Travel Tips

What do you need to drive in Europe from the UK?

August 1, 2023 by Penny Leave a Comment

With more and more of us opting not to fly places driving to Europe may be an alternative option, but it does leave the question of what do you need to drive in Europe from the UK? It can seem quite daunting at first, but having just done a road trip from the UK to The Netherlands (via France and Belgium) I can tell you that it’s actually quite straightforward.

A image showing pat of the back of a car featuring a light cluster and an oval white sticker with "UK" on it in black. You can just catch a glimpse of the last letter on a yellow number plate on the edge of the photo.

Don’t just think about your destination, but where you’re driving through too

Each country in Europe has different rules, but you need to remember that you need to follow the rules of all countries that you drive through, not just your final destination. The chances are that if you’re going from the UK you’re likely to arrive in either France, The Netherlands or Spain, so even if that country isn’t your final destination you need to take into account their rules too. In our case The Netherlands was our final destination, but we also had to look at France and Belgium’s requirements too.

When it comes to working out what do you need to drive in Europe from the UK you can break it down into physical things in your car and paperwork.

Physical things in your car

UK sticker

Rule changes post Brexit mean that GB stickers are no longer valid, and what you actually need is either a UK sticker to go on the back of your car, or small add on stickers to your front and back numberplate showing UK. The most economic way is to buy a set of both types of stickers. That way you also have spares should one version come off. Being the cautious types, this is exactly what we did.

Headlight Beam Converters

As I hope you already know, they drive on the right in mainland Europe, but car headlights here in the UK are set up for driving on the left. So that you don’t blind drivers coming towards you, it’s important that you either use headlamp beam converters, or look and see if you can change the settings in your car for right hand side driving and change the light set-up that way.

Hi-viz jackets

You need to have hi-viz jackets for all occupants of your car, and these need to be in the cabin of the car, not tucked away in the boot somewhere. Hopefully you won’t need to wear these at all, so even if you have kids you can just buy adult sized ones for everyone, but it is possible to buy a family pack with two adult and two child sizes in it.

Warning Triangle

Some cars come with one of these tucked away in the boot, especially if you have a German car, but it’s a good idea to have a warning triangle even if you’re here in the UK as it gives you some added protection if you have to stop somewhere that might not be immediately visible to other drivers.

First Aid Kit

A decent first aid kit is another thing that it’s a good idea to have in the car anyway, especially if travelling with children. I find that I add extra plasters to mine, along with bite/sting cream and paracetamol (and Calpol sachets for the kids).

Do make sure that you regularly check your first aid kit and replace things that have been used up or have gone out of date. Any cream in there (like Savlon or similar) can separate a bit if the weather has been hot, so they might need replacing before they are used up.

Spare bulbs and fuses

There’s a funny rule in France that means you have to carry a set of universal spare bulbs and fuses for your car. As anyone who has ever stood in Halfords trying to buy a new car bulb will know, finding the right one for your car can be an absolute pain and the idea of a universal set of bulbs that work in all cars is laughable, but even still, it’s something you have to have.

All in one kit

If you’re feeling at all daunted by the long list of things you need to drive in Europe from the UK, don’t worry. It’s possible to buy a set that contains pretty much everything I’ve listed above. Or at least a combination of the things listed.

Paperwork

It’s really important to check all paperwork properly before you travel. Make sure that you read the small print and check country lists to make sure that everywhere you drive through is mentioned, not just your final destination.

Driving Licence

UK Full Driving licences are valid for driving in Europe. Just make sure that you take your licence with you.

Car Insurance

This is one of those things that you need to read for yourself, very carefully. Many UK fully comprehensive car insurance policies cover driving in Europe, or certain European countries for a period of time each year. It’s not possible to give a sweeping statement about what is valid there and what isn’t, but check your own policy documents and if in doubt give your insurance company a ring, or check their website. Take your policy documents, or a print out of them with you on your trip.

V5

Sometimes known by drivers as the car log book, the V5 form from the DVLA shows who owns the car and what address it is registered to. Some countries require you to carry this with you, so it is wise to do so. I also recommend taking a photo of the form and keeping that on your phone too. That means that if the paper version is mislaid you at least have all the relevant numbers on it to help you report it lost to the DVLA and help you get it replaced.

Breakdown Cover

Whilst not compulsory, would you know who to call if you broke down whilst driving in Europe? I certainly wouldn’t had I not looked into it before we travelled.

It’s possible to buy European Breakdown Cover from all the main providers (AA, RAC and Green Flag) as well as some smaller companies. Policies can be either annual or just cover the duration of your trip. Some comparison sites can help you compare prices. I also highly recommend clicking through from a cash back site like Topcashback before buying. You could easily get over 10% of the cost back as cash back for doing so.

Do your research first – speed limits, road signs and tolls

Different European countries have different speed limits and road signs. It’s worth trying to familiarise yourself first with the key signs and limits from the countries you’re driving through. A quick internet search should help you, and it might even be worth printing off a few so that someone in the car can help look them up if you spot any you don’t know.

Depending on where you are going, you might encounter toll roads or bridges or tunnels that require you to pay a toll. Many European towns and cities also now have Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) in their centres. A good Sat Nav will help you avoid them if you want to, but it also helps to make sure you have a selection of Euro notes and coins to hand in the car. Some tolls require you to pay online within a certain period, but some tolls can be cash only for some lanes.

Final things to check

The above list has hopefully helped answer the question of what do you need to driving in Europe from the UK, but before you set off from home make sure you’ve checked your car over first. Make sure you have a full tank of fuel, topped up washer fluid and the correct air in your tyres too. Experience also tells me that a long car journey is easier with a good selection of car snacks too!

Want some European travel inspiration?

If you’re still not sure where you want to visit in Europe, then why not take a look at some of the places we’ve been to for inspirations or some handy travel hints?

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. This means that if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase I will receive a (small) commission. It will cost you no more than if you had arrived there under your own steam. Many thanks for any purchases that are made. Despite it being small, any commission is very much appreciated.

Travelling with a baby – Airbnb with a baby

May 20, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

In our time together Bonn and I have travelled rather a lot. Especially around the UK. Jumping in the car, on a train or on a plane became almost second nature to us both. We could pack in a matter of minutes, always managed to find our way around somewhere new and knew exactly where to look to find a hotel that would meet our needs. Now that Tube Stop Baby has joined us and we’re travelling with a baby a few things have changed. We certainly don’t travel as light, but the other thing we’re reconsidering is where we stay.

Hotels always used to work for the two of us. Clean and simple and with all the amenities we needed. With a baby though all being in the same room isn’t always ideal. Nor is trying to calm a baby at 2am when they’re having one of those “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m going to cry and anyway and resist all your efforts to soothe me with milk” moments. I’m always petrified that we’re going to end up waking the people in the next room.

Last year saw us pop our Airbnb cherry with our honeymoon when we stayed in a friend’s barn conversion up in the Peak District. I always knew the accommodation itself would be lovely, but what we were impressed by was the whole process of booking through Airbnb. The way that they vet you before renting out a property to you and the whole process of checking in via the site too. It was straightforward and hassle free.

When looking for somewhere to stay in Cornwall recently we initially went for a hotel, but soon found that all the ones nearby were either full or above our work budget. One of us wondered about seeing if we could find something on Airbnb and I’m so glad we did. What we ended up with was just perfect and helped to change what could have been a relatively dull work trip into what felt like a special little holiday.

We ended up booking a small one bedroom private “lodge” that was only a five minute drive away from where Bonn needed to be for work. Far closer than any of the hotels we’d been looking at. For less than the cost of a hotel we ended up with our own private bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. The extra bonus was the stunning views and private patio area outside looking out over the valley.

Quite simply put – it was utterly gorgeous!

On a practical level it also worked perfectly for the three of us. We took TSB’s travel cot with us and there was plenty of room in our bedroom to put it up and still have plenty of room to walk around. The living room had enough floor space for me to put down a play mat and her to roll around to her heart’s content. Not something that most hotel rooms have space for.

We also had the space to prepare meals for ourselves to fit in with her schedule and to prepare food for her too. In the evening we could put her to bed and actually sit in comfort watching TV whilst she was in bed, rather than having to quietly sneak around a dark hotel room whilst trying not to disturb her.

Yes, the property only had a shower, but we just bathed her in the kitchen sink instead. Surely that’s a right of passage for babies anyway?

Really it just worked out perfectly and made us realise that whilst she’s young like this our hotel staying days may be behind us. Airbnb just gave us flexibility and comfort for travelling with a baby that most hotels simply can’t do – especially if you’re looking at the budget end of the hotel market. I’m also yet to find a Premier Inn that offers you a private terrace with gorgeous views!

We’ve already got a weekend away booked in an Airbnb property for later in the year, but we’re now using the site to book future work trips away too.

Disclaimer: We have paid for all our Airbnb trips in full and have received nothing for writing this post. We just wanted to share our honest experiences. I have included an invite link in this post that would make money should anyone join Airbnb and make a booking through it.

Being organised when flying – with a bit of help from Snopake

May 22, 2018 by Penny 2 Comments

Between us, Bonn and I have travelled enough to know what we’re doing when we go through an airport. Every since that first flight together, where we quickly navigated our way around the tourists at Luton and made a beeline for the bar, we’ve known we make good travel companions. It’s all about being organised when flying.

Airports seem to be designed to confuse travellers, especially those that don’t fly often. Most of the ones in the UK seem to have a layout designed around shopping rather than flying. You have to walk through wafts of perfume and aftershave and past duty free alcohol of all sorts before you get anywhere near your flight, or anywhere to sit whilst waiting for it.

Duty free is probably the last obstacle though. The problem is often to the queues and process to get that far. As everyone knows, since 9/11 security at airports is tight. I totally get why that is, but what you need to do can be confusing if you’re not familiar with it.

Travel documents

The key to getting to the air-side bar (or coffee shop) unscathed is being organised. Have all your paperwork in one place. Keep your tickets, passport and anything else you may need together. When I’m flying with an airline that doesn’t have electronic boarding cards I favour a travel wallet to keep everything in. Catching up with Snopake at the recent Blog On X in Manchester I was introduced to their Travel Holder which is a perfect solution.

With separate sections for your passport, tickets and insurance documents it’s sturdy enough to be taken in and out my bag numerous times during a trip. There’s also a handy space inside to keep my EHIC, something that I’m always frightened of mislaying when I actually need it in Europe.

Tackling security

Travel paperwork isn’t the only thing that you need to be organised about at an airport. Understanding the security rules is key to a smooth journey from check in to bar. Different airlines allow you different amounts of hand luggage, but the European Airline Security Rules are the same. When you go through security you need to put all bags through the X-ray machine. Along with coats, bulky jumpers etc, large shoes and belts, belts, some watches. Depending on what I’m wearing it can sometimes feel like I’m stripping in the security queue, but remember that everyone else has to do the same.

When you put your bags into the tray they will ask you not to overfill it, and also to separate out your laptop or iPad, and also any liquids. Since November 2006 there is a restriction on the quantity of liquids that can be taken on board aircraft in hand luggage.

Rules about liquids on flights

Each passenger is allowed one single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag, which must not exceed 1 litre in capacity. That’s about 20cm x 20cm. Everything in that bag much be in separate containers and none of them must exceed 100ml in capacity. The bag must also be sealed.

(Yep – spot my Gin & tonic lip balm there!)

If you get as far as security with anything bigger than 100ml or anything that won’t fit in a bag of the specified size it will be binned. End of story.

Most airports do have plastic bags available whilst you queue, but they’re usually flimsy ones that don’t last long. And you also end up delaying that trip to the bar whilst faffing around filling it!

I always get my liquids ready in a plastic bag before heading to the airport. But, it was usually a small plastic supermarket food bag that ended up screwed up in a right mess in my handbag. Again, Snopake have come to the rescue with their Air Bag. This durable bag meets all the EU airport security rules and is perfect for when you fly. As I went through Stansted this morning I literally flew through compared to various women (and yes they were all women…) who had to pack and re-pack their plastic bags of toiletries!

Just remember: Pack it right. Don’t miss your flight!

Disclaimer: Snopake gave me the Air Bag and Travel Holder featured in this post when I met them at Blog On X. There was no obligation to blog about them. All opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Learning to travel

May 1, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

I was trying to work out the other day when it is you stop just “going on holiday” and instead start “travelling”. Is there really a difference? I mean, you can obviously travel out being on holiday, but can you holiday without travelling?

When you’re a child you’re normally just taken on holiday, but I do know some lucky children who would describe themselves as going travelling. Strangely, for me, I think there was an obvious moment when I realised the difference.

I was “on holiday” with my parents up on the west coast of Scotland. My Dad was off taking photos somewhere and being a typical stroppy teenager I stayed in the car. This being before mobile phones I picked up the Rough Guide (probably the one for the Scottish Highlands and Islands) and started leafing through it. I found myself in the section for Ullapool (a place I am now desperate to return to) and remember suddenly realising that I was reading listings for laundrettes and where you could get internet access locally (this dates the story).

It was reading those listings that I suddenly had this lightbulb moment in which I realised that travelling was different to being on holiday. On holiday you tend to go where where you want to go and then come home again, bringing your dirty washing home with you. Travelling you look at places totally differently. You try and understand how the locals live. You don’t just go to the main tourist sites, but instead you try and get a feel of how the locals live.

Years ago, I used to attend a series of European conferences for young engineers. At them we talked lots about the mobility of engineers across Europe and how we could better ourselves by travelling and understanding the different work cultures. One important lesson I was taught by a German delegate was that to properly travel somewhere you needed to work out how to take public transport and also find and eat the local fast food. When I first heard this I just laughed, but then the more I thought about it, the more I realised he was right. It’s now exactly what I try to do whenever I go somewhere new.

It’s also not just about the destination, but the journey to get there. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of train travel, but I’ve also got a soft spot for ferries and any other slower mode of transport. Air travel is fine, but you don’t get to see as much from the air as you do when on land or sea. As a child I watched Michael Palin’s Around the World in 80 Days and I was hooked.

Yes he want to some amazing destinations (and was the reason I was always so keen to visit Hong Kong) but it was so much more about the travel adventure to get around the world. The modes of transport, the routes they took and the people that he met during the journey. If I ever had a travel dream it would be to recreate that journey and share it online. It really would be the ultimate bit of travelling.

I might not be able to afford to take 80 days out to travel around the world, but I try to squeeze in as much travel as I can (both close to home and further away) and plan to share as much of it as possible. I hope you’ll join me for the journey.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.