Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
November and with winter approaching it can be a quiet time for travel; however, at GB Motorhome Tours travel continues. With the Wonderful Christmastime and Scottish Hogmanay tours still to take place before the end of this year. Also, those on the Cyprus and More 2023 tour are still away as they make their return to the UK, crossing Europe having now left Cyprus. This tour is a real adventure, covering 6,000 miles UK to UK, passing through 10 countries whilst touring the Black Sea coast of Turkey and the whole of Cyprus.
Camping Aphrodite, Southern Cyprus 23/10/2023
Cyprus is a divided Island, separated in 1974 between North and South where it has only more recently become possible to cross between the two sides, particularly so with your own vehicle. With the organisation of GB Motorhome Tours, tour participants were able to take their motorhomes across the ‘Green Line’ freely and without many formalities, meaning both sides of this fascinating island could be explored, and all in great weather. Being the Mediterranean’s eastern most island it enjoys a summer climate extending into late autumn. Some reviews from this years tour
‘The Cyprus and More tour was truly an adventure and we enjoyed every day of it, seeing much more of both Turkey and Cyprus than we could possibly imagine. Kevin and Nurcan were excellent guides who went out of their way to make the tour an enjoyable experience, even organising an optional trip to Istanbul. We would recommend the tour to anyone who wants to truly learn about the sites, life and customs in both Turkey and Cyprus.’ Howard and Margot Smith
‘A mixture of cultures, history and adventures on this tour. Taking your motorhome to places you never imagined you would go. Very much a driving adventure with beaches, forests and mountains thrown in. It’s definitely a tour to tick off your bucket list.’ Kim and Allan McKelvie
‘What an incredible adventure, surpassed all expectations. Not for the faint hearted but Kevin and Nurcan led us on a trip of a lifetime; travelling to places not many motorhomes go. We loved it.’ Carolyn and Nick Griffiths
‘Our second adventure with Kevin and Nurcan that took us out of our motorhoming comfort zone. We would not have ventured into Turkey or Cyprus without the support & guidance of GB Motorhome Tours. Highly recommended.’ Mike and Sheila Brooks
‘Once again Kevin and Nurcan have gone out of their way to look after us. They gave 100% all the time and never seem to be off duty. This tour is not for everyone, but if you want to see the non-tourist side of Turkey and Cyprus it’s not to be missed. Many thanks.’ Howard and Yvonne Hogton
The Cyprus and More tour is being planned again for 2025, if you would like to express an interest in this tour, send us an email and this will be done for you. The tour itinerary will then be emailed to you in advance of it being made generally available, giving you first opportunity of requesting a tour place if you so wish at that time.
For next year there is a new tour that is yet to be made available, this is the French Atlantic Coast 2024 tour, which will take place throughout September. The tour will travel along the Atlantic Coast of France and includes a 2-night stay at the wonderful Puy du Fou, where we have just secured tickets for the magical Saturday night Cinescenie performance. The full tour itinerary will shortly be emailed to those with pre-registered interest, followed with being placed onto the GB Motorhome Tours website towards the end of this month.
November is a time when many people make plans for travel in the forthcoming year. It is worth remembering when travelling in the EU that post Brexit, British citizens can no longer be in the EU for more than 90 days out of 180. This rule can take some understanding, as it is assessed over an ongoing rolling 180 day period. In the simplest of definitions, it means British citizens can spend within the EU, up to any 90 days out of the previous 180 days. These days do not need to be consecutive and can be accumulated over any number of trips. For the purpose of the rule, reference to the EU refers to those countries who are members of the Schengen visa scheme, which are most EU member countries plus a few others of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. However, there are a few EU countries who are not currently in the Schengen visa scheme, namely; Ireland, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, so time in these countries does not count towards the 90 days. Also, time in non-EU countries like Turkey and Morocco is not included. Further details on the scheme can be found on the EU’s official website.
For calculating the 90 days you go back 180 days from the time you wish to check your entitlement for being in a Schengen country and add up all the days you have already spent within Schengen countries within that period. If this is less than 90 days you are fine to be there for that day. To assist with making the check there are a number of apps/calculators available on the internet. Our recommendation for accuracy is to use the one contained on the official EU website, this is found at Short-stay Visa Calculator (europa.eu). If you are looking to join a tour and would like us to also make a check for you, then feel free to contact us and we’ll happily assist with this.
We have been asked if there is a way around the rule, so more than 90 days out of 180 can be spent in the EU. The simple answer is not really. Maybe over time the situation will change, but for now it is best for British Citizens to stick within the permitted time, so as to not face a fine and possible restrictions for re-entering a Schengen country. For most people it will not be a problem as they will not get close to the permitted time, but do be aware and check yours if you are spending longer periods out of the UK.
If there is anything you wish to ask about our tours, or motorhome travel in general, feel free to contact us; we are always happy to assist.
Kindest regards,
Your GB Motorhome Tours Team
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com
Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
October and four tours have recently come to an end with one still away. The 2023 Croatian Highlights tour, the Rhine in Flames tour, the Swiss Magic tour and the Romantic Strasse tour have all been completed over the last month. The weather throughout all was very favourable, allowing for lots of outdoor time. One customer review from each tour follows, with further reviews on the GB Motorhome Tours reviews page.
‘This was our first GB Motorhome Tour and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip. Some lovely sites, meals and good facilities to make the tour a pleasure. Excellent tour leaders, Ron & Sue ensured our group was well looked after. Roll on our next.’ Penny & Trevor Pinder – Croatian Highlights – Aug/Sept 2023
‘Excellent tour with brilliant lively hosts, Jenny and Brian. Lots to do, shame it wasn’t longer!’ Selwyn and Joan Green – Rhine in Flames – Sept 2023
‘A very enjoyable and well organised tour led by Sue and Dave. The tour included many excellent trips that had been well researched and enabled us to explore the beautiful and fascinating country of Switzerland.’ Rosemary and Alister Watt – Swiss Magic – Sept 2023
‘Favourite place on the whole trip was Fussen, Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding area, well worth staying. Our fellow travellers were all friendly and fun. Hopefully we’ll all meet up again on another GB tour. Thank you.’ Bill and Gell Knight – Romantic Strasse – Sept 2023
The tour that remains away is the Cyprus and More tour, where the group arrived in Northern Cyprus last week. On route to reaching Cyprus, the tour has travelled across Europe; through Greece and along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, before crossing the central Anatolian plain. During this time, stops were made in the important Ottoman city of Amasya, in the heart of the Hittite empire of Hattusa and at the geographical wonderland of Cappadocia. With no campsites in or around Amasya, in conjunction with the local tourist ministry, the group were granted permission to park outside one of the museums in a very central spot, perfectly positioned for easy access to all the major sites of the city.
Amasya, Turkey – 03/10/2023 Cyprus and More 2023 tour
Being around 3,000 miles from the UK, the weather in Cyprus at this time of year is wonderful for touring, with daytime temperatures of high 20’s combined with plenty of sunshine for swimming, sightseeing and relaxing, whilst night time is a little below 20, ideal for sleeping in a motorhome.
Camping in the Karpas National Park, Northern Cyprus 14/10/2023
This week the Cyprus and More tour crossed the ‘Green Line’ which divides the island, as they moved from the Islands north to its south side. Crossing the ‘Green Line’ with vehicles has only been possible in more recent times, and for crossing with a foreign registered vehicle this has only become possible more recently. An interesting feature of travelling in Cyprus is that all the driving is on the left, this being a throwback from the British involvement with the island over a very long period.
For a closer to home tour in December this year, a cancellation place has just become available on the Wonderful Christmastime tour. This is an 8-night tour, taking in Paris and Epernay. In Paris a night at the Moulin Rouge is included and in Epernay an evening at the Champagne festival. For the full tour itinerary click on the link above; if you would like to join the tour, send us an email and we will reserve the one available place to the first received request.
A new tour for 2024 has just been released onto the GB Motorhome Tours website. This is Southern Norway in June next year. Be there for the long light nights and see a land of scenic and cultural wonders with so much to experience and enjoy. This tour will take you to the cities of Oslo and Bergen, to the pristine landscapes of Norway’s dramatic coastline and takes in many beautiful scenic drives en-route. Get ready to be captivated by all the wonderful views and Fjords that make Norway such an attractive destination. The full tour itinerary is available by clicking on the tour name above and bookings can be made on the GB Motorhome Tours website.
On many of our tours we are beginning to now see motorhomes fitted with Lithium batteries to power their habitational area. These batteries offer some real advantages over traditional lead acid batteries, in that they provide far superior capacity for the same physical size and at around half the weight. They also offer a longer life span compared to lead acid batteries and can charge much faster. With costs of Lithium batteries coming down, they are becoming an attractive option for more people. However, we are also seeing instances where Lithium batteries have simply been dropped into motorhomes in place of an original lead acid battery. In many cases this gives some problems, with the charging structure for Lithium being different to lead acid, and in the fact that they can draw much larger charging currents. When switching from lead acid to Lithium batteries, some changes to the charging and wiring arrangements is usually required, to make things work correctly. When taking advantage of the benefits Lithium batteries provide, it is worth seeking professional advice from a company that specialise in this relatively new technology of powering a motorhome. One company that can assist is Offgrid Power Solutions. They are based near Oxford and can provide you with advice, all the suitable products for switching to Lithium and offer a full fitting service if required.
Despite winter approaching, do keep enjoying your motorhoming. Feel free to contact us at any stage with anything you wish to ask. GB Motorhome Tours is open 12 months of the year, with tours operating all year round.
Kindest regards,
Your GB Motorhome Tours Team
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com
Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
September is a really good time to be touring. With the school holidays finished, campsites are less busy and excellent weather is still to be found in many regions of Europe. Our tours currently taking place in Croatia, Switzerland and Germany are all enjoying great weather.
Camping Mostar, Croatian Highlights 2023 tour
Camping Luzern, Swiss Magic 2023 tour
Camping Koblenz, Rhine in Flames 2023 tour
This week also see’s the start of the Romantic Strasse tour and the Cyprus and More tour. Being the Mediterranean’s eastern most island and located around 3,000 miles from the UK, travelling overland to Cyprus is a real adventure. Look out for reports from this tour in the next couple of newsletters.
For a far more relaxed tour and a lot closer to home holiday next year, our September 2024 French Atlantic Coast tour is currently being finalised. If you would like to pre-register your interest in this tour, send us an email and this will be done for you. People with pre-registered interest receive the tour itinerary in advance of it being made generally available, giving them first opportunity of requesting a place if desired.
Bookings for our tours are often made 12 months in advance. In addition to securing a place by booking early, a benefit of having a tour booked is the excitement that comes from the planning of a holiday. This gives a positive energy and realisation of what starts as just an idea is becoming a travel reality. For all bookings, GB Motorhome Tours guarantees that the price you pay for your holiday will be the cheapest that the tour is ever offered at. You can book early in full confidence of knowing the tour will never be available cheaper than the price you pay. Whilst many 2024 tours are now fully booked, there currently remains some availability for the following tours. To see the full tour itineraries, click on the tours name. Bookings for these tours can be made on the GB Motorhome Tours website.
- Dec 2023/Jan 2024 – Scottish Hogmanay 10 nights – Welcome in the New Year Scottish style. We start with a traditional Hogmanay Gala New Years Eve dinner and follow this with stays in Edinburgh, Loch Lomond and Sterling. Being winter the tour has a lot of indoor content and group meals included.
- June/July 2024 – Rhine in Flames 12 nights – Take a picturesque late spring getaway along the River’s Mosel and Rhine. The highlight of this tour will be an evening cruise with supper to see the magnificent Rhine in Flames spectacular firework display.
- Sept 2024 – Northern Italy’s Treasures 23 nights – Stays in Lake Garda, Pisa, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice are all included in this tour of Italy’s north. Many excursions and group meals are included to give you the most from your time in this wonderful country.
- Sept 2024 – Southern Bavaria 16 nights – Enjoy a relaxed tour of beautiful Bavaria. Travel through magnificent countryside being captivated by Castles and country Palaces, including ‘Schloss Neuschwanstein’ with its fairy-tale turrets and a visit to Berchtesgadener for the ‘Eagles Nest’.
As well as the above tours, there is also a new summer tour of Southern Norway currently being finalised.
For all touring abroad, it’s good practice to carry sufficient prescription medication with you to cover the duration of your trip. Getting these in advance of your tour does not generally give a problem; advise your GP of your needs and they should provide the required prescription in advance of your departure. What we are hearing however, is that for some medications there is a shortfall in supplies, resulting in delays to some prescription medicines being supplied. Do keep this in mind for your forthcoming trips and ensure you obtain the required amount in good time of your departure.
If there is anything you would like to ask about a tour or motorhoming in general, feel free to contact us as we are always happy to answer any questions. We look forward to travelling with you to many great places soon.
Kindest regards,
Your GB Motorhome Tours Team
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com
Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
August and the GB Motorhome Tours travel season starts again very soon. Next week sees the departure from the UK of the Croatian Highlights tour, followed at the end of the month by those travelling to Germany for the Rhine in Flames Spectacular tour. Then in September, the Swiss Magic, Romantic Strasse and Cyprus & More tours all start. GB Motorhome Tours will have groups travelling throughout the autumn in countries spanning much of Europe and into Asia. As the Cyprus & More tour crosses the Bosphorus in Turkey, they will be leaving Europe and entering into Asia, making their way towards Cyprus. Located in the far east of the Mediterranean, travelling to Cyprus by motorhome is a real adventure.
GB Motorhome Tours in Cyprus – Oct 2022
Before touring restarts, summer in the UK is the main time when the large outdoor motorhome shows take place. A couple of weeks ago, GB Motorhome Tours were at the Norfolk show in Norwich, where it was great to meet many new people interested in motorhome travel and the opportunities that joining an organised tour offer. Next weekend we are at the Western motorhome show in Malvern, where some of our Tour Directors will be on hand at the GB Motorhome Tours stand to chat and answer questions. Do visit us, stand 121 at
We are often asked by those considering joining a tour, ‘what are the major benefits of a GB Motorhome Tours holiday’ ? This is probably best answered by summarising customer comments on what they like about our tours.
• We travel knowing your Tour Directors are on hand to offer any assistance required
• Our motorhome pitch is awaiting us upon arriving at the campsite, usually with little check-in procedure as you have looked after this in advance of our arrival
• We make one booking with you and everything else on the tour is looked after for us
• Your tours are much more than just taking us to a campsite and leaving us there. Included in every tour are organised excursions with local transport, tour guides and entrance fee’s all included – no need to move our motorhome off site
• Each tour includes a number of quality group meals, a chance to enjoy local cuisine and wines in like-minded company
• A comprehensive printed tour pack is sent around one month prior to departure, containing all the information for the tour – campsite details including GPS co-ordinates, route planning, excursion programme, group meals and general information for continental touring, making planning for our holiday easy
• You include Michelin maps covering the area of the tour within the tour pack, and for most tours, also the DK Eyewitness guide book for the country being visited
When travelling in Europe, particularly the central European countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, it can be useful to have with you a ‘parking clock’. These are simple devices that you display your arrival time on and they meet the requirement for parking in free carparks that have a time limit for staying. Upon parking, set your arrival time and return within the allotted time permitted to enjoy free parking. ‘Parking clocks’ can be bought cheaply from eBay/Amazon.
If there is anything you would like to ask about a tour or motorhoming in general, feel free to contact us, we are always happy to answer any questions. We look forward to travelling with you to many great places soon.
Kindest regards,
Your GB Motorhome Tours Team
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com
Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
July and summer is here, this means our spring tours are all completed and touring takes a break for a short period to allow for the school holidays to pass. Tours in Sardinia, Turkey and Scotland have all recently finished; one review from each tour follows, with more available on the GBMT website at www.gbmotorhometours.com/reviews.
‘This was our first tour travelling with GBMT. We had a wonderful time exploring Sardinia with a great group of people. Ron & Sue were excellent group leaders and worked tirelessly to ensure a great time was had by all. We would highly recommend and we look forward to booking on another tour in the future.’ Debra & Nick Grace – Sardinia – June 2023
‘We would highly recommend this tour – it gave us a feel for the real Turkey and we were impressed by the friendliness of the Turkish people. The organised trips and meals out provided lots of variety and exceeded our expectations. Kevin and Nurcan were brilliant tour leaders, always available to give advice, information and practical help when needed. They were also excellent company, as were the rest of our travel companions. Chris and Ron Stableford – Western Turkey – May/June 2023
‘Michael and Sarita worked very hard to give us things to see on each journey. They were great tour guides and made sure we were all enjoying ourselves. I recommend this tour for the short drives and super campsites accompanied with well chosen dinners.’ Rita and Rod Scott – Scottish Highlands and Royal Deeside – June 2023
Each year GB Motorhome Tours take many motorhomes to a variety of far and wonderful places; in the north as far as Iceland, in the south to the Canary Islands, in the west to Portugal and to the east Turkey and Cyprus, as well as everywhere in-between. However, sometimes people just like to remain closer to home, where also wonderful places can be found. This year, tours in Ireland and Scotland have also taken place.
Camping in Doolin, Western Ireland – June 2023
Camping in Ballater, Royal Deeside, Scotland – June 2023
Another closer to home tour recently arranged for later this year, is the all-new Scottish Hogmanay trip. This is a 10 night tour of Central Scotland with a gala New Years Eve Hogmanay dinner in a 16th century coaching inn. The tour has stays in Edinburgh, Loch Lomond and Sterling. With it being winter, the tour includes a lot of indoor content and group meals. One visit being to the Burrell Collection which just a few days ago won the prestigious 2023 Art Fund Museum of the Year award. The full Scottish Hogmanay tour itinerary is available by clicking on the tour name and tour bookings can now be made on the GB Motorhome Tours website.
Many of those joining this years Ireland and Scotland tours have travelled with GBMT to lots of the far and wonderful places over many years of touring with us. Now just want something with less driving, whilst retaining all the benefits of having everything organised, along with travelling in the company of like minded people, a closer to home tour fits the “bill”. If you are also interested in a closer to home tour for next year, send us an email and this will be registered for you. This means you will be sent the itinerary for such tours in advance of them being made generally available, giving you first opportunity of requesting a tour place if you so wish at that time.
Also for next year, over the next few weeks the Autumn 2024 tour itineraries will be released for tours to Italy, Bavaria and Romania & Bulgaria. If you would like to pre-register your interest in any of these 3 tours, send us an email and this will be done for you.
Before touring restarts this year, GB Motorhome Tours have stands at two of the large outdoor motorhome shows taking place throughout the summer. Here a number of our Tour Director’s will be on hand to chat and answer any travel questions you may have. If you are at either of these shows, do come along and see us.
When travelling throughout the summer months and taking a ferry crossing, it can be useful to have a couple of ice packs in your freezer and upon boarding the ferry place these into your fridge. With the fridge remaining closed throughout the voyage, it’s an effective way to keep the contents in good shape whilst your fridge is off. This is also beneficial to do when undertaking longer ferry crossings at any time of year, where your motorhome fridge will be without power for some time.
Enjoy your summer touring and we look forward to travelling with you again soon. Feel free to contact us if there is anything you wish to ask about a tour.
Kindest regards,
Your GB Motorhome Tours Team
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com
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