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ok.. so have never owned a motorhome before.. but now looking for a reasonable 6 berth coachbuilt. liking the layout with the fixed bunks a the rear.. but has to be under the 3500kg weight restriction.

so... with new van in the not so distant future (fingers crossed) i have just looked at the price of travelling to france via eurotunnel in august and was amazed how cheap it is compared to the ferries!

as we have children.. we will have to be travelling during schol holidays. so... i thought we could take a nice leisurely drive from isle of wight, via mainland to south eastern spain to visit my parents for a couple of weeks .. in AUGUST!!!!

i have never really driven on the right.. only getting my mother out of some small, tight village roads in spain.

OH wont drive (he might change his mind.. but i wont be expecting it!)

and we have 2 teenagers (16 and 14) and a 10 yr old.. and a 4 year old with special needs

ooh and then there is the slight problem of taking the dog too... think i should look into getting him jabbed etc!

we dont want to do tolls.. or too many motorways...

we have the whole month to take in, but would like to stay at my parents for approx 2 weeks!

any advice?? (apart from "dont do it!!")

Roofie41 says 'planning' and lists - well we're just the opposite - we hardly plan at all.  We book a ferry (with a caravan definitely cheaper than the Eurotunnel) early in October, when the Caravan Show offers are avaible.  This year you could book a car and caravan for £58.00 return, or motorhome for £38.00 return.  We buy our Camping Cheques, and ACSI card, and have a decent detailed map - and just go for it!  We arrive in France, with only a vague idea of destination, buy a map and head for the best weather.  One year the vague intention was Italy, but the four day forecast was for torrential storms, so we turned right instead of left at the bottom of the Rhone Valley and went to Spain instead!

French roads are mostly OK for driving without tolls - though there are some sections where it makes sense to avoid city centres, and built up areas, etc  and you can generally spot them on a map.  There are campsites, and for you motorhome aires, in many small villages and towns, and you can always find somewhere to stay wherever you are.  In northern Spain I would say to use the autoroute - the 'coast' road down through the Costa Brava takes much longer than you think, and whilst it's picturesque in the northern part, the southern end towards Barcelona is just one seaside suburb after another,  so I would stick to the toll routes in that area.

You need to sort the dog out soon and check out the regulations.  I think there used to be a six month period after the vaccination/blood test - not sure what applies now as we've dropped the idea of taking our pet (cat) to Europe.  However, read it all up before you build yourselves up and find that taking the dog is a No No for this year.

Have a look at the 'pinned' thread above, which is advice for 'Continental First-Timers' - lots of useful information in there.

Lastly, just enjoy it and report back on here when you come back.

I guess you know your own children better than anyone. Do you think they will enjoy it, especially the 4 year old with special needs?

As for what vehicle you choose I would have thought something reliable and within that weight range that will effectively comfortably sleep nearly 5 adults and a small child is a big ask?

Also one of you only driving will be tiring. Why not aim for next year and trial your new toy iover here and maybe closer to home on the continet for first time.

We are all different but I do think where children are involved sometimes you do need to take a step back and say "is this really right for us?"

Tina, having met you I have no doubt whatsoever that you would have a brilliant time and cope no problem. Its a great idea.

I can highly recommend a film called RV to get you in the mood, it is hilarious. But in all seriousness I say go for it girl. The roads in France are less busy, its so motorhome friendly compared to the UK. Before we bought the caravan we took the inlaws motorhome to France three summers in a row and had brilliant holidays.

I will have to give you serious teasing if you buy a motorhome, you traitor to canvas

Tina, I took my nine year old and three year old camping in France, in an (I can't remember how old, but VERY old) lime greenLada (yes Lada) Estate on my own, twenty-odd years ago.  I had little money, husband had just left, but I wanted to give the boys their 'normal' holiday.  We just 'went for it'  I had to 'wise up' on the maps once they'd gone to bed, so I was completely confident about driving (no Sat Navs in those days). 

I didn't even know where to fill up with oil, and put too much in which is another story, but we had the most fantastic holiday, and it's still one that my sons remember well.  They're now nearly 32, and 26 - and both camp in France for their holidays!  So just go for it, mad or not, it will be what you make it.  You have more children to cope with, but they sound the sort of children who will enjoy whatever comes their way!

If you don't do it, you may regret it! Life is about what you remember, not what you regret.  We've all got some fabulous memories of that holiday, and that's what counts!