Tips for fellow Americans driving an RV in France
An American client who purchased a motorhome in France with our help recently finished their trip and wanted to share a few notable points for others following in their footsteps.
Know your traffic signs
There are a lot of different signs but once you get used to them they are easy to figure out.
Do your research before buying
When purchasing a motorhome, make sure you do your research to ensure it is the right one for your needs. We decided to spend more on a motorhome that we had been searching for a long time — we knew the maker and the model and because it was a discontinued model we had to search a lot to find the right one. Fuel efficient, well built, lots of storage and comfortable to live in.
Map out your trip before you start
We found that Google Maps will take you on some very narrow roads and if you aren't prepared it can be very stressful — and in some cases you will need to back out and down the street you just came from.
Stay in the proper lane
When you pass a vehicle or a semi, make sure you immediately get into the right lane. If not, you'll have vehicles within feet of your back bumper.
Know the speed limit
Make sure you know what your vehicle is capable of. It may say 130 km/h but if you have a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes your maximum speed is 110 km/h. We found out the hard way.
Most campgrounds in France are unisex
They also don't have toilet seats or toilet paper. Plan accordingly.
Showers tend to be pretty basic
We highly recommend using flip-flops to shower as the subfloor can be pretty suspect at times.
Make sure you have contactless credit cards for payment
We didn't, but were able to load the CC details into the Apple Pay app and use it for all our purchases.
Do your shopping before you arrive at your destination
Most campgrounds and parking spots are remote or not the easiest to get to, so shopping in advance will make your dining experience a whole lot better.
Some of your best meals will be in your motorhome
Your camping spot will sometimes lead you to the most serene settings. Enjoy it with the best seat in the house — and of course a great bottle of wine.
Try to secure your campground before you arrive
Especially if you plan to travel in the summer months. Look at Park4night — an app we used that helped us filter out campgrounds in the areas we wanted to stay.
Bring a debit card for getting cash
Most money exchanges give very poor exchange rates and charge high fees for their services.
Don't stress
Nothing is worse than making your travels stressful, especially when they don't have to be. Remember you will always get to where you need to be eventually, so just enjoy the journey no matter what comes up along the way.