September is the month in which as travel journalists we normally head off to the South of France to report on two of the worlds most significant boat shows
In the past, we have flown down to Nice twice to cover first the Yachting Festival in Cannes and then again back to Nice to cover the Monaco Yacht Show two weeks later.
Two years ago at the behest of Tesla who wanted us to test drive their model X and report about it for superyacht owners, we drove the incredible electric car down though France stopping at soe of the most luxurious chateaus along the way.
It was that drive, that formulated in our minds the plan for this year.
Instead of flying, we are going to drive down to the Cannes show in Voyager our land yacht. But instead of going back home between the shows, we plan to enjoy some down time in between those shows and tour the countryside the South of France offers.
The shows did not happen in 2020. The Covid-19 Pandemic caused their cancellation but this year they are back on and will cautiously open their doors to exhibitors and public alike.
Eurotunnel FlexiPlus
We have been cautious ourselves and have booked FlexiPlus Eurotunnel tickets which provide priority boarding, flexible travel times and use of the exclusive FlexiPlus lounges. More importantly for us booking so far ahead, the FlexiPlus ticket can be changed at any time for any reason.
We like to use the FlexiPlus lounges that offer complimentary WiFi and refreshments making them the perfect place to get some snacks for the drive in France!
Quite the fastest and easiest ways to cross the English Channel, Eurotunnel will speed us on our way. We plan a quick stop at Carrefour to buy the meat and dairy products that the EU now punitively refuses to let us take with us from home and then we will be on our way to the South of France.
Route
Our route is as yet unplanned. What we do know is that we leave the UK on Friday 3rd September and that we must be in Cannes for the evening of the 6th when we are booked to stay at Le Ranch campsite which is the closest we can find to Vieux Port where the show is mostly held. After the show and until we pitch up at the Saint Michel campsite in Menton on 21st September our time is our own and we intend to go exploring.
Mostly we will stick to the smaller roads and where we can avoid the motorways. That way we can use the book published by France Passion and get to stay in vineyards and on farms without having to pay campsite fees. It is a clever idea and is one well supported by the French camping community who seem to have these things better planned than here in the UK
It looks like being an adventure and given that we now write for Campervan and Motorhome magazines as well as yachting titles it will give us more content for these pages and our editors.
Electric Bikes
We will be taking our brand new electric bikes with us and hope to get the opportunity to do some off road trails in the South of France. Who knows with an ever increasing number of magazines covering the proliferation of eBikes and the fact that they are increasingly being ridden by folk of our generation we might find another market for our travel writing and photography. Does any one have any contacts with editorial teams on those mags?