Planning Our Epic Road Trip UK to Switzerland
We’re planning our trip. How exciting is that?
Where are we going? We’re going off to Switzerland and we’re driving basically. We’re in London
right now and we’ve got to drive to Do from Dover to Calala obviously get the ferry. Um we’ve
booked the ferry and we’re just basically we’re planning the trip. We need to work out exactly
what we want. We’re going online. Well, say we Jenny’s done it. She’s going to educate me. So,
um, let’s let’s need lead it over to Jenny to show us or tell me exactly what we need to do. Right.
So, we’ve got a list of requirements based on what I’ve spoken to people and the research I’ve done
online. Right. Okay. And the first thing that we need is the ferry. Obviously, our passwords got
them. Yeah. Right. Cuz because we’re driving from Calala, obviously from Dova, taking the ferry
and then driving from Calala to Switzerland. Ryan is Ryan’s um driver license. Then driving, right?
That’s my driver license. And then Ryan’s driving license. So I’ve got that. Okay. So we got the
V5C. That’s registration of the car. And then the ferry from Dover to Kala, we’ve booked. So that’s
booked. And how much was that? That was like £110. So not bad. Well, plus that or No, no. Included.
And then but one of the things we didn’t know is that you have to get there at least an hour and
a half before the ferry. Actually we saw on the news today is like four sure it’s like 4 hours.
I don’t know but we’re a bit concerned because obviously there is a new checkpoint. Our fair
is at like what 1:00 was it or 3:00? It’s around 1:00. Okay. So if it’s 1:00 I would say I think
leave London I would definitely say we got to leave London 4 hours before at least. I would say
um we need to do a bit more research on traffic on the day because you know yeah there’s a bit of
a problem at the moment going into Europe because they’ve changed all the rules and um basically
it’s it’s very very difficult to get into Europe and I think they ask more questions there’s
more security I think there’s like all this um uh facial recognition they they’ve done and
all sorts of stuff but because they’ve changed the rules there’s a big gridlock of of people trying
to get into Europe, out of the UK, uh into you know into France. So yeah, we need to make sure
we plan properly. Yeah. So we need to have a look and see what what this means. Obviously it’s a a
new checkpoint for EU entry. It’s like a EU entry system is what it’s called. And obviously they’ll
they’ll do biometric capture. Um so we need to get our finger fingerprints. Oh my goodness.
and a photo and captured. Um, but then yeah, so we just might have to go extra early just
to avoid all the cues. It says it says here the biometric capture is passengers will scan their
passports and have their biometric data, a photo and fingerprints captured. I’m not sure how true
that is. Obviously, that’s online information, AI information. This is a surely they can’t be
taking fingerprints on every single person. How long would that take? True. They will. That’s
that’s why it’s taking so long, I think. Oh my goodness me. So, we just need to take just
Yeah, we just need to take extra precautions and leave very early. So, I don’t think we’ll
be sleeping much the the night before. Yeah, we’ve got a bit of a trip planned actually. We’re
going to Switzerland and and after Switzerland, we’re going to Spain and I think we’re going to
go to France and probably Paris on the way to Switzerland. We’re not sure where we’re going to
come on the way back. We’ve got a few days spare as well to to do some just traveling around. Um
but yeah, I mean basically this video is about planning and how we’re going to achieve the
crossing. So yeah, but obviously it’s it’s we will share how we plan our road trips that that
might be useful for some of you. Okay, that’s true. Yeah, we are dominantly a road trip channel.
So yeah. So, so this is how why we wanted to share what we do because maybe you do it differently
and you can tell us, oh, we do it like this, you know, give us tips as well. Actually, that’s
that’s that’s the thing I wanted to say. We’re not getting a lot of comments on the on our latest
videos. So, it’d be nice if you just comment. Just let us know what you do differently, what you
change, um, you know, any help in any way. So, or anything we you know, you’d like us to share.
So, yeah. So if there is anything that you found useful, let us know and what we can show more of
maybe from the road trips. Yeah. So all normally what I do is I look at where we’re going. So our
starting point which is car A. Start A point A. Yeah. Sorry. Before we go there to point B. Let’s
just finish the requirements. Sorry. Before we go there. So okay. So we’ve got the ferry, we’ve got
the passports, the driver license, the vehicle registration number, which is your V5C. Yeah. Um
and then we’ve got uh proof of insurance. I need to go. I need to log in. Yeah, we need to print
that, don’t we? Yeah, we need to print that. So, I’m going to put a We’ve got a PDF on our phone.
That should be all right. But should we just print it just in case? Yeah, I think we should print it
and we’ll put in a folder and but I need to make sure that we’re covered for the whole of Europe.
Yeah. And also, I need to get I need to see how much it is to add recovery for Europe because we
only have recovery for the UK. So, if we can add recovery for Europe, when you buy budget cars,
breakdowns are a possibility. I’ll have a bag of tools in the car in case something breaks that
I can fix. Minimal tools, but you never know. You never know. So, anyways, we need to do that
unprinted. Uh, we need a UK sticker that we’re going to get from, I think, Amazon or somewhere.
Yeah. We need a first a kit triangle V16 emergency beacon. What’s a triangle? What would you say?
So, a triangle is the is that emergency triangle that you put outside of your car when you break
down. Okay. But Spain is changing that for a V16 emergency vehicle. So, we need to get both of
those. Okay. What’s a V16 emergency vehicle? It’s just like a light, I think. I don’t know. I
need to do a bit more research. It was just in the list of requirements to get. Okay. Um, and then we
need to get a vignette. Is that how you say that? V I G ne T E. Vignette. I don’t know. I don’t know
what. So that’s basically to drive in motorways I think in Switzerland. But is that like a a
pass or like a like um it’s something like I don’t know. We need to So we need to get that
as well. Okay. So we need to look we need to do some more research on what that is. So maybe
you should probably research that while we’re on this video as well. Um we need to be we need
to get high visibility jackets for each of us. Jackets or vests? The vests. Okay, the vest. Vest
cuz jackets take up a lot of space and they’re quite expensive as well. So, uh we need to get a
what color orange or green or does it not matter? Because what you can you can actually buy these
like high visibility just like a strap and you you know you don’t need a um you don’t need a jacket
or a vest, just a strap because ultimately you need the space in your car. Who wants to carry
around vests as well? Might as well have a hard hat as well. I don’t know what else we’ve got
to carry, but flu. It says fluorescent yellow, orange, or red. Okay. So, it doesn’t matter. So,
what about strap? Can you buy a strap instead? Just let’s just It’s a vest. It’s not. Okay.
Fine. Fine. Just do what it says. There we go. So, so they’re 240 each on Amazon. So, we’ll get two
of them. High visibility vests. Yeah. Okay. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s yellow, orange, or red.
Yeah. So as long as you’ve got that then the you comply with the European standard. So that’s
that’s that’s it. That’s all you need to comply with standards. Right. And we also need a first
aid. We don’t have a first aid. We used to have a How right? So there’s different levels of first
aid boxes and packs. I think you just need like a basic basic a basic. Why do you think that is
that? Or this was a requirement when I um searched for what’s needed as a requirement for road trips.
Okay. in Europe. And the last thing that we need is obviously the hotel for three nights. So,
we do need to get to a destination. We’ve got accommodation there. We do have accommodation
when we get to Switzerland, but until then, we will need to stay somewhere, right? And we need
to show this at the entrance. My first thought, and this is where we go into the actual planning.
Mhm. My first thought was that because we get to Calala around 4:30 in the afternoon. We I I think
I’m not the one driving, but this is why I asked Ryan, maybe what we can do is get a hotel in
Calala, sleep, have a rest, and you know, it’s going to be a long long journey. Well, look, so
from London to do is what, an hour or so, right? Assuming we’ll sit in sort of two hours of traffic
roughly. You know, 3 hours sitting in the car, it can be quite tiring, 3 hours. Um, so yeah, there’s
that. Um, but yeah, I mean then the crossing, we don’t know how tired the crossing’s gonna gonna
make us parking up the car, whatever. We we’ve we’ve never done it. So basically, we want to plan
to get to Calala. Once we get there, we’re going to get a hotel within half an hour of inal. Yeah.
If it’s cheap enough. Obviously, if it’s if it’s really expensive, we’re trying to if it’s really
expensive in Calala, we’ll just go out of Cala and drive out and and get a hotel outside of that, but
we need to look on that on on planning. Get So, I think the first thing is with the idea that we
might stay in Calala or somewhere nearby Calala, not very far from Calala. So, that’s the
first hotel that I’ll be looking for. Now, looking at the plan from point A to point B, this
is normally what I do. where are we going to where we going from to where we’re going to and then
then we look at destinations we want to go to, right? And then that’s how we choose personally
our hotels. So we if we’re doing a budget road trip like this one or like the one we did in
Scotland, we would find out the areas first and then research. Do you do it anywhere any
anyhow differently? Let us know. Right. So if I add Paris to our map and then I will drag it
to where it needs to be, it gives us so adds two hours to the road trip. Obviously this is a road
trip over two days I would say. Okay. But looking at this map obviously so we’re going via Paris,
right? But you miss Belgium, Luxembourg. No, but you miss all the north of France which we’ve
been told is or very picturesque. I don’t know. So yeah, I mean what’s the alternative? Well, the
alternative is to go to Paris on the way back, you know, or do one on the way there on the way
one on the way back, right? So if I remove this, let’s have a look at the direct route. So it would
it would still not tell us to go on the side. It would still tell us to go in the middle of Europe.
Okay. So we yesterday we spoke to someone who’s actually drove to Switzerland. It was many many
years ago but um they couldn’t offer us any much advice on the crossing itself but they basically
said that we should take um hang on I’m just looking up the route. What we’re talking about
is because sometimes you have a direct route and sometimes you’ve got a scenic route. Yeah. And
we would prefer to have a scenic route. Yeah. Rather than but obviously it depends on Yeah.
Yeah, the satnav the satnav unfortunately if any satnav developers or anything are on in here there
there should be an option for scenic route right you know like what I mean by scenic for those of
you who don’t know what scenic means it’s very you know great scenery so many stops many places what
you can have great views really you know well it would be it would be lovely to have people that
could add so if if we could add all to ways for example as as users this is the best road trip and
then add it there. Yeah. Yeah. Wells is a social media sort of um platform platform. So yeah um
so basically what they advised was to drive from France via alas alaski als that’s what they called
it. Yeah. All right. Let me I’m just going to add it to the map and see. So, I’ve removed Paris and
I’ve added Elsas. We also wanted to visit Geneva as well. So, I’m going to add Geneva to the to the
mix. Yeah. So, this is what go on about. Sure. And then you’ve got that town as well, which is quite
an old sort of um Geneva is on the south. So, we might have to do Geneva on the way. Just put
it all in and have a look. We we’ll we’ll we’ll work it out. I’ll just pick Paris as well. Just
three Perry. Gay Perry. We’ve been to Paris and we found it. It was nice. Um it was quite
expensive. I want to go to the We’re going to Switzerland, darling. No, I know. I know.
We’re going to Oh, yeah. Exactly. Right. Well, so um so yes, although we are going to these
places, um yes, we need to still do it on a on the budget that we’ve allocated. Um so I’m going
to put all the destinations that we are go what we want to go to. Whether we go to them or not,
that’s another thing. Okay. So in total now I’ve got 15 hours of drive. Okay. So I think with
some stops it looks like we’re probably adding about six hours on our trip now. And we wanted
to go to Zurich as well. Oh my goodness me. This is getting round the world trip. Amazing. Is there
so obviously by the time this video is released we are not there yet. If you’ve got any destinations
please let us know so we can update it. Sorry it’s a short video this week guys, but
ultimately it’s just a planning video. Um, next week what we’ll do is we’ll share with you
the crossing and so watch on for that and see what sort of problems we get into. And what
what I mean by the crossing is do to Calala, the traffic before DOA, before you even leave
the UK. That’s that’s what I’m concerned about. That’s do in the UK to Calala in France.
Yeah. All the delays. Hopefully. And yeah, I’ve never been in a fair on a fair. I’ve been on
a ferry as a passenger. Not as a passenger. No, as a as a pedestrian, but not in a car.
So, this is a new experience for me. It’s a new experience for me, too. So, uh,
join us next week and see how we get
We’re planning a fantastic switzerland road trip, and this travel vlog shows our preparations! We’re sharing some travel tips we learned while planning a trip, including how to handle travel budgeting and booking the Dover to Calais ferry. Tell us your own plans to take trips like this in the comments – we’d love to hear all about them!
If you like this video, please subscribe, it’s free for you but it means the world to us 😀https://www.youtube.com/@themayorsmiths?
Tell us your own plans to take trips like this in the comments – we’d love to hear all about them!
How to support us? As a small creator, you can help us to subscribe, comment, like, buy us a “support” coffee, it all helps – Thanks for any and all support 🙏
Buy us a coffee 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/themayorsmiths
Subscribe 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@themayorsmiths?
Find us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennyandryan_
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyandryan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayorsmiths
#roadtrip #planning #ferry #france #uk
2 Comments
Hope it works out. 👍
All the best