Very exciting news! We are shipping the RV to Belgium and will be touring Europe for the Summer. Wow, even we cannot quite get accustomed to this news and we have been working on it for a couple of months!
How did this come about? We were thinking of flying to Europe and doing some traditional touring by train, but when I started looking at all the plans and schedules we had to make in advance to avoid spending our entire retirement fund on a month or so in Europe, and the fact that we do not travel happy with heavily scheduled itineraries, we decided to postpone it and work on our RV summer trip. That became a tour of eastern Canada and I told Jack about the warnings I was getting about a lot of fog, rain, cold weather, .... he asked about Plan B. So I said how about Europe in an RV? So, lots of research about a few other Americans who have done this and written about it inspired us to actually do it.
Here are the answers to some questions that we had as well as everyone else who has found out about this new adventure:
1.
"Shipping the RV, isn't it expensive? Can't you just rent one there?" Yup, kinda expensive, but much, much cheaper than renting one. The shipping runs about $2,500 from here to Belgium and then about $5,000 to return. An RV rental runs $1,000 a week plus mileage. Since we plan to being there at least for 3 months, even I can do the math.... If all works as planned, we will store the RV near Rome (near a friend who retired to Italy) and return in the Spring to continue touring next year. We will get even more value from the expensive shipping by touring for six months instead of three.
2. "
But the systems (electric, propane, etc.) are different. How will you make an American RV work in Europe?" Invest significant money in adapters. We needed a step-down transformer to change the voltage from 220 to 110 plus adapters so we can plug the transformer into campground electric outlets. Also propane adapters so we can refill our 18 gallon propane tank - these had to be ordered from the UK. Even our water hose needs adapters so we can hook up to their spigots to get fresh water. Oh, and did I mention that there is no standard for these adapters for all of Europe, so we had to get multiple adapters to guarantee we can operate in multiple countries.
3.
"Isn't it complicated? How do you find out what you need to know?" Yes, it is complicated dealing with freight forwarders, shipping lines, shipping port requirements, customs and timing the shipping with flights so we do not end up sitting in a European hotel too long or having the RV sitting on the dock for an extended period waiting for us. We also had to figure out phone and data communications, currency exchanges and having financial resources readily available to us in Europe for 3 months. But, the good news is that others have done this over the last ten years and I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't from these pioneers. One couple wrote a complete book about their experiences and I bought the publication, but they did their touring almost ten years ago and a lot has changed. Two other couples wrote blogs about shipping their RVs to Europe and they graciously answered all my questions.
4. "
Where will you stay? Do they have campgrounds for RVs and how will you find them?" Camping is more popular in Europe than in the States and for its size, there are many more campgrounds. I ordered a campground guidebook that will tell us where many of them are, but we have been assured that the campgrounds are very well marked on the main highways. There are lots of places you can overnight in many countries that are free, but have no services such as electric or water, so we probably will not be taking advantage of these resting areas.
5. "
What about insurance?" Well, this is the truly ugly part. We must have liability vehicle coverage and that runs about $450 for 3 months, but the real kicker is the collision. Even with the maximum $2,000 deductible, the insurance is an additional $1,400 for 3 months. From what we have heard about poor drivers and lots of accidents, we cannot afford to Not have the insurance. The good news is that although Medicare does not cover out of country medical issues at all, our supplemental plan does for emergencies. One small offset is that we can suspend our insurance here for those three months.
With most of our questions answered, we are ready to begin this big, new adventure. Our shipping date is scheduled for May 27th (the RV has to be at the Charleston port on the 19th). We have to have the propane tank emptied and certified (unfortunately, I had just had it filled last month) and Jack wanted the RV's gelcoat exterior compounded and buffed as it has oxidized badly over the last couple of years. They will finish making the RV look presentable on Friday, we will pack it with non-perishable essentials over the weekend and take it for the propane tank certification Monday morning.
In the afternoon, we take it to the port to clear customs, pay the freight forwarders, and say goodbye to the RV. We have a flight into Brussels for June 17th and hope to pick up the RV on the 18th to begin meandering around Europe.
We will try to keep up this blog all Summer, but we cannot be certain we will have internet often enough or strong enough to upload text and photos, but we will try our best.
