Driving in Europe?

[jessica]

Okay, I have a friend in Amsterdam who has offered to carry the registration for us if we get a used campervan in Holland. Comparing the cost of buying a van and diesel to the costs of hostels and rail passes it seems to be a good idea to buy the van. I had figured 5,000 for hostels(averaging at 20 a night) and 2,000 for passes. The kind of van we're looking at is about 3,500 with registration and insurance for a year. It would also give us complete freedom and a safe place to hide stuff. The biggest downside I've thought of is the ferry crossings to the UK and Ireland. I looked those up last night and the avg was about 200 per crossing, so they come to about 800, which still makes the van a good choice. Oh, and we were going to get a diesel to save a bit on fuel. So, can anyone think of any big downsides to this that I haven't thought of? Thanks--jessica

[Kim]

Another huge downside is the cost of parking - it's unbelievable in some cities. In London, I had to go back and check to see how much this one parkade was as I couldn't believe how much it was.

You couldn't park anywhere near a big city without it being outrageous so you would still have to park it somewhere rural and use public transportation.

My biggest thing is the driving - it's pretty insane over there, in fact REALLY insane in and around the big cities. It would scare the crap out of me to drive in some places in Europe as I've NEVER seen driving like that before!

Other things - where would you shower? If you are thinking of parking at campsites, just know that that will add up after a while too and that they are far out from the city center so once again, public transportation.

The train is so much quicker than driving too - you will waste alot of your time driving place to place. It's one thing to say rent a car and tour around Ireland for a few days, it's another to drive across Europe.

If you are into the social aspect, hostels are great for meeting people etc. In a van, you will be pretty isolated. Safety could be a serious factor if you are two women parked in the middle of who knows where in the dark.

I don't want to be negative - I just want you to enjoy your trip and I don't know if this is really the way to go..

Kim

[jessica]

Kim-

Thanks for the info, it's just the kind of thing I needed to think about. I hae to admit, I'm kind of nervous about taking a train b/c we will have our cycles with us and I've heard bad stories about train's treatment of cycles. As for the driving, is it worse than Mexico City or Buenos Aires? They're the worst places I've driven, but I got used to it. Oh, and it's my husband I'll be traveling with. Once again, thanks, I'm off to do more research.