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[travelmonster]

Does anyone know of any car hire companies that will allow you to pick a hire car up in say France, drive across Europe in it and through say China and drop it off in Beijing for example.

The Avis site says "Rental between your selected stations is not permitted". And I can't find one that does allow it. Plus a lot of the companies do not rent for longer than 28 days?

Taking our own car wouldn't be an option because we would want to fly on from Beijing?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[sianeth]

Buy a car and sell it on when you arrive? For the amount of time you'd be spending in it it'd probably work out a similar cost to the rental, surely? Just a guess though.

[travelmonster]

Thats a very good idea - why didn't I think of that

Excellent idea - then there would be a chance of getting something back at the end of it.

Thanks.

[sianeth]

No probs! Sounds like an ambitious plan - how long do you think it would take?

[travelmonster]

I'm working on that one - I have read its around 7,200 miles and there is someone who says it can be done in 24 days, but I think that's a very aggresive itinerary, I think I would probably plan on it taking two months, 60ish days.

[mmbcross]

Don't hold your breath on selling the car at the destination, be it China or any other country. To my knowledge when you cross a border with a car, you sign papers to guarantee that you will not sell it. You come into a country with a car, you have to leave with that same car. This is to avoid people popping across the border to buy cheap cars and reselling them tax free in their own country.

Consider it as importing a car. There will be little problem driving through most countries, as long as you go out at the other end. In all cases check with the nearest consulate before attempting anything as sometimes the paperwork can be overwhelming.

Here is a Travelpod blog of the trip in reverse:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...82140/tpod.html

Here are some web sites I found that might be of some help:
http://www.theworldbyroad.com/
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/latitude.htm
http://www.odysseyshow.com/index.html

It ain't as easy as it sounds, but if you do it, you will be famous!

[travelmonster]

Thankyou very much for those links, that'll keep me busy reading for a few days!!

I'm not sure what those links hold yet, but would it be worth trying to drive our own car and perhaps getting it shipped back if it's too difficult to try and sell? - no idea how expensive that would be.

[starlagurl]

Yeah, I agree, you should probably just buy an old beater and see how far she goes!

[travelmonster]

It's one of a few ideas we're talking about at the moment. But if we do decide on this one, we would need to know we'd make it - purely because if we do do it, we'd do it for charity and I wouldn't want to let them down.

[starlagurl]

Ohhhhhhhh, I see, well you could always get a car with a warranty?

Or, have you heard of the rickshaw run?

TravelPod is sponsoring a rickshaw in this race. Maybe the organizers will plan something similar in Europe.

Here's the team we are sponsoring: http://rickshawrun08s.theadventurists.com/loonylassis

[travelmonster]

I hadn't heard of the Rickshaw Run, interesting though, thanks.

[mmbcross]

What a brilliant idea. You can go from Europe to China by rickshaw. It would be cheap, unlikely to break down, and you probably wouldn't have a problem leaving it on the street in China when you go home. Any volunteers to be the driver?

[starlagurl]

Hahaha, they're not really rickshaws like you're thinking... It's more like a golf cart or something...it's weird.

[charlotte850505]

oh ,I think Europe is too far from china...a cheap way ?I think there is no cheap way to finish so long a journey

[darrenstravels]

Most of the things I've read with people who drive very far have normally got their own transport, and it's normally bespoke to their purposes.

Plus you have the hassle of all the paperwork that comes with these things.

At least in the EU countries you have no barriers as such, you can just freely drive all the way to Greece etc.

Not sure about rental companies, since there are so many issues with laws etc that its probably easier for them to say "you cant take it to x and y".

[edgar_friendly]

anyone have any info regarding driving from europe to asia in their own motorhome?

im particularly interested in registering the vehicle in thailand, eventually

ef

[rbisset]

Just buy a car for a couple of hundred quid and leave it on the side of the street with the keys in the door at the end. There's the Mongol Rally from London to Ulanbatar where you have to have an old banger with an engine less than 1.25litre

[starlagurl]

I did a little bit of sleuthing and looked around for other blogs on taking a motorhome across Europe to Asia, but I could only find European road trips.

Gurus trip:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/gurus..._2007/tpod.html

Mark_and_claire's trip:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/mark_...urope/tpod.html

And traveltragic's account of her campervan trip around Europe and Russia (from the 70s):
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/trave...76_77/tpod.html

[edgar_friendly]

thx for quick sleuthing sg.

not quite what im looking for but interesting reading neway.

actually im hoping to buy a camper in europe and drive it to thailand(& beyond) has anyone reading, done this? heard of someome doing this?
or is it just a 'stupid' idea....

ef

[starlagurl]

I think it's a great idea. Plus, it looks like you'd be the first on TravelPod to make a blog about it! That's a "featured blog" right there, if I've ever heard of one.

I'm thinking it might be difficult getting through some border crossings. Maybe that's why not many people attempt it.

What kind of route were you going to take? Do you have a rough idea yet?