Landshandy

Landshandy

Active Member
Hello,

I'm booking a holiday for my mum, bro and sister to go to Italy. There are certain pro's and cons of driving vs flying and consequently I wanted some advice.

Flying door to door will take 6.5hrs and cost £2444 (inc flight, hotel, car hire etc)
Driving will cost £1872 (inc fuel, channel tunnel, stop over hotel in Reims, hotel in Stresa)

I am missing off motorway tax as was unsure on routes, my current one takes me through France and Switzerland - based of the google maps route.

I intend to leave on Friday and stop in Reims over night and do the reverse on the way back a week on Friday.

My car is a Discovery 2 TD5 with seven seats. I also have a roof rack so I was thinking for added comfort to lower the middle seats and the two occupants can sit in the rear (not sure if this would be actually better) and the luggage go on the roof rack. The car has been geared up for a expedition so it has roof rack, spot lights, nudge bar, rock sliders, two inch lift, rear ladder. All the extra weight has been taken into account on fuel so I've knocked that down to 20mpg (maybe this is off) however fuel prices are better in france :)

I'm wondering if anyone has done this trip and if so if £600 is worth hassle over? Whilst flights are easy they are with easyjet whom I hate as I am tall and even just 2hrs kills me. Also not having to rush for flights on the day of departure would be great and also my brother can drive!

Any advice would be great and I'll also be getting European breakdown cover (I know my landy to well)

Also with that extra weight and precious cargo what would be a good motorway speed? I'm thinking the old days of driving at 90 are gone :(
 
Driven down to the South of France several times although we didn't have the Discovery then and a Jag isn't a similar comparison. However, given the choice I would drive as long as you are happy with the mechanical health of your vehicle. I love the driving position in the Discovery and it would be a great trip and do find it relaxing and comfortable on a long journey. Also you'd have your own car to use at the other end and save the cost of a hire car of dubious quality.
Having tried our rear seats just for a laugh of it I would use the middle set otherwise your passengers will be cursing you after a few minutes unless they are 4' high.
Cruise at what you feel comfortable at.
 
If my Defender was only getting 20 mpg I would get it checked out. I don't know what sort of speed you would cruise at, but even cruising at 70 mph I would expect at least 25 mpg if not more.
The google route from Calais is quiet a good route. Especially going through Switzerland and around Lake Geneva. I would make sure your camera is handy as some of the views are spectacular.
It really all depends on what your looking for from your trip? You could fly down and have longer in the bar at Stresa and eat more spaghetti, or enjoy a leisurely drive taking in some lovely views with some Swiss cuisine. If you haven't done the Alps it is worth doing at some point.
 
I recommend the AA's European breakdown cover, it's first class. I think I hold the record for longest ever recovery, when my Defender broke a halfshaft in Poland, about 1km from the Belarous boder they took her all the way back to Brixton. Plus they provided, one night's hotel and three hire cars, collecting the last one from outside my flat.

Last year, whilst on a business trip to Mallorca, the Disco blew her head gasket in northern France. They were going to provide me with a hire car, but wouldn't let me take it on the ferry. Instead, I claimed my train fares and hotel accommodation, approximately £1000. They coughed up within a week of my return home.
For Alpine routes, this is a handy site http://www.alpineroads.com/
 
Sestina said:
I recommend the AA's European breakdown cover
Click to expand...

I dont - they sub it out to locals - and the quality varies immensly.
last one i heard of, a mate with a GT40 was returning from the LM classic.... broke down.... called on AA recovery.... local French were called out, fitted jump start on back to front and completely fried all electrics. car had to be trailered back to the UK for a complete electrical rebuild. :(
 
I'd fly.

I've done long trips to the Nice area in France, starting out from Holland, and while the general driving experience is good in the D2, I'd pay the extra and fly.

You don't mention the driving time, which comes out of your holiday, and driving back can be a drag.

Peter
 
I've done London to the South of France several times in a Nissan Patrol and it was fine, especially on the toll roads, but now I'm a bit older and the kids are grown up a bit I'd fly every time. I'd still enjoy the drive, probably not as much, but my passengers would now much prefer to get there as soon as possible. They take the view that the holiday doesn't start till you arrive!
 
I drove from Guildford to just near Turin last year, in my old car (Toyota GT86) with my girlfriend as a surprise visit to her family. I used http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/ to plan the route, as it lets you avoid all the roads that you have to pay for. Was quite useful, however a 20 hour drive solid wasn't that fun! Going back seemed to be much quicker too, for unknown reasons. I will be driving again, this time alone at some point and in the Landy. Overall it wasn't too bad - for me the cost saving over flights (at the time) was worth it.
 
mikescuba said:
If my Defender was only getting 20 mpg I would get it checked out. I don't know what sort of speed you would cruise at, but even cruising at 70 mph I would expect at least 25 mpg if not more.
The google route from Calais is quiet a good route. Especially going through Switzerland and around Lake Geneva. I would make sure your camera is handy as some of the views are spectacular.
It really all depends on what your looking for from your trip? You could fly down and have longer in the bar at Stresa and eat more spaghetti, or enjoy a leisurely drive taking in some lovely views with some Swiss cuisine. If you haven't done the Alps it is worth doing at some point.
Click to expand...

Reduced fuel was based on all the extra weight. If I can get 25mpg with that then great. Sounds like a good drive through the Alps, especially lake Geneva :)
 
Landshandy said:
Reduced fuel was based on all the extra weight. If I can get 25mpg with that then great. Sounds like a good drive through the Alps, especially lake Geneva :)
Click to expand...
When I drove from France to Morocco it was a 21 hour trip to Southern Spain to catch the ferry. My Defender 110 was fully loaded with expedition equipment. 124 bottles of bear, four 25 liter Jerry cans of fuel, 120 liters bottled water, 2 x 5 gallon jerry cans water plus all the spares, tools food and camping gear.15 liters of wine and cruising at 70 mph it averaged 28 mpg. Surprisingly in the desert I got 35 mpg on one leg of the trip.Probably due to the reduced speed.
 
I frequently do Warsaw to Northern england and back again (around 2000km each way if you the direct route), done it in the disco and my day car, the day car is faster and more comfortable, i prefer doing it in the disco, slower pace makes for a much more relaxing drive, you arent afraid to stop when ever you want as the wasted time means a lot less when you arent hammering the speeds.

as long as everybody enjoys the drive and has things to keep them occupied then its fun all round, as the driver you rarely get bored as you have the driving to keep you interested but the passengers can suffer if they arent prepared for the endless hours of driving, ask the other family members what they want to do, i always prefer the drive as i find it relaxing even though its the best part of 24 hours with the ferry crossing, the family have long since fallen out of love with the idea sadly.
 
If your looking at just saving money I wouldn't bother if your looking for an experience go for it

I'm in planning for my road trip 2017
Manchester to Italy through Holland
 
If you are confident in the reliability of the Disco, no problem driving. However, the driving needs to be 'part of' the holiday to make it worthwhile . It's a team decision, maybe ask the others if they want to spend a few days looking out the window?
 
I drive a fair bit in Europe and have always found it much more relaxing than the UK!
Probably because of less traffic and generally better roads, but French toll roads will cost you!
I took my old Porker to Le Mans 8 years ago, I think the tolls were £80 - £100 each each way.
Your fights sound pricey, dont Ryanair fly anywhere nearby? Could work out a lot less if you hire a car and do the final drive from whatever airport you end up at.
Mark
 
As others have said, it's not so much the driving it's the passengering. Staring at motorways for days on end is not very exciting and can easily lead to trouble - especially when they know they have to endure the same on the way back!
I make regular trips to Greece with my wife (in fact we're there now) and have always fancied doing it in the Disco (I once made the trip on my own on a Norton Commando which was fabulous) but (a) it's much cheaper to fly and rent a car when there and (b) I know we'd be at daggers drawn before the end of the first day.
 
Having driven to Visp in Switzerland several times from Manchester in a Discovery, stopping overnight in France to break the journey, I would suggest that you try to get further than Rheims on the first day as this is only 3 hours from Calais on the motorway, we usually stop in Dole or Troyes nearer halfway.
I have also driven the Simplon Pass from Brig into Italy and the road is good for a Discovery.
French motorways are great for getting from a to b quickly but can be boring however non toll roads will take forever.
Switzerland is very scenic.
If you like driving , go for it (I will be in June).
 
Cheers guys, unfortunately the decision has been made to fly (not mine) however but appreciate the input. Advice that won't be wasted as I plan to do the drive next year :)
 
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