 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Newbie here, firstly want to say what a great forum this is!
We are planning on travelling out to the Alp’s after Christmas, we usually drive. As we are a big group of 8/9 we will have to take two cars.
Has anyone had any experiencing of hiring a 8/9 seat MPV/van (e.g. VW caravelle / transporter) to drive down. Has it worked out cost effective? Any advice on where to hire (do hire companies inlcude roof boxes /snow chains) would be most appreciated!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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brooksie_tom, friend of mine has been looking at van hire to cart all her stuff from France back to the UK. She has found that while the hire charge initially seems to be cheaper at the UK end, as soon as they think you might go abroad they add a whopping big premium amounting to over half as much again as the hire charge.
Your cheapest solution might be for everyone to meet at Dover, go over on foot and hire a bus from Europcar at Calais.
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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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You can't expect to get 8/9 people plus luggage in an 8/9 seat vehicle - you need a 12-seater, using the back row of seats for the luggage. There are lots of hire companies providing this: just google minibus hire "your town" for ideas. UK hire companies are unlikely to do roof boxes/chains, although the are available for hire separately: google is your friend.
But don't expect it to work out cheaper that taking two cars. Also check out the drivers' licenses: it used to be the case that you could drive a 12-seater on an ordinary car license, but ISTR this was changed about 10 years ago so that if you passed your car test since then, you now need a specific test to drive a minibus.
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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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Even if your licence covers you to drive a minibus it will need a tacho, and you will need to use it, have it available for inspection, and comply with driving regulations to take a minibus abroad. You can drive a vehicle with up to 9 seats (including driver) without these hassles, but they won't be big enough to take 8 or nine people plus luggage. - stick to two cars, it's easier and cheaper 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RobinS, As well as a tachometer a minibus may be limited to 90km/h, it takes a lot longer to get anywhere at that speed.
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I hired a 9 seater VW van from Europcar in Geneva for a skiing Stag Do in Chamonix. It had a surprisingly large boot with enough space for everyones luggage and we got the skis in under the seats. I remember the lady at Europcar saying they had 2 versions, only one of which (possibly the 4X4 version?) has the large boot so make sure you check. It was significantly cheaper than hiring 2 golfs with roof racks which was our plan B. Although we only drove from Geneva it would have been fine for a long journey.
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Last year I hired a Ford Tourneo 9 seater for a trip to France for 8. Surprisingly, there was plenty of room and large boot as mentioned. The hire costs do vary, but all tend to be bloody pricey as soon as anywhere outside of the UK is mentioned.
That said, I did find a company in Ripley, Surrey that were a good 25% less expensive than the cheapest quote which tipped things very much in favour of taking the one vehicle. The Tourneo was also surprisingly economic regarding fuel, easy to drive and comfortable.
If Ripley is a convenient location for you, ping me a PM and I'll dig out the hire company details.
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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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Two cars would be much more flexible for a big group in-resort.
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