Low Cost Living - Day out to France

LEISURE

A Day Trip to France - Shopping savings

This may appeal more to those living within striking distance of Dover, but if your day trip puropose is to buy a lot, the journey from your home to East Kent may be well worth it.

Sealink, Seafrance and Eurotunnel do many special offers for day trippers with car and these can reduce greatly during non holiday seasons and by travelling at 'unsocail hours'

Make a day of it, half roaming the streets and beach, then the afternoon do the Supermarkets and pick up enough stuff to easily pay for the trip! After that, a good meal in town (for about half the cost over here) and a midnight romantic cruise back to good old Blighty !

The nitty gritty of what's cheap and what's not are the following (written August 2006).....

Tobacco
Cigarettes and Tobacco work out at about 40% less (Belguim is the place to go for really cheap)

Spirits
Watch out for the size of the bottles, they aren't always the same as here, but overall are 20-50% cheaper.

Wine
There's good wine and bad wine (so they say!). It's usually best to buy by the carton and you'll pick up some fantastic bargains for as little as £1 or just over. For better wines, you're starting at about £2.50 a bottle upwards.

Fuel
Unless you've got diesel, filling up won't make any difference - diesel varies from 15-30% below UK prices.

Cheese
You can't come back without some and at up to 50% savings, the car boot will stink of it!

Washing Detergant
This is also much cheaper, but only in powder form. Washing up liquid is the same - up to 30% lower.

Perfumes
All the leading brands are cheaper and anything up to 35% can easily be saved

Dried Food
All in all a great bargain. Rice is top with 50% savings!

So all in all, well worth a day trip - or even a weekend. One tip is about booking the journey - check an Agency which proclaims discount is not charging a booking fee or credit card fee. Always compare fares with the big runners.

By the way - thay say Coffins are cheaper as well !!

Disclaimer - The above information was searched in August 2006 and prices may have changed. I go there frequently,
so will keep an eye out!

Dover of course isn't the only port serving Clais or other cities in France; Newhaven, Portsmouth, Weymouth and Poole have good services (but longer trips)

“Europeans, like some Americans, drive on the right side of the road, except in England, where they drive on both sides of the road; Italy, where they drive on the sidewalk; and France, where if necessary they will follow you right into the hotel lobby.”

Dave Barry