If you're worried about a volcano shutting down air travel next summer, take the car!
Having been stranded abroad when the Icelandic volcano last blew I knew the only chance of getting away this summer would be by sea and land. So it was a busman's holiday for me as I packed up the clan in a Peugeot 5008 HDi and hit the road. The economical, seven-seat 1.6-litre used just one tank of fuel to get us the 900km to our Keycamp campsite in Berny-Rivière, which is about an hour's drive North-west of Paris.
I am a fan of going overland to Europe and have travelled as far as Venice with the family in the car. Ferry crossings direct to France can be expensive in high season so I took Irish Ferries' 'Jonathan Swift' fast ferry and enjoyed its sub two-hour crossing to Wales.
From Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesea it's under two hours to the M6 (take the M6 toll road - you'll have a near stress-free experience). Then it was on to the famous M1 (sadly littered with average speed cameras and roadworks), then the M25 around London and on to the M20 to Folkestone in Kent and the Channel Tunnel. All-in it takes about six hours with stops from Holyhead down. The 'Chunnel' takes 35 minutes and 'voilà': you're in France.
We overnighted in a campsite in Guines (15 minutes from Calais) and went on the following day to Berny-Rivière. From our three-bed mobile home base we were able to visit the children's Mecca that is Disneyland® Paris and Walt Disney Studios (where the new 'Toy Story' land has opened). We also were within easy reach of the excellent Asterix theme park (both just an hour away).
Allow two days at least for Disney and a day at Asterix park. Disney is an experience but the long queues for the rides were very draining and not all the rides have the 'Fast Pass' option, which allow a speedier entrance at a set time. Asterix park was enjoyed the most as the kids never had to queue for more than 40 minutes and the rides were superb. At the end of each day we were able to relax back in the 5008, set the cruise control and, more importantly, rest our tired feet.
Car Travel Essentials
In-Car: High-visibility vests for all occupants carried in the cabin (now a legal requirement for many European countries), basic first-aid kit, a warning triangle, spare bulbs (unlikely but a legal requirement in France for example), snacks and water for the possible motorway jam and a 12-volt powered cooler box.
Documentation: Driver's licence, insurance certificate, proof of ownership or permission to take the vehicle abroad if it does not belong to you, breakdown cover etc.
Gadgets: Sat Nav or Sat Nav App on your phone (pre-load your route before you leave and make waypoints 'Favourites' for ease of use), DVD player and screens plus loads of DVDs (vet them before you go so you don't have to endure the rubbish ones!), electronic games like the Nitendo DS etc. plus their chargers, iPods etc. The 5008 has three 12-volt sockets plus I brought an additional four-way socket plus additional 3.5 minijack leads to hook up gadgets to the car's audio system.
Money: Credit cards or coins will do for the tolls in the UK (M6 and Dartford crossing) and France.
I'm a huge fan of letting the car take us on holidays. It has worked well up to now and will do so for another couple of years as my kids range from 13 down. Our Keycamp holiday kept the kids entertained and the campsite was a nice, safe environment to let the kids loose in.
If you get the chance, take the car on holidays. You'll enjoy not having baggage restrictions, you have an adaptable itinerary and if your kids are old enough to wear headphones, you might even get to listen to your own tunes too!
Michael Sheridan
