Top tips for self drive ski holidays

Many of us now go on our annual ski trip by car. There are some major benefits for driving including being cheaper if there are a few of you, reducing stress, it’s far easier to take young children, plus it can be fun too if there are a few of you. Here are some top tips to ensure a smooth journey to your ski destination.

1. Choose a resort as close to Calais as you possibly can – good options include Chamonix, Flaine, Morzine, Avoriaz or Megeve. The nearest resort to Calais is Megeve out of all of those and it will take around 8 hours to drive from Calais.

2. Consider whether you want to take a cheaper ferry or a speedier Eurotunnel. The cost of ferries tends to be around £50 – 70 depending on the time of day and number of people. The ferry will take about 2 hours including the time needed to check in, the sailing, and offloading. A Eurotunnel crossing will cost at least £100, and at peak times considerably more, however the total time needed is only just over an hour. If you’re travelling late at night or at the crack of dawn, this time saved may well be a godsend.

3. Definitely take the toll roads. Do not, I repeat, do not, try and save money by taking the National Routes in France. It is not worth it, full stop! The toll roads will cost you about 140 euros return (using Megeve as an example) and will save you hours and hours.

4. When stopping for petrol, get everyone to go to the loo, when stopping for a loo break, fill up with petrol!

5. If you’re taking children then make sure you have plenty of in car entertainment. DVD players and games consoles may be expensive but worth their weight in gold on a long journey.

6. If you’re going with friends, then for the cost of around £20 each (obviously dependent on circumstances) you can probably get your friends insured on the car, thus ensuring you can just keep going without too many breaks.

7. If you’ve got time, an overnight stay en route will make the journey far more civilised. There are plenty of hotels right off motorways. The best bet is to use the Accor Hotels group. They own a range of hotel chains at different budget points. Choose from Mercure (prices around 68euros a night), Ibis (prices around 66euros a night), Etap (prices around 31euros a night) or Formula 1 (prices around 28euros a night.)

8. Make sure you take snow chains that fit. I have been caught out once before with snow chains that we hadn’t tested, and they didn’t fit. We discovered this at 9pm up Col du Montgenevre on the way over to Puy St Vincent. We made it over the Col without too many problems, but got stuck on the way up to Puy St Vincent. We had to find a B&B that had rooms available and then get new snow chains the next day. Eventually we made it to resort a day and a half late, and with many lessons learnt. Let it be a warning!

9. Try and check out where you can park before you leave home. Some accommodations will have access to free parking, i.e. chalets. Some resorts have free areas for parking too. Other areas you may have to pay for the week, Tignes Val Claret is an example of this and it does all add up.

10. Finally, when driving in France don’t forget to pack your driving kit. You must have a warning triangle, a reflective jacket and snow chains for snow covered roads.

That’s about it, the main thing when doing a ski drive holiday is to stay safe, stick to the speed limits and don’t drive when tired.