Date:         Sat, 20 Apr 2002 23:56:40 -0400
Reply-To:     alan barber <barb2375@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         alan barber <barb2375@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: Overseas travel questions, especially for Britain
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Date:    Sat, 20 Apr 2002 14:33:31 -0700
From:    Katherine Lee <katydid@TELUS.NET>
Subject: Overseas travel questions, especially for Britain

<snip>

>>1. Without having researched the cost of shipping two ways, we are
wondering
whether shipping the Westy with some of our possessions packed within might
be more cost effective than finding and buying and then selling a camper van
(Westfalia, Eurovan, whatever) in Europe. I understand theft and security
might be an issue depending on the type of container used for shipping and
where the van is stored (e.g. in an open compound) once it arrives. Do any
of you have thoughts or experiences to share about this? Also, we're in
Vancouver, so any shipping information about Canadian companies or ports
(West or East Coast) would be appreciated.<<

It will be expensive. I have some experience with shipping a motorcycle, and
it was nearly prohibitively expensive. A vehicle the size and weight of a
Westy
is going to cost more than the van is worth. I would try to buy something
similar
over there. The best thing would be to find some sort of broker that could
locate
one for you that would be ready (more or less) when you arrive. My
motorcycle
was flown in so security wasn't an issue. It was crated and only stored in a
hangar for a few hours.

>>2. We've also been told (by a Canadian Eurovan seller in Holland, who was
biased, one has to admit) that second-hand camper vans like the Westfalia
are very hard to come by in Europe. This doesn't really make sense to me,
but I'll ask anyway ... does anyone know if this is the case and why?<<

They're sort of like luxuries over there, and they're kept for a very long
time.
I would imagine this is the main reason.

>>3. We'll be based in the UK mainly for the duration of our stay, with
trips
to the continent. I realize the British cars have right-hand drive but are
there any other issues I should be aware of, such as standards & controls
(emissions, etc.) that would disqualify the Canadian Westy from being
licensed in Britain? If we were to go there for a year or more, would we
have to get some special licensing, registration, insurance, etc.?<<

The biggest problem is the headlight lenses shine the light in the wrong
direction at night and can blind other drivers. I would strongly suggest
changing the headlights before driving at night.

>>4. We have a 2-year-old with a Canadian-spec car seat (Cosco Alpha Omega)
... any issues with standards and such in Europe?<<

Shouldn't be an issue. Laws and Policemen tend to be far more logical about
things in England and on the continent. See below about laws...

>>5. What about unleaded fuel? Is this readily available in all Western
European countries?<<

I haven't been there since 95, but unleaded fuel was readily available, and
is gaining in popularity in England.

>>6. I've had problems here at home getting propane fills, seems the new
nozzles at LP filling facilities is shorter now, and as the Westy's propane
tank is so recessed (I think this has to do with the protective plate
underneath the tank as well) access seems to be restricted, and some service
attendants have had to suggest we go elsewhere to find an LP station with a
longer nozzle. Does anyone have experience or suggestions about how to avoid
this in the future, and whether this might be a problem in Europe?<<

I have no idea. I think the tanks on Westys are different over there, but
I'm not sure.

>>Just to make a long post longer, I've looked a 1994 edition of "Europe by
Van and Motorhome", which discourages people from shipping their vehicles to
Europe ... so I don't mind hearing pros & cons about the whole idea. I'll
also ask our local CAA travel office about rules & regs while travelling in
Europe ...<<

I would tend to discourage it as well. Way more trouble than it's worth.
The other problem is that you will have to pay a hefty deposit (at least I
did in 92-93) in order to make sure that the vehicle leaves when you
do. They are really trying to discourage grey market vehicles in England.
I also found England to be one of the most difficult countries to get into.
Make sure that you tell them you're not staying more than 3 months...
even if you have to go to France for the weekend or whatever. They're
very suspicious about people staying for long periods of time and either
living off the dole or taking away jobs. At least they were of me.

Also be aware that while violent crimes are rare, petty theft is rampant.
Get an alarm for whatever vehicle you drive. This is an instance where
having an English vehicle may help as you will stand out less.

One advantage of driving a NA vehicle is that you will get to keep your
license plates and your driver's license is valid. Too bad you're in a
Westy, since most traffic violations are served by camera evidence, you
will never get a ticket. And even if you do get pulled over, the paperwork
that the cops have to fill out for out of country visitors is so ridiculous
that
almost every cop will let you go with a warning unless you're being really
stupid. But you're in a Westy, so you'll be lucky to do the speed limit!

One other tip, visit the continent. Go to France, Brussels, Spain,
Amsterdam, Italy... whatever you can manage to make it to. It will be
worth it!

>>And just one last point ... sorry to dredge up this silly topic again, but
my ancestry IS Chinese ... there's an ancient saying that the Chinese will
eat anything that keeps its back to the sky ... including, snakes, seafood
and fish as well creatures with legs ...<<

I'm not even sure what you're talking about here. Are you considering
racial discrimination? Around large cities, there are huge Asian
populations, mostly British citizens from Hong Kong and other British
colonies. Racism exists, but it's very rare. If you're talking about food,
English food sucks canal water through small straw, but luckily in most
major cities, there are plenty of Indian, Chinese, and Italian restaurants.
I even found a Mexican restaurant in London.

Have fun!

Az
--
AH#56