Tips for driving from the UK to Europe

Tips for driving from the UK to Europe

If you are thinking about a road trip driving from the UK, through Spain and France, here are some tips:

1. Spain and France both have a huge network of road tolls. If you are traveling on a budget and you want to avoid some of the heftier toll fees, you should work out your route prior to departure. Keep in mind if you do avoid the tolls, you will be taken on a longer route. We were traveling with a baby so sometimes we just had to go the quickest way!

2. Use a GPS with European maps that will show you the fastest or most economical routes. I would recommend a Garmin Navi. We used a TomTom and it hadn’t been updated with all of the new roads in Spain, so we were often told to go the wrong way. I’ve heard from European friends that Garmin is the way to go. Make sure to update your maps right before your trip.

3. Take a good map for back­up and have your route planned on a map prior to your departure. If you want to be more spontaneous, than at least plan your map the night before your next day travels. You can not rely strictly on technology, especially in Spain. A combination of GPS and map would be wise.

4. If you are driving to or from the UK, you can either cross on a ferry or go by Shuttle through the Eurotunnel and drive on a train. I would recommend the Eurotunnel Shuttle as the ferry, even in calm waters can make many seasick. The ferry takes about 4 hours and the Shuttle is only 30 minutes!

5. If you are driving in fall or winter, remember that the higher elevations can get a lot of snow. Make sure to bring warm clothes and shoes and socks that will keep your feet warm! Also, an ice­scraper would be handy to keep in the car. We traveled through Pamplona in November and we were not prepared for a snowstorm!

This would definitely be one of my top family road trips to go on (once in the UK of course!). What are your top family road trips???