Vito Camper Van Christmas in France / The Carpenter's Daughter

[@Galphs]

Loved the Sir Chicken Digby Hans bit! Also thanks for linking to all the locations, we will be traveling round France in our VW in the summer and have been looking for Aires.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Hahaha, when I thought about that music, I had tears in my eyes with laughter 😆 You're very welcome. I know it can be extremely difficult looking for places as most aires on the apps are in French and you can't copy and paste anything to translate the reviews. Thankfully my new phone had a Bixby screenshot text identifier which really helped pick the better places :)

[@thetravellingcarpenter1621]

What a fantastic video! So many memories! Bordeaux! One of my favourite places! So funny when the wave caught you out! You could see Hans laughing 😉

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

LOL :D That's our favourite area too! We think the beaches on that side are the best - and we found them more lenient with dogs back in August :)

[@mc4kvb]

Very, very nice video. It was really nice seeing all the places. I have been to Paris before so all of the sites there were familiar. It looks like you had a wonderful time and Hans did too!! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+Becky's Texas Wood Shop thanks and no problem at all 😀 it's great to be able to look back on our trips 😀

[@Shaun-zh4bn]

When that wave got you was like a scene out of baywatch 👍🏻😎😂

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

🤣🤣🤣 +Shaun Blood

[@esotericist]

I spent 5 months car camping in an autoroute parking area in the South of France. Parked so close to the restaurant I had free wifi signal 24/7. Bigh Shop/restaurant, free ice machine in the restaurant space corner!! free hot showers, 24/7 open after June 1st. and, after getting to know the restaurant teams, I used to get free sandwiches and daily french patisseries. Drove down to the beach or up into the mountains ever day. 14 kms from Golfe Juan I all I had t ay was 1 autoroute toll fee a day. 2 euros I think. It's called "Aire de Bréguières Sud station" on the A8. Had a blast. Made several French friends who did the same. Living there in the season.

[@silverlinkz]

Great vid. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Midlife Camper :) glad you enjoyed 😉

[@MsPeppersmom]

very enjoyable! That steak looked delicious and it made me so happy Hans got some. I know that was a memorable trip.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+MsPeppersmom we couldn't wait to give him some. Sadly Hans had to stay under the table but oh my god, he embarrassed as soon as we walked him... he started barking his head off when he saw reflections from the wine glasses on the ceiling 😶 lol

[@iamlonefrog4252]

Thanks for taking me along!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

You're very welcome :D I didn't realise I had so much footage until I went through it lol

[@spshaw171]

Hi 👋 happy New year to you all. Really enjoyed the watching the video. Looks like you had an amazing holiday. Some lovely memories to cherish there x

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you :) Indeed we have :D

[@SCRAPWOODTOCRAFTWOOD]

Great stuff really enjoyed watching it some beautiful sites along the way thank you so much for sharing your adventures

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks Warren :) Glad you enjoyed 😀

[@OllyParryJones]

This is great to see, Vikkie. Looks like you had a very memorable Christmas. :-)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Olly Parry-Jones, it's great to have something to look back at too 😀

[@LucianoJuniodosSantos]

Thank you for sharing, your trip, are beautiful places. Very good.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it as well as us :)

[@rogerwaldram4295]

Hi, loved this & for future reference you are welcome to stay with us-an hour east of Bordeau-we have a courtyard, lights, water & hook-up. When we toured & lived in our Hymer we used a cheap Halogen oven for roasts & a warm. ACSI are good out of school hols as are France Passion, you often need to be self-sufficient-they are vineyards, farms, cognac producers etc -free but you are supposed to try what they are offering-no obligation to buy! Love your collie-we have a mini-schnauzer now. Like that parking is so easy-we hope to downsize to a conversion soon. 😎. PS Use a Note now since I can check my glucides with it & a Libre capteur (diabétique).

[@MakeItSoph]

Awesome vlog Vikkie, I want to visit some of these places this year! I love France. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks Soph - definitely worth it... I bet you're due some time off from working aren't you? :)

[@MakeItSoph]

The Carpenter's Daughter definitely in the summer!

[@augustreil]

The Hans ? Point of view video with sound effects was funny as all heck !! And it looks like he met his doppelganger (twin) ! Cool video and Happy Holiday !

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

hehehe, one of my favourite bits too :D I couldn't believe it when we he met his new girlfriend! I find collies tend to hate each other lol

[@gyomdelacreuse922]

welcom in France and happy new year. Nice video thanks for charing it

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Gyom de la creuse and same to you 😀

[@Hammer-jt6bz]

Happy New Year. Looks like you had a wonderful holiday. Cheers

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks, we did :D Happy new year!

[@MrGeoffreySmith]

Great fun! I'm really glad you decided to make it into one vid and not break it up into two 😀

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Yes, me too :) I really didn't want to break it in to two when I so badly want to move on to my next project :)

[@MrGeoffreySmith]

The Carpenter's Daughter And I'm already looking forwards to it 😀

[@josepherwin8709]

Looks like you had a lovely holiday!

[@keithventham1822]

Looks like you had a great time fair play to you. Silly faces loads of food and drinks sounds like my type of holiday. Lol on the beach at the end cheers guys. Bit late but happy new year to you all.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

haha... couldn't believe the waves changed so fast! lol. I'm glad we got it on film though 😆 Happy new year to you too! :)

[@cyndifoore7743]

Great video!!! I’ve wanted to go to all the places you visited, maybe someday. You have to come to the states. I’m new to your channel but I’m subscribing.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Cyndi Foore! It would be cool to film a road trip there :)

[@TheAndyAlker]

Thanks for the links and the hints n tips. Great video. ☺️

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Glad to hear you might find them useful :)

[@CruisingTheCut]

Tres bien. Merci.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Vous êtes le bienvenu monsieur David.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Well now you're stretching my pre-"O level" French but I understood "David" ;-)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+CruisingTheCut haha... I had to google translate of course to reply back 😄

[@Adrian-AosFotos-Irish]

This was a fun video ,cheers

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+Adrian AosFotos glad you enjoyed the journey 😀

[@sallyann1615]

Our 3 love Somme Aire whenever we stop there. We do go over via Chunnel so we don't have to leave the pups in the car.

[@Highlandboxes]

I really enjoyed the vlog thanks for the trip to France very enjoyable :-)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks Pam +Highlandboxes, glad you enjoyed 😄

[@stevienicks8228]

Excellent video 👍👍 🇫🇷

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Steven Mellor 😀

[@Andy182w]

Less than 2 mins in and your popping a beverage. What’s not to like. Cracking watch.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+Andy182w haha... it's relaxing time 😀 bloody lovely that cider! Glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@KWSSERVICES]

Hi, appreciate the candour of your vids - excellent. Always amusing and 'this is the way it is' approach which is refreshing to see. I think the creatures on the bottle are goose barnacles. Regards

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks :) No point in sugar coating everything 😄 And yes... those look like them!! Creepy things! First page on google "How to cook them"... yuck, not for me lol

[@KWSSERVICES]

Agreed about wanting to eat the goose barnacles - why would you want to eat them if you can eat real food! (however if there was absolutely nothing else to eat, I would prefer them to eating snails or slugs!). As to your videos, I complement you on straightforward words of advise which are well thought out and practical. Importantly you also cover some of the 'and if it does go wrong....' moments as well. We often learn more in life by understanding what the problem was, what went wrong, what could have be done differently etc than getting something right first time. Cutting wood is a prime example. As a youngster I was given a saw and pile of wood one time when I just could not get the hang of cutting a 90 deg angle. I was told to go and practice. After probably 100 cuts I began to get the hang of it. 40 years on, sometimes things just don't go right, but practicing means it goes right more times than it goes wrong! Regards and well done.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +KWSSERVICES 😀 There's nothing more frustrating when things aren't working, so if I can save someone the hassle, then great 😀

[@terrortorn]

Those thingies are Goose Barnacles. A delicacy in Spain, maybe France too.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+terrortorn yak yak yak lol

[@terrortorn]

No really they are Goose Barnacles, " Pedunculata". In parts of Spain and Portugal they sell them served with vinegar in cafes and restaurants. Seeing as they are attached to a bottle they may well have bobbed along to that part of France. As Crocodile Dundee would say "you could live on it.... but"

[@14DaveS]

Thanks for sharing Vikkie... looks like you had a great time and seen quite a lot during your time there.... All the Best for 2018 :)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks and you too :)

[@fjon4060]

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Vikkie 🎂 Mr. Vikkie is a Formula 1 fan? OUTSTANDING! Me too. This Indy car racing in the US is 💩😡. It’s none of my business, but we get to meet Mr. Vikkie some day? And if you guys ever to to Dallas/Ft Worth Texas ( just don’t come from May- September. It’s hotter than hell. I can point you in the right direction for the best food TexMex, BBQ, Steaks etc. There is always something going in DFW. And it cheap! Gas( petrol ) is $2.00 a gallon not a liter. Rooms hotels/motels or you can rent a house for a day,week or month fairly cheap. There would be so many interesting smells for Hans. He wold love it and you guys would to. I can teach Mr. Vikkie how to spit Texas style. That would be huge back in the UK. Looks like your vacation was a big success and a lot of fun. I happy for the 3 of you. All the best to all.

[@asboss63]

What a great video....subscribing 👍

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+asboss63 thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@888johnmac]

about 10mins in.. love the Pulp Fiction quote

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Hahaha, why on earth can't we have beers here with our McDonalds?

[@paulyh4531]

That was a lovely video of your holiday , you have such a happy personality Vikki looked like Hans enjoyed it to . Thanks for sharing it with us all. And happy birthday 21 again is it ? 😉👍👍🐕

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Hahaha +Pauly H, I wish but much wiser now I hope lol. And thanks :)

[@stripfix1979]

What a great vid...

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Cheers 😀

[@Fsmilytvxyz]

What is the Tent that is used around the van at the camp site in France ? Do use alway take the dog when use go out or is he kept in van when use are out ?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

It's a side awning. The only time we have to leave Hans in the van is when we need to go to a supermarket. If it's a hot day, then only one of us goes in. We miss out on a lot of indoor touristy places because Hans gets upset when we leave him but I'd rather him not get stressed.

[@johnfitzpatrick2083]

Great vid

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+John Fitzpatrick thank you :)

[@JohnClothier]

That was really interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks John :D

[@AndyCPugh]

Looks like you had a cracking trip!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks +Andy Pugh - just what I needed 😉

[@johnboyc8924]

That's a long ass video but I enjoyed it 😀 let me ask you something.... have you ever wished you went for a larger van? Great video

[@darrenhanburyjones294]

Hi love the video's, what awning do you use?

[@clairehiggins7120]

Nice. Great video thanks for all the work you put into in. I wanted to have bought my van by now but Iv been ill with my kidney for the last month, I can’t wait to get something built and hit the road. How did your gas heater work out for you and if you could do it over again would you go for a diesel heater instead? I’m still,trying to make my mind up but I’m leaning towards diesel with a separate diesel tank.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

If money was no object +claire higgins then I would totally get a diesel heater installed :) We've had some teething troubles with it but that's our fault as it has sensors we need to read up on in the manual to reset it. The lights have different sequences that mean different things.

[@clairehiggins7120]

I really appreciate you getting back to me, thank you 😘

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

No problems +claire higgins, I'm here to help if I can 😀

[@ParallaxRS]

How do you find the space in the SWB Vito for the two of you and Hans? Would it be a squeeze if you hadn't have fitted the seat swivels? I was thinking of converting a Vito, however, didn't want to mess with the SRS fix you had to do etc (Was that tricky by the way?) - Was wondering whether it would be ample room with just the rock and roll bed for two adults to eat on a table? / Sleep etc? Love your videos, by the way! My partner and I are looking to do a European tour when we get ours! I binged watched your whole series in about 2 days I think haha!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

We find the space fine +Parallax but height wise my other half complains as her 6ft. The SRD was a bloody nightmare! We bought a little adapter thing for it (can't remember the name) but took it to 3 garages with a STAR system and they couldn't do it.. each time £40 and wouldn't work. In the end we had to take it to a Mercedes garage. Probably not worth it. It's handy to have swivel seats but rarely use the driver side. Also of we had a family, we'd probably have to get a bigger van. Also, there's plenty room for us sleeping. And you can't really sit to eat at the table as it's quite high, so we use food trays instead. 2 days of binge watching s HARDCORE lol

[@droses1600]

Excellent vid - we all appreciate seeing what you saw and experienced on your hols. So are you happy with all the conversion aspects of your van that now makes it practical, warm and comfortable on a day-to-day basis? Or will we be seeing a few "tweaks & upgrades" vlogs in 2018 perhaps?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks :D I will be doing a van tour very soon! The only reason I haven't done one is we keep moving where we keep things and continuously buying extra bits and bobs lol. I'd like to talk about the heater in more detail too as it has quite a few sensors and often needed resetting. I'd like to think we'll get a pop top done this year, but it's not a priority at the moment :(

[@droses1600]

And as a bonus, we even got some bustin' dance moves at 2m30s....

[@droses1600]

Quote: "I feel like a scrubber in Monaco". Vikkie, you never look like a scrubber, even when you're laying gravel, putting up fence panels or making your garden gate!!!!!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+d roses thought I'd replied to you! I'll definitely be talking about the van adjustments during a van tour soon! We're always moving/changing things here and there, so haven't felt ready to film it yet. Sadly missed my dance in my last one, but I thought whacking to Doris Day took it's place 😄

[@Bazza1973ify]

Van full of love toys......... Now that's got me thinking...... Is that the content of the next video?? 😆

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

😃 Just some Christmas presents lol

[@Bazza1973ify]

The Carpenter's Daughter you'll tell us anything & expect us to believe it Lol 😅

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+Bazza B what happens in France, stays in France 😆

[@RSPYT]

Ahh the old Dartford crossing, for some reason I've always thought you lived in Basildon, am I right?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

No but I know it well :)

[@Brasso182]

Great video looked like you had a good time, did your other half drive the F1 circuit ?. it's nice to know other people still call it a moist maker I've had some funny looks off friends when I've offered them one. 👍

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Haha +Brasso, people's looks are funny with the word "moist" lol. No sadly not. He did look for it but said nothing looked familiar.

[@sroberts605]

lol, you're all as mad as each other!! (that includes the dog)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+S Roberts quite possibly 😄😄😄

[@stevenmerriman9419]

Great video, approximately how much was your crossing?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks :) This time it cost about £190 return including the dog. In Summer it was about £220. I'd looked on several sites and the cheapest I could get it was through the Camping and Caravanning Club with around a 10% discount. Then there's an additional £40 vet fee at the other end if you have a dog too

[@MsPdog1]

You move me baby. Bravo Bravo..

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

😄 +bob smith

[@raccoonradar]

Your accent sounds local to me, are you from south ish of Doncaster?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Armthorpe originally :)

[@davewilliams355]

Vikki, their called eeky orible mingin french shells mate.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

😂

[@clarkspiemuncher24]

What app did you use to find the aires please

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

1 week free trial from this app: www.campercontact.com/en/content/app?fromsso=1 & www.park4night.com/

[@josepherwin8709]

The music is to conceal the sounds of your activities in the toilette...🧐🤔😳😂

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

+Joseph Erwin haha, why on earth had I never thought of that lol

[@Merc-Rover]

Why pay to camp? It's so easy to stealth!

[@skyhigheagleer6]

Lol instant Audi's driving like idiots over the bridge

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

When you're on the road for so long, you really do see some silly drivers lol... same goes for anywhere I suppose ;)

[@josepherwin8709]

I’m a truck driver in California, US. It’s the same here. Prius drivers get a special ‘shout-out’ for what I call Manifest Destiny Driving. That’s what I call it when people drive like they’re the most important person on the road.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

I can't stand drivers like that +Joseph Erwin 😠 lol