Travel to spain and portugal

andrew h smith

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We are taking the motorhome and two dogs to spain and portugal between the 12th of feb and april 2024 . have booked tunnel and campsites through France but nothing beyond . Any general advice anyone could give re booking sites in advance etc would be much appreciated
 
andrew h smith said:
We are taking the motorhome and two dogs to spain and portugal between the 12th of feb and april 2024 . have booked tunnel and campsites through France but nothing beyond . Any general advice anyone could give re booking sites in advance etc would be much appreciated
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Lots of easily accessible information out there .
I would suggest you don't limit yourself to campsites . You'll miss out on a lot
 
Welcome.
With a motorhome, when abroad, you don't always have to go from campsite to campsite

That's for caravans.
Plenty of info on line and on these forums.
Have a browse round
.
Press the 3 lines on the top LHS on this page.
 
Do look at ASCI winter discounts on campsites in Europe. Good value if you want sites in France, Spain and Portugal.
Do consider a Bip and Go Toll Tag if you intend using Toll roads.
Orbiter have several campsites in Portugal. Do consider joining their group, again discount camping rates.
 
Another vote for the ACSI scheme. Sign up now and it'll arrive before Xmas. It'll pay for itself really quickly on this trip.

Also a vote on a motorway Tag. If you get a Bip&Go it covers France, Spain and Portugal (and also Italy if you choose that option). Drop me a PM and I can get us both €4 off if you take one out.

A word of caution on campsites near the coast in Spain. Popular places get boked up way in advance by 'snowbirds' who chase the sun and return to places year after year. If you are going to wing it and turn up on spec, then have a back up plan in case your campsite is full.

Can I ask what route you are taking down through France and what campsites you have booked? We travel down every January so I'd be keen to hear your plans in case I'm missing anything new.
 
I’ve used the recommended routes I found online from “Out and About. The long route south”. I’ve used these routes over the last few years. To me, it’s been a no brainier.
It gives a direct routes through France, one for the east coast of Spain, a second for central or northern Spain.
Used with the relevant Aires books, or Park4night, it will be so easy, it almost takes away the sense of adventure.
 
We go Tunnel - Rouen - Poitiers -Bordeaux - Urrugne and then depending on where we are off to on Spain, across to Zaragoza or down towards Burgos.
 
Hi Andrew,
We travel to the Costa Blanco - Benidorm in the motorhome every Jan to April & en-route take our time stopping at Aires free of charge, A good investment to cover Aire,s in Portugal & Spain is the ( Vicarious ) Aires handbook & location Map,,,, 👍

20231101_095222.jpg20230123_083537.jpgIMG-20230417-WA0009.jpgIMG-20230417-WA0020.jpgIMG-20220424-WA0002(1).jpg
 
andrew h smith said:
We are taking the motorhome and two dogs to spain and portugal between the 12th of feb and april 2024 . have booked tunnel and campsites through France but nothing beyond . Any general advice anyone could give re booking sites in advance etc would be much appreciated
Click to expand...
Use lots of Aires, most are free, and some a small fee, but they are great, and are in a lot of cities, nearly always near bus stops, just go and stay in places you like the look of, no need to book, unless there is a certain site you want to stay in. enjoy your holiday
 
andrew h smith said:
We are taking the motorhome and two dogs to spain and portugal between the 12th of feb and april 2024 . have booked tunnel and campsites through France but nothing beyond . Any general advice anyone could give re booking sites in advance etc would be much appreciated
Click to expand...
Also we have the Fulli toll road Tag, which covers France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, it helps because you don't queue.
 
" All the Aires " books are quite good but certainly do not infact have every Aire and of course are not completely upto date.
Campercontact App is good but others are available.

If your vehicle needs servicing or any work then do consider getting it done in Spain or Portugal, the labour rates are very much less than in UK. We saved over £300 on our Fiat Professional service.
 
We Luv Freedom said:
Hi Andrew,
We travel to the Costa Blanco - Benidorm in the motorhome every Jan to April & en-route take our time stopping at Aires free of charge, A good investment to cover Aire,s in Portugal & Spain is the ( Vicarious ) Aires handbook & location Map,,,, 👍
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I have never used aires books - they're out of date before they're published.
The wildcamping.co.uk Location App has some excellent aires and wilding spots in France and Iberia.
www.campingcar-infos.com has an extensive database covering much of Europe.
 
You will find most places to park or bed down for the night are on google maps, some only appear when you zoom in.
 
Tolls?
It’s almost as easy to travel to Iberia without tolls. The short one around Rouen is handy, unless you’re into heavy industries 🙄. While the Peage bypassing Bayonne, saves a lot of time, and , I believe a fair bit of mileage (kilometreage ? )
I’ve done both routes, and if I can follow the directions, anyone can.
 
cheyenne said:
we have been with these for years based at Harrogate YORKS so easy to communicate 2 one for France & the other does Spain & Portugal .cheyenne
https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/subscr...MIjqqxs7Dw_gIVq5RoCR0kRweREAAYASAAEgJXX_D_BwE
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Not sure how this works.
Are you paying in advance for tolls?
Just buying a new tag, so you don’t have to stop at a toll. But then paying the toll fee through your bank account?
I admit, the few times I enter a toll booth area, having to get out of the van and working out which orifice to place my card into, can be annoying.
 
No you set up an account and then get invoiced monthly and its taken from your bank account. There's no discount on the tolls , it's just way easier and you can use the fast lanes which are normally free(er) flowing.

I use the Bip&Go tag as it covers not just France, Portugal and Spain but also Italy too. If anyone fancies getting one then drop me a PM and I can get you €4 off your first invoice I get it too).

Your Liber-t electronic toll payment subscription | Bip&Go

Bip&Go electronic toll payment: your Liber-t pass delivered anywhere in France in 48 hrs when you subscribe online to our plans
www.bipandgo.com www.bipandgo.com
 
GMJ said:
No you set up an account and then get invoiced monthly and its taken from your bank account. There's no discount on the tolls , it's just way easier and you can use the fast lanes which are normally free(er) flowing.

I use the Bip&Go tag as it covers not just France, Portugal and Spain but also Italy too. If anyone fancies getting one then drop me a PM and I can get you €4 off your first invoice I get it too).

Your Liber-t electronic toll payment subscription | Bip&Go

Bip&Go electronic toll payment: your Liber-t pass delivered anywhere in France in 48 hrs when you subscribe online to our plans
www.bipandgo.com www.bipandgo.com
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sorry there is a small discount not a lot but you get bank rates not tourist rates when taken from your bank . years ago when we had a tag we would pull off coming to a toll then one day at Abbeville to Boulogne ( A28 ) we stayed on just to check out the difference against pulling off roundabouts / villages /traffic lights 30mph extra gear changes /clutch etc etc etc but on the motorway 56mph 32mpg cruise control not having to get out to pay & the big plus was through the caravan club it was default at class 2 lovely jubberly WHATS NOT TO LIKE plus in our mid seventies no point in saving our money for rainy days .cheyenne
 
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