Everyone who notices the European country flags on the left side of Tulip asks about it and when I tell them that we shipped Tulip to Europe the first question always, without fail, is how much did that cost.
Zeebrugge
It was roughly $2800 to ship our RV from Jacksonville, Florida to Zeebrugge, Belgium. The amount is calculated based upon cubic feet so every inch makes a difference.
The return to Halifax, Nova Scotia was about $3800. We could have saved a little by shipping Tulip back to the U.S. but we learned that Europeans always ship to Halifax because it is totally hassle free as opposed to jumping through U.S. Customs and Homeland Security hoops. And it was. We also had nothing stolen as opposed to shipping from Jacksonville where even the shower head attachment was removed from the wall.
Then you have to factor in transportation to the port, to Europe, and the return. It adds up but I would do it again if Steve agreed to go and I get healthier.
We often get asked “wouldn’t it have been cheaper to rent an RV?” Yes, if we were going for a few weeks but we stayed about 5 months. For instance, I have been checking on prices to rent an RV in New Zealand (should our house sell this summer) and it’s $10,000 for just six weeks. That’s just preliminary research with one company so hopefully something else better is available and for a longer period of time.
Now you know.
Sounds like you are dreaming of another trip off the continent.
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Colleen
Traveling with the Longdogs (Blog)
http://Travelinglongdogs.blogspot.com
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We have met people who buy a RV in Europe with the proviso that the dealer buys it back after their travels. Something you might want to look into for Australia.
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Colleen, Gotta keep moving before I can't move anymore 🙂
Peter, I have heard of a company in Amsterdam that does just that. I don't think we would be in New Zealand long enough to make it worthwhile but definitely would check into that for Australia.
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Thanks for the info, did you use seabridge to return to Halifax as well? Any requirement to post a bond to remove the camper because of the Schengen visa restrictions?
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We booked our return shipping with Wallenius Lines directly – no booking agent involved. I don’t have the paperwork anymore but am fairly certain we contacted Wallenius in Rotterdam via email and then phone. We had just one English speaking point of contact and it was a pretty straight forward process. The cost was $1,000 higher than shipping from the U.S. but the exchange rate then was not in our favor as it would be now. No we never had to post a bond but that is because we shipped to Belgium. I don’t know how it is now but in 2011 a bond would have been required if we shipped to Bremerhaven, Germany. We know of people who did and ended up having to pay thousands of dollars ($19,000?) which was returned once they left the Schengen area. We have never heard of anyone paying a bond to ship to Belgium.
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Thks, we’re in Canada so Halifax is easier then the U.S. I’ve got wallenius’s contact info on this side already.
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