 Poster: A snowHead
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Can you give me pros and cons on driving to Avoriaz and is it cost effective there are 8 people that will be charged full price on the plane as there are no child prices now so 2 cars will be going
cheers
jase
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Never driven to the Alps, can't imagine it being too much fun with small children...the drive from Geneva airport to Avoriaz is easy, about 1 and half hours, can you get cheapie flights and car hire...? Although Avoriaz is a car free zone they do have horse and cart taxi service from the car park to your apt/hotel. By the time you factor in an overnight stay, fuel, tolls and mileage on the cars you might not be any better off...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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jase2472, Using the Forum Search put in Driving to Alps Children click Search all terms and then search, ther are many threads with wise words from snowHeads with many years experience of driving to their ski holidays 
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jase2472, I don't agree with sprinkles, that it can't be done with small children, do an overnight drive so they will sleep most of the journey, provided you have willing drivers, or set off on Friday evening, drive to the Channel, cross and stay in Northern France. We did it with a 6 and 7 year old, and they were fine.They needed amusing though, but it wasn't too taxing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Plenty of ideas for overnight stops on the sticky thread at the top of this forum.
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jase2472, you're probably in the region of break-even, at least, if you are looking at more expensive flight times. I used to think that four full price paying passengers, mid price range for flights, would be about the same as flying. The cost of transfer from the airport is easy to forget - it's not cheap and you'd need to add that to the flight prices (and transport to the airport in the UK, including car parking if appropriate).
Driving is no big deal if the weather's good. It's mostly on motorways but Lancashire's a long way from where the journey starts to get interesting! You'd definitely need an overnight stop. If you're happy driving long hours (easier if there are two drivers in each car) and the kids won't murder each other in the back, it's worth considering. There are loads of threads on driving to the Alps.
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to cost out if you work on the following per car;
> £150 crossings
> £200 tolls
> £200 fuel
Easily doable....I caught the 08:00 Seafrance yesterday and was here in time for dinner last night (total travel time from arrival in France was 8 hours in a Land Rover which doesn't do more than 90 even on the steepest down hills and a following wind!!)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Helen Beaumont, thanks for that
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| marcellus wrote: |
to cost out if you work on the following per car;
> £150 crossings
> £200 tolls
> £200 fuel
Easily doable....I caught the 08:00 Seafrance yesterday and was here in time for dinner last night (total travel time from arrival in France was 8 hours in a Land Rover which doesn't do more than 90 even on the steepest down hills and a following wind!!) |
Yep, and possibly cheaper for example off peak Eurotunnel as low as £39.00 or FREE with Tesco Vouchers (so I'm told)
Tolls last time I checked were slightly less than £200
and fuel, well entirely depends on your car
So with 4/5 passengers for £550 it is very hard to fly/drive (even off peak) for less
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The total cost of traveling by car, including wear and tear and depreciation, is more like 50p a mile.
Lincoln to Avoriaz will be about 1400 miles.
That's 700 nuggets for the vehicle and 300 minimum for the tolls and crossing.
The headline cost will be about £500 - 600 per car.
But the full and final cost will be closer to £1k.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Whitegold,
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But the full and final cost will be closer to £1k.
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No way! £400 per car to PdS and that's allowing for fuel increases. So unless you are going via Spain or something.......
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Total cost, dude.
Read the finer details.
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You know it makes sense.
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Whitegold, Apologies, dude
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Whitegold, Wow! my 7 trips a year must be costing me around £7000
Strange how I reckon on £500 a trip max, admittedly the depreciation and wear and tear on the car is someone else's problem and Eurotunnel do me a good deal.
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Poster: A snowHead
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the wear and tear is not insignificant, not least because it substantially advances the time you need an expensive service - and obviously cuts the value of your car. But if it's not your car, perfect!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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marcellus, you can get 90 out of your Land Rover? Good work fella!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just had time to check and the tolls are €68.90 so that's €137.80 there and back or around £107 at today's exchange rate.
To be precise
A26 Calais to Reims 267.2K € 18.90
A26 Reims to Villefranche limas 381.0k €26.90
A4 Reims to APRR 105.7k €8.60
A43 St Quentin F. Barriere to Chambery Nord 67k €9.80
A43 Chignin Barriere to Ste Helene Barriere 36.0K €4.70
Total as at August 2008 €68.90
If you are paying £200 for tolls it must be a very round the houses route 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I used Speedferries when traveling to France - just had a quick look and it you should expect to pay around £50 return for a car or 4.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Boredsurfing, when I get a chance to log in to my SANEF account I will check out mine from our last trip.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boredsurfing, €68,30 according to mappy, lost my password again.
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Helen Beaumont, The slight difference is because the tolls went up slightly in price somewhere between June and August according to my Sanef reports/invoice.
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Driving to Alps with small children can be as easy or as difficult as you like
Pros - can take all their stuff, can stop as and when required
Cons - "Are we there yet" for 11 hours
We have twin boys (8 in Jan) and a girl who's 6 - have been driving there for last 6 years (yes she was 2 months old first trip) and love the journey
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Main difference we found was being in control of the journey rather than managed by timetables, transfers and autocratic (airport) security staff. It does take a little longer*, but the journey is still part of the holiday. Break it up and see a bit of the towns/villages on the way. Having a car in resort is also handy if you have little ones.
We flew Xmas 2006 and decided never to do it again, it can be boring (mostly for the adults), but get a dvd player/nintendo ds/some good audiobooks on cd or ipod and get going.
There is depreciation for the car, but this should be put into perspective, we drive London->Wales several times per year to see family which is 800 km round trip and we do that without thinking, one long haul isnt that bad (particularly if you have a diesel which is cheaper on the continent) but make sure you are serviced and kitted out before you go.
*Although tbh our door to door time for Les Carroz in Xmas 2006 (flying) vs Easter 2007 (driving) was only a 5 hour difference.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
yep mine have been driven to the Alps since birth, both have September birthdates to facilitate the ski season
Only problem now is Dad keeping up on the slopes
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Boredsurfing, Mine were possibly conceived in the mountains to facilitate the ski season...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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we have decided to drive to Avoriaz, not bothered about the depreciation,wear and tear of the car because if people did that they would never do anything.
Me and my mate(who is driving his family with me) have come up with this idea, has anyone got any thoughts.
Set off from the peoples republic of Lancashire on the friday night, drive down to the ferry through the night, catch the first ferry on the sat morning, drive a few hours into France,have a steady relaxing day in France in a nice hotel, then on the Sunday the final few hours to Avoriaz.
All seems fine on paper but with 2 kids, hopefully it will be fine thats why we are not breaking any records getting there. 
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jase2472, sounds about right. When we first drove our kids were 7 and 8 I think. We drove to Dover on the first day,wtayed overnight and caught an early ferry, then drove to Dijon on the second day, before completing the journey on the Saturday to La Plagne. The only thing I would have done differntly was the staying in Dover bit, we should have crossed the channel and stayed in Calais or similar.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Set off from the peoples republic of Lancashire on the friday night
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Don't bother going too early - M6 thru Cheshire/Staffs is usually a carpark 5-7pm. Pointless hurrying to get on the road post-work. Unbelievably, it seems even worse northbound. Remember this for the return journey 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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jase2472,  Which bit?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| jase2472, Which bit? |
peage
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| jase2472 wrote: |
| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| jase2472, Which bit? |
peage |
Twice now I have had credit cards stopped, seemingly the charges going back to the issuer from the peage Toll booths flag up an attemped fraud so the computer says no. I now call the card issuer and let them know the dates I'm in France and then I have no probs.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 14-10-08 12:33; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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jase2472, Have you condidered the overnight Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam or Zeebrugge ? That's the way I have driven to the Alps with my son for the last few years. Hull is easy to get to from Lancashire as that's where we start from. The overnight ferry is very relaxing and you get a good evening meal and breakfast and reasonably comfortable cabins. You arrive the other side around 08:00 local time refreshed and have all day to get to resort. You might find this too long with young children, so an overnight stop might suit.
I wouldn't do it any other way after my last 3 trips. I prefer the Rotterdam Ferry as it's bigger with more facilities, but have done the Zeebrugge one and it was good as well. There isn't much difference between then for mileage to Switzerland, where we have driven to, but worth checking as Zeebrugge might be a shorter drive to Avoriaz.
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jase2472, it's a good idea to arrive on Sunday - less traffic than Sat. But you'll miss a day's skiing unless you can leave on Sunday as well - which probably wouldn't get you back to Lancs until Monday, I suppose. Can you get your accomm Sun/Sun?
I can't remember when you're going. If it's a busy weekend you might need to book overnight accommodation in advance.
My son uses DVD-incentives for his 5 year old in the car. She chooses which favourite DVDs she wants "for the journey" then isn't allowed to watch them for the previous 2 weeks or so.
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I've driven to the PDS every year for the past 7 years. We get the 9 oclock boat out of Dover and we usually arrive in resort about 10am the next day. This is with several stops for fuel and refreshmants. Driving through the night means the kids sleep nearly all the way and the roads are empty.
I also went to the PDS last month. 7 in the car, roof box and its a 4wd petrol so was very lucky if I got more than 18mpg. Total cost on my credit card for the week was £933 and that includes booking ferry, all fuel costs (UK and france) all toll costs, all self catering shopping costs for the week and all seven of us eating out on 3 seperate occasions. I never looked closely at the receipts but I expect the travel cost were about £450, try flying 7 people for that!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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we can certainly recommend joining the motorway telepass and getting a small box in the car to save queues on the french motorways. You can stop at an office (when you find one!) to buy/sign-up. I think its more like £100 for 2 way to Avoriaz.
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I did it twice last year. Both times I started out at about 6pm, took a midnight ferry, drove until about 4am, slept for 2 hours and then hit the road again. Arrived at Morzine are for midday.
I finished skiing at 4pm on the Saturday, started driving at 5pm, reached Calais at 01:30am, but had to wait for a 8am ferry. Back home by lunchtime.
It was easy though - just me on my own and I don't find driving to be an ordeal.
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FAQ
and take chains (again winter tyres aint worth it for 1 trip) . DVD's sweeties and Norbert spotting will see the kids through 