European Holiday On The Cheap, How?

[stevehaigh]

hi all, this is not really a Thailand travel question so i hope it doesn't get banned but there's a lot of Europeans on this forum so i figure its as good a place to ask as any.

i'm taking the wife to Europe next June (visa permitting of course) for about a month and we want to save money and see as much as possible and we don't mind roughing it a bit.

i have a house swap set up in Rome, Tuscany and Switzerland but we want a couple of weeks of travelling around wherever the mood takes us and staying local and cheap.

car rents are expensive over there so i'm thinking about buying a cheap car (about 500 quid) in the UK and using it to drive down to Rome with plenty of sight seeing stops on the way down and back via Switzerland.

i know we need to avoid highways to save on tolls and we would try eat mostly from supermarkets, not restaurants.

so i have a few questions. first off, will there be a problem buying and insuring a car in the UK with an international driving permit issued in Thailand? What costs will be involved other than the car its self and gas?

any ideas about cheap places to stay while travelling around in smaller towns and villages?

where to park up the car outside big cities like Paris and Rome since i don't need a car in those places.

thanks for any useful advice.

steve

P.S. there may be alternatives to buying a car, something like car delivery services or something like that (common in the US but no idea about Europe) or something else creative?

Edited November 25, 2008 by stevehaigh

[Ricardo]

What costs will be involved other than the car its self and gas?

Speed cameras ... I got fined GBP 60 for driving at 36 mph in the fast-lane of an empty urban 4-lane road, when I was there in September ! Made me remember ... why I just love driving in Thailand.

[Langsuan Man]

Also don't forget the cost of the "chunnel" to get to continental Europe. I hear that it is rather expensive.

I am going the assume that the visa you get for the missus is going to be for England and if I am not mistaken that does not guarantee her a "Schengen" visa since GB is not a signatory to the Schengen acquis.

LSM

[stevehaigh]

Also don't forget the cost of the "chunnel" to get to continental Europe. I hear that it is rather expensive.

I am going the assume that the visa you get for the missus is going to be for England and if I am not mistaken that does not guarantee her a "Schengen" visa since GB is not a signatory to the Schengen acquis.

LSM

i know, she needs both visas. i looked at the chunnel price and off peak time is 49GBP, not too bad.

i think i need to have my brother buy and insure a car in the UK since he's resident, then i drive it. i will have to check i'm covered on insurance however.

[cmbe]

hi all, this is not really a Thailand travel question so i hope it doesn't get banned but there's a lot of Europeans on this forum so i figure its as good a place to ask as any.

i'm taking the wife to Europe next June (visa permitting of course) for about a month and we want to save money and see as much as possible and we don't mind roughing it a bit.

i have a house swap set up in Rome, Tuscany and Switzerland but we want a couple of weeks of travelling around wherever the mood takes us and staying local and cheap.

car rents are expensive over there so i'm thinking about buying a cheap car (about 500 quid) in the UK and using it to drive down to Rome with plenty of sight seeing stops on the way down and back via Switzerland.

i know we need to avoid highways to save on tolls and we would try eat mostly from supermarkets, not restaurants.

so i have a few questions. first off, will there be a problem buying and insuring a car in the UK with an international driving permit issued in Thailand? What costs will be involved other than the car its self and gas?

any ideas about cheap places to stay while travelling around in smaller towns and villages?

where to park up the car outside big cities like Paris and Rome since i don't need a car in those places.

thanks for any useful advice.

steve

P.S. there may be alternatives to buying a car, something like car delivery services or something like that (common in the US but no idea about Europe) or something else creative?

I did a few time trip by car across the countries in Europe, in the way you can try to check out hotel ibis , the price is around 52 euro per night and for eating you will find small supermarket in every oil station that is what I did also, cheaper than restuarant.