Any top tips for keeping the passengers cool this summer when sitting in a long French traffic jam in 35 degrees !
(Apart from icecreams.. open all window and vents .... and drinking buckets of ice water ....)
I guess 12v fans (any pointers as to which are the best ??) ...but I am hoping my fellow 80-90's might have a few more ingeniuous ideas!
Try travelling in an evening, there can be far less traffic and it should be cooler. Small children will probably snooze anyway (we used to get our 2 into there pyjamas before setting off). You could also avoid the Peages ... most big jams are at toll stations.
Ian
The Hulley's Bus 1989 2.1DJ Trampspotter LPG courtesy of Steve @ Gasure
Ian Hulley wrote:Try travelling in an evening, there can be far less traffic and it should be cooler. Small children will probably snooze anyway (we used to get our 2 into there pyjamas before setting off). You could also avoid the Peages ... most big jams are at toll stations.
Ian
Cheers Ian ! We do some big journeys to the West Coast of France so we spend all day in the van.... 650 miles. Even split over 2 days we always seem to get stuck in big queues and little hot and bothered !
As we are travelling to get to a destination (rather than touring) I find the peages brilliant in France - doing 70mph rather than 50/60 on the non-peages is much better.....
shorehambeach wrote:Hello Peeps ! Summer time is coming...
Any top tips for keeping the passengers cool this summer when sitting in a long French traffic jam in 35 degrees !
(Apart from icecreams.. open all window and vents .... and drinking buckets of ice water ....)
I guess 12v fans (any pointers as to which are the best ??) ...but I am hoping my fellow 80-90's might have a few more ingeniuous ideas!
Thanks !
Avoid the week when the French go away en-masse, the journey in France should then be quicker ie; more air flow in Van
In an earlier discussion I suggested doing what we do, based on experience over nearly 30 years. We purposely arrive on a Sunday (this year 28 July) and only travel to just South of Paris, so we sit behind the wave to avoid the traffic madness. The last weekend in July (27/28 this year) is when the masses from the North of France travel South causing traffic jams. Two weekends later there is a similar mass exodus North. Try and avoid this.
Alternatively, take it slower on the D roads as most people will be stuck on the motorways or N roads. That's where a large scale Michelin road atlas (1:200000) is brilliant (the big version not the A4 size). It shows so many alternatives. You can often find D roads relatively empty in comparison. Most importantly take plenty of water with you cooling as much as you can in the fridge (the beer can wait).
If you follow this advice you will miss most of the grief. Enjoy your trip.
The thing that made the biggest difference for the kids in the back was a opening window at the back. Get a nice through draught now. And it's also pretty nice sleeping with it open
lloydy wrote:The thing that made the biggest difference for the kids in the back was a opening window at the back. Get a nice through draught now. And it's also pretty nice sleeping with it open
