No matter what ferry provider you’re travelling with, they all have strict rules that you have to adhere to and abide by if you want to get your car onto dry land in your desired destination. If you fail to book your trip and turn up for it within those rules then they can refuse you passage. However, if you stick to the tips below and follow the rules then you won’t have a problem. You can just get on the ferry quickly and easily so your holiday will get off to a great start! 

1. Always make sure that you book well in advance because the car spots fill up very quickly. If you fail to book a spot then you might not even get on the ferry, let alone to your European destination.
2. Carefully measure the dimensions of your vehicle. Don’t estimate or go on what you’ve read on a car website. Measure your car and make sure that your readings are accurate. You’ll have to declare the dimensions to book a space on the ferry so if you get it wrong and your car takes up more space than you said it would then you’re not going anywhere!
3. Leave for the port early to make sure that you have enough time to get on the ferry itself. If you’re travelling with a car then there’s a very specific time that you are to board. Miss it and you will most likely be refused entry.
4. Don’t overload your car. Taking enough luggage for your holiday is essential but taking too much can elevate the weight of the car. This could be a reason for you not being able to board, especially if your belongings are sticking out of the car in all directions. As such, you should only take what you need and leave the kitchen sink at home.
5. Finally, don’t take extra fuel with you. You might be tempted to load up before you go but having petrol in jerricans is against regulations. The health and safety rules prohibit you from doing that. You don’t have to let this worry you though. Fill up your tank before you leave or fill up at the other port. There will always be service stations there, but they may be more expensive.

Going on holiday, especially a self drive holiday, should be a liberating experience, but it’ll be anything but if you don’t get it right. The tips are simple to follow so all you have to do is prepare in advance. Do that and you can relax on holiday without a care in the world.

Guest Article by Louise Crowley

An experience at the weekend got me thinking though. Driving through a suburb of Newcastle I was pulled over by a police car. A routine check, the policeman said, because he didn’t recognise me or the car and this was his "patch."

Now, whilst you and I might wonder how any policeman could know of every car in his "patch" this was certainly not the time to argue. Fearing I had unwittingly stepped into some undercover Geordie version of The Bill I was serenity itself as I answered his questions and handed over my licence whilst smiling my sweetest smile. All was well in the end.

But it did get me to wondering that had there been something untoward here was clearly a policeman who would find it. And, if an Edinburgher like myself can draw attraction to himself as a stranger in the faraway land of Newcastle, then how much attention would we Brits attract on the continent.

So what are the little laws that could trip you up abroad? Some seem strange. In Germany, if you should feel an overwhelming need to interrupt your break by washing the car then do it on private land. It’s an offence to wash a car on a public highway. In Switzerland you can wash your car where you like but you are forbidden from doing so on a Sunday.

When you are packing the car you should be mindful of a couple of additions that you need to take. A high visibility waistcoat for the driver and a passenger are pretty much de rigueur on the Continent now. In the Netherlands it is not compulsory to have them in the car but it is compulsory to wear them if you crash or breakdown. So better to be safe than sorry. In Germany a first aid kit is compulsory. In Spain a spare pair of spectacles is compulsory.

In Austria you must have dipped headlights on at all times throughout the day. In Ireland it is an offence to use your horn after 10.30 pm and before 7 am. In Luxembourg you must flash your headlights when over taking at night. On Germany’s Autobahn’s it is an offence to run out of fuel – so keep your tank topped up.

In Belgium you have right of way if you are turning into oncoming traffic. But you cede that priority if you slow down or stop. I dread to think what happens after that so maybe you just have to keep your foot down. On the other hand my grandmother used to devise cycle routes that didn’t require turning left so perhaps fastidious planning will allow for a journey where there is no call for a turn into oncoming traffic.

Now we might think that some of these laws are silly or impractical. But we should remember that a lot of people think we drive on the wrong side of the road. My point is that we often take an easy-oasy, laid back approach to going abroad with our cars. There’s enough to worry about when we’re loading the car with luggage and partners and kids and grandparents to concern ourselves with the small details.

But it is these small details that can remove all the worry from travel. How would you like to remember the longed for and well planned self drive holiday? For the countryside, good food and pleasant company? Or for the on the spot fine handed down by a belligerent policeman who has just discovered you’ve not packed a first aid kit?

Always be prepared!

Guest Article by Tom Hall