Taking your car on a Brittany Ferries trip to Europe is a great way to start your holiday, and much easier than hauling your luggage overseas and then hiring a car. And your holiday really does start the moment you drive on board, with award-winning service and plenty of space to relax and unwind. To make sure you set off well prepared, here are 10 road trip essentials to check before you leave.
The must-brings
Correctly validated passport
OK, you know you need a passport for overseas travel. However, it is very important that you have double-checked that it will be valid for a trip to Europe. Pre-Brexit that simply meant being valid for the literal duration of the trip, but post-Brexit they must be valid for three months after your return date.
Driving kit
Do you have a warning triangle tucked away somewhere in your boot? How about a reflective jacket? Most countries in the EU require you by law to have at least these two items of safety equipment in your car, often among other things. While there is some variation from country to country, a European driving kit should cover all of your bases – and in turn help you to avoid the possibility of being fined for something you didn’t know about. Perhaps more to the point, the things in it are really quite useful to have in your car anyway. The kits typically cost about £25 and include everything from a hi-vis vest to headlight converters and a first aid kit.
Driving documents
Nothing too fancy: your driver’s licence is fine so long as it’s not a paper one (in which case you need to spring £5.50 for an International Driving Permit, or possibly best to just get a normal photocard licence). Your UK vehicle insurance will cover you in the EU. You’ll need your vehicle logbook. The only post-Brexit peculiarity is that GB bumper stickers are no longer valid – you need a UK one (which you’ll find in your driving kit).
A UK Global Health Insurance Card
Pre-Brexit, you needed a European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) to access emergency EU healthcare services at local rates. Post-Brexit, most UK citizens need a UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK Ghic). It’s functionally just a name change, but do absolutely get them. Any other cover you want to take out is up to you, but it would be a mistake to pass up free or cheap medical care in every EU country.
Maps online and off
One of the joys of a Brittany Ferries crossing is that you can bring your own car. And unless you’re a die hard cartographile, you’ll be wanting to use some form of digital navigation. If you’re using one of the major online platforms, such as Google or Apple maps, take some time to choose and familiarise yourself with the best route, and consider downloading a map section for offline use in case you hit an area with bad or non-existent reception on your drive. Or if you’re using a satnav, do remember to check that you have the correct maps loaded for wherever you’re going, as at best it’s going to be a massive inconvenience to update the software while on your trip.
The nice-to-haves
Plug adapters
Boring, but yes, you should probably bring plug adapters with you. They’re obviously pretty easy to get in Europe, but you try telling yourself that just as your phone is about to die on a Sunday in a tiny village somewhere. Ideally don’t just bring one, bring an appropriate number for however many devices you’ll have with you. The trip will be a lot more harmonious if you can all stay charged.
Binoculars
A Brittany Ferries ship is surely the most exciting way for children to travel between countries; it’s a proper adventure. They’ll enjoy roaming the ship and exploring the entertainment within, but it’s also a treat to be up on deck and look out to sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to enhance the fun, so they can better spot everything from seabirds and seals to the coastline of France itself.
Tablets
You might have some wishful, whimsical idea about leaving all the trappings of your life back home behind, but let’s get real: it rains in Europe too, and kids get bored at some point no matter where they are. It is definitely not cheating to bring along a tablet, and it’s certainly worth pre-loading it with entertainment, both for the times you have no reliable internet access, and because you won’t have access to the UK versions of your streaming services on the continent.
Guidebooks
Guidebooks might seem a little anachronistic – why bother when you have a phone? But unless you’ve itinerised every second of your trip, they’re incredibly handy as a source of information and inspiration. Plus, if your phone battery dies, they’re a lifesaver. Of course, there’s still a huge amount you’ll want to check out online, such as the guides to the top regions and cities that you can travel to with Brittany Ferries, all of which can be found here.
Roof box
You may think a roof box for the car is excessive, but that won’t be the case if you want to take more stuff than can reasonably be contained in your boot. A storage upgrade opens up the possibility of everything from taking more specialised kit – camping gear, for instance – to simply bringing along a load more of your nice things from home.
To find out more about hassle-free holidays with Brittany Ferries, click here
