NUTS & BOLTS
A lot had to be done to ensure the Rialta was Euro-ready. The following are some essential points, but is by no means an exhaustive list. For more detailed information, I refer you to the books below.
Insurance
Similar to Mexico, you need foreign motoring insurance if traveling with US or CDN plates (& you need an oval country sticker for your back bumper). For years we had used AIU (now called Chartis), however they ceased to offer European Foreign Motoring Insurance as of August 19, 2009.
As a replacement, Karl-Heinz Nowag offers insurance comparable to the old AIU policy.
There is no website, but email is:
And full contact:
Nowag Versicherungen
Platanenring 15b
63110 Rodgau
Tel: 0049 6106 16960
Fax:0049 6106 13520
If you prefer to deal with a North American agency, this insurer places insurance through the above-named German brokerage.
Contact:
Andrea Nelson
International Insurance Manager
Thum Insurance Agency, L.L.C.
Continental US: 1.800.968.8486
Phone: 001.763.413.4718
Fax: 001.763.413.4728
andrea@thuminsurance.com
Basic maintenance
I'd rather do things like change the tires, wheel alignment, clean the fridge burner, change the generator oil, etc. prior to traveling. Also bought a spare water pump, a complete set of bulbs and a backup Valterra dump valve.
Electrical
We needed a step-down transformer to convert 240V to the 110V the coach uses, but this time we went for one that also regulates the voltage- the Seven Star ATVR-5000.
Once in Europe, I bought electrical cables at the German version of Home Depot (Hornbach,but also Bauhaus) :
a) one adaptor cable (two-prong to blue 3 prong CEE connector that you frequently find in campgrounds)
b) two 2 prong extension cords - one 20 m, one 10m
You need lots of length in Europe, since power points are
generally not located at each campsite.
Books & Websites
This is a recent book & web page:
Take Your RV To Europe By Adelle and Ron Milavsky
This is one of the originals & is frequently revised - I had this one about 17 years ago:
Europe by Van and Motorhome by David Shore and Patty Campbell
This is a Classic for driving a car or motorhome in Europe: MotoEuropa
Mike & Terri Church have a camping book, which will be familiar to those of you who use their Mexican & N. American books: Traveler's Guide to European Camping In Europe, though, you have a great array of other books to compete with it.
Here's a web journal written by Americans who shipped over their RV "Papillon" - a Winnebago View (theirs is an excellent, clear narrative - their explication of the Nuts & Bolts part of the process is much more detailed than mine & I recommend that you visit their site! ):
Here's a site written by Rick & Kathy Howe. We met them a few years ago in Patzcuaro, Mexico . After tromping all over North & South America, in 2010 they shipped their compact RV over to Europe:
Finally, here's a useful list of links -
I especially like to surf the European motorhome forums for first hand experience - here's the best two in English:
Stellplätze & Aires
In our context, these terms refer to overnight parking/sleeping areas for self-contained motorhomes. A very interesting facility, they are not generally found in North America. Some are rudimentary - not much more than a parking spot, some have electric, water & a dump station. Some are free, some cost perhaps 16 Euros (always less than the nearest campground). They are usually in very good locations relative to city & town centres.
Here's an excellent descriptive page of French Aires:
Mini-guide to Aires De Service in France
And one for German Stellplätze:
Mini-Guide to German Motorhome “Stellplatz” sites
Purchased some Stellplatz/Aire guides, most notably
a) Bord Atlas, also downloaded their POIs into my Garmin 770.
b) A French guide: "Guide Officiel des Aires de Services Camping-car ".
c) ADAC Stellplatz Fuhrer book, which covers Germany and a lot of the rest of Europe.
d) reference the site campingcar infos - good online info as well as GPS downloads & ability to download the info to a USB stick.
In France there is a great organization called France Passion - membership provides no-charge overnighting on private land - usually a vineyard or a farm. There are more rudimentary versions of this in Italy ( Fattore Amico & GreenStop ), Spain (ESPAÑA DISCOVERY) & now, Germany (Grüne Zweibel).
Maps
The Michelin atlas is a must. I have all-Europe, plus I often pick up a country-specific edition.
Garmin Nuvi 770 - this model & its replacements have both Euro & N. American maps.
Storage
If you're going to leave your vehicle in Europe for a time, figure out convenient storage. The Milavsky book is a good place to start - it has good basic info on how & where to store. Note that there are restrictions on length of stay in Europe. Do your own due diligence on this matter.
Propane (LPG or GPL)
There are a few different nozzles used in Europe - you can buy them, but I found in our previous trips that many stations had them - I never actually used the ones I carried with me. The German filler nozzle (" 1 3/4" acme ") is exactly the same as ours, as is the old-style Belgian nozzle, still to be found at most pumps in that country.
Some Pictures of various adaptors
Communications on the road
Internet: I now carry a small 3 pound netbook with a 10 inch screen and 8 hours of battery power. We often look for a free wifi hotspot for our netbook; sometimes I'll go to an internet cafe & plug in via cable. For phoning, I use Skype on my laptop, which costs about 2.5 cents a minute - free to other Skype computers. Most recently I've been using video calls skype-to-skype - these are free and you can see the other party. When recently in Brussels on my own, I took my netbook to the Galeries Louisa & found a pair of shoes for Taylor - fired up the netbook & showed her the shoes via video skype for her approval (she was in Toronto :-) . Of course, you can find internet points in many places if you don't carry a laptop.
Our main method of communicating though is via Blackberry. All of our emails are forwarded to it & arrive wirelessly; I can check weather around the globe, news & a host of other informational services via the Blackberry web browser ( note - I have now drastically cut my Blackberry usage after getting a few bills - they were high, but at least I don't have the bandwidth charges of an iPhone!)
Taking your dog
An angst-filled process that has become more convoluted since we last did it (new regulations were enacted in Europe in 2004). We had to ensure he was microchipped with the ISO standard microchip used in the EU - a call to the microchip registry confirmed that he isn't, so we had to rent a microchip scanner that would read his chip - we carried it with us - and of course they didn't even scan him at the border. We had to download a form from the German embassy site, our vet filled it in and then we had to drive to a Canadian Dept. of Agriculture office to get a government vet to certify the paperwork our vet had filled in. We printed up sheets to go on his crate with emergency number, etc. and we handed one to the stewardess upon boarding, asking her to ensure he was on board (which she did, confirming as Taylor taxied down the runway). In most EU countries there is not and never has been quarantine. A couple of Scandinavian nations and England have had quarantine. There are new measures in place - I have no idea whether quarantine in those countries is still in force for North American dogs, but there are at least additional tests required.
DUMPING
In many places, especially aires & stellplatz, you will find an island with a metal self-serve utilities centre - it dispenses fresh water, electricity and provides for the discharge of the tanks. In France they seem to be called "Flot Bleu" or "Euro Relais" and we have found them in parking lots, aires, on the lots of hypermarches like Leclerc or even just by the side of the road. Just follow the signs picturing a motorhome with a dump symbol below it. In Germany they seem to be attached to a stellplatz. Some have been free, some require a Euro or 2 deposited in a box on the honour system, some are coin-operated, some accept credit cards.
