You can track us down, we have employed yet another wonder of the modern world in the form of a Google map that will keep you guys and gals up to date with where we be going and where we be gone.  And yes, that is imperfect english, and no I don’t want to change it, thank you very much Windows Grammar Checker.

Without further ado… Stalk us at will, here http://twurl.nl/nofsrh

It’s Friday, we are all fully recovered after a relaxing stopover at Del’s place and from this campsite, situated right on the edge of a lake.

We are ready to tackle the onslought that will be Stockholm, a complete weekend of meeting people (via couch surfing), walking around, having a look at what is going on and so on.

For once we are actually up reasonably early (about 9 am – ok well it is early for us!) The bright red van is packed, ready to go, we’ve got 50 litres of fresh water and nothing stopping us from the 300kilometre journey that will take us to the vibrant capital of this strange country.

I say strange country and actually I do mean it.

Sweden is probably one of the few countries where they almost “expect” you to visit at only certain times.  Every person we have met says that we should come back in the summer, apparently the biggest party is the midsummer celebrations, where the partying continues into the next morning, noon and even night.

Yet, travelling at this time of year we have seen not many campervans about really and the few youth hostels we have looked into are only open if you have booked them, not the “rock up and book in” type of hostels that exist almost everywhere else I have been.

These issues were about to play havoc with us.

So stockholm yer – er no, well maybe not right away.

We usually have to muck around a bit to get the van started, using a bit of full throttle and patience, but she will eventually start.  But not this time.  There was nothing.  The battery was turning the engine over but the engine just didn’t want to kick in.
Phone call number 1… breakdown company to arrange a truck and techie to come out to us.

Luckily for us the campsite guy seems to know what he is doing with engines, the old (antique) volvo digger in the background takes about 30minutes to start he tells us as, dressed already in workman’s overalls, he heads straight under the bonnet of our stricken van.

After some prodding, poking and more attempts to start the van we have completely exhausted our battery, but our man in blue overalls thinks that it is most probably air in the fuel system – I had changed the fuel filter just a day ago and, although she started first time then, it seemed to be the causing a problem now.

Phone call number 2… What is an LDV Convoy?
Of course once I had rung my breakdown company and told them I was broken down abroad they had transferred my “file” to their european call centre, who had no idea what an LDV Convoy is, strangely enough not many people outside of the UK have – it had already caused a stir amongst the repair garage in Germany, from where we had bought the fuel filter.

So after trying their systems one final time we (the lovely sounding Emily and I) decided it would be easiest to call it a Ford Transit, as that is the engine we have.

The campsite guy returns now with a battery charger and promptly plugs in the van before heading off to help an older couple with their awning – is there no end to this man’s talents?

Phone Call number 3… Ok Mr Gardner, we have a truck on it’s way to you, but where are you?

Yes – I have no idea how that can work either, but between a few postal codes, Nei’s (no) and Ja’s (Yes), from the campsite guy-turned-navigation-system and the lovely Emily looking on Google maps we manage to find our precise location, down to the last tree.

Around half an hour later the truck arrives, almost as red as our van – but not quite, our campsite guy has now turned into translator and is explaining as well as helping the techie from the recovery firm.

Both conclude that it is probably air in the pipes and that – with a bit of persuasion, a jumpstart from the truck and a heap of luck that the van should eventually turn over.

An hour of fiddling, a half hour of looking and fifteen minutes of head scratching later and we are still not moving, nor starting and with the weather having turned from a fairly fine morning into and afternoon of rain that would embarass even the most powerful of showers it was decided that the van will have to go to the workshop.

Now this would be fine if we were in England, most workshops are open until 5pm on a Friday, and probably open saturday morning at least, alas we are not in England, we are in Sweden – meaning that the workshop has already shut and that it will not be open until Monday morning… Crap.

The journey to the workshop takes us into the town of Skovde… pronounced “Hurvdur” apparently.

Chatting to our recovery driver on the way it turns our that he is a busy man.  His normal job is in a factory that makes shop furniture, most notably for the UK retail chain “Next”. He is also a fireman whenever his pager goes off and the recovery driver every third weekend and he has an interest in classic American cars, owning a Pontiac himself, although my memory fails me as to which.

Phone Call number 4… Mr Gardner, we were just wondering how things were going with your car…

Well yes, that was that, we had no van until Monday, we had gathered a few belongings, plus our sleeping bags and headed out of the workshop (which was being locked up) and into the Preem fuel station around the corner where we took up temporary residence.

We find a seat in the Preem shop and grab a quick coffee, the friendly attendant informs us that some of the small packets of sweets on the font of the des are “free samples”, but she had that look in her eye that just seemed to say it all, pity.  Still Ihave never been one to pass up a free bag of sweet goodness and dig into a meatball baguette, that unfortunately wasn’t free.

Phone call number 5… Mr Gardner, we have checked your policy and you have a hire car available, will you be needing it?

Well hell yer – the same thing applies to free cars as it does to sweets, offer it to me and I will take it.  After double checking the location of the Preem garage the lovely Emily tells us that our car will be here shortly, I jokingly ask for a Ferrari, knowing full well that the Toyota Yaris that I am entitled to will not be the most thrilling ride in the world.

Phone Call number 6… Mr Gardner, Emily here, your Saab will be here shortly…

My What?!  How on earth did… that’s not a Toyo… don’t ask questions, just accept. OK I say and await our luxury car (and yes, in comparrison to an LDV convoy anything is luxury, but this was like proper nice.

A few minutes later the guys and gal from Avis turn up with a gleaming Saab 95 Turbo, running on Ethanol… certainly have to remember that when we fill up.

Somehow Luke and I have turned into a family of four with a heap of luggage, and I, dear readers, am now mysteriously Dr Gardner.

I told you “Emily” was lovely…

So off we shoot towards the vibrant capital of this strange country – well we will do once I stop reaching down the wrong side for the gear stick, Luke is worried that at some point I will just open the door and eject myself whilst reaching for 4th gear.

That’s all folks, till the morning!

We have decided that the city of Copenhagen is not to be missed, but might also be one in which the van might be a pain to manoeuvre. So we decide upon travelling a bit closer to Copenhagen and so, on yet another warm and sunny day, we pack up and move around 40km north east to a quiet stellplatz near the town of Munke Bjergby.

After negotiating some of the crazy danish lanes we arrive at a small bungalow, behind which a grassy field plays host to one other campervan, a british one at that.

After a bit of van cleaning (including our bug-splattered windscreen) we head off to the local shop/ petrol station/ motor factor/ drinks market and buy some necessities for our evening meal and a litre of oil for the wagon, she appears to be finding this travel malarky a bit of hard work.

Our british next-van-neighbour has a different campsite guide to us, and points out that there is a stellplatz in the nearby larger town of Ringsted, which has a direct rail connection to Copenhagen, beating Munke Bjergby’s walk, bus, walk, bus, train configuration by a country mile.

A look on Google maps tells us that we are now at the same latitude as Glasgow in the UK, which is just incredible.  Here we are, sunbathing, at the start of May and as far north as Glasgow, you would think we were somewhere just slightly south of Mexico with the weather as it is.

Ah, that last sentence has jinxed me, there are now some devilish looking clouds heading our way!

Hey guys,
Just a quick post as a few people have asked this question and a few others have come from google search.

So – How are campervans charged on ferries?

There are two factors to take into consideration. Height and Length.

For height different ferry operators have different limits, depending on the size of their car decks in the ferry. Some have a maximum height of up to 2.4 metres, others 2.8 and if you take the eurotunnel, then it is just 1.8 metres tall, so all those cars with top boxes – beware!

The next is length. There seems to be universal agreement amongst ferry companies that anything over 6 metres is classed as “long”.

Of course going over these limits, either height or length, means that you will be moved into a different category and charged a different rate for your crossing.

Expect to be charged 20% more than the normal car rates for travelling with a campervan, and serisouly try to avoid the busy peak times. Your 6 metre long motorhome could fit two little peugeot’s in so the ferry companies will make you pay!

Finally, remember that travelling later at night is always cheaper. I usually book myself onto a midnight ferry crossing ad then find a place to stay on the motorway for free overnight.

You can do this if you are in France or Germany, please remember that in Belgium and the Netherlands that stopping overnight in anywhere apart from deisgnated campsites is illegal.

What do I book for my usual ferry?

I use NorfolkLine.com – £45 for a campervan over 2.4 metres tall, each way. I book the ferry for midnight (but usually turn up around 8 and they put you on the next available for no charge). So it is usually around 11pm that I get to France, and a quick scoot at the speed limit later, we’re into AAchen in Germany, which boasts a wonderful motorway services, and plenty of trees to keep away the noise.. Good night all.

Howdy all,

I am not sure if Blogger has issues or if it is just me but the last post seems to have some sort of issue accepting comments. Bizarre! Try this one – hope it works!

I be off on me holidays in about 5 hours (and counting) and I need one of those “split-screens” that they have on the rather brilliant 24 series to clearly demonstrate just how many tasks I am trying to do all at once so that I can get going!

I have been looking through the Google Analytics package to see how most of you are finding my little piece of bloga firma and have found (without surprise) that it is from the wonderful Blogs of Note.

Then I found out that some of you were also arriving from Search engines. So i thought I would be all clever like and actually answers one of the questions from the search phrases, seeing as they are related to this blog anyway.

One of the most popular is asking “How long to drive round Europe?”

Well I think that this is the wrong way to approach it. There is just so much to see that you could spend months, years, decades or centuries just travelling round Europe.

The best thing to do is select a few destinations (and not whole countries, yer we’re gonna DO Italy, Yuh huh… quite a LOT to DO!) Keep it down to individual campsites / areas. “Doing Rome” is a plausible statement. You could spend a couple of days in Rome then move on to your next destination.

The trick is to have a plan about how you’re going to plan bear with me it does make sense.

If you have a few people travelling with you then all try and pick on destination of your own. Set all the destinations then see how far the journey is.

If they are a few of you doing the driving then you can do many more miles, If it is just one or two people then make sure you get a good nights sleep otherwise you will be seriously affected by tiredness. Also, remember that in a lot of European countries you can stay in motorway service stations overnight, sleep in your van if you want to – save money!

If you haven’t got a set plan then take a map and a dart or something that makes a mark and lob it at said map, this must be done over your shoulder and well away from any livestock. These have heralded some of my greatest adventure travels. As you may end up in some quirky place you must be prepared to enjoy everything you see and accept the choices.

Alternatively, and currently my favourite destination planning device is Google Earth. Scroll over and just have a look at some of the photos (Panoramio) until you see something you like and then go there! Works brilliantly!

As for timings though – Plan some sort of plan first then work out how long you can take to drive round Europe.

Unless, of course, you have nothing to get back to. In which case put your right foot down and get that van rolling.

Speed limits in Europe.

UK motorways are a ludicrously slow 70mph (112kph) The rest of Europe is mostly at 80mph (130kph). Then of course there is Germany. Their Autobahns have no set speed limit (on some sections only) and you can expect a lot of BMW’s and Audi’s and Merc’s to be passing you at 130mph (209kph).

Beware though that Germany has also brought in a new rule for many parts of these de-restricted motorways and enforced an 80mph (130kph) limit between 10pm and 6am.

Equipment

Yes – something that has caught a few people out. Most countries in Europe require the following equipment by law, else you may face a fine. And there’s no point blaming it on the rental company. It’s your responsibility to be safe. Also for your own safety carry them. You never know, it might just save your life.

• First Aid kit
• Reflective Jacket
• Fire Extinguisher
• Sticker stating where the vehicle is registered (GB / D etc.)
• Spare Light bulb set
• Warning Triangle

Not having any of these could lead to be fined, or just hassled, there is also possibly more. Check before you go with your motoring association, they should know or be able to find out.

Lights

In Austria, and some other countries, you are required to have your lights on all the time, Day or Night. Don’t argue, just do it. Put a post it note, or make a sticker, to remind you and put in on the windshield or somewhere prominent.
Update – this is no longer the case in all of Austria, only certain counties – better check or just leave ‘em on! – thanks to Susi @ 2girlsincalifornia for the info

Also – a note for American visitors.

A note from a previous experience. Please remember that us lot over here in Europe mostly drive manual (stick drive) vehicles.
If you are looking to get a van to travel in then I can almost guarantee that this will be the case.
Automatics are very few and very far between, and will cost you a lot more to hire or rent.

Next time I will do some sort of information on the Insurance policies and how they work in Europe, Feel free to post any questions you may have in the comments.

That’s all for now. I hope this helps some of you. I will update you guys from our glorified car park some time next week.

Happy Travelling
Overland Si!

Hello to all my new stalkers, some of whom I know, most of whom I don’t. Glad you decided to follow me – and remember please comment, even if just to say hi!

So – I am looking at ways to make money whilst travelling; I don’t have the luxury of being a lottery winner of having any substantial funding behind me.

I will of course be making money from blogging, through Google ads and others, as well as making money writing for others.

But then an idea struck me, how about offering a truly alternative Holiday experience. A fairly cheap holiday as well, and it wasn’t until my friend Tara suggested that she wanted to come join me at some point that I thought about the fact that other people might want to join me as well.

So how about it?

I haven’t confirmed anything yet, but who’s up for joining me on the first leg?

London to Oslo, a month long holiday, prices to be confirmed or negotiated. Serious offers will be considered, leave a comment and I’ll get in touch!

Happy Travellin’
Overland Si

Recently came across a company called Overland Club – which looked quite good at first. They even had a “Dear Wannabe Crew” welcome on their jobs page.

Excellent I thought!

As with all the companies I am applying to I had a good old google of them, then checked out the Thorn Tree and a few other blogs and forums.

Then I found this http://www.overlandwarning.com/ A whole site dedicated to warning people to not travel with Overland Club, or work with them.

Now I have never had any contact with said Overland Club – Especially as they have not returned my email that was asking them a few questions about their routes and job applications etc – So I cannot add my own opinion, nor verify the opinions of others.

However, consider this a warning. You can choose to believe the opinions or not. However, this does throw up something else – ALWAYS GOOGLE YOUR TRAVEL COMPANIES.

You will be surprised at just how many people have added information to the worldwide webnet thingy.

Full Update on my other happenings later on this evening, must get back to work.

Happy Travellin‘
OverlandWannabe.co.uk

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Doubts

Big word, an arse of a word, a word that kill off dreams

Well this week i have been collecting job application forms from just about any company to do with Overlanding.

Job hunting hint #1. Always phone, whether they have the job application on the website or not. Pick up the dog and bone and holla.

Makes a better impression and when your name is headed up on that job application form you have an extra way to be noticed… “oh I remember talking to him etc”

Anyways – I have my eye on one application in particular – for Dragoman.

They appear to be a good company and have a good reputation amongst travellers. A scour of the Thorn Tree from Lonely Planet comes up with only praise for this company and a quick Google also shows people enjoying the trips.

They also provide a lot of the training and so are a natural choice for a novice like moi.

So what’s all this about doubts then?

Well – so many of the forms are asking about what trips/leadership experience I have had. The answer is quite a bit BUT, and here comes the but, it was a few years ago.

Also I have not actually been “outside of Europe” too much, short trips to America and also Sweden etc don’t really count.

- Interesting point here – many of us whinge at the yanks for not going out of America, but how many of us have never really been out of Europe? – Point over!

So with that nagging doubt in my mind I am trying to do everything possible to get me foot in the door, learn languages, find out geography information etc, in the vain hope that it will help me along the way.

Well anyways I’m off back to the normal office grind now, before the doubts become too much.

Cheers, Overland Wannabe
http://overlandwannabe.blogspot.com