Any thoughts on driving holidays?

PamelaJ1

Katie that doesn’t sound very enjoyable!
When we set off from Sacramento to Salt Lake City we were interested to see the scenery but after hours and hours of the same thing......boring. That’s the trouble with the US it’s so big.
France won’t be like that.

If we had booked in advance it would have been OK, it was before smart phones and instant information, you had to phone landline to book. Mt Whitney was nice we even had an earthquake (small one) then over the Rockies to Yosemite.
US has its challenges, France is a doddle.

Although I wouldn't call them "driving holidays " we have driven a lot in France. You don't say how well you know it already. Because it is less densely populated, the roads are somewhat clearer. I too take some simple crochet, good music and audio books.
I'm sorry to say that I stock up on wine and food, we have a bigger car as we tow a trailer tent. However, the small boot may not be a problem as the amount of wine you can bring back is more limited now!
Do go to small towns on market day, and look for the lovely 'prix fixe' menus.
I definitely agree with reading Lonely Planet / Rough Guide beforehand and getting a really good idea of places to go.
My main concern would be to make the car comfortable for you, get the right cushion or whatever you need. I always have a neck cushion and a pashmina. I would also aim to stay 2-3 nights most places, to get to see the area properly.
Having said all of that, you should not do anything you are uncomfortable with - but I got the impression you are asking for experience to help you decide.

Go for it. Just make sure that you arrive at your destinations in plenty of time so that you can see the town and surroundings.
It's important to stretch your legs every day. I speak from experience. France is lovely and driving in France is a great pleasure, empty roads and great hotels.

Polarbear my DH wants to do exactly the same when all this is over, or should I say when we are allowed/is sensible to. I feel exactly like you. I’ve done that trip before and it was great fun, but I was 50 years younger! I would say essential that you can both drive, for all sorts of reasons.

BlueSky

Polarbear my DH wants to do exactly the same when all this is over, or should I say when we are allowed/is sensible to. I feel exactly like you. I’ve done that trip before and it was great fun, but I was 50 years younger! I would say essential that you can both drive, for all sorts of reasons.

He has just today suggested I have a go at driving the car. We have my car which is a practical workhorse but it would help if we could both use both cars. Am a bit surprised. But I’m happy with the thought. Who knows, as someone above said I might end up enjoying it more than him ??. Good suggestions btw. Thanks all. Particularly enjoyed the quick drying underwear ?. I should start assessing my wardrobe for very packable stuff although to be fair he will struggle more than me re clothes. Men’s clothes are much bulkier I find. Not my problem tho !!

I expect that 75% of the drive would be on very dull motorway type roads before swooshing about on the Grandes Corniches. I think your DH must have seen too many films about glamorous South of France. No parking problems for Audrey Hepburn or Cary Grant!
DH has a fierce beast of a car that I can (just about) insert myself into but its purgatory in the driving rain and wind. He's not happy parking it and it doesn't idle happily in streams of traffic queues. I'm sure he'd love to drive it sur le continent but even he sees it as a slog.
Why not fly South and hire a little buzzabout once you're there?

You can drive down to the south of France in a day but don't do that Spend a week or two driving down so you never have to drive for more than a couple of hours a day. You can stay in posh hotels but I find it much nicer to use airbnb and try and stay with families. They know the area and can be really interesting to talk to. You can then book as you go along. If you like a place stay a few nights if not move on.

SueDonim

You think, Callistemon? I can get the back of a jumper knitted whilst driving through the roadworks on the M6.

When the motorway was closed and we were stuck in the resulting jam I knit three jumpers.

My partner and I drove to the South of France for my 70th birthday to a villa my daughter had hired for a double birthday celebration with MIL. They all flew down, but as i won't fly, we drove. My partner also shared some driving but I drove most of the way. We stopped once on the way down and twice on the way back at hotels/B&Bs in France. It was lovely and at times we used toll roads but at other times used smaller roads. We drove from Derbyshire so we had an overnight in Ashford before using Eurotunnel shuttle. It was a great holiday I suggest you go for it.

Polarbear2, friends of ours had that plan too, in a nice sport car... somebody forgot that they don’t travel light?. It never materialised!!

Neither my DH or I are confident driving abroad. When my sister and her DH invited us to join them on a trip through France, which they did regularly because their DD lives there, we jumped at the chance.

We saw so much of the country, stopped at their favourite spots. It was probably our best holiday, because they knew the country and where we were heading. My geography at school would have been greatly improved with such a trip in those days.

Going without someone who knew the area might not be quite so good, but who knows!!

You wouldn't be staring out of the window of a convertible driving in France unless it was raining. There's is a statistic somewhere showing Brits have the highest proportion of convertible cars per head of population in Europe. Tells us something about us - ever the optimist. Driving about for no purpose would be so so boring. Given the country will go mad holidaying once restrictions are removed would think a bit of planning and booking ahead would be needed.

Sounds great fun! Give it a go & you might really enjoy it.

At least try it and then if you find it’s not your thing, you don’t have to do it again.

We’ve driven all over France and Spain both in car and camper van (from N Yorkshire). Had some great holidays, albeit with the odd panic when accommodation was scarce. We always go from Hull to Zeebrugge, much easier driving through Belgium and N France than hacking down the M1 and round London to Dover and you get a good night’s sleep and a fresh start in the morning. How about sussing out places YOU want to see en route and suggesting 2-3 nights stays to explore an area. I love planning holidays!

We usually drive around Scotland, there is always something to see, the scenery s well as the wildlife. We rent a cottage in the Galloway Forest usually twice a year and tour around the borders as well as the west coast, which is stunning, we also rent a caravan in the north east of Scotland to visit the north coast which is spectacular. Wouldn't dream of going abroad, there is so much to see in this country, plus you can drink the water and usually understand the locals.

Storey49 - you can drink the water in France!

Do you ever watch that program where they feature spectacular hotels? They showed Torridon www.thetorridon.com/ on this weeks/last weeks? and I thought wouldn't it be marvellous to do a road trip with a mixture of air bnbs so you could wash your clothes intertwined with a luxury stay here and there. I got quite lost in my thoughts about it all. I think sometimes it is just confidence. I am so out of practise at 'doing things' that I can talk myself our of or worry too much about doing something different. So I would just do a few small runs first to get used to it? and then a bigger trip in future? It will be good fun

l love my convertible - best of both worlds - and to me, this sounds really exciting!
As you have plenty of time to plan, you could spend time together over a glass or two of wine (French?), working out an itinerary and route and booking hotels and visits to places of interest rather than driving aimlessly. That way you both have an input and will have something to do now and something to really look forward to when you go (I'm thinking nice Boutique hotels or Spa hotels, a few vinyards (where of course, you will be the wine taster!) ... hope this helps!

In my head I am staying in a luxury room by the way but in reality I am the basic room at that price it looked fantastic though

I would limit it, if I were you. Insist he comes on a holiday of YOUR choice as a condition of you going on his jaunt. Can he not put you on the insurance and share the driving? I would be bored rigid and be uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat of an open-topped car for hours/days. Last time I did that was when I was 1969. I was 18 and boyfriend drove me in his MG back from his parents' holiday cottage in Devon back to Newcastle. I was looking forward to it. However, the weather was red hot, so the roof was down all the way and it took 2 full days. I ended up deaf from the wind noise, whipped to ribbons from my own hair (a headscarf would have been so uncool!) and badly sunburned. Never again!

Surely a compromise would be a trip in this country and trip doing what your OH wants to do. Let's face it, it is only a couple of weeks out of your life to give him the trip of a lifetime he wants. Take part in the planning, look up where you would like to stop too and maybe you won't spend hours being bored.
My husband, for some unfathomable reason, loves staying at DisneyWorld. I've done it 3 times with the kids and it doesn't float my boat at all but we've compromised. We go somewhere else for a week (last time we did Memphis) and do all the cultural stuff I want to do. He doesn't hassle me out of museums no matter how long I take and after we have exhausted everything including ourselves, we head to Disney to relax.
DH is also a beach person, I'm not. When we visit countries with a beach, we do one day lazing and the next visiting where I want to go. It works really well.

You certainly will not be bored, as there will be plenty of beautiful things to see, as long as you don't use the motorways but take the routes nationales.

Don't drive too far each day, and brush up your French before you go!

Oh you lucky, lucky thing!!! when I was married to ex we went to the Cannes Film Festival every year (working, not celeb gazing). we would then take a week to drive North throughout most of France, taking the byways and staying in chateau hotels which were reasonably priced then. It was wonderful, I loved every minute of it. we did this for about 12 years.

Now I live in SW France and we hardly every leave the valley! I still have to pinch myself that we actually live here (and have done for 16 years), the scenery is wonderful, far far less crowded than the UK and the roads are good, even the motorways are usually uncrowded, except the dreaded Autoroute du soleil down the East of the Massif Central, so avoid that, but there are many, many fabulous routes away from this.

We did recently go with friends for a few days in Brittany when lockdown allowed. still a wonderful trip.

Just go Granny go! take maps (nag nav takes the fun out of it), music, knitting, story CDs etc. Have a load of fun.

Ive done the South of France many times. Once as a driving holiday doing exactly what your OH wants to do. It was hell. Lugging suitcases in and out of hotels, never unpacking properly. Never getting to see any one place properly, and the cost of the tolls on motorwarys. Done the journey with a caravan lots of times but in those instances it was just a means of getting there.
Have also done a touring holiday if Devon, Cornwall and south coast. Hated that too, I like to stay in one place and get to know it and surrounding areas, not haring off to the next destination as soon as breakfast is over.
Now divorced so do as I like ?

I think it sounds wonderful, as long as he is good at driving on the "eewrong" side of the road and doesn't drive for more than two and a half hours straight.You could make that a condition.