Motorhome Tours escorted tours

[carolyn]

There is also another very good escorted Motorhome company called “Crossings Motorhome Tours”. Run by a fantastic couple Bob & Wendy.

They run some fantastic tours to France, Italy, Scandnavia, Croatia etc. No more than 12 vans and people have as much personal space as they wish. They organise the ferry, the sites and advice on routes, but you can choose your own routes to the sites if you wish. Some travel in convoy, many go their own way. A drinks night and a dinner night is organised, after that you can do what you want For the remainder of the trip.

I am one of those who prefer to go solo and not be shepherded by organised tours, however, we found them great fun and got great tips of places to visit, routes etc. We joined in with other tourers at night sometimes and at other times we didn’t.

Everybody has a choice….

We went on a tour with Crossings and it was a dreadful experience and we would never go with them again but we know many people who have been with them and have had good experiences. It was our first tour and put us off for years.

Until then we’d only toured in France and booked a tour to Germany with them, the Rhine and Mosel. A few weeks before it was due to leave we had a call to say that Bob and Wendy wouldn’t be leading it but it would be led by x & y who had much experience of Germany having spent many years there during their time stationed there in the Army. If only we’d cancelled.

We turned up at the campsite near Dover to find there was x&y, us and one other couple, that was it for the whole tour. The Army chap was a right know it all, knew no German, just said he talked louder if they didn’t understand. The other couple were very sweet but had never been out of the country in their van before. One of the main reasons for going on the tours is to meet people.

What made it even worse was that leaving the same day was the Italian tour led by Bob and Wendy and it had quite a few spaces, I asked why on earth we hadn’t been offered the chance to transfer and was told it wouldn’t have been fair on the other couple. Turned out it was x &y first tour so was their trial run otherwise they wouldn’t have run it at all with so few people. I was well peed off.

Like I say we do know lots of people who’ve had good experiences but we wouldn’t touch them.

 

[The Wino]

We went on a tour with Crossings and it was a dreadful experience and we would never go with them again but we know many people who have been with them and have had good experiences. It was our first tour and put us off for years.

Until then we’d only toured in France and booked a tour to Germany with them, the Rhine and Mosel. A few weeks before it was due to leave we had a call to say that Bob and Wendy wouldn’t be leading it but it would be led by x & y who had much experience of Germany having spent many years there during their time stationed there in the Army. If only we’d cancelled.

We turned up at the campsite near Dover to find there was x&y, us and one other couple, that was it for the whole tour. The Army chap was a right know it all, knew no German, just said he talked louder if they didn’t understand. The other couple were very sweet but had never been out of the country in their van before. One of the main reasons for going on the tours is to meet people.

What made it even worse was that leaving the same day was the Italian tour led by Bob and Wendy and it had quite a few spaces, I asked why on earth we hadn’t been offered the chance to transfer and was told it wouldn’t have been fair on the other couple. Turned out it was x &y first tour so was their trial run otherwise they wouldn’t have run it at all with so few people. I was well peed off.

Like I say we do know lots of people who’ve had good experiences but we wouldn’t touch them.

It's not good sometimes being a guinea pig!

 

[Bailey58]

To keep the thread off topic, like all good threads, I'll double in spades carolyn's like of cruises. Marmite of course but we've had around ten cruises all but the first 15 years ago with friends from 80 odd miles away who we only ever see when we cruise. No need to join in all the stuff on board, on sea days we play board games, listen to the occasional interesting lecture or find somewhere to read and do the daily puzzles and quizzes. Land days we share the price of a cab and do the whole island in the case of the Canaries, Madeira or the Caribbean for the price of one ship bought tour. The longest we've spent at sea is Tenerife to Antigua and that was spent around the pool and trying different places for lunch. The last one we had was December 2019 when the Ventura broke down off Tenerife and we spent 5 extra days on the island which enabled us to do things the one day stopover didn't. Missing Lanzarote and Lisbon was more than compensated by the 50% refund we got on our return. The house in the Faroes and the wish to do other things is the main reason we are contemplating selling the van although we are hesitating in making the decision.

Edit: for cab read taxi, not motorhome cab.

 

[carolyn]

It's not good sometimes being a guinea pig!

I agree, I think the experienced Crossings customers who got the phone call quickly changed over to the Italy tour with Bob and Wendy, it was just as they were expanding the company. We were newbies so didn’t click, we just wanted to dip our toe in the water beyond France and liked the idea of a group and meeting new people haha!

When we booked our tour to Norway with GB the first thing I did before paying anything was email to check if there was a minimum number! I think it was 7 at the time but he said, don’t worry it just won’t happen, he was right of course. I was paranoid.

 

[Gina M]

Often get the best home cooked meals in the little back street restaurants.

It's not the little back street restaurants that scare me, it's the big tourist ones

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[chaser]

It's not the little back street restaurants that scare me, it's the big tourist ones

The best restaurants we have found for a basic authentic French lunch is at the lorry drivers stops with the menu de jour , if you are travelling along a road and spot a few lorrys parked up, pull in for a good meal at good price.

 

[jdk62]

We went on a tour with Crossings and it was a dreadful experience and we would never go with them again but we know many people who have been with them and have had good experiences. It was our first tour and put us off for years.

Until then we’d only toured in France and booked a tour to Germany with them, the Rhine and Mosel. A few weeks before it was due to leave we had a call to say that Bob and Wendy wouldn’t be leading it but it would be led by x & y who had much experience of Germany having spent many years there during their time stationed there in the Army. If only we’d cancelled.

We turned up at the campsite near Dover to find there was x&y, us and one other couple, that was it for the whole tour. The Army chap was a right know it all, knew no German, just said he talked louder if they didn’t understand. The other couple were very sweet but had never been out of the country in their van before. One of the main reasons for going on the tours is to meet people.

What made it even worse was that leaving the same day was the Italian tour led by Bob and Wendy and it had quite a few spaces, I asked why on earth we hadn’t been offered the chance to transfer and was told it wouldn’t have been fair on the other couple. Turned out it was x &y first tour so was their trial run otherwise they wouldn’t have run it at all with so few people. I was well peed off.

Like I say we do know lots of people who’ve had good experiences but we wouldn’t touch them.

That's a shame that you had the experience you had. I wonder if that same couple who led your tour are still with Crossings? We only had positive experiences (twice) with Crossings.

 

[L' Hobo]

The best restaurants we have found for a basic authentic French lunch is at the lorry drivers stops with the menu de jour , if you are travelling along a road and spot a few lorrys parked up, pull in for a good meal at good price.

The good ones used to have a Les Routiers sign, probably still have. Basic dishes but good!

 

[carolyn]

That's a shame that you had the experience you had. I wonder if that same couple who led your tour are still with Crossings? We only had positive experiences (twice) with Crossings.

I’ve just had a look and they aren’t doing it anymore but they did it for a few years. We were just unlucky I do realise.

 

[StephandJohn]

Everyone's different.
We met a couple on a campsite in France who'd booked a sort of 'do it yourself' holiday. Nothing was booked for them but the campsites which were chosen for them. They were astonished when we told them we never book ahead in Europe and make it up as we go along.
It was their first time motorhoming abroad and they said it gave them a feeling of security but by the end of the three weeks they were realising iit would have been Ok to do it themselves.
Our first ever motorhome trip we followed advice given by MMM. Went to Roscoff, up the ramp turn left, go to St Pol de Lyon etc etc. Once we'd done that and stayed overnight in St Pol we were set for three years travelling all over Europe

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[bilM]

I have tried however I can not think of anything more horrific than a escorted tour.

 

[Gina M]

It's the sitting around the campfire at night with everyone which would scare me off as I usually end up with one person on one side of me annoying me because they have had too much to drink and one person the other side of me annoying me because they don't drink, telling me over and over and over again "I don't need alcohol to enjoy myself"

 

[chaser]

Our first experience of motorhomeing in Europe was completely off the cuff, although we had been before other ways we had never done it in a van and we ended up in Pisa in an old ldv van bought off eBay unseen, all unplaned and just learned as we went along.
We have learnt a lot of stuff since then but I don't think we have ever had as enjoyable trip as that first one.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

I think it’s a bit pointless people commenting on stuff they have never tried as you don’t know until you try.
First Christmas & New Year cruise I booked up to the Caribbean for our family said to Mum I would take her and Dad, Dad said no way would he go on a cruise so I said fair enough you can go to sisters and I will take Mum He reluctantly came along and thoroughly enjoyed it we all ended up on 3 such cruises and he would go on 2-3 cruises a year with Mum right up until 4 months before he died.
Don’t knock these things unless you have been you may be suprised.

 

[Gaston aires]

I apologise if this sounds harsh. I cannot think of a worse way to travel. Where's the adventure, spontaneity, relaxation, freedom, leisure?
In the modern, homogenised world there is no benefit to travelling with a group. It has never been easier to travel the world (if you avoid war zones) and you have all the luxury you need right inside your motorhome.
If guided motorhome tours appeal to you, I think you should consider selling your motorhome and going Wallace Arnold.

That IS a bit harsh. We do ad hoc most of the time but Al La carte sometimes in difficult regions. Both work extremly well.
Just sometimes there’s safety in numbers.
Phil

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[chaser]

The good ones used to have a Les Routiers sign, probably still have. Basic dishes but good!

There are still some, but like everything else you can still see the signs but more often than not they are on boarded up cafes.

 

[carolyn]

It's the sitting around the campfire at night with everyone which would scare me off as I usually end up with one person on one side of me annoying me because they have had too much to drink and one person the other side of me annoying me because they don't drink, telling me over and over and over again "I don't need alcohol to enjoy myself"

I think that was the Girl Guides you’re talking about and I must admit I really liked it but that was only because we always went camping with the Scouts!

No campfires on GB motorhome tours.

 

[L' Hobo]

I have tried however I can not think of anything more horrific than a escorted tour.

Isn't it good that everyone's different?

 

[jdk62]

It's the sitting around the campfire at night with everyone which would scare me off as I usually end up with one person on one side of me annoying me because they have had too much to drink and one person the other side of me annoying me because they don't drink, telling me over and over and over again "I don't need alcohol to enjoy myself"

I guess the same could apply to motorhome rallies...

 

[L' Hobo]

It's the sitting around the campfire at night with everyone which would scare me off as I usually end up with one person on one side of me annoying me because they have had too much to drink and one person the other side of me annoying me because they don't drink, telling me over and over and over again "I don't need alcohol to enjoy myself"

I would have moved way before it to that situation!

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[houdini]

The best restaurants we have found for a basic authentic French lunch is at the lorry drivers stops with the menu de jour , if you are travelling along a road and spot a few lorrys parked up, pull in for a good meal at good price.

Couldn’t agree more, in whatever country we have always looked for where local people eat, no tourist menus. In far flung places, where no common language, you get taken in to the kitchen and shown what is cooking!

 

[Gaston aires]

The best restaurants we have found for a basic authentic French lunch is at the lorry drivers stops with the menu de jour , if you are travelling along a road and spot a few lorrys parked up, pull in for a good meal at good price.

I agree and many of the Les Routier stops are ok if you stay the night if they have a car park which many have.
Phil

 

[KiwiKampers]

That IS a bit harsh. We do ad hoc most of the time but Al La carte sometimes in difficult regions. Both work extremly well.
Just sometimes there’s safety in numbers.
Phil

Yes, I think I was perhaps rather blunt with my comments, for which I apologise.
I did investigate a guided motorhome tour a few years ago and got quite excited by the prospect. It started in Moscow and ended somewhere ending in “stan”. It might even have included Ukraine.
It was organised by a German company. The cost was astronomical, but the thing that put me off ….and Ginam will relate to this ... was the prospect of sitting around campfires and not understanding a word being said. It hardly seemed fair to expect the Germans to speak English for my benefit and I am too old to learn a new language, sadly.

 

[Gaston aires]

Yes, I think I was perhaps rather blunt with my comments, for which I apologise.
I did investigate a guided motorhome tour a few years ago and got quite excited by the prospect. It started in Moscow and ended somewhere ending in “stan”. It might even have included Ukraine.
It was organised by a German company. The cost was astronomical, but the thing that put me off ….and Ginam will relate to this ... was the prospect of sitting around campfires and not understanding a word being said. It hardly seemed fair to expect the Germans to speak English for my benefit and I am too old to learn a new language, sadly.

We did an ad hoc travellers trip to NZ, not in a motorhome but in Air b b. It was amazing and only one stopover was not up to scratch.
Nelson was the only place that rained cats and dogs. All the arrangements were made by me except for one week with friends in Your area. Loved it.
Phil

 

[Lenny HB]

Couldn’t agree more, in whatever country we have always looked for where local people eat, no tourist menus. In far flung places, where no common language, you get taken in to the kitchen and shown what is cooking!

Went to one in Portugal, no menu, or prices just asked would you like meat or fish. Had a cracking meal.

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[chaser]

Went to one in Portugal, no menu, or prices just asked would you like meat or fish. Had a cracking meal.

Are these common in Portugal because we have been in one just out of estoi, absolutely rammed.

 

[Lenny HB]

Are these common in Portugal because we have been in one just out of estoi, absolutely rammed.

Just found the odd one they tend to be well out in the country off the tourist trail.

 

[jdk62]

Went to one in Portugal, no menu, or prices just asked would you like meat or fish. Had a cracking meal.

We had one like that in Estapona in Spain.

We had a four course meal which was fantastic….

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Best meal we had on our recent trip after 3 weeks was a few nights before we return.
Mrs CC wanted to do some washing so I pulled into a camp site in Belgium it didn’t look much and they had a big scruffy Wooden building as office come restaurant.
Went in that evening and the lady who looks after the camp was also the chef
Had the best meal on that trip and best company with Dutch and Belgium people coming for a chat.
I always think fancy places on main drags are not all that and best to go down little side streets for the best meals.

 

[The Wino]

Best meal we had on our recent trip after 3 weeks was a few nights before we return.
Mrs CC wanted to do some washing so I pulled into a camp site in Belgium it didn’t look much and they had a big scruffy Woden building as office come restaurant.
Went in that evening and thr lady who loons after the camp was also the chef
Had the best meal on that trip and best company with Dutch and Belgium people coming for a chat.
I always think fancy places on main drags are not all that and best to go down little side streets for the best meals.

It's also great to have an evening out with other nationalities

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