In May of 2007 we plan on starting an adventure of a lifetime. We are going to sell the house, cars, furniture, pots, pans, dishes, and store only the most memorable things. This will be the start of early retirement. We are very interested in the European auto delivery program as we would like to buy an SAV/SUV and do a combo of camping, timeshares, and rentals. The plan is to start in Ireland and the UK for 2 months with car rentals as it is difficult to drive a left side drive vehicle in these countries (I worked for 1 year in Ireland in 1980). Then on to Germany to pick up our car and start exploring the mainland. We plan on traveling with a small dachshund that we are getting microchipped and will get her pet passport. What can we expect in campgrounds throughout Europe? Are they safe, clean, cheap? Is it easy to get time in them. How about rentals. I have checked and found that we can do resort time thru RCI in many areas for $1000 to $1500 per month. We are trying to keep our expenses to about $4000 per month but realize we will need to splurge some months due to location. My wife speak French fairly well, my Spanish is functional, And I took 4 years of German 35 years ago but it should come back after a refresher course. We have a lot of experience traveling in Europe but only for short trips in major cities. We want to explore the countries and culture in depth. Any suggestions would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Mike

Dear Mike,

Before you burn all of your bridges, may I suggest you take a month to visit Europe and learn about some of the things that you are planning to do?

You might find that RVing for 6 mos is not your cuppa.

We are leaving in 2 weeks to pick up our Saab and drive around. We are starting in Sweden and ferrying down to Germany. Volvo also has european program. Something you might want to look into.

Ira,

Thanks for the advice. We have done a lot of camping in the past and really enjoy it. As far as "burning all our bridges", we had already settled on where we want to retire and therefore we feel it is better to free up our resources and start fresh when we return to the US. My wife and I both agree that we have always been somewhat nomadic and we thrive on adventure and spur of the moment decisions. We have been in high stress professional positions for over 30 years and now in our early 50's it's time to smell the roses.

I trust you are aware that you can't legally stay in Europe for more than 90 days without a special visa.

Found some information on obtaining a visa for extended stays in Schengen counties.

http://www.eurovisa.info/SchengenCountries.htm

Essentially you have to show sufficient funds, health insurance and a police clearance.

Yes, we understand the visa requirements but understand that it is quite easy to get provided you have proof of ample financial means to support yourself and proof of medical insurance. The big question was how to deal with the dog which I picked up from another thread. I guess my primary questions relate to the campsites and has anyone timeshared their way through the countries. I found a wonderful place in central France for $250 per week that we will schedule for sure but I haven't found much in the other countries.

pompa1

Your plan aligns with one my husband and I have been talking about for a year. We'd like to attempt the same thing in about 3 years.

Please keep your post going and let us know how your planning is coming along as well as the results...best parts, difficulties, suggestions.

It looks like you will be doing 6 months on the Continent. Will your vehicle be US or EU specification? If US spec can you insure it for that long? How about taxes? I thought the rule was that it would be tax free (VAT, MWSt 16%) if exported within 90 days. Also, I guess that you know the price of gasoline over there. Driving and parking an SUV in Europe may be unpleasant. It will be twice the size of the average car.

Hi Mike,

Congrats to you on pursuing your dream!

Our family recently spent 14 months living and traveling in Europe. We have been back in the USA about 10 months. "Coming home to real life" is another interesting part of the journey.

There are so many details that need to be handled for an adventure like this-- arrangements at home and in Europe. Make yourself a list, keep adding to it, and learn from others who have done it. Each traveler's story is different and they may approach their trip in different ways, but there is always something to learn.

I quit my job of 10 years and my husband put his small business on hold. We took our daughter out of school for her 6th grade year. We spent 11 weeks in the UK, 33 weeks in France, 11 weeks in Italy, and 6 weeks in the German/Austrian/Swiss Alps. For 6-1/2 months (during the off-season) we lived in Provence, France where our daughter attended a small village school. We designed our trip mostly using rentals-- we rented 20 different places during our trip!

I have detailed the story of our trip in an online blog (journal): www.slowtrav.com/blog/kaydee

I know a woman who is currently planning an extended trip to Europe, partly involving camping with a trailer. The owners of our house in Provence also camp a lot in Europe in a "camping car"-- he is British and she is American. I can put you in touch with these people if that would be helpful. I don't know anything about camping.

I'd be glad to share more information with you (and anyone else planning an extended trip) about any aspect of our trip, including the various logistical/administrative details required for a trip like this. (I do have a list of "lessons learned," though overall we were happy with almost everything we did!)

My e-mail is [email protected]. Again, congratulations to you on pursuing your dream. So many people don't, and that's really a shame.

Kathy

The planning continues to progress. We have decided on the Volvo XC90 SUV because it will be easy to just roll out a pad and a couple of sleeping bags in the back during the times we choose to camp. It will be a US spec vehicle that will be purchased in the US before we leave. Volvo takes care of everything and at the conclusion of the trip our new car will be delivered to the dealer in the US it was purchased from. We are allowed to stay up to 180 days without paying VAT. Therefore the trip will start in England, Scotland and Ireland for 2 months with a rental car due to right hand drive and then 6 months on the continent with the Volvo. We have found a couple of very nice castle timeshares in France for between $1200 to $1500 per month. We will use these when we need a break from camping. I especially like the idea of camping while visiting Southern Germany, Austria, Normandy, Tuscany, and possibly just outside Paris. We have spent so many summers at a small hotel we found 3 blocks from the Louvre but have read about a nice campground with easy access to town by train. As far as driving a large SUV in Europe the Volvo is not that large and there is no way we will ever take it into a major city such as Paris or Rome. It is easy to park outside of town and use public transit to get around.
We haven't decided about the dog yet. She begins obedience school this summer but it may be to much of a hassle. We just aren't certain yet. We have lots of family here so if Coco has to stay I'm sure she'll understand.

This whole adventure started when I found out in April that I have cancer. I decided life is to short and that everyday will be lived to the fullest. I am scheduled to have surgery this summer and am sure all will go well. After that, every year is going to be 6 months minimum travel and 6 months or less doing some type of work that is fun. After 35 years of hard work it's time to have some fun.
I'll try to keep the thread going and let all of you know how it goes.

Mike and Diane

Hi Pomp,

All the best to you.

You seem to have a good handle on what to do and how to do it.

Please keep us posted on your adventure.

Hi Kathy,

We have read about your adventures and got many ideas from it. Thanks so much for all the effort you put into it. My wife really enjoyed all the pictures. We have also been following a blog called "Where's Mike" about a guy camping all over Europe for the past two years. Your adventure sounded a little more expensive than we would want to do all the time and so we are trying to develop a plan to combine what you did with weeks scattered here and there of what Mike is doing. If it gets to expensive or if we start to wear out we can always come home and try again the following year. The discount on the car and free airfare almost makes it worthwhile to buy the car there and sell it after returning home.

Thanks for the encouragement,
Mike

Good luck to you. Regardless of your medical personal circumstances you are, IMO, undertaking an adventure many dream about but for whatever reason would never undertake themselves.

Great plans!

I have a small dachshund too so as you make plans and report back, please include any info and experience you have with regard to traveling with your little weiner dog honey! Good for you for taking on the challenge of bringing him/her along.

I am with you mike life is short and appreciate it all you can. I know the surgery will go well for you.

Now just something about Ireland and maybe UK in particular for campsites. I would spend the extra on better campsites. Some "caravan" parks could be traveller camps/sites which are how so I explain...they are Irish itinerants/gypsies with no links to Roma gypsies. This is UK and Ireland only. For safety reasons I would make sure you avoid these types of camps. You will be able to tell with your gut instincts.

My friends go every year with their family in France and say its amazing. The camsite has a restaurant and baker and small shop with beautiful food. Many people have told me how nice these places are in France. Its lovely the idea of being free with no ties to keep you home. Let us know how you get on and what areas we can research for you. I will try to find a few places in Ireland and send any links.

S

Ireland - http://www.camping-ireland.ie/

Here are a few other Camping websites for Ireland and the UK

http://www.ukparks.com/
http://ireland.costasur.com/en/camping.html
http://www.campingo.com/ireland-camping.htm
http://www.camp-sites.co.uk/

Let us know any other info you need. It sounds like a great adventure. I live in Ireland and can reseach any specifics you have. Just ask.

If you weren't starting the trip in the UK, I would say just bring Coco with you as she's probably small enough to go in the cabin rather than in cargo and you'll find dogs are very easy to travel with in Europe--we take ours everywhere. But starting in the UK makes things more problematic. And if she's comfortable with other members of your family, then it's probably best if she stays home with them.

Anyway, good luck! Have fun with the Volvo pickup. My father in law bought a Volvo XC 70 a few years ago on the overseas delivery program and greatly enjoyed the factory tour and then driving around Sweden, Germany and Switzerland.

Pompa1- I just read the cancer post and I was wondering what you mean by surgery. My father has liver cancer (this is his 4th cancer, and by far the most serious) and has had a few embellism treatments done and will have a transplant in the next 6 months. After the transplant, until he gets the steroid dosage right he is not allowed to travel and the house has to be very sanitized. His immune system has to be basically shut down so that his body does not reject the new liver. Anyways, they said that no 3rd world travel at all and that at least 4 months to stabilize before coming to Spain to visit me. Have you discussed this plan with your doctors? I am sure they will be excited about it, but they will probably want you to take a few precautions.

I think that the ideas you both have are great! I would recommend leaving the dog at home, though, and remember that gas costs gobs more in Europe than in the US.