SPAIN TOUR REVIEW Winter 2024 | How Much | How Far | Our Views | Vlog 630
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- Trev and Sue review their winter tour of Spain 2024. Was it a success and would they do it again? The overall costs and key factors along the way.
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Tour Summary and Opinions
10:50 What Did it all Cost
17:42 Conclusions
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Thanks for watching our videos. We include all things to do with motorhomes, campervans, van conversions, caravans and the great outdoors. We mainly tour the UK and camp around 80 nights per year in our 2021 IH Motorhomes N-680 CRL luxury VW Crafter van conversion. We offer advice, tips and tricks, review campsites and associated products or services. We also occasionally make videos about other trips we take without the motorhome.
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We aim to release 4 or more videos a month.
VW Crafter Van Conversion - IH Motorhomes N-680 CRL (2021)
Towed Car - Skoda Citigo (2016)
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Dashcam - NextBase 212 Lite
Hi Trev and Sue, really enjoyed your tips to France Spain and Gibraltar and enjoyed hearing your review and the breakdown costs of the travel. Loved the photo of Oscar and Sophie x Julie and Tony x
Thanks both, we found it a challenging tour but very enjoyable nonetheless and as I said in the video, more time would have made the long journey more worthwhile and taken the pressure off. It’s been a learning experience and so next time we know where and what to do 😃🚐👍🏻 Trev
It really was an amazing trip. It's nice that you break it all down for everyone. I'm sure this is very useful info for anyone planning or hoping to take a similar trip. Honestly, the way you show each stop to start with and then break it all down, you could be a tour guide lol.
Haha…. Thank you. We hope it all makes sense and we know others are ready to try touring outside the UK so if we can help, that’s good 😃 As for tour guide, I think we need more practice 😂😂 Thanks for your support throughout 👍🏻💙🚐 Trev
Hi Trev and Sue a great video as ever and good to see you both
It was a brilliant tour and was so great to come along with you all and looks like you had lots of laughs and made many memories you covered a lot of ground but with it saw many different parts of Spain some off the tourist map
From the costs, I think it was great value and the car hire is great I've paid more here for one!
It's great to have the flexibility and freedom to do as you please
Look forward to the next video all the best Daniel
Hi Daniel, there was a lot of learning going on with this trip. The lack of availability on the campsites and aires was a surprise to us and that a lot of the tourist areas are closed for the winter. We took advantage of the cheaper car hire and were able to find a few nice places to explore without the worry of parking. There’s a good chance we’ll give it another go as there’s such a lot that we didn’t get to see 😃 Thanks for all your support along the way 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev n Sue
Thank you for all your tips and advice.... Especially the vets which we will try and use next time we go to France / Spain.
Thank you ☺️ The online vet service is very slick and you have to trust the process. It’s not possible to telephone the vets for advice as this defeats the objective of a low cost. However, from the receipt of enquiry to payment and collection, the service is well tested. Make sure you have your pet rabies vaccine certificate available and any other previous animal health certificate as copies of this may help with the process 😃👍🏻💙 Trev
What an adventure! We, too, are intrigued to see what Gibraltar is like.
We're always amazed (and a bit terrified) of how closely packed European camp sites are. I'd be so worried about fire risks 😮
Yes we often remark upon the situations seen on some of the sites. It’s common to see vans “shoe-horned” into the tiniest space. It’s not all campsites and Aires but majority of the cheaper ones. 😲🚐 Trev
As always a Really helpful summary, as you say definitely makes sense to add an extra couple of weeks if practical
Extra time in Spain would have made financial sense having paid for the tunnel, animal health certs, road tolls and fuel to get to Spain. Probably the strongest thing we learnt on this tour 👍🏻😃🚐 Trev
wow the places are truly wonderful! you did an amazing job bringing it to life and putting it together on the video. I really enjoyed watching the video. bringing support to the channel #thinbluelanervlife You guys always have the best adventures. Wishing you the best and sending greetings from Texas U.S.A.
Thank you so much for your lovely comments. We are pleased you enjoyed our tour and feel very lucky to have you as friends in Texas. Bill and Nancy we wish you well in Texas USA 🚐💙👍🏻 Trev n Sue
Thanks for the heads up about booking sites in Spain
It’s very busy there and there isn’t the capacity on the better sites to serve all of the Vanners that want to stay on a campsite. The Aires in some of the popular areas were also overcrowded. We have decided when we return, we will have pre booked sites in advance of our tour 🙂👍🏻🚐 Trev
What a wonderful trip, safe travels 👍
Thank you, we enjoyed the longer tour but as always, we needed more time 😃🚐👍🏻
Thankyou for an informative video, we enjoyed the trip
Thanks for watching. We have more from Europe in September 😃👍🏻🚐 Trev
Very envious of you travelling to Europe. Time off work is an issue for us .
We often have the same discussion about if I (Richard ) goes ill Debbie has driven it but wrong side of the road would be a different thing .
We had time off work issues for years but now there’s all sorts of other things getting in the way 😃🚐 Thanks for supporting us. I am sure you will get the same opportunities to do the long tours in future. Safe travels 😉🚐💙 Trev
Trev, thank you 🤗for the quick reply, will look at booking sites if staying longer than a day or 2 although that will remove the enjoyment and freedom to go wherever we decide especially sun chasing for the wife as we are not city people (although were when we young) as wife likes to sit and read in the sun and I prefer leisurely walks. Maybe look to invest in either an electric bike / scooter for the future. Take Care Drew & Linda🏴
Kev and I had fun on our electric bikes. We didn’t explain this in our videos but the folding e-bikes were more fun than the walks. It’s so easy to get around on the e-bikes and lots of other people are doing it. We used the e-bikes to collect and return the hire car and of course a rest stop at a watering hole was essential 👍🏻 As for the scooters, I think I would end up in A&E and being old and slightly heavier than the average teenager, I’ll leave scooters to them 😉😂 Take care and safe travels 🚐💙 Trev
love your vlogs keep them coming
Thank you Mark 🚐👍🏻 Trev
Was great to watch great holiday thank you
Thanks for your support, we appreciate it 🚐👍🏻💙 Trev n Sue
Interesting. Since covid the northern Europeans have got to a crazy level. Speaking to various people it appears a lot of them watch you tubers from their home country and fancy trying it themselves. Now, we are english but are spanish residences. We do travelling in Spain, Portugal and France. We are now finding it very difficult to find aires both chargeable and free due to the sheer explosion of numbers. Difficult to know what to say but a lot of you tubers have started saying "make sure you are booked in" The bad side is that vans have been spilling over into local beaches, taking over areas and such. As we all know this leads to toilets and rubbish getting tipped in unsuitable places. There have been a lot of accounts of the police going in and having a sort out. It seems half of Europe wants our winter weather. Can't say I blame them with all the reports of rain rain rain in the North. So glad you enjoyed your trip. Its a beautiful country.
We cannot imagine what it’s like in the busy summer. We saw evidence of “no camping” signs and areas that have been closed to Motorhomers. Clearly there are places that need to be respected and not overwhelmed with vans. We approve of policing. We would never park anywhere where we may cause a nuisance. Our instincts are to find somewhere where we can pay for a safe spot to park. It’s a shame and a disgrace if people dump waste and litter inappropriately. Hopefully the local government and communities in Spain will take action and ensure there are enough suitable places to park and in turn, the Motorhomers will respectfully spend their money and support local businesses. It has to work both ways. 😃🚐👍🏻 Trev
@PoshcatsCamping thanks for your reply and I know you are respectable people. The spaces are there but its the sheer numbers in winter. Summer is not so bad. Costa Blanca this week has said we need more. Many of these sites are holding 100 plus vans. West of Malaga needs lots more places for vans. The Spanish councils ie Andulucia and the various motorvan associations have been appealing for about 2 yrs for anyone with land to come forward and open a site. We have seen many many open in the last 2 yrs. So as something to do, 4 wks back, as we drove back home I started to take note of the number of motorhomes on the motorway from Almeria to Malaga. I counted every vehicle whether car, van, bike, lorry, motorhome. On average 1 in 25 was a camper/motorhome. That's one hell of a lot. Perhaps you can get a better idea of the sheer numbers. Its certainly good for sales of your necessities. And that's how our Mayor described it. He said "this is a different kind of tourist. They don't spend huge sums of money like summer tourists but are here for several months, being mainly pensioners, and need to buy everyday stuff. He is all for it and supplied places in the feria ground for vans." So Spain is taking it seriously and supplying more. Hope this makes things clearer.
@@RobertSmith-cv1cu This information is so important to share. Thank you for taking the time to clarify the issues, potential solutions and actions being taken in Spain. I am sure that most of the Vanners are completely unaware of what's really going on. 🙂 Trev
Always a pleasure watching your travel vids packed with information tips camp reviews and great camera skills but most off all seeing you and sue enjoying yourselves all the best donny
Thank you for your very kind words Donny. Not long now and your Jenny will be back on the road. Take care 🚐👍🏻💙 Trev n Sue
Did enjoy watching this trip, looking forward to your next one. Stay safe👍
Thanks Mark and Coral 💙 We have more planned in the summer 👍🏻😀🚐 Trev
Really useful information, maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to dip my toe in ☺️ Thanks, Em 💜
It’s not that difficult Em. Start off with a road trip along the Normandy coast for a couple of weeks and you’ll get a whole new view of Vanlife. Less traffic on much better roads and everywhere is geared up with van parking wherever you go. Our first trip was in 2012 and it’s got better and better since then 😃🚐💙 Trev
@@PoshcatsCamping sounds great, it’s the whole “sorting the dog stuff” that stresses me 😅☺️ Have a good weekend both. Em 💜
@@vansforthememories It’s best to let your vet guide you. The first time we went, we used our local vet. Once we gained confidence and understood the process better, we started using Abbeywell at Folkestone. The return Eurotunnel trip requires the paperwork updates and worming treatment no more than 5 days before you travel and more than 24 hours before you travel. Most vets in France understand the process and will do it for you. If ever you want a chat or have questions you can always PM me or Sue 💙 Trev x
@@PoshcatsCamping aww thanks so much for the info Trev 😁 When I asked our vet, they said he needed a passport & had to have certain things done 6 months in advance, it sounded a pain to coordinate. Kind of you to give the info. Em 💜
@@vansforthememories they probably meant the rabies jab 6 months before travel. It doesn’t have to be that far in advance and it will last for 3 years so you just use the certificate each time you get new travel documents. 🙂 think about it for 2025. It’s a game changer with a van like yours 👍🏻🚐
Thanks for all the info. We're looking at a similar trip this 2024 Christmas/ New Year. From your video and others I think we'll book early for campsites along the way, especially further south. Thanks again.
It’s a fabulous trip but we recommend as much time as you can afford in your diary to spend in Spain. The weather is best the further south you go and even so you will need coats as well as your shorts 😀 Enjoy your trip, we hope to do something similar in future 🚐👍🏻💙 Trev n Sue
Good video enjoyed this very much, take care both 😊
Thanks so much. We appreciate your support 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev n Sue
Blooming good value that Trev 👍
Not bad is it really. I enjoyed the driving, although it was tiring. Will probably do a similar trip in future but with more time, perhaps a couple of months 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev
Thanks
Thank you for watching and supporting us 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev n Sue
amazing upload 👍💥🎈
Thank you, appreciate your comments 😃👍🏻🚐 Trev
I would say that trip was definitely worth the money you spent. I’m so jealous 😊now Especially to have your own place and have your dogs with you. The fees for them was probably less than what boarding them would cost. Great job on the record keeping👍😊💕
Thank you 😃 Yes we couldn’t put our dogs in kennels now, they are elderly and it would be very unkind. A few years ago our daughter looked after them for us in their home but they have a cat now. 🐈⬛ We love having the dogs with us and they travel very well 😀👍🏻 Trev
Hello friend good afternoon my friend ❤❤❤👍👍👍👍🌹🌹🌹🌹
Hi, have a great day 😃😃👍🏻👍🏻
@@PoshcatsCamping ❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍
Interesting Sue and Trevor as we are starting week 5 of our Portugal and Spain trip. I think costs will be very similar but we took the Ferry to Santander and will go back via Bilbao. Without inspiration and watching You Tube channels we wouldn’t have had a clue, so thank you for sharing, much appreciated Ruth and H 🙂
Thanks Both. Likewise, we gain a lot of info from other UA-cam channels and friends. There’s so much choice but we are a little restricted with the crossings due to our aging dogs 😀🚐👍🏻💙 Trev
It was such a fascinating tour.
We’re planning four weeks next Jan. This has made us think about that as to whether we add another week
I think we will go as far as Alicante and that would be it. And also do a bit of inland - so looking at booking campsites on the coast already
That doesn’t sound a bad cost at all Trev - you would pay £2k plus for a week in Spain or the Canaries.
Great vlogs.
Enjoyed the series.
Thanks for all your support along the way. Enjoy your tour, we hope to make it a longer trip next time and a minimum 4 weeks and careful planning 😀👍🏻🚐💙 Trev
Hi Trev n Sue. Thanks so much for sharing the costings. We are taking LWC to Spain in September this year. I don't think your costings were bad at all. We recently flew to Tenerife for a week and that cost us £2,000 plus spending money. I agree its about the freedom to do what you want when you want. I have to admit I only watched the Spanish side of the trip sorry. Wishing you both great season. Phil & Juliet🙂👍
Thanks guys, we seriously doubted the idea of driving to Spain and back within 4 weeks. It wasn’t for the feint hearted. Sue and I will seriously consider future trips back to the canaries as we haven’t been for years and years. Driving needs time and effort that can be very tiring 🙂🚐💙👍🏻 Trev
Nice review of your tour
Oscar was trying to sing 🎶 😅
Thank You 😂 Yes, I tried to get Oscar to come and sit with us but he wouldn’t stay on the chair with us unfortunately. More of Oscar and Sophie in a video soon 👍🏻🙂 Trev n Sue
Nice and beautiful sharing my friend 👌🏻👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌷🌷🌷🌷💯💯🇮🇳🇮🇳
Thank you so much 😀💙🚐👍🏻 Trev n Sue
Well done you too ,
Thanks so much 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev n Sue
Estepona is lovely. We live up in Cadares Pueblo, a beautiful little village 20 minutes up the mountain from Estepona.
We loved it and would really like to explore the villages more. Next time we visit, we will definitely have more time. Thanks for your support on this tour 👍🏻🚐💙 Trev
Casares, even. :)
Hi Posh Cats. Can you tell me what cover you have for your Myrider bikes. The one I have from Taylor Made Screens is much too big. Hope you have more travels to come.
Ours is too big too but I overcome this by putting a cargo net over the cover to stop it from flapping. 🙂 Trev
Hoping to do a similar trip next year so some food for thought, thanks for your videos.
Next time you are in Europe try getting a pet passport for each of the dogs, I did in October and it was no problem, so this year we're going to France twice this year👍😀
Thanks for watching 😃👍🏻 We have considered a European pet passport and have spoken to vets in some countries. But they are saying that they are at risk of losing their licence if they issue them to UK residents. In any case, it’s probably too late for us to worry too much now as our dogs are 13 and 15 years old. 🙂 Trev
Trev, that's good ages for your pups.
I think further away from the main ferry ports the vets are more relaxed about pet passports, I just asked and they were happy to do it and used my UK address.
@@andrewkends Yes, the vets in Spain seemed much more relaxed about the situation and didn’t treat us like it was a gravy train. Nearer to Calais it seems to be a race to who can charge the most for a worming tablet 😉 Trev
Excellent series we particularly liked the site in the mountains where a friendly local helped out.Always nice to get a breakdown of costs afterwards, a lot of driving though, do you share the driving with Sue, or is it just yourself ?
Thanks so much for watching and supporting us. I (Trev) do the driving in Smirf. Sue used to drive until she became very ill with early Covid. Since then I do all the driving even though we always insure the car and van for her should she want or need to drive at any time. 🚐👍🏻💙 Trev
Hi Trev &. Sue,
Thanks for the breakdown of the costs as wife wanted just to book a 2 week holiday to Spain AI with some spending money which I costed at roughly £4200, so your 5 week trip is in my opinion great value although driving and trying to find and book sites is tiring. We are now counting down the weeks till we depart for our trip April - June, but would you suggest that I book sites in advance? For the toll roads do you use an emovis tag or just pay by Mastercard / Revolute. I have the Camping car park card which we intend to use on this trip through France and if available in Spain. This will be our first voyage further south than around Dunkirk - Calais area to see what works for us and what we need for future trips, but if you have any recommendations they would be greatly appreciated. Awe the best for future travels Drew & Linda🏴
Our trip was 24 nights and it was a bit of a dash through France which is a huge country and using the toll roads gets you to Spain quickly but at a cost. We use the emovis tag and a Barclaycard Reward Card for the few tolls we found in Spain, it’s not worth getting a tag for there. We had no worries finding sites in France but the coast of Spain is pretty busy and can be a bit of a scramble to get a pitch unless you have booked in advance. Enjoy your trip, it’s definitely worth the long drive to get down to the Costas. 👍🏻🚐😃 Trev
Hi to you both just come across your channel, I am planning a trip down to Spain this September , never done this before what advise could you give me etc , as lots of people are Spain is full etc kind regards Peter
The off peak winter season has limited campsites open so there is a genuine shortage of places to camp. The Aires and park ups are very busy too. September is still the busy season and sites start to close in October. It’s difficult to know which is best, book ahead or wing it. If you are a beginner to motorhoming, you will soon find your likes and don’t likes. Also you know your own interests and will be able to judge what appeals to you, beaches, towns and cities, rural villages, eating out, parking off grid or on a campsite with a bar and a pool. All I would say is take your time and enjoy everything you find. There is something for everyone and Spain has so very much to offer travellers like us. 👍🏻🚐 Safe travels 😃 Trev
Hi Both - couple of questions for you: 1) the 24 day trip cost about £3.2k but much of that was fixed costs i.e. that wouldnt really change if you stayed for longer e.g. ferry price approx the same , AHC, Fuel,tolls, car hire - if same route. Basically 6 weeks wouldnt be £6k but the same plus extra campsites and spending money - any idea what 5 or 6 weeks would have cost you for same route etc but just staying longer. And 2) I think you said £200 ish for Red Pennant annual subscription (including breakdown AND travel health insurance) - is that the full standard rate - My brother quoted me circa £500+ - or is oit just breakdown cover? - Thanks - PS yopur route was much more direct than me and the dog worming costs of 38 euros for three dogs was amaxzing - cost me 58 euros for one dog in France (including the tablet)
Hi Paul, you are right, it’s much more cost effective to stay for 6 weeks rather than 3 due to the fixed costs of Eurotunnel, road tolls, fuel and AHCs etc. When we budgeted the trip, we allowed 25 euros per night for camping which turned out to be about average. Therefore it’s easy to just add the extra costs in with a longer stay. The Red Pennant insurance is only for CAMC members and it does cover breakdown and health for us (not the dogs) but they will repatriate the van, humans and dogs if required. The 12 month premium was just under £200. You will find that in France and Belgium, the closer you get to the ports, the higher the charges are for the pet checks, worming treatment and AHC updates. We were shocked by the low price in Spain but I can confirm that it was 38 euros for 3 dogs including the worming tablets. The only reason we returned after 24 days was that we had other commitments in our diaries in February that we had to be back for. I hope that clarifies things 😃👍🏻🚐 Trev
@@PoshcatsCamping excellent - Thanks
Hi, did you have winter tyres fitted on your van. We were thinking of doing the same trip next year. Thanks
We have all season tyres fitted. They have the mountain and snow symbol on the side. Thanks for watching😀👍🏻🚐 Trev