Travelling abroad in the Westy

[Richard (OldStager)]

This will not be happening within the next 12 months or so ( I like planning way ahead of time), but what precautions / equipment do folks take when abroad in the Westy?.

I last time I took a car abroad almost 30 years ago now and slightly longer when I went on motorbikes, back then  I took a ferry to France, now is the tunnel a better option for a low car like a Westy. I remember I had issues with the old Triumph with the ramps they have at the port.

Also being a noob at all things foreign, will my UK bank card still work in their machines,as here I don't carry cash very often at all now.

I know countries such as France have laws on what spares should be carried in the car, and I will have breakdown cover as well. Anything else I need to consider?.  

 

A tent maybe needed should I do Le Mans, so that's one for the shopping list.

 

Thanks all.

 

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Channel tunnel is so easy and effortless.

 

 

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

I took 2 bank cards and I was pleased I did as for some reason the cards where not accepted everywhere. The main card I used had no fees. I took euros in cash as emergency use and other than having breakdown cover then I didn't do anything special other than checking the various laws about what I had to carry in the car and speed limits etc.

[Richard (OldStager)]

Oh yeah, Euros, was Francs last time I went. I only have one card, which was the other one that was excepted?

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

I took a Barclaycard and a Halifax card. 

[Richard (OldStager)]

Looks like I need a second bank account then, thanks.

[Stuart]

Get yourself a credit card that doesn't charge commission on foreign exchange. Halifax Clarity Mastercard is a good one gives you market exchange rate. And cheaper to get cash out of an ATM on it than on a standard debit card 

[Richard (OldStager)]

I haven't looked into it yet, but I just have an HSBC debit card. I need to do some research into this, glad I asked now, thanks all.

[Steve (sdh2903)]

Get yourself a revolut card. I've travelled all over the world with work and they are great as don't charge transaction fees. They only charge to withdraw cash if you go over a certain amount. 

 

You just top it up from your debit card or bank account as you go. You get an instant notification of how much you've spent and the conversion rate. They also usually give a better exchange rate. 

 

I even have one for my 10 year old daughter for her pocket money. 

 

https://www.revolut.com/cards

[Richard (OldStager)]

Thanks, all these cards are news to me, one to check out there then.

[Blatman]

Been to Le Mans a LOT in the Westfield and have spent many years driving abroad for work...

For France and many other countries you'll need a spare bulb kit. Get them from Halfords. If you plan to use the peage (toll roads) then for France you'll need a hi-vis vest for each person in the vehicle. I stay off the peage in the Westfield. Peage toll booths take UK Visa cards no problem and a LOT of them are unmanned so if you don't speak the lingo a smart phone with translation capability like Google Lens is a real boon when presented with instructions that aren't translated in to English which almost none of them are. Same goes for all the countries I have visited...

I keep a handful of spanners, a couple of adjustables, a couple of screwdrivers (stanard and dumpy with interchangeable tips) , mole grips, cable ties and a puncture repair kit (Crafty Plugger) with CO2 cannisters. And of course breakdown cover that includes repatriation for both me AND the vehicle. Not always cheap...

The car will need GB stickers and you'll need to attend to headlight aim.

For money, my Visa debit has always worked fine in France, Monaco, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Sardinia Malta Spain and it's islands as well as Greece and Cyprus and associated islands. BUT Holland for some reason prefer Mastercard and many places refuse to take Visa.

For per diem when working we use the Revolut card / app and that might be worth looking in to for a second account if needed. (Edit. Steve beat me to it)

I tell the insurance company and the bank the travel dates and if your cell phone provider is charging for roaming by then, think about buying a PAYG card when you're in country. But do the maths on that as with the prevalence of free wifi one may not need anything more than WhatsApp to make calls and send messages. There's almost always somewhere nearby with free wifi. It's charging the phone that presents the biggest issue so install a USB charger in the car or buy a solar rechargeable power bank 

Keep your passport, driving license and insurance documents on you when in or near the car and for my own peace of mind I have photographic/scanned or the email copies of all of that including any return tickets, breakdown cover docs and vaccination card from the doctor which I had from when I went to some very emerging nation countries, all stored in my Google Drive just in case. I'm betting you'll need a vaccine passport as well. They're going to be a thing for a few years and are not new for Covid, despite what many think...

[Richard (OldStager)]

All good info there Blatters, thanks.

I'm ok for the GB badge already, although I would have forgotten the headlight aim, I think all I did on the Spitty and the bikes was to blank of the left hand aim, although I can't see me travelling in hours of darkness, but that may not make any difference as far a the rules go?. I already carry a myriad of  spanners and spares, we covered this in another thread, but what happens if all your lights are solid state, although I do carry the tungsten equivalent now, suppose that counts as meeting the requirements?.

 

Oh and I still don't have a mobile phone, I have had a few offers but none have come to fruition , calling @Jude - The Mad Widow. 

 

 

[Blatman]

2 minutes ago, OldStager said:

but that may not make any difference as far a the rules go?.

Don't know. I have always been out at night or early AM whenever I'm away. Makes me glad I chose some high quality Bosch bulbs for the headlights 'cos they really do make a difference. Not as much as LED's of course but still better than a run-of-the-mill 55w H2/H7 or whatever.

That said I've been in some epic rain storms as well where having good headlights is just as important.

[BobMet]

I second the Channel Tunnel, its great for our cars. The tunnel team keep an eye out for them and put low cars on the bottom deck. Never had any grounding issues, but I did on the only time I took the previous Westie (Mazda SDV) on a ferry (Portsmouth-Caen). It grounded badly on the ramp up to the ferry.

 

If you want to travel French motorways I recommend a Sanef Enovis tag to get you through the tolls just by waving the tag on approach. Saves a lot of hassle trying to pay at the tolls in RHD cars like ours, and even with passengers if the hood is up and/or they are wearing non-inertia belts.

[Richard (OldStager)]

Yes it was the Portsmouth/ Caen ferry that grounded the Spitfire, tunnel it is then.

I also don't intend to use motorways / toll roads, I never used to, having said that , that was 30 years ago and some of those routes might be chargeable now - yet more research.

It's not just abroad that toll booths are a problem if your hood is up - Mersey Tunnel, had to get out as the booth was too high 😄.