N American RV Trip Advice

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Advice for Clients from the USA and Canada

  • “Bring or rent bikes for your trip, the “cycle only” routes are awesome all over France.”
  • “Travelling on the national roads instead of the auto routes was an absolute delight so do as much of it as you can and avoid hefty road tolls at the same time.””When you are in the US planning an RV trip in your living room, Europe looks small. It’s not! We arrived with a plan to see France, Italy and Spain in six weeks but soon realised that we were wasting most of each day on the (expensive) autoroutes with no time to explore and relax. After a week of trying to fit too much in we changed our plan and saw much of France plus the Italian lakes and are so glad we did. There is a heck of lot to see and it is real easy to drive past it all if you try and travel too far.”
  • “Have a plan when you arrive but be prepared to change it as you will be amazed at how many charming distractions there are.”
  • “After four RV trips in France we find May, June, September and October the nicest months to travel as you get the perfect balance – not too many tourists but good weather.”
  • “Disposable grills are available in “Supermarchés” and are ideal for outdoor cooking but do check you are not in a fire risk area before you light one. Some campsites in the south ban them and some provide communal grills where you can bring your own charcoal and cook your own food.”
  • “Virtually no merchants accept Am Ex or Diners cards outside of Paris so make sure you have a Mastercard or Visa for travel in France.”
  • “Even if your French is terrible, try speaking a few words as the French people will be charmed by your efforts and much more inclined to help you.”
  • “In France and Italy, shops and places like RV resort offices close for a couple of hours in the middle of the day, usually between about 12:00 and 15:00 so make sure you don’t get caught our without anything for your lunch or anywhere to park!”
  • “France in a campervan for a honeymoon – terrific!”
  • “Not to be missed in Normandy: The Mont St Michel and Juno Beach (where many Canadians landed on D-Day).”
  • “Highways/major routes are very convenient for covering big distances but they are expensive and very boring. If you can avoid toll roads altogether and you will see a lot more of France (or Italy)! To calculate road toll prices for any route you can just put your start and finish point into this website and it will show the time/distance and road tolls: http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/ “
  • “Following The Tour de France route after The Tour was finished made for a great trip, we got to ride all the major climbs without the crowds and thousands of other RVs.”
  • “Be prepared for Italian roads if you head into Italy, they don’t compare well to French roads. Expensive tolls, badly maintained and nowhere to pull up. Fuel is expensive in Italy too.”
  • “Don’t just head for the tourist hot spots. Go off the beaten track and dig for hidden treasures, it is everywhere in France and easy to find in just about any village.”
  • “If you go to an antiques fair or even a junk shop, carry some cash as you cannot pay by credit card.”
  • “Staying on “France Passion” sites instead of campsites is a great way to discover real France.”

If you are a FranceMotorhomeHire customer from the United States or Canada and would like to share some tips or advice, send us an email with your recommendations!