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we either mad or slighty off kilter....we had our van for 2yrs (compase 460 drifter) after lots of weekenders we've decided to do our BIG TRIP  starting via the euro tunnel to "disney paris" down through spain and end up near alberfuria portugal (inlaws will be there) over a three n half week trip starting in june and ending in july.Traveling back via santander to portsmouth, any ideas, travel routes, thoughts or highlights would be very much appriated

 thanks in advance

 james, claire and 2yrold jess (she loves daddies camper)

On the way through stop off at The Puy du Fou fantastic. Free wild camping on the site. Well worth a visit. Maybe the evening show will  be too late for them,but plenty to see during the day.

http://www.puydufou.com/uk/

Sounds a lovely trip but a lot of time driving.Pity you didnt have longer away.We did it in March but we had 3 months away  1 month in France and 6 weeks in the Algarve then wound our way back again its a long drive to the Algarve.We are going again leaving 3rd Feb for another 3 months This time driving right down taking approx 3 days to get there.Then spending at least 2 months there then trail back through spain stopping for a few days here and there.Hope you have alovely time Just remember to have plenty stops for the little one.You will love the algarve SUN SEA AND SAND LOL

 Val

Our boy Isaac who isnt even 2 yet loves long drives in our VW Camper. As a self employed plasterer i have the perk of quiet spells so we think nothing of jumping in the van to hit various surf/kayak spots all over the place and doesnt seem to mind 7 hour drives at the drop of a hat.

its funny this has come up as just last night i was thinking.... ''Nothing much booked in untill the 3rd week of January'', so after boxing day we are driveing down to Spain now, you know catch a bit of sun and that  and why not. Thats what haveing a camper or motor home is about right? and if you start the kids young all the better. The journey is all part of the trip and the storys that you tell when you get back home often involve things you have seen on the road. Ive seen people arseing around and tweeking an awning stuck on a caravan longer than it would take to drive say 1000 miles, hehehe.

good on ya, heres our website have a butchers if you like www.freewebs.com/ababyonboard

jed

Difficult question really because your the one that knows your kids best.

I personally don't agree that your doing too much in one hit. It depends on what you want to acheive whilst traveling. We have travelled many miles in shorter periods of time. If travellling abroad my advice would be to wake up early enough so you can get 4+ hours of travelling done before mid day. Especially if you do not have air con. We never aim to do more than 400 miles in a day even if it is auto route. This because your average speed in a MH is less than that of a car. Threfore a good 300 miles is gonna take ya about 5+ hours. Sometimes we just travel untill the kids are board which thanlfully is not often. Our kids have a laptop computer for dvds, personal gaming stuff, old fashioned travel stuff, mp3 players and what ever else they fancy. This helps relieve boredom. The other thing I do is get them to map read for me, a bit of education, as well as keeping them focused.

Further advice would be not to plan anything. When travelling through France (can't speak for spain only made brief visits) if something takes your fancy stop for the night. If in the morning you dont feel like moving on, don't, stay another night. When you try and stick to plans, your holiday ends up being so rushed, relax and make the drive a big part of your holiday.

What ever you decide enjoy what you do.

Paul

jed

We drove to portugal several years ago and ended up with a fortnight of mostly driving (although you have more time). I personally wouldn't do it with my kids, a couple of hours and that's enough for them but you will know your own and how well they travel.

I would echo the other posts, try not to have too tighter schedule and if you like somewhere spend some time there. We went to north France this summer and ended staying on some campsites all day (we normally like to be off seeing the sights). The kids were more than happy just meeting new friends, swimming and exploring the site (and we got to relax!)

Whatever you do have a great time, it sounds like you will!