What do you need to carry in your motorhome when touring France?

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What do you need to carry in your motorhome for touring in France?

You can read our ongoing blog posts about travelling through France with our motorhome here:

So, what things have we needed to legally carry?

• Hi-vis reflective jackets – one per person which must be accessible from within the Moho interior

• Warning triangle – one definite but we carry two – one for rear and one for ahead

• Headlight beam convertors– tricky to fit we found and they will be a right bugger to take off.

• UK car sticker attached to the back of car and reg plates – note it is no longer a GB one!

• First aid kit – compulsory in many countries (see list below of what we carry)

• Spare glasses in addition to original ones – especially those used for driving

We carry breathalysers as well but have subsequently that this is no longer the case. Despite what google tells us, France dropped this requirement some time ago, apparently!

What about other useful things we’ve carried?

Not a legal requirement but things we carry as a matter of course:

• Big torch

• Fire extinguisher (we carry two medium sized ones and then a smaller one. Why? A neighbour once had a serious kitchen fire and I went to help bring it under control until the Fire Brigade arrived – that taught me lots – one extinguisher WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH)

• Spare bulbs for all lights on the vehicle and also the bike rack

• Snow chains - dependent on when and where we are going in Europe. We went for the Thule/Konig XG 12 Pro – on recommendation – we have yet to use them but I have trial fitted them several times – easy – once you’ve watched some YouTube videos – several times!!

• Clean Air tax in some French cities, called Crit'Air – see notes below  

• Blind Spot Stickers as our motorhome is over 3.5 tonnes. Make sure you place them correctly! 

• Motorway toll tag – we went with Bip and Go – it is mounted on the windscreen and has worked perfectly thus far. We get billed only for the months we use it and it comes with an intuitive and useful app. 

• Red/ white warning board sign – for our bike rack. Again, reading around it seems that the aluminium one is better as more flimsy versions are illegal in Italy! So the alu one we got!

Security wise – we carry a steering wheel lock and a milenco wheel clamp and we use both, religiously, on all aires, campsites and supermarket car parks! We also fitted a VanBlitz ‘make your ears bleed’ alarm system and that has already been tested twice by miscreants on this trip! They didn’t get in; they didn’t get the E Bikes.  

Quick notes: first aid kits

Our First Aid kit contents are: European approved first aid kit DIN13164 compliant - containing

•             6 x wound dressings (10cm x 10cm)

•             2 x triangular badges (136cm x 96cm x 96 cm) – we use cotton ones

•             2 x first aid dressings (40cm x 60cm)

•             1 x first aid dressing (60cm x 80cm)

•             3 x first aid compress (8cm x 10cm)

•             2 x bandages (4m x 6cm)

•             3 x bandages (4m x 8cm)

•             (2 crepe bandages)

•             2 x emergency blankets (160cm x 210cm)

•             8 x adhesive plasters (10cm x 6cm)

•             1 x pair of scissors

•             1 x adhesive tape (5m x 2.5cm)

•             Box assorted plaster sizes

•             Steri-strips

•             2 eye patch bandages

Also including:

•             antiseptic (individual wipes and a tube of Savlon)

•             painkillers - paracetamol)

•             wound-cleaning gauze

•             plasters of various sizes

•             tweezers and nail clippers

•             thermometer

•             Bonjela for mouth ulcers

•             antihistamines/ hay fever tablets

•             Suntan lotion (include different strengths as required)

•             Aftersun treatment

•             Voltarol or similar for pain relief and/or deep heat spray

•             insect repellent and insect bite treatment

•             Safety pins

•             Eye-wash kit

•             Anti-blister kits

•             Cough medicine

•             Antiseptic throat spray or Throat Lozenges

•             Imodium

Quick notes: The BLIND SPOT Warning STICKERS for vehicle over 3.5 tonnes in France:

• From 01 January 2021, all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must have ‘blind-spot' stickers (bright yellow and red), designed to attract the attention of cyclists, bikers and pedestrians and remind them that large vehicles have blind spots and might not be able to see them.

• You only need them if you are entering urban zones in France, but the exact definition of ‘an urban’ area is unclear. Is it a town and above? A Hamlet and above?

• Irrespective of this particular discussion, we would get a 135 euro fine, payable on the spot, for not having them displayed. So we got some and stuck them on. I am slowly getting used to them! Ugh!

• You will need three stickers between 17 – 25cm tall, one for each cab door and one for the rear right-hand side of the moho, placed at a height of around 1.0m from the ground, visible at all times and not obstructing lights, number plates or UK sticker.

Quick notes: Clean Air Stickers in France: Crit Airs

• Some of the bigger French towns and cities require a sticker on the windscreen before you can drive into them. Not having a Crit’Air vignette leads to an on the spot fine of £117. The stickers cost 3 euros – no brainer really!

• The less polluting a vehicle gets preferential parking and traffic routing through restricted traffic and low emission zones. There are six categories from cleanest to dirtiest with regard to euro emission standards. Our euro 6 vehicle needed a yellow Crit’Air which was displayed on the windscreen, bottom right hand corner.

• We applied online for a Crit’Air vignette on the official French government website. https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/demande and uploaded an image of our V5C registration form in JPEG format. File size must be <400kb. It took four weeks before the vignette arrived in the UK.

• The RAC have a useful table regarding which vehicles are which in relation to euro emissions https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/euro-emissions-standards/

Quick notes: What documents do we need to carry when driving in Europe?

• Passport  - check you still have a minimum of six months on it - check that expiry date!

• NHS app showing valid vaccinations 

• Driving licence (check it is in date!)

·        Vehicle Insurance documents- check you are covered for driving in Europe

• Breakdown cover (Check your European cover, for how long, is it fully comp, does it cover breakdowns in Europe?)

• Vehicle V5 logbook (which must show your correct address) and a copy

• MOT paperwork

• Warranties for Moho

• Green card (get from your vehicle insurer)

• (International Driving Permit if required – especially if you still have an old paper licence or one issued in Channel Islands or Isle of Man)

• Personal travel/medical insurance and EHIC card if still in date or the replacement GHIC

• A return or onward ticket; proof of enough money for our stay

• Club cards

• ACSI card and book (see notes below)

Quick notes: ACSI card tips and notes:

ACSI is a company which works alongside a network of thousands of campsites across Europe (including the UK). You buy an annual membership to this club and get access to discounts on campsite costs out of peak season. The Camping Card ACSI shows 3000 campsites across Europe where you can get discounts up to 60% in early and low seasons. Some start at only 12 euros. The membership comes with a card, a guide book, a website and for an additional fee a smartphone app.

In 2022, there were a couple of purchase options:

• If you buy a subscription (which renews automatically), you'll get the Camping Card guidebook and the app for just 12.95€

• A non-renewing purchase for the Camping Card guidebook and app is 16.95€

• If you already own the Camping Card guidebook and would like access to the app, you can purchase it for 3.59€

The Camping Card ACSI is valid for one calendar year and always renews on 01 January. So, don’t buy it in November or December as you'll have to buy it AGAIN in January if you want to use it the following year.

https://webshop.acsi.eu/en/campingcard-acsi.html

 It is an easy system to use. Firstly, download the correct areas you will be visiting before you leave so that you can use the app offline, thus saving your data. On opening the app or website, input your location and then search for campsites around that area. Clicking on the various icons brings up information about each site. It sounds a little like the search4sites type app. Remember peak seasons – Easter and the weeks either side and including school holidays – cannot be booked. There is normally no need to book in advance. Many campsites close at the end of September though. One issue we have discovered though is that if you book one of the sites on-line – and pay in advance – they then don’t seem happy to give you the ACSI discount!

What did we need to remember when arriving at the border?

Thanks to Brexit (don’t get us started) we needed to remember the following when we crossed the channel:

• use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

• can remain in the Schengen area for 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. This includes the whole of the EU except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania and Ireland. It DOES include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. This stay could be for one long trip, or a series of smaller trips. The key is not to exceed 90 days in any 180. We must make sure we get our passports stamped on entry (yep – checked) into EU and on exit – to prove how many days we have used up. Countries not in the '90-day' rule, and which can therefore be visited each for 90 days on top of our 90 days in the Schengen area include Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, Morocco, Ireland (allows unlimited visits for UK nationals)

• It is likely that in the future all British Citizens will need to apply for a European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) visa in advance. These are proposed to be active later in 2021 or 2022.

What have we learned about tolls in France?

We use a Bip and Go tag – it’s been brilliant this far. It's a little box which sticks to the windscreen and each time we go through a toll it adds itself to our bill, which is emailed to us at the end of the month. Payment is taken automatically if that's what you prefer.

Tolls in France are one of the most expensive in Europe. Depending on your route and size (height!) of your motorhome, a trip from Northern France to southern France will cost around 50€, we were told on the forums. And the rest!! I haven’t yet worked out the final total – we will tell you at the end of the trip. If your motorhome is over 3m, you will be charged as a Class 4 vehicle, not class 2. Most motorhomes are calculated for class B, regardless of the number of axles. You can calculate the toll cost of your intended route here https://www.autostrade.it/it/autostrade_en-gis/gis.do 

What things do you need to do before you leave on a longer drive in your motorhome?

We routinely do the following every week or so before moving on from a particular destination:

Basic vehicle maintenance:

• Check tyre pressure.

• BRAKES. Check brakes and brake fluid. 

• Tyre tread depth and also inspection of sidewalls for nicks and scuffs.

• Windscreen. Check for chips, cracks or other imperfections. You may be covered by insurance in Europe, but if it cracks completely, it's going to eat into your holiday time. Get it fixed asap.

• Lights. Make sure all are working.

• Washer fluid, Oil, Adblue levels.

• Check windscreen wipers.

• Check anything fixed to the outside of the motorhome is secure.

• Check door locks working easily – occasionally I WD40 them.

• Check to ensure bolts haven't worked loose on bike rack.

• Check towbar and all electrics.

• Check bike securing straps for fraying.

Driving in France- what to do in the event of a road traffic accident?

•             have a European Claim Form provided by your insurer before you leave.

•             In the event of an accident, all parties complete and sign the form at the scene and then send a copy to your insurer for assessment.

What to do at the scene:

o             Stop your vehicle immediately but safely- out of the flow of traffic if possible.

o             If a vehicle is blocking the road, use hazard lights and put the red warning triangle 30 metres from the scene to warn approaching traffic

o             Exchange your details with the other involved parties. Be sure to get:

o             Name and address of all the people involved in the accident.

o             Vehicle registration numbers of all parties.

o             Insurance company details of all parties.

o             Take photos of damage using a camera, GoPro or phone.