Trip costs for a month in France, Spain and Portugal

[ChrisandPenney52]

We spent most of September travelling, doing around 3000 miles and ending up in North West Spain and North Portugal. Being sad cases, we keep track of outgoings. Here's what the month cost us. Average exchange rate is 1.13 euros to the GB pound:

Channel Tunnel - booked at the last minute so not the cheapest rate: £225
Autoroute tolls - we used to avoid these but this time decided speed and comfort trumped endless roundabouts: £245
Diesel: £330
Camp sites - almost all excellent ACSI sites, not booked in advance. We just booked the last night as it was getting late in the season, and it gives us maximum flexibility to turn up late in the day: £450
Food, beer and wine (which we would have bought anyway even if we had been home): £360
Food out (our memory suggests this may be an underestimate): £100
Entrance fees and souvenirs and sundries (sounds pathetic, but we enjoyed lots of good free stuff): £40

£1750 for a great month's travelling for two people. We never skimped and enjoyed walking and cycling most days. One message for me though is that the UK to Spain ferries are not as expensive a deal as I thought, given our £800 diesel, tunnel and toll costs - so maybe next time ...

 

[OCCALI]

We spent most of September travelling, doing around 3000 miles and ending up in North West Spain and North Portugal. Being sad cases, we keep track of outgoings. Here's what the month cost us. Average exchange rate is 1.13 euros to the GB pound:

Channel Tunnel - booked at the last minute so not the cheapest rate: £225
Autoroute tolls - we used to avoid these but this time decided speed and comfort trumped endless roundabouts: £245
Diesel: £330
Camp sites - almost all excellent ACSI sites, not booked in advance. We just booked the last night as it was getting late in the season, and it gives us maximum flexibility to turn up late in the day: £450
Food, beer and wine (which we would have bought anyway even if we had been home): £360
Food out (our memory suggests this may be an underestimate): £100
Entrance fees and souvenirs and sundries (sounds pathetic, but we enjoyed lots of good free stuff): £40

£1750 for a great month's travelling for two people. We never skimped and enjoyed walking and cycling most days. One message for me though is that the UK to Spain ferries are not as expensive a deal as I thought, given our £800 diesel, tunnel and toll costs - so maybe next time ...

Thank you for sharing that info. It's valuable to us all for future planning. Especially the end bit regarding the comparison with the ferry charges.

 

[Loz]

On previous trips to Morocco we have often compared the difference between driving all the way or using the Pompy-Bilbao ferry and if you book the ferry early enough the cost is the same so you get 2 days off driving and less miles on the vehicle.

 

[bigmac77]

Your lucky you don't have kids in school and a teacher wife, we went to France for three weeks in August cost was £3000 for everything but still cheaper than flying to Spain for a weeks holiday

 

[snowy55]

We priced the Plymouth to Santander return ferry for early June 17 and it came in at just under £1000, but it saves the tediuos drive through France.

 

[SurreyCali]

Just to give you the other side of the coin.

We did our costs for next years trip and it only worked out £108 more expensive to stay in a 2 bedroom villa with a private swimming pool , the reason for this is the if you book the ferry with accomodation you get around 30% discount. This is a no-brainer for us as we will do the Portsmouth- Santander crossing, camp in Zaragoza to break the journey and stay in the villa in the Costa Blanca for ten nights and do the same again on our return.

This is in school holidays so does not apply to many, but we have found the cost of campsites becoming quite excessive for a patch of grass, especially if you need facilities for the kids. We also noticed most campsites now charge a booking fee whether you stay one niight or seven nights.

Oh yes, our villa has air con as well which is one thing we miss when camping in spain in 40 degree heat

 

[Amarillo]

Your lucky you don't have kids in school and a teacher wife, we went to France for three weeks in August cost was £3000 for everything

This is all very heartening.

We are planning a year away with two pre-school boys and two dogs, visiting all EU countries except Malta, Cyprus and Ireland (a farewell tour, perhaps). Our budget is £4,000 per calendar month which will come from investment income and the rental of our family home. We also have contingency cash savings of £20,000-£30,000 (dependent on how much we spend before we go on awnings and the like), but would prefer to keep this money for a loft conversion when we return in 2018.

cheaper than flying to Spain for a weeks holiday

I am surprised that you find flying to Spain for a week so expensive. The four of us went to Benalmadena for 4 nights over the May-day bank holiday. The all inclusive 4* hotel was £421.93, implying £740 for a week; the flights were £346 (including one infant and one hold bag); parking at Gatwick was £36; and I drew 500 Euros from a machine at a cost of £431.69 (including £4.50 fee). I returned home with most of those Euros, but I'll include them all in the cost of the holiday.

Total for 4 nights: £1,236
Implied cost for 7 nights: £1,554
Implied cost for 7 nights with 4 non-infant passengers: £1,643

 

[bigmac77]

Sorry meant Portugal anyway it's still flying, we flew Manchester - Faro (flights were £1200) picked up hire car drove to Praia Da Luz stayed at a villa for a week. Not including eating out cost was £3250.

 

[Skylark2.0]

On previous trips to Morocco we have often compared the difference between driving all the way or using the Pompy-Bilbao ferry and if you book the ferry early enough the cost is the same so you get 2 days off driving and less miles on the vehicle.

And you get to see amazing dolphins and whales in the bay of Biscay.
I'd go all that way just to see them and so does Chris Packham. Check out the Brittany ferries I spy trips