Is EuroTravel still a nightmare?
After several years of touring France and a little of Spain, we haven't been back since the combined disasters of Covid and Brexit. Things weren't helped by the P&O debacle either.
We are now considering a return to France for the lovely season of Late August to Late September. I've looked at ferry fares and they seem to have returned to some form of normality.
So, some questions please: What is the admin of going to and returning from France like now? Are there still miles long queues for the ferries? How bad is the queue at Calais when coming home?
Finally, how are HMRC behaving about duty-free allowances? We used to buy our wine imports in supermarkets well away from Calais. We found that is was cheaper than buying in La Cite or in duty-free shops. We used to bring back wine for the kids as well but Brexit has scuppered that. We would like to maximise our wine imports though, assuming that the answers to the previous questions give us a green light.
Thank you to anyone who helps us.
Comments
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Things are all pretty normal.
There is admin concerning dogs but otherwise you only need a passport within the approved time limits and they stamp it.
More and more cities require Crit Air badges since you went last.
The queues at immigration only depend on the flood of bank holiday traffic and whether officials are on strike.
No one is being penalised for taking a ready meal intoFrance for their first meal.
There are limits on the amount of wine you can bring home - it’s listed on line. If you have more it’s possible you may perhaps be searched. Who knows?
Have a good trip.
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Have no fear everything is fine. The only year we didn't go to France and Spain was 2020.
Travel is as it always was, we have not found any issues taking food over, no one checks. Not found queues at the ports, the tunnel was seamless and not busy.
Sites are as they always was, though unfortunately some have changed hands or closed. Shops are full of wonderful fresh food and fuel is cheaper than here (it's was in November)
We are going again in April.
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We travelled out via Dover-Dunkirk last June and back via Hook of Holland to Harwich in July. All fairly laid back, paperwork checked but not the fridge or the freezer of goodies in the car boot. We did abide by the booze rules on the way home.
One thing I cannot figure out is why paperwork needed to be checked by Dutch and UK staff before boarding the boat on way home and then again when we landed.Obviously living in Kent I'm guessing you are looking at a short crossing. When I last checked the tunnel was undercutting the ferries. If you can travel along to Newhaven then prices are better, especially if over 60 but you have to phone in to get these lower prices.
The UK folks exodus to the continent for summers does seem to be on the up. In NL we where however the first Brits on site since pre Covid at our first two sites.
We found a noticeable hike in food costs and more so in fuel.
Colin
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Just as an aside. Regardless of the new rules governing how much wine you can bring into the country is it actually worthwhile? Most UK supermarkets have periods of 25% off wine and you can get perfectly drinkable wine for £5/6 a bottle. I think on our last trip in 2016 we hardly bothered to bring that much back as I wasn't convinced it was worth the extra weight?
David
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We did a 3 week trip to South of France and Spain in Sept/Oct 2022, no problems getting over or back. Still good value eating out in France , especially set menus. We didn't bother bringing much wine back, but did bring a few bottles of Normandy cider, as we really liked it and it isn't easily available in Scotland 😀
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I did 6 weeks in France last year from late July to early September, yes, school holidays, using the Portsmouth - St Marlo route and had no problems at all, just a quick look in the caravan on the outbound journey which i thought a bit strange.
I have just booked similar dates for this year going Dover - Calais returning St Marlo - Portsmouth.
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AS regards what to bring back, wine is now questionable. Very expensive and cheap plonk are still good value. I like the JP Chenet and Roche Mazet in the wine boxes. I was still buy the 3L boxes for 8-10 Euros last year so a bargain. On spirits it is not worth it.
The only other thing we bring back is 250g packs of ground Lavazza coffee.
Colin
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Just got back from being over to Belgium..... easy leaving the UK... Passport control at Dover and passports stamped, no security and straight to DFDS check in. No fridge or van check in the UK, we decided to buy meat and dairy in France anyway after an overnighter in an aire. Nice holiday, prices in the main cheaper than the UK on our usual shopping. Return to the UK was far from easy. We checked in at Dunkirk with DFDS, easy, then French Passport control and stamped as going out.....then French Security in van check....20 metres further on Douane did the very same as French Security, then UK border control passport check, then UK Customs......and 20 mins later from arrival at the port we managed to set down in the lane...... shopped in the Duty Free for a few bits. Nice crossing and food on the Ferry....then tugged by UK border force.... who asked stupid questions...and van check.... I suspect this won't always be the norm of course, we may have been unlucky. Safe Travels
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Thank you all very, very much for your replies to my question.
As a result I have booked and paid for our ferry crossings. I've been granted a clean air license for the car and re-joined ACSI.
It feels just like old times and I am a very happy chappy. I am looking forward to seeing what progress is being made on Notre Dame de Paris and photographing Versailles with a camera that can do the place justice. I should add that I have learned a great deal about photography since we last visited in 2017, so my shameful pictures weren't really all the fault of the camera.
I have to take up my Duolingo French lessons again
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Now you are on a mission with your photography please think about writing about your trip in the Story Section where you can also add your photos once you get back. We have been to Versailles twice but never manage to get inside the Palace due to it being closed on the days we visited, hope you have better luck. Enjoy your trip.
David
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We've been each year for 90 days, or longer with other stays, since Brexit and Covid, and apart from Covid requirements (now ALL lifted) found very little had changed. Contrary to some opinions the border guards aren't 'out to get us', we've never had our three home-made meals, our cheddar, milk or bacon confiscated or even checked, we've never had to queue any longer than pre-Brexit /Covid and France is just as lovely as it always was.
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It is good to know that other people apart from me like Roche Mazet and J P Chenet red wine! Just proves that my families accusation of my lack of wine sophistication is wrong.
Although it has been three years since we last ventured abroad, this year we plan to travel to Slovenia to have a look at their bit of the Adriatic coast. We will be travelling via Stena line to Hook of Holland and so across Germany and Austria, and back via Italy, Austria, Germany and France (must call at an Auchan for stocks of the above)!
It will be an eight week trip as we don't rush
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Michael/Derby, do you remember the good old days when we had a more realistic allowance?
Colin
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Crickey Eriba that would test the suspension! But they were good old days; nevertheless, the allowance is still quite reasonable. Like most posters have gone over a number of times in the past couple of years. We usually use the tunnel, just cursory checks of caravan (gas turned off) on way out and on way back pleasant French security staff did a quick check inside to ensure there were no stowaways. Passport stamped both ways. Once over there effectively one country with no checks at borders.
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One of the advantages of an Eriba is the high payload. Add in just the two of us and a Yeti at the time and we could carry a lot.
I remember collecting one Eriba from Belgium in 2007. Empty from the dealer it was just over 900kg and had a 1300kg axle. The Touran had a payload of over 600kg, minus the driver. I brought a substantial amount back on that day return.
Colin
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We used to do that as well, including a few day trips, fortunately the Sorento had SLS!!! When we progressed to a motorhome we didn't bring as much home and I think on our last trip it was fairly minimal. We are not big beer drinkers and as far as wine is concerned we tend to like new world wines which are not so easy to find in the main French supermarkets. With so many 25% off 6 bottles, applies to boxes of wine in Waitrose as well, or more on a regular basis in the UK the advantage in bring so much wine back from France has diminished I feel?
David
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"It is good to know that other people apart from me like Roche Mazet and J P Chenet red wine! Just proves that my families accusation of my lack of wine sophistication is wrong."
Regarding quantities of "duty free wine", as my better half does not drink any alcohol at all (I tell her that she is a cheap night out!) In the past I usually brought back about 48 bottles or so, which was enough for my own use.
Like Dunclair this will be our first trip on the Continent since covid and brexit, so it remains to be seen what will transpire. My wife is concerned about what food to take for the first few days. Various scare stories have been circulated regarding the officiousness of the customs people regarding what we would class as ordinary food items, eg. milk, some cooked meat products and pre-prepared meals. We do not want to have to find a supermarket immediately upon our arrival at Hook of Holland. We would like to have a couple of days getting used to the way of things, as we have done so in the past.
I suppose what will be will be and the next time we travel across Europe it will all be as familiar as it was before the problems arose
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Impressive! Picture looks like one of those ads were they show what will fit in a cars boot-just that its what will fit in an Eriba!
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