Winter Sun Convoy Question
My wife and I, along with our black Lab, love caravaning and we go away in this country as much as possible. Our sites are chosen in relation to what is avai;able to our Lab. We have been to some and the excersise area is not a lot bigger than our pitch.
Andyway, we went to the South of France with friends in September for 2 weeks.
Them in their motor home and us in our caravan.
First time caravanning abroad, let alone taking our dog.
4 days down with 3 x i night stopovers and then 7 days in the coast and then 6 days coming back. 2 x 1 night stopovers and 1 night stopover at Calais before catching the shuttle.
It all went very well and we really enjoyed it.
This brings me on to my question.
We are exploring the possiblilty of going to Spain for some winter sun for a couple of months but my wife is unsure of us travelling alone as she panics if something major would go wrong and she is not sure she would cope and we where wondering if there are like minded people who perhaps travel down to Spain and Back in a loose type of convoy. Safety in numbers.
Thank you for reading
Comments
-
Don't the Club organise escorted winter holidays? They are more expensive than going it alone. See here. It might give your wife peace of mind? If you decide to go solo just make sure you have good insurance cover like Red Pennant.
David
0 -
It’s easy enough to take a ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and drive across Spain to the Alannia Costa Blanca campsite where the Club has hosts on site to support members in the winter.
But your problem at this late stage will be getting accommodation on board the ship for your dog. Do you have family who could have him while you are away?
0 -
Thank you for your answers.
We dont really want escorted tours, just a loose sort of convoy down to a spanish campsite where we can stay for a couple of months. Might even travel in Spain during this period but would hotel if we decided to.
We would be covered by Red Pennant insurance so that is not an issue.
We would be looking at Jan 2026 and I agree getting ship accomodation with a dog is difficult. We would tunnel and drive down. I found driving in France really easy. The only issue we had was on the M25 on our return. Stuck for 3 hours. Lorry fire.
As for not taking our dog, absolutely not.
0 -
Sorry my suggestion did not find favour. I think your best bet is to go with friends again rather than with strangers.
0 -
"As for not taking our dog, absolutely not."
Well said👍🏻. One doesn’t leave family members at home for a couple of months.
2 -
Good for you. If you are thinking Southern Spain, make sure you check the temperatures out (thinking of pooch here). It has been very hot in Southern Spain, and I think still is in certain areas. SIL was there last week, and she sent us a WhatsApp saying how hot it was. They moved on a bit to get out of the scorchio.
0 -
We have left family members at home many times- children, grand children, and elderly parents temporarily in care. . Normal for us. Why do dog owners see it differently?
0 -
I know many dog loving owners who will occasionally leave their dog at ‘home’ whilst on holiday. We did and he always seemed to enjoy his ‘holiday’ although very pleased to see us upon return. Not all dog owners see it differently, loved having them with us when able to take them away, mind. We have also provided dog care/holidays for our relatives pets too and both pet and us have loved this special time. Dogs get spoilt mind!
1 -
We are fine with leaving our dog with my sister and Mum, who he knows well, for a day. We did once leave all our three Airedales at home with a nephew who was happy to come and stay for three days. Again, they knew him well.
Our dogs in the main have never been left, and I doubt would cope with kennels, given that they have never been. I am not saying in any way it is wrong to use kennels at all by the way. We simply enjoy their company and doing things with them.
Our Lab is fast approaching his 15th birthday, and has very complex care needs, some quite physical at times. We shall have a break from any animals and have some nice overseas holidays, once my Mum caring duties allow.
0 -
There’s a huge difference between boarding your dog out for a week or so and leaving it for two months.
0 -
There are threads in this section where caravan sites are recommended as being open all year across France and Spain. If you take the plunge and use these then you will most likely meet other like minded soles who would offer advice in an emergency. Enjoy.
0
