for ignoring me...i don't see where that comment came from. posters here are grown up enough to decide which posts to respond to and which to ignore. i guess stcirq couldn't resist the opportunity to say that she doesn't like me and to try to get others to ignore me. this school yard behaviour is best ignored and discouraged here.

Sassafrass

walkinaround,
Thank you very much for clarifying. Sometimes I also accidently use wording that isn't ment to be unkind, and I also appreciate the opportunity to explain or apologise if need be.

I think most people on the board really try to be helpful. They have seen RVs in Europe; we saw plenty when we lived in Germany. It is just a guess, but probably people think it is just not feasable logistically and financially to ship an RV to Europe. I know that shipping was so expensive, my daughter decided it was cheaper to buy a new car in Switzerland than to ship hers over. It will be interesting to know what ChaChi finds out.

hopscotch

Friends of mine have purchased VW camper vans twice, in Europe. They keep one parked in Holland. An American size RV would eat up a lot of real estate in Europe. Talk with a shipping company about what you can put in the RV while it is going over. Probably nothing. Insurance in transit and on the roads in Europe will also be issues. Parking in cities will be difficult and risky.

bozama

Sorry , as to my last post, we would not rent we would lease.

Second, I think there is something about the Norht American fuel systems that you would have to have yours altered before you use it in europs.

anyways the book I mentioned does lay out quite abit about it.

PalenQ

If only going to major cities i'd eschew the large RV - parking improbably and much of cities off limits to any cars and side streets can be tiny

great for touring the countryside and going from camp to camp or just basing in some area like Provence for a bit - then a great way to go.

but if just cities you'll be better off on public transportation IMO

nytraveler

I'm certainly not an expert on RVs - either here or in europe.

But I have traveled a lot in both places and would like to make a couple of points:

The campers I have seen in europe are generally MUCH smaller than the RVs I have seen in the US. This makes a difference in several areas (narrow roads, size of places to park, use of gas).

Large US RVs (do;t know what size the OP has ) will use 2 or 3 times the gas as a small european camper - and that at twice the price. Just something to be considered.

US insurance is not valid in europe - so it would mean buying a special insurance policy - not sure what this would cost.

The cost of shipping a vehicle is NOT small ( a friend of mine shipped a small car and it was very expensive). Getting the RV to a port with shipping of this type and the cost/time of shipping can be complicated/expensive.

I think the best way to resolve this is to get details from US RVers who have actually done it - not from europeans who are more likely used to dealing with small campers than houses on wheels.

Big_Red

In France, we saw that Hertz had some rental RVs.

Off the top off my head, shipping is a minimum of $1,000 each way ($2,000 total) and then you have insurance and fuel issues. Renting an RV in Europe might work for you.

starfish1

ChaChi,

We travelled for 9 weeks last year in Europe and rented a campervan. I would suggest you contact David Shore and Patty Campbell who wrote Europe by Van and Motorhome [email protected] and their website is www.roadtripeurope.com. There is a section in the book on shipping your own vs. renting. Also Mike and Terri Church wrote a book titled Traveler's Guide to European Camping. A fantastic resource that made our trip a real delight. You can contact them through their website www.rollinghomes.com.

CarolA

Here you go.

It can be done and this couple did it.

Great advice here and they might be willing to help you.

http://www.papillontravels.net/