25 Ways to Improve Caravan or Motorhome Security At Home & Abroad

Krk, Croatia.JPG — The sun sets on another season for some of us, but make sure the start of your next season goes more smoothly than it did for us…

It’s that time of year when many of us are putting our beloved caravans and motorhomes to bed for the winter.

It is difficult to find reliable figures, but my research suggests that each year in the UK, between 1500 and 3000 caravans are stolen. Most sources suggest that, with the increasing popularity of the British ‘staycation’, theft of recreational vehicles is on the rise. Very few stolen caravans are recovered – so besides the upset and inconvenience, theft will have a very adverse impact on your insurance premiums.

Theft can happen at any time, but the majority of caravans and motorhomes are stolen from storage. Gangs are even using satellite mapping technology to identify valuable leisure vehicles on vulnerable driveways or storage sites. Continue reading “25 Ways to Improve Caravan or Motorhome Security At Home & Abroad” →

Wine & Wonder on a Wet Thursday – Noyers-sur-Serein, Bourgogne, France

Puppy_love — What to do on a wet Thursday in a caravan? Cuddle a puppy – or better still, cuddle TWO puppies!

Torrential rain thundered on the roof of the caravan and we were surrounded by wet laundry. It was supposed to be sunny! Nevertheless, our view across the rolling hills of Bourgogne was shrouded with mist and we felt surprisingly relaxed; comfy, cosy and snuggled up with a coffee and four warm, sleepy puppies.

The internet was dead. On the road, we tether our laptops to our mobiles to go online. The signal had been poor yesterday, but the rain ensured that both phones had zero service and the campsite’s free WiFi was completely dead. The tragedy of being cut off like this on a rainy Thursday was that I was unable to find a launderette to address our mountain of steaming laundry. Continue reading “Wine & Wonder on a Wet Thursday – Noyers-sur-Serein, Bourgogne, France” →

France – A Four Week Itinerary from Caen to Andorra & Back

Route_Planning (2) — What do we do in the caravan? A LOT of planning!

Recently, my friend Nicola asked, “what do you do in the caravan?”

One answer is writing (me) and planning our travels (Mark).

We have pre-planned years of itineraries, although wherever we go, we get recommendations or find places to which we must return. These all get noted and added!

So, when the question popped up on the ‘European Touring Caravan, Campervan and Camping Friends’ Facebook page, asking for a four week itinerary to France, taking in the Millau bridge, Arles and Andorra in short hops of approximately three hours driving, we were able to come up with this! Continue reading “France – A Four Week Itinerary from Caen to Andorra & Back” →

The Magic of Morvan; Jargeau to Vézelay, Bourgogne, France

“You’re a sweetie. You’re my gorgeous girl. I love you soooo much!” crooned Mark.

“What would you like me to do?” the satnav’s harsh, electronic monotone scythed across the tender moment.

“Shut up. I’m talking to Lani!”

Strangely, that was the last that we heard from the satnav’s unpredictable voice-activation. As a result, we missed several turns, although blame did not fall entirely on the Silence of the Satnav.

“I’ve said before that you’re blind and deaf, but you do make up for it by not being dumb…” Mark crooned to me.

Well, my parents did always say, “You’re never alone with a Jackie!” Continue reading “The Magic of Morvan; Jargeau to Vézelay, Bourgogne, France” →

Advance Review Copies for Dogs n Dracula – A Road Trip Through Romania by Jacqueline Lambert

I have just created a Booksprout account and there are 20 electronic review copies of my new book, Dogs n Dracula – A Road Trip Through Romania, up for grabs if anyone would be kind enough to read and review it by 30th November.

Click here for the link. Please also follow me in the Booksprout App.

Although it is Book 3 in the series, it does stand alone, since each book covers just one of our single trips.

With a mix of fascinating history, spectacular nature, castles and captivating medieval citadels, find out why The Spectator claims that “Romania is “Europe’s most overlooked holiday destination”.

And find out why, according to everyone else, it was somewhere where we would be robbed, scammed, kidnapped by gypsies, eaten by bears or attacked by wild dogs and wolves – if we managed to avoid the floods and riots!

You will learn the truth about Prince Charles – and how we truly did ‘Boldly Go Where No Van Has Gone Before’!

Authors rely on reviews and recommendations, so if you have learned something, been inspired, enjoyed a virtual journey or anything else from my books or blog, please let others know.

Thank you! The Fab Four and I will be eternally grateful.

Although the book is already published, ‘Advance Review Copies’ is simply Booksprout’s terminology.

Hints on Heating, Heroines and Horses – Radon to Jargeau, France

Ready_road_trip_france — The Fab Four – Ready to Roll in Radon

A Drive through Le Perche towards Orléans

I was gagging for a cuppa!

I’d used my last tea bag and my supplies were all buried somewhere within Big Blue. Mark had laid down the law; no foraging until the bikes came off the back of the van.

Since we were making a succession of brief, one-night stops to make headway away from the rain, I feared that might be some time. Continue reading “Hints on Heating, Heroines and Horses – Radon to Jargeau, France” →

The Fur-Friendly Ferry to France

Pet_friendly_Ferry_Cabin — Our Pet-Friendly Cabin

We Try Brittany Ferries’ New VIP (Very Important Puppy) Service

From Bournemouth, it was always a long diversion, but it meant that we the dogs could stay with us during the crossing. However, our relationship with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle ended abruptly with a 4,500% price hike. Continue reading “The Fur-Friendly Ferry to France” →