Taking the Car Abroad: Forget young men's fancy, it's that time of year when most enthusiastic motorists yearn for the excitement and challenge of foreign roads. Hugh Oram knows the feeling
Motoring holidays in mainland Europe remain as popular as ever and this summer will see, once again, countless thousands of Irish families heading off for the autoroutes of France and beyond. Careful advance planning and care when you're driving abroad are the keys to maximising enjoyment.
The first big essential is ensuring that you have all the insurance cover you'll need.Full and proper insurance cover for the car is essential. Conor Faughnan, spokesperson for AA Ireland, says: "It's important to tell your insurance company that you're taking your car abroad. There shouldn't be any cost for this within the EU, but if you don't inform them, you could find that you only have the legal minimum level of cover away."
As an example, he says that you might end up with just third-party cover in France, even though you're comprehensively covered at home. You are recommended to take a Green Card and a motor insurance certificate.
It's also an excellent idea to have insurance cover against any car breakdown abroad, while personal and medical insurance is also highly recommended. Serious illnesses or accidents abroad can be costly; it can cost €750 to plaster a leg in France. More serious injuries may need an airlift home, in which case the cost will run into thousands of euro.
Plenty of insurance options are available, such as AA Five Star cover, which as an example, will cover a family with three children travelling to France for two weeks for €138. RAC Ireland has its Eurocover Motoring Assistance package. VHI Healthcare and BUPA Ireland will extend their insurance cover for family holidays in Europe. And don't forget your E111 certificate for medical and hospital treatment abroad.
Your driving licence and/or an International Driving Permit (IDP) are also essential, along with your passport. However, if you're staying within the EU, you won't need an IDP.
In terms of equipment, you'll need a warning triangle, which is compulsory in some European countries. A fire extinguisher and a first aid kit are other items that are compulsory in some EU countries. Equally important will be the headlight converters. In mainland Europe, you'll be driving on the opposite side of the road to home, so your headlights will have to adjusted accordingly. You'll also need an IRL nationality plate if you have old style registration plates.
Irish Ferries points out that if you fit a tow bar to your car, you can take a caravan or trailer with you, or even a a boat or jet skis.
Those are all the essentials you'll need to organise before you leave home for the ferryport. But planning the journey itself is just as essential, as Robert Taylor, director, RAC Ireland, warns. "Planning the journey properly is where most people trip up. They don't acquire good maps in advance and they seriously under-estimate journey times abroad. Irish drivers, often without air conditioning in their cars, aren't accustomed to long journeys in 25 degrees C plus heat. Neither are their children.
Taking frequent breaks is inevitable, but few drivers allow for them". He advises travelling in light and loose clothes, packing a flask or ice box with cool drinks and breaking the journey into parts, with a stop about every two hours. Plenty of games for the children are essential.
He also recommends getting your car thoroughly serviced a fortnight before you leave, including brakes and tyres, including the spare.
If you're driving in France, Italy or Spain, you'll have to pay to use the tolled motorways. In France, for instance, the autoroute network is excellent, covering some 8,000 km in total but the toll charge depends on the distance to be travelled. Le Havre to Paris (about 200 km) will cost €8.20, while Paris to Bordeaux (just under 600 km) costs 442.80. If you're towing a caravan, the charges will be about 50 per cent higher. One tip is to take enough cash for motorway charges; some toll booths don't take credit cards.
Motorists should beware: often on continental motorways, the volumes of traffic are very heavy and speeds are very high, so if you're not used to them, it can be a frightening driving experience.
Conor Faughnan points out that you don't have to use the autoroutes. The more scenic routes in France are signposted in green or yellow and are toll free. Another option is to to take the train.
SNCF (French Railways) has Motorail services from Calais to the south of France, while Belgian Railways has similar services from Denderleeuw in Belgium to Austria, France and Italy. Germany has a motorail service, while the idea is also popular in Spain. There, as one example, you can put your car on the train for the Barcelona to Malaga journey, saving considerable driving strain.
Another word of warning comes from Conor Faughnan. The various EU countries in mainland Europe are strict about enforcing traffic regulations, which nevertheless vary from country to country, despite EU harmonisation.
In Spain, if you wear glasses when driving, you'll need to have a spare pair with you. The French are extremely serious about enforcing their road traffic laws, especially for speeding. Continues Conor Faughnan: "Anyone used to the gentle admonitions of a kindly Garda could be in for a shock.
The penalties in France are severe and local gendarmes don't make any exception for visitors".
Any kind of drink driving will attract severe penalties, so it's much better for the driver in the family not to drink at all when on the road.
Speeding is severely frowned upon in most countries. The complexities of mainland European road systems include a plethora of one way systems in towns and cities. Traffic lights, too, are quite different to the ones used here in Ireland.
Some of the traffic laws can seem quite quirky, but they're still enforced pretty strictly. Conor Faughnan says that in Germany, it's a statutory offence to make obscene or derogatory gestures while driving. In Austria, access by tourists to some areas may be restricted when air pollution levels get too high and your car may not be allowed through.
He adds that his personal favourite is in Greece. "Police in Athens have been known to enforce parking laws by unscrewing the car's number plates and taking them to the police station".
If you're not taking your own car, but intend to hire one, it's worth noting that some hire companies in mainland Europe still insist on an IDP.
If you are going to travel from one country to another, you'll need to tell the hire company, because it could affect their charges. Some hire firms charge a lot more for cross-frontier use.
Whether it's your own car or a hire car, you'll find petrol and diesel prices fairly even across Europe. It's worth checking the AA website at www.aaireland.ie and its petrol and diesel price survey. The most recent one shows that the cheapest country in Europe for unleaded petrol is Greece (around 71 cent a litre) and the cheapest for diesel is Luxembourg (about 63 cent a litre).
Should be heading further afield, to the US, and renting a car there, you'll find that petrol and diesel prices are half what they are here at home.
Driving abroad, if properly organised, can be great fun, but keep your wits about you and always remember which side of the road you're driving on.