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This is a guide to help you set up your own tour
Single person hired car set up costs for 3 weeks travel to France and Belgium (2008) Weather conditions can get foggy and overcast but in late April-May it was a pleasant 15-20?C Driving and navigating on the opposite side of the road was a challenge but the freedom to go anywhere was an awesome experience never to forget.
Checklist I used in 2008
- Valid Australian Driving Licence (RTA)
- International Driving Licence (NRMA)
- Valid Passport (Post Office)
- Credit Card. Debit Card (ANZ) $4000.00 (book accommodation online)
- Flight Centre Airfare return to Paris $2000.00 JAL stopover Tokyo Japan.
- Cover More Travel Insurance $182.00 helped with rental car insurance excess.
- Accommodation $2000.00 (19 Days) make sure breakfast is included.
- Hired Car $969.00 (19 Days) Europcar FIAT Diesel small, economical and fast.
- Cash in Euro $2000.00 divided between money belt and wallet
- Hired Car Bond €1122.91 Euro (swiped debit card for imprint only)
- Fuel $300.00 (3852 km) Diesel cheaper in Europe.
- Tolls $30.00 (3 Motorway gates) Normal highways are good and have no tolls.
- Food $800.00 (19 Days) Dinner Only
- Drinks $380.00 (19 Days) Bottled Water during the day and Beer at night.
Total Costs approximately $6,000.00
Conclusion
Two weeks would have been more than enough for the average person. Because I had more research details of my family members who fought in WW1 I needed more time to locate their coordinates on the battlefield. Next time I will visit the Normandy Beaches and Verdun Forts and Memorials.
What I took with me
- Baggage Backpack (23 kg) limit
- Hand Luggage International (10kg) limit
- Plug Adapter Europe, Carry Cases, Tripod, Lens Cloth, Operating Manuals.
- Camera Cannon SLR 400D 3 x 2GB card power pack 100-240v con. 2 Batteries.
- Camera Sony Cybercam 2 x 1GB stick power pack 100-240v con. 2 Batteries.
- JVC Camcorder 15 Hrs High Fine record power pack 100-240v con. 2 Batteries.
- Alarm Clock to help get up for dawn service
- Address Book with backup details of your Hotels and Insurance
- Tear off tabs with your contact details
- Road Maps
- Compass
- Sunglasses
- Australian Flag
- Vegemite 375g
- Mountain Boots
Useful Website Links
- To understand the Battlefields of France and Belgium and print off road maps
Australians at the Western Front 1914-1918 - To book Hotel accommodation and check prices, facilities, and availability.
Via Michelin - Exploring particular locations within the Somme Battlefields.
Somme-Battlefields - British Trench Map Atlas on DVD
Britishtrenchmaps.com
Memorials and Cemeteries
- The “Windmill” Memorial (Pozieres) Originally 2nd Division Memorial.
- Mouquet Farm Memorial
- 1st Australian Division Memorial (Pozieres) and Gibralter lookout.
- 2nd Australian Division Memorial (Mont St Quentin)
- 3rd Australian Division Memorial (Sailly-Le-Sec)
- 4th Australian Division Memorial (Bellenglise)
- 5th Australian Division Memorial (Polygon Wood)
- “Cobbers” Australian Memorial Park (Fromelles)
- V.C.Corner Cemetery (Fromelles)
- The “Slouch Hat” Memorial (Bullecourt) Church
- “Digger” Australian Memorial Park (Bullecourt)
- The Australian Corps Memorial Park (Le Hamel)
- The Australian National Memorial (Villers Bretonneux)
- Menin Gate Memorial (Ypres) 8pm Last Post ceremony
- Tyne Cot Cemetery (Passchendale)
- British Tank Corps Memorial (Pozieres)
- British Memorial to the Missing (Thiepval)
- Franco-British Memorial and Ulster Tower (Thiepval)
- Lochnagar Crater (La Boisselle) The Glory Hole
- Messines Ridge
- Hill 63 (Messines) Catacombs dugout
- Hill 62 (Santuary Wood) Observatory Hill
- Hill 60 (Zillebeke) and The Caterpillar
- Newfoundland Memorial (Beaumont Hamel)
- Canadian National Memorial (Vimmy)
- Canadian Memorial (St Julian)
- German war cemetery (Langemark)
- Armistice Carriage (Compiegne)
- Chateau of Versailles (Paris)
Museum Links
- In Flanders Fields (Ypres) Cloth Hall
- Santuray Wood Museum (Hill 62)
- Hooge Crater Museum (Menin road)
- Memorial Museum Passchendale (Zonnebeke)
- Fromelles Museum
- Bullecourt Museum
- The Somme 1916 Museum (Albert)
- Musee Franco-Australien (Villers Bretonneux)
- Historial de la Grande Guerre (Peronne)
Handy Tips when Driving
Motorway Tollgates are slightly different in France and Belgium. Sometimes you need to push the button and take a ticket the gate will rise up. Then insert that ticket at the next gate. Pay Cash or use your Debit Credit Card if there is no tollgate attendant. Tollgate attendants were normally in the middle.
When navigating by car to a particular destination make a quick list of all the villages you need to pass through and include highway numbers. I found that all roads in most small villages in France head straight for the church and then twist back out again. Look for the signposts for the next village and highway number and use a compass after to make sure your heading out in the right direction. You will get use to it after a while and make sure you slow down through the village because police are cracking down on the speed limits a lot.
If you are looking for fresh bread rolls (baguettes) to make lunch later on. Look for people coming out of shops early in the morning with them. Just ask nicely and they should be able to point out where to buy them.
Paris/Charles-de-Gaulle Airport is located to the north east of Paris. There are Terminals 1-2-3. Remember when you hire your car which one you came out of. Get your road maps out and face them the direction you are going. To get to the Battlefields of the Somme you are looking for Motorway A1 and remember to get your money or debit card ready for the Tollgates.
Driving on the opposite side of the road remember this saying when you stop at an intersection. “Look left and live”. This will put you in the right frame of mind and help you look in the right direction.
The French drive very fast and tailgate a lot up your backside before they pass you so keep to the slow lanes on the Motorways. Watch your mirrors on the country back roads and get ready to overtake tractors on a regular basis. Watch your fuel and fill up when ever you can in the morning.