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From Cadiz to Izmir and beyond

591 views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  patp 
#1 ·
Hi Newbie here....thought i would post this here rather than in the newbie section if thats ok?

This bloody virus thingy eh? 12 months ago we had a thriving business on the south coast of Spain (Cadiz) An English academy which was doing quiet nicely and all seemed tickety boo Then a huge left covid hook out of nowhere and we are on the canvass seeing stars and spitting teeth.

After picking ourselves up and dusting down we decided over the summer that this virus isn't going away any time soon and the viability of a small Language school in a town already creaking with high unemployment (the worst in Europe at over 50%) was untenable.

So we started to formulate an idea. The missus is Turkish and we own a small property in Izmir. So we started to talk about selling up, buying a motorhome and taking a year off to take a slooooow journey back to Turkey. The idea being that if a second wave comes we would be completely self sufficient and could just go off grid if needed.

We have never owned or even rented a motorhome before, so this sounded like a bat s**t crazy idea, just my cup of tea!
Well the day of reckoning is nigh, we take delivery of our 2 year old Fiat Challenger genesis 288 130 cv this week. We move out of our apartment 3rd October and Vamos!

Our journey will take us initially around Spain for a week or two (id rather be in a country where we can speak the lingo until we have acclimatised to life in a Motorhome. So From Cadiz due north to Gijon, along the north coast to Bilbao then south to Zaragosa then to Barcelona where we plan to get a ferry across to Rome. The we will have to plan the second part of our trip to Izmir depending on country restrictions RE Covid.

We plan to document out trip and maybe write a blog/Vlog about our journey to show newbies how NOT to do it!

Any tips or advice before we set out on our epic journey would be appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
Make sure that you have a proper insurance green card. I printed one off the Internet onto plain paper, not acceptable in some Balkans countries. Albania had to pay a 50 euro "surcharge" and same in Bosnia. Or you could go Romania/Bulgaria if it's not the depth of winter. Have a great adventure.
 
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#3 ·
Ironically our son living in Kusadasi Turkey is now selling up and hoping to relocate to Spain. But the market in Turkey is slow due to lack of visitors.
Yes let us know how you get on. Our son got fed up with the Turkish Manyana and big hammer to fix everything.

Ray.
 
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#4 ·
Michael, welcome.


The plan for the trip sounds OK and fun as long as you do a lot of research about how to do it.


Are you planning to stay in Turkey? Presumably your wife has relatives and friends who can keep her briefed on life there now.


My OH's sister moved there from London some 15-20 years ago, with the proceeds of half a flat in Kensington, and her life-style has gone downhill since then. The way Erdogan is running the country it looks as though things will continue that way.


Geoff
 
#5 ·
Hi Michael. Cadiz to Izmir - sounds so romantic!

I'd take a lot longer moseying round Spain! Do you need to book the ferry to Rome or can you just rock up when it suits you?

You might want to stay in familiar surroundings for a week or so till you've worked out how everything functions.

Are you going to be using campsites or staying off-grid?

Can't wait to hear more about your adventure!
 
#6 ·
We lived full time in our motorhome and wintered in Spain and Portugal. It is perfectly doable but it does take a certain mindset. Laundry it the biggest headache so try to take "easy care" clothes and linen.

As for Turkey, we had a wonderful, long time, member on here who spent a lot of time out there but has given up now and has chosen Portugal as his base.
 
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