Hi, new subscriber, your doing exactly what I want to do, I love my skiing also so I’ll be watching how you get on with interest, is Nelson winterised?
Thanks ☺️ when we had the van converted we made sure he had plenty of insulation and an lpg heater as we were wanting an all year van and we have never been particularly cold. The heater takes 2 minutes to get the van warm. We have all season 3 peak tyres fitted and the van shades insulated blinds work really well. We don’t use the water tank if it’s forecast frost as it is underslung.
I drive along for work, furthest I have driven in a day is 1080 miles. Don't do it, hop on a plane, get there in 2hours and have a beer on the way. Remember, there is a need to drive back as well. Ouch! Good video though
🤣 just the slight problem of having no home for 3 weeks while we are here! Wow over 1000 miles in a day must have been exhausting! At least we have the luxury of time 🚐
we are in the NE and we do a lot of road trips to europe we used to use the Tunnel to Calais But now we go to North Shields and ferry down through the night to Amsterdam it misses out all of the crap roads of the SE and a good bed on the ferry a good breakfast and a fresh start I miss out France and use the German Motorways as much as possible with zero tolls good video enjoy
Its far more relaxing i have found I hate driveing on the A1 going south and it a pain dartford crossing and M25 and Tunnel or ferry give it a try @@earlyretirementwanderlust
To be honest we haven’t looked over the past couple of years as Richard prefers the ferry as he can have a wander round and a good break from driving. I think it is a little cheaper?
Loved the video guys. We’re having a couple of cooler days in Florida at the moment so catching up with Social Media. It’s been a long drive for you but absolutely worth it as the French Alps are just a stunning place to be. We loved our trip to Lake Annecy and Chamonix last year. Looking forward to your “A day in the life of Early Retirement Wanderlust” video with the kids. Keep safe. Irvine & Karen.
Mum is well miffed as she has been on Annamaria island for 2 weeks and it has rained most of the time with some torrential storms out in Florida! Hope it’s improved for you all today! It’s definitely worth the long drive in both summer and winter- we just love being in the mountains. I love Chamonix - we stopped at Annecy on the lake for a picnic, the town was heaving. Skiing has been fab so far x
Fabulous! If you travel a lot in Europe you get to know just how big France is fairly quickly!!!!! wouldn't it be nice to hand your keys to someone and just pickup your van in Chambery 🤣 Always on the lookout for alternative stops, Port L'Eveque though? Isn't that in Normandy?
There are times, particularly when driving home that I would love that, it always seems longer on the way back as we don’t want to go home 🤣🚐 the village was actually called Cour L ‘Eveque!! Definitely not in Normandy 🤣
I watched this episode of your excellent vlog with interest as we are about to embark (for the 13th time) on our regular trip from near Melton Mowbray to Oz 3300 in the alps, part of the Alpe d'Huez Grand Domain. We are in a car not the motorhome and it's just under 900 miles for us - we leave Thursday afternoon to take the cat to Worcestershire and will be at Oz by Saturday afternoon hopefully. Looking forward to the next installment of your trip. Ann (PS I think you stayed at Cour l'Eveque not Pont....?)
Hope the weather is better for your drive than we have had! I know there is a storm passing over northern France today (Wednesday) but the weather forecast for the weekend is fab in the alps and you will have plenty of fresh snow to play in ⛷️ is it strange that we do actually enjoy the drive? Especially now we are retired and we can take our time ☺️ you are correct about the village name - the locals we spoke to called it pont. We are aiming to call in on the way back as the cafe will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and christophe the owner was so lovely when we bumped into him walking his beautiful dog. Have you stayed there before? Have a great time in the Alps - another one of our happy places 🚐
I keep plugging this (I should get rewards from Ulys🙂) but even if you only use French motorways infrequently and even travel with a passenger, it is SO much easier to use a badge for the péages. Usually there are special offers of free months but otherwise it only costs 2€ a month when you are using it (no charge otherwise), plus the cost of the tolls which are then deducted the following month from your bank account by direct debit. You often don't need to stop at all, no problems with getting the distance from the booth correct (always a challenge especially with a caravan like we had) and if you are below 2m, I think, you can drive through at 30kph.
We have looked at the badges before but we quite like knowing what we have spent and the tolls are now generally quiet as we pass threw off season. I know, we are quite strange in our habits 🤣
Two tips: take the train not the ferry. Much quicker and more reliable. You can do Folkestone to Alps in a long day. And don't take cash - get a Monzo or Revolut account and you can convert your pounds to euro at a better rate than the post office will give you, and no fees. Can also use it to get cash from ATM if you really need it.
Cheers - we keep meaning to look into the cards - on our job list before we go away in the summer. The kids found it easy with their starling accounts which I think are similar. Rich prefers the ferry as he has a good break and the fresh air to break up the driving. We have done the euro tunnel once. Do monzo charge if you take cash out?
Yeah I did les arcs back to Surrey in a day with no co pilot and when I got back to Farnham I actually thought it was snowing but it was because I was so tired. Still waiting for French speeding tickets to come through but it was years ago so maybe I didn't get a flash
😬that’s a lot of driving in one go! We might take it abit slower especially as getting from Dover to Yorkshire seems harder to than driving all the way to the Alps 🤣
Another awesome report from ERWL👍 After your final day of admin and Bon voyage visits around the houses (and printer) you’re away! Your right about the price of the ferry, it’s significantly cheaper than the Chunnel theses days. A penny saved is as good as a penny earned and better off in your pocket. I enjoyed the backing music of your drive along the French toll roads, it definitely had a Jean Michel- Jarre vibe to it👍👍. Happy skiing!
Wow Jean Michel-jarre is a throw back in time 🤣 it was a very long day driving down to Dover and a gentle reminder to be a bit more organised- I think we are a little too chilled out in this travel world now! Thanks for watching x
We have stayed in plagne Montalbert a few times which we love. The senior ski pass is for over 75’s and as far as we can make out it is €10 for upto 12 days and €50 for the season!
Another excellent video Richard and Jackie. I thoroughly enjoyed joining you on the journey down - changing weather and scenery. Enjoy your week with your family and take care. Thank you for sharing 😀
Thanks, you are not the first person to say some of our videos have helped escape for a few minutes. We had not thought of it like that! Hope you get out and about soon 🚐x
Oh really enjoyed this video. It’s so good of you to share this journey and see the ups and downs of the journey. So looking forward to seeing the family video. Enjoy your holiday😀
It was quite the journey down! But I do love driving to the alps, as soon as we get to Lake Annecy I feel we are nearly there, the lake is stunning, the mountains majestic and the air feels clear.
Fantastic video guys and have a great time. More of a climber than skier to be honest but love the mountain resort vibe. Look forward to the next one. Thanks Dave n Jo
We really love the mountains, summer or winter. Never really tried outdoor climbing as I don’t trust myself with all the rope safety stuff. Love climbing walls though 🚐
What a lovely vlog guys thanks for taking the time to share this. In a couple of months I am retiring from the NHS after working for 36 years and your site is an inspiration. Thank you and safe travels ❤.
Thank you for watching, and happy retirement from the NHS. 36 years is a long time in what I would imagine is a very stressful job! Exciting times ahead for you x
Hi guys, just discovered your RU-vid channel and am going through your videos, which are brilliant! Quick question. On one of your first videos you talk about doing a future video where you go through your financial plan, or planning your finances for early retirement. I can't seem to locate this one, would you kindly point me in the right direction. Our position is we are planning to retire in a couple of years so are doing the planning and finances now, so great timing discovering all your great videos. Have fun skiing! Cheers
Hi Ian, many thanks for your kind comments- they are most appreciated! I am sure you will understand that we are reluctant to give out specific financial advice as (a) we are not financial advisors and (b) one size does not fit all when it comes to financial planning for retirement. We are no experts on this and have just muddled through as best we can, modelling out various scenarios as we go...trying to ensure that we don't get any nasty surprises in the future. We mapped out some general principles that we stuck to in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aW4dXO9iZME.html that you may find useful. Good luck with your planning...it is so exciting! R
@@earlyretirementwanderlust thank you for the feedback. Since retiring, has inflation and the cost of living crisis affected your annual spend and budgets at all?
Fantastic video thanks for sharing, enjoy the holiday. What equipment do you use for filming and producing the videos? As the image and production quality is excellent.
We mostly use our iPhone 11 Pros to film and Richard has a DGI action camera that some of the driving footage is from. We edit in iMovies. Thank you for lovely comment, you made Richards day as he does all the editing 😊
Happy New Year! Just one question please. I see the van is pretty packed in the boot. When you stop overnight on the way down, where do you put all that stuff please whilst you are sleeping? 😁 Have a fab time with your family
The van was rammed full of left over Christmas food and drink that we took for the week with the family. It did make for a good Jenga game on the 3 nights before we met up in the apartment. Most of it was stored in the footwells at the front and under the bed. Adding 2 sets of skis and boots for the last night that we had sourced in the valley pushed even us to the limits 🤣🤣🤣 all good now - the skis are in a locker and food and drinks all gone so life is easy again 🚐⛷️😊
Loving your video, while watching from Dubai, visiting our young grandchildren. 26 degrees here and that snow looks lovely!! Looking forward to more great videos from you both 😊
Lovely…well made video 👍 Myself and my wife are approaching retirement and this is something I’d really like to try…maybe not full time…but for say 6 months of the year…I look forward to more videos…stay safe you two 👍🇬🇧
Thank you 😊 we love the freedom of disappearing in the van for 5-6 weeks then having time at home as we also love time in our new house and exploring the dales
We had all season tyres that have the 3 peak symbol on. The road was actually pretty clear of snow, I think it looks worse in the video! But they did make us feel a little more confident 🚐
Hi Richard and Jackie 🤗🥰! Great Video! Thank you for sharing some insights and information about expectations and obstacles, that may occur! Your experience is like a cornucopia to all people out there, who are planning to go camping in a van and explore new places! Hope you’re having the best of times and skiing fun with your family in the French Alps 🤗! Enjoy yourselves, take care and, as always, safe journeys 😘!
Thanks, it was quite the journey on the way down! We have had a great time so far especially with the kids - it’s not often we all get together for such quality time. Back in the van again this week and it was -10 last night 😬🥶
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Gosh! That sounds awfully cold! Hope Nelson is well equipped and prepared for such weather conditions and, perhaps, even lower temperatures! Keep yourselves safe and warm during the rest of your time in the French Alps, take care! Looking forward to the upcoming videos 🤗🥰😘!
All good so far. We have a gas heater fitted and it’s well insulated. Toughest bit is having to go across to the toilet block and letting the cold air in 🤣🤣🚐
We just drove back from Athens to the UK and got the very loud and unsettling weather alert as we approached Calais (6th Jan for us). Agree that the roads were endless and other than some snow in Switzerland it rained most of the journey. So much for British weather being rubbish it was pretty bleak and grey from Ancona to England 😂. Enjoy the slopes.
Wow that is a long journey!! December and January just seem to have been a wash out wherever you go! We are loving being up in the alps just to escape the rain - although the campsite in the valley at bourg st Maurice is pretty wet. How many days did you take to do the long drive?
@@earlyretirementwanderlust It wasn’t much longer than your journey driving wise. Drove from Athens to Patra where we boarded the ferry to Italy ( 24 hours so booked a cabin) then stayed in three different hotels ( France and Italy), Eurotunnel and back to sunny Sheffield;). Set off from Athens on Wednesday late morning ( we’d been there a few months until Schengen days ran out) and back home Sunday. We averaged six hours driving a day. We love skiing and the alps but we’ve used up all our days in Europe this year. So jealous- enjoy.
@gailkoursari2599 sounds like you had an epic early winter though. We have thought about getting the ferry across one autumn when we can do longer trips (we still regularly visit both our mums as much as we can) what was the weather like that far south?
@@earlyretirementwanderlust October was lovely. 20 to 25 degrees- not too hot at all. November 18 - 20 degrees so still some warm days. December was cooler but lowest temperature was 10 degrees. Definitely damper than the UK. It was an amazing experience. Just retired early like you both so enjoying our free time and exploring the world:)
If you were to choose a van now that you are not working would you still choose the transporter? I'm torn daily between the practicalities of the transporter and the space of a crafter, MAN or similar LWB high top panel van for space and comfort over longer periods. More or less discounted coach built. Sold our house 05 May 23, everything in storage while we look for a new house which is easier said than done. Did you find your house before you sold? We're staying in an apartment in Ingleton this week.
We have absolutely loved the transporter and have had many happy long haul trips in both summer and winter over the past 6 years. But now we are retired and our beloved Nelson is getting on, we will look to upgrade to a high panel van when we get our pension in 2 years. Mainly for the winter travel as we want to do lots of alpine type trips and space would be great! And also we see that as another 10 year investment and having a toilet in the van would open up a wider range of aires to stay in and the use of the CMC small campsites that have no facilities. With regards to our house, it was literally the only house we viewed!! Fate or luck? We could see the potential and it needed renovating so we could make it what we wanted. We were homeless living in the van for 14 weeks while the solicitors dragged their heels. We found the house about 6 weeks after we had an offer but had always told the buyers we would move out to break the chain. Hope you enjoyed Ingleton, did you get the snow and ice? The waterfall walk is beautiful and a visit to the station inn at the Ribblehead is recommended 😊
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Very cold, black ice on roads and paths. I can see Inglebourgh from the flat and it’s still covered in snow. Did the waterfalls Monday. They were hammered over the weekend but we avoid most places on a weekend. Going to go and look at a grand California 680 4motion. Not so keen on the shape of the 600 but the additional sleeping space is extra storage I suppose. Like to buy before May when the weekly rentals get expensive so I don’t think we have time to buy a base van and have it converted. We just need a house for the psychological security that it brings. Visiting new places is far more interesting.
@bluemanchester4344 the Grand Californias look fab inside and yes extra storage is always handy! We are going to the motorhome show at the NEC to have a look as we want to swap vans in 2 years and if we got a new one would need to order it soon (pretty sure new will be out of our price range but we can see what is out there for looking at 2nd hand models) all very exciting 🚐
