November and thoughts go towards future travel

Dear Fellow Motorhomer,

November and thoughts go towards future travel. This is often a quiet time for travel with many people making plans for the forthcoming new year. Over the last month GB Motorhome Tours have been doing much the same, with two new tours for next year having just been released and plans well in hand for two more.

The two newly released tours are

Scotland Highlands and Royal Deeside – June 2022

A tour covering 20 nights of relaxed touring throughout the wonderful Highlands and Royal Deeside areas. Loch Lomond, Oban, Fort William, Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, Royal Dornoch, Inverness, Grantown-on-Spy, Balmoral Castle and Pitlochry all feature.

Northern Italy’s Treasures – September 2022

Starting on the northern lakes enjoy 21 nights of touring through northern Italy’s best locations. Lake Garda, Pisa, Rome, The Vatican, Florence, Sienna, Bologna, Venice city and lagoon are all included.

Both tours are now available on the GB Motorhome Tours website and available to book.

The further two 2022 tours being actively worked on are both in France. There is a 14 night Normandy tour during April and a 21 night Atlantic Coast tour in June. To express an interest in these and to receive the itineraries in advance of them being made generally available please send us a simple email requesting this.

As people make plans for touring in 2022 we are being asked a lot about the post Brexit rule for British citizens being in the EU for no more than 90 days out of 180. This rule can take some time to understand, 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 and Iceland. However, there are a few EU countries who are not in the Schengen visa scheme, namely; Ireland, Croatia, 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 any way around the rule, so that 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 will be necessary for British citizens to stick within the permitted time; 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.

Whilst November and winter tends to be a quieter time for motorhome travel, it can still be a good month to get away. As damper conditions are now coming about, to make your motorhome nice and dry for a forthcoming trip, run a de-humidifier in it for 24 hours before departure. This really does make a difference to how your van will feel for the start of your time away.

For a total escape of the winter, there remains one place on our Canary Islands 2022 tour. Starting in early January, take yourself and your motorhome away from the after Christmas cold for 70 nights of warmth and exploration. Full tour details available by clicking on the name above.

If there is anything you wish to ask about a tour 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