Travelling after Brexit
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Have you ever tried parking a car with caravan in a supermarket carpark on a Saturday 🤣
Travelling 2 long days with 3 teenagers and a dog we usually take 3 days worth of food with us. That means we don’t have to shop on the same day as (the joy of) setting up the awning.
Eating abroad is a fabulous experience, shopping abroad not so much. I’m keen to take the basics and shop for the nice, delicious, local things in a local town a couple of days after arrival.
But most worrying for us is that we can no longer take the dog’s food. Switching dog food quickly causes upset tummies. No one wants a dog with an upset tummy on a campsite, let alone in a caravan 😏0 -
Hi, only a couple of times on a Saturday but we always stop en route from the port.
We may even be able to combine a fuel/lunch/shop stop and I will use Google, especially Streetview, to choose suitable stops.
As you mention teenagers they may be partial to a Mc Donald’s which can be seen, in even what seem like remote places, alongside main routes.
Maybe we are not too concerned as we have never packed anything other than what’s in the fridge and view the cost of buying food enroute as part of our holiday costs-and yes we even did so, and still do, when taking children or grandchildren with us.
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"Have you ever tried parking a car with caravan in a supermarket carpark on a Saturday"
getting into some service stations in Spain with a caravan can be an interesting experience, but would not dream of leaving my rig unattended at a supermarket in Spain whilst we shopped or had lunch
"But most worrying for us is that we can no longer take the dog’s food. Switching dog food quickly causes upset tummies. No one wants a dog with an upset tummy on a campsite, let alone in a caravan"
this is a concern, although we have never taken enough for a 3 months stay, pooch has mainly that dried stuff which is fairly standard mix if you use popular brands, failing that trying staching away some of the stuff along with the bangers and bacon, and just hope those nice offciado dont find it
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Reality denied comes back to haunt....
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Don't blame me I voted to stay in the EU as I did in 1975
It seems to me that I now have far fewer freedoms since leaving the EU which seems somewhat contrary to what the leading lights of the Leave campaign promised us as we are now finding out to our cost? One of the reasons I suggest people write to their MP's because that is where the real pressure will come from for change if sufficient people do it. Unless you can work round the current restrictions (difficult) it seems that people may have to change the way they do things. I accept it's easier for a motorhomer to stop at a supermarket compared to someone towing a caravan. Stopping en route at one of the larger Service areas might be an option. They have good food outlets and many of them sell some basic foodstuffs. The alternative is to stay somewhere on the first night with reasonable access to a supermarket, they are usually open quite late. Don't know much about dogs so can offer no advice there.
David
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We use Soya Drink, a milk substitute on our breakfast cereal as Mrs.WN and milk do not mix first thing in the morning. She has a herbal tea.
We are wondering if the Gendarmes or Border Control know the difference between Soya Drink and Milk products. Mind you I've never tried it in tea as we have the Sweetened Soya and I don't have sugar in tea. Ruddy complicates things this no certain food things.
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We found it unappetising. We were reluctant to try the sweetened as neither of us has a sweet tooth but found it palatable on muesli and fruit. Good luck with it anyway.
I do use the Soya Cream for cooking. Usually found in the Free From Chiller section.
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Hi DK, just heard that the MP for MK had to receive treatment for a pulled muscle after a laughing fit brought on by reading an email about ham sandwiches and sausages and demanding they be allowed in caravans entering the EU!!!
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Sadly, living with it is all we can do.
However, trying to remain positive and still waiting for the great leap forwards.....apart from happier British Fish according to Rees Mogg
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I think you would have to be prepared to explain it. If anyone from Border Control sees the word milk they might not be prepared to enter a long discussion on what it is made of? Not that I am suggesting that people break the rules but I wonder in time how hot they will be on checking. Perhaps what we need is a list of foods we can take with us. Margaret would find it difficult without her porridge as she is diabetic. The milk to go with it could be purchase in a local supermarket once in France. Many years ago we often struggle to buy fresh milk in the smaller French supermarkets and almost impossible in Belgium. Has the situation improved?
David
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Re the milk in French supermarkets DK, I think there is more available everywhere in France now. I can't remember the last time I couldn't get fresh milk.
As to making a list of things we can take I've already started doing that as I think it will be shorter than the ones we can't take.
I'm still not sure of what tinned items we can take, they say no meat items but does that mean 'fresh meat' what about tinned ham?
We will certainly be looking at different times of day to take a ferry that's for sure. Arriving in Caen at 21.30 with no milk, butter etc isn't going to be popular.
Doing the shopping once on French soil won't to problematic for MHs but I can't see that many folk with caravans in tow pulling into supermarkets to get supplies.
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Doing the shopping once on French soil won't to problematic for MHs but I can't see that many folk with caravans in tow pulling into supermarkets to get supplies.
Hi TG, I posted earlier that we always stop en route from the port.We usually combine a fuel/lunch/shop stop and I will use Google, especially Streetview, to choose suitable stops and, seeming to have time on my hands lately, have started to map this years stops.
Maybe we are not too concerned, about the new restrictions, as we have never packed anything other than what’s in the fridge and view the cost of buying food enroute as part of our holiday costs-and yes we even did so, and still do, when taking children or grandchildren with us.
So far as ferry times go a BF overnight from Plymouth last trip was £100 less than a morning crossing, and that included a cabin, and gives a nice early start and so plenty of shopping time!
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Oh yes the rule of unintended consequences. Excise duty has always been payable with imports, but membership allowed them to be duty free. Some folk who went to USA with empty suitcases which came back full of newly purchased clothes and items found this out too....
It seems that the much advertised saving plastered on the side of a bus wont materialise either!
I dont want to be political but I hope those who made their choices at the ballot box are happy with the outcomes?? We're only a few weeks in, I expect we'll have more delights to come!
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The saying "swings and round abouts" comes to mind, I am sure there will be lots of things that we dont like that we will have to get used to, but many more that will be just great for us
, we will just have to be adaptable
"the more something changes the more it remains the same"
so no matter how inconvenient it will be, not to be able to take my early morning fry up when travelling overthere, I will just have to adapt and buy vegetarian sausage
, or just not bother going anymore if the aggro becomes to much, quite relaxed about it 
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I worry just as much as what will be coming in, as what cannot be taken out. Imports I mean, not the contents of the “ can’t do without” cupboard in the tourer.
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This may help some:
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The extra we have to pay started a long time ago. I ordered a new Eriba from a UK dealer the day after Brexit result in June 2016 for £19.5K. I collected the van from them in Feb 2017 and was advised to insure it for £25K. Admittedly the price has moved little since that date but I can see we are going to pay more for many goods for a long time.
Colin
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