We booked a larger unit at the South Paris (France) depot, a Dethleffs A68 Sunlight, for this trip as there would be three adults for our 25 day adventure in France and Spain. My wife and I both had an International Driver's Licence.

Ideamerge/McRent and South Paris were excellent to deal with. We were able to leave our cardboard bicycle boxes in their storage area. The office and RV staff were friendly. There were no delays when we arrived for pick-up nor when we returned for drop-off.

Unfortunately, we had approximately 600 euro damage due to the RV size. The Dethleffs A68 Sunlight was easy to drive on the freeways and there were no motor problems. We would travel over 7,000 kilometers.

Our rented dish package was adequate but we did purchase wine glasses and a drip coffee pot, and of course a bucket for the dish wash-up areas. We brought matches with us, duct tape and some cleaners; i.e. SOS, cut wax polish, dish soap, dish sponge and towels. We brought our own bedding. We brought with us a small carpet mat that was recommended in a review that kept sand and dirt to a minimum in the RV. We brought a small RV broom with us. Our rented table and chairs were adequate; however, we were glad we brought two folding chairs with us which we left behind in the recycle area of the last campsite along with the carpet mat.

We nicknamed our trip The Amazing Race with Speed Bumps. Four important notes to avoid "speed bumps":
(1) Check the RV over carefully inside and outside ... take your time ... and why not even open the awning,look at the RV's roof and bike rack too; check the bathroom area and make sure the tap will not start to run water while en route and fill up the shower area, start all the propane stove burners and see if they work, open and close all the cabinet doors;
(2) Understand how the bathroom cassette system works, and it is also very important to understand how the grey water system works to avoid foul smells;
(3) Check the gas gauge before you leave the depot;
(4) Know how to use reverse!!!

My wife and I researched campsites on the ACSI Eurocamping.eu website and made some reservations ahead of time. You could purchase a Camping Card but we chose not to do so. On this trip we did not require hotel accommodations as the pickup/drop-off times would fit into our itinerary. We brought three folding bicycles for the trip. Campsites were chosen so we could travel by train or bus to tour major cities and also tour some smaller towns.

Again our Tom-Tom GPS was invaluable though it was a bit of a learning curve to get to an exact address. My wife found that the nearer we got to a town she could finally enter the street name and/or address and we would find the campsite much quicker than at the start of the trip. Arriving in Toledo we had a taxi drive my wife and sister to Camping El Greco while I followed in the RV. Saved frayed nerves and we had plenty of time to enjoy our evening tour of Toledo. The GPS and the map we had printed up for this campsite with many roundabouts was confusing. Of course easy enough to find in hindsight so leaving town was easy.

The itinerary: Two nights in the Loire Valley at Parc du Val de Loire (self tour of Amboise and Chenonceau); two nights Camping Le Brasilia (relax at the pool and tour Collioure - Carcassonne also close by; three nights on the beach at Camping Bon Repos in Santa Susanna (1 hour train to Barcelona for self tour Ramblas, Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell) and took guided tour via Julia Travel of Montserrat; two nights Camping La Manga near Cartagena (tour with a motorhome through Valencia for a Harley-Davidson T-shirt not recommended especially during hours for siesta ... but we found a great grocery store and loved the scenery, just not the traffic); two nights Camping Maria Eugenia in Granada (self tour of Nerja on Costa Del Sol on the way to Granada and guided tour of The Alhambra, free tapas when you order a drink we found in downtown Granada much to our surprise, and we booked a guided night tour of Sacromonte from the campsite to see the lights of The Alhambra at night and enjoy Zambra (flamenco) Dance; two nights near Sevilla at Camping Villsom, Dos Hermanas (self tour of Cordoba on the way to Sevilla and Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour in Sevilla); one night Camping El Greco, Toledo (5 minute bus trip to Plaza Zocodover for self guided evening and morning tour); three nights Camping Escorial (base to tour Avila, Madrid and Segovia); two nights Camping Igueldo, San Sebastian-Donostia (self tour of scenic town, La Concha Beach and Promenade and enjoy tapas); long drive north for two nights Camping St. Michel to tour Mont St. Michel Abbey and D-Day beaches; one night Campsite La Briquerie (rode bikes down the hill into Honfleur from the campsite); two nights Campsite Huttopia in Versailles (less than 10 minute walk to the Porchefontaine train station for a 20 minute trip to Eiffel Tower, and evening and day self-guided tour of Paris by Metro); time to pack, clean up the RV and head to Paris South depot by 11 a.m. in Paris rush hour. We made it!

As my sister says now in looking back, we had some trying times but a lot of good times too. Drove a long way. We saw a lot of beautiful and historic sites, enjoyed our share of Sangria, wine, Calvados ... and who can forget the great tapas bars!

My wife and I look forward to more travel in Europe. This time we might even consider a Volkswagen California style of camper. We enjoyed the Compact Standard Globescout Fiat Ducati on our first trip.

Hope this review is helpful in your travel plans to Europe via RV.

Chris Wall, 11 august 2011
Myself and wife, plus another couple, rented a 6/7 berth motorhome from Avis, with a pick up in Paris, for a 22 day hire. The van had a fixed double bed over the front and 2 fixed bunks in the rear, which is exactly what we required. No bed assembly necessary and dining area usable at all times. Good for poor sleepers. Instructions at pick up we very vague and shown video was not our vehicle so was somewhat useless. Quality of equipment supplied was very poor and only covered the bare essentials. No drinking glasses, no kettle, no teapot and no real cooking implements. Hired pillows were cushions and required us to replace at our cost. Internal maintenance of vehicle was poor with doors not shutting or rattling and goods flying about until I fixed everything. Simple jobs Avis should do before each hire. The van itself was a delight to drive (Fiat Ducato) and the accommodation worked extremely well. Storing suitcases for 4 adults was extremely awkward, taking up valuable space, which is not provided for in these vans. Hire companies should offer storage space for these at their depots. The holiday the van was hired for was fabulous and we would hire another van without a second thought to do another tour, especially now we know the pit falls. Only change we would make would be to hire a narrower van as it is very stressful driving the minor roads of France in something this wide. Managed to destroy the passengers mirror in a really narrow encounter and got stuck twice, requiring some nifty reversing. Cost of mirror replacement was shown in manual at 348euros so no shocks when vehicle returned, and cost very reasonable. This was our first Motorhome hire anywhere, so it was a new experience for us. Idealmerge was excellent in its professionalism and information, and was most competative with its price. Would certainly use them again and recommend others to do the same. A great holiday and a great way to travel. Pity Avis could not offer better service, equipment and care.

Judy Brower, 08 august 2011
8 week campervan through France, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and then back to France to drop off in Bordeaux which we had picked it up.
We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teenagers) and I had specifically asked for 4 beds that were fixed and did not need to be made every day. However, the van we got - even though it was very comfortable, had a pull-down double bed above the kitchen which was not what I was anticipating. We were travelling for 8 weeks and wanted to be sure that we had somewhere we could just rest as a couple. But not a major issue.
The van was a Fiat Ducati and the pickup was good although the young guy at McRent in Bordeaux could speak some English it was not entirely fluent. I can speak some French so it did help.
We spent hours trying to get our luggage (hard suitcases) into the back so fit with the table and the chairs which I thought were far too big really. They were very comfy and we eventually worked out a system to get everything in. The van was brand new - only 22 km on the clock. Wonderful to drive but it meant every problem/scratch was visible.
I had forgotten that there were no sheets/bedding/towels/pillows/duvets supplied so we had to go and buy these.
Also there were no mugs for tea or coffee - just tiny espresso sized cups which were great for a small coffee.
Also no teapot or coffee pot - which I think should be in the van.
The toilet and shower worked very well, as did the heater of water and the stove. There was plenty of storage space for our clothes and food.
The design of the van was such that you could not put a bin on the door - which I would recommend. Easy access to outside.

Had I known better - I would have rather rented a van which was a little narrower - as the roads in Europe are incredibly narrow and we had so many near hits it was terrifying. Rather longer but not wider.
We enjoyed the van and we had a few scrapes along the way and when we returned the van - they checked it for problems and the cost came to 1750 Euro and when we checked the Excess amount on the contract - it was 1800Euro. I had misread this on the contract and was horrified and it spoilt our whole holiday. We had paid virtually 4500 Euro for the 8 weeks to rent the van - and now we had to pay nearly half that again! We should have read the small print better but I do think that they should have made us more aware of it.
I feel that the cost of fixing things we broke we could have had fixed for less and I felt that we were being taken advantage of.

We were also only given a full map of France with its campsites when I had specifically said we were going to other countries. I would have expected them to supply more info on other countries too.

Generally a great holiday - and would recommend it but READ THE SMALL PRINT!

Mom-daughter adventure, 02 october 2010
My daughter and I had a terrific time driving our camper from Paris South through Germany down to Venice, then Switzerland and back to Paris South. Sadly the only disappointment was the Paris South Depot. Ideamerge, however, was convenient, excellent at answering my questions and helpful. Once they handed me over to the depot though, things fell apart.

-- We arrived early. We were booked for 1:30pm pick up. At 1:45 someone finally arrived to the empty depot. I walked over and said in my best French if he was there to help....he waved me off and said he was going to finish his lunch. I was appalled, and he laughed at me to his buddy and made me wait until 2pm. I shook it off as he then tried to explain, only in French, how the camper worker. I absorbed about half of it, and hoped for the best. I just wanted to get out of there.

-- I paid a prep-fee so assumed (like a rental car) that they would clean it upon my return -- I paid 100 dollars for the prep-fee. I did empty the chemical toilet of course, but the floors and counters were not spotless inside (no brooms provided). When we went to drop it off the woman actually scolded me for it being dirty. Seriously! They redeemed themselves by driving us to the train station when I asked but everyone in Europe was so wonderful, except the people I paid to rent from....I wouldn't go back to them. It was like they were doing me some kind of favour...for 1200 Euro.

-- I left my ipod in the glove box, and wrote them when I got back to Canada a month ago. They haven't written back at all. I guess my ipod is gone.

So again, loved Ideamerge....did not enjoy Paris South pick up...

A.B, 12 september 2010
Great experience again with Idea Merge, the camper we got was excellent quality and the service provided by the depot people in Lyon was good as well. The only thing that was not brought to our attention in advance was that the depot is not working between 12.00 and 14.00 which put us under time pressure when returning the camper....

Julio, 12 september 2010
We had an amazing time in France following the Tour de France, and riding the epic climbs of the Alps & Pyreenes. IdeaMerge helped make everything simple and well supported. We were able to find numerous RV parks along our impromptu route, and the RV was perfect. I highly recommend this mode of travel especially when you want a more versatile itinerary.

Peter Went, 12 september 2010
We rented a camper through IdeaMerge. That process was quite simpel and straightforward. They supplied lots of information. The only (negative) surprise was that we agreed on a price and because they charge my credit card in two phases and the exchange rate changed in the meantime, I ended up paying more. Ideamerge blamed this on the exchange rate fluctuation, which I think is unfair because we agreed on a EURO price. Anyhow, it was less than 100 EURO.

Collecting the vehicle was a good experience. Only the camper made available to us was one size smaller than we had contracted. The contracted camper would allow my wife and I to sleep together in one double bed. The camper we got had two beds above each other. Not nice of course. It is not about the money (smaller camper supposedly being cheaper, but we deliberately ordered the bigger one).

The camper itself was good and was easy to drive. There was a camera mounted in the rear, so you could see the space behind the camper at the dashboard. It was suffiently equipped. Silly we had to rent table and chairs seperately. One would expect this to be standard equipment. But that's not a complaint, we knew about that upfront.

Returning the camper was less an experience. They claimed there were scratches on the camper. Maybe so, but they were not at all deep. You cannot expect such a rental camper to remain flawless. That costed us another 130 EURO to have them polish those claimed scratches. Although my wife cleaned the camper. the found it not clean enough. We could either pay for them to clean it, or clean there and then on the spot. We did the latter.

Anyhow, the experience was ok'ish. The holiday was great. So we decided not to make a huge fuzz out of the above negatives.

Albert Farha, 11 september 2010
We have rented campers in Europe 7 times. The last 4 through Idea Merge. Doug Bredesen and his staff are the best to work with. And from a cost stanpoint compared to the other rental companies they are very competitive.

We stared our trip June 16 2010 and had the camper until Aug 2nd.

We have always tried to rent the camper out of Germany instead of Paris.This time we decided to try Paris again. The pickup was as we rembered the people where very nice at the Avis pickup station.
How ever as we also remebered the Campers from France can not hold a candle to those in France. Mecanical they are the same FIAT Diesels great on fuel and plenty of power. We got a brand new one but the entieror quality is nothing compared to the German Camper(in 2007 we got a brand new one in Frankfurt).

At pickup (we paid extra to have someone from the camper rental pick us up) we encountered the first problem we were supose to have a camper that slept 3 adults hovever they tried to give us one that only slept two adults. We said no and showed them the one we were supose to get. They were nice about changing to the right camper but it delayed our pickup until 2 pm instead of 11am.

After we got on our way we found that the provided cooking pans, dishs, silverware to be less then desirable. (the german campers have everything perfect typical german) Anyway because of our past experience we bought some of are own equipment(wine glasses, knifes etc) We allways bring our own linnens etc.

Once on the road we enjoyed are camper. The main problem was that when you put the refegerator on 12 volt it would only work when the ignition was on. So we put it on butane when not hooked up to 220. That worked fine.

As always we enjoyed this way of traveling because europe has the best campsites in the world.

Also they do not have all these ughe motor homes with generators running all the time.

We put more 6000km and we toured Italy, France and Spain. ITALY is still the most resoneable.

Any way all and all we loved are triped. We are very sad to say that europe is beginning to cater to fast and cheaper foods. ITALY is still the best but all and all you see things like bigger motor homes, less tents, and English influence food. To bad Europe is loosing its different way fo eatin and enjoying good food and wine.

Again thanks to Idea Merge

Dutch (Albert) Farha

Shane Fowler, 24 july 2010
Thanks to Idamerge for an easy booking and great
price($1200 cheaper than our travel agent)for our
motorhome.
The pickup in Paris is a little difficult to get to
from the Centre of Paris (2 trains and a cab) and
took us a little longer than expected meaning we
didin't get to the depot until 11am and they were a
little un-organised so we started our pick up but
had to wait for them to get back from there lunch
(12-1.30pm) to continue our collection.
We picked up a brand new Fiat Ducato which was very
well laid out and easy to use. The only thing with
the van was it had no stabilisers so it was a bit
rocky when stopped at night.
The utensils were very basic with only one very
small sharp knife and the lids did't match the
saucepans.
The sheets didn't fit the matresses properly and
the the blankets were not very warm.
The van performed faultlessly for the 4000km we did
across Europe. A couple of close calls on some
narrow streets, but we returned the van without a
mark on it. I would highly recommend driving a
campervan across Europe. The tolls a fairly high in
France, but most other countries the prices were
reasonable. Finding parking in large cities is a bit
of an issue with the van, but with some planning you
can usually find somewhere near public transport not
too far from the city if you want to go sight
seeing.
It is time to start saving so we do another
mtorohome trip and will be booking again with
Ideamerge.

Cottinghams, 22 july 2010
Ideamerge were very efficient in arrangements. Collection at Rouen was also very good. We hired a 4 berth camper which was brand new and we were very pleased with its performance and comfort. Only critism would be that the hired kitchen set was very basic with no lids for pans, no strainer, no wine bottle opener, no frying pan, no washing up bowl, no dust pan and a number of other little extras that we had to purchase.

Radek Maly, 20 july 2010
Very happy with our 1 week rental. Almost new vehicle, clean. No problems at all. The only thing was that for some reason there was no radio. But at least we spend more time talking that way.
The rental office near Bordeaux airport was very helpful and friendly, givings us a ride twice to the airport.

Robyn Swanepoel, 19 july 2010
IdeaMerge were highly organised efficient company and would definitely use them again. The vehicle was amazing and brand new, and everything worked perfectly. Very comfortable for 4 of us (5 berth) and not cramped at all. The vehicle was fairly wide, so we kept to High-Ways where possible to avoid the stress of little streets. This was costly in tolls, but much quicker as more relaxing to drive on. The collection was much longer than we anticipated as the linen and petrol were not already prepared. Took 2 hours to get it together as they were low on staff, so did not manage to drive very far on the first day. The linen that we paid for was not great at all and mismatched with awful blankets and pillows. The crockery and cuttlery and mugs and glasses were old and not great, especially for a brand new van. Basics such as a little basin to wash up in was not provided, so we bought that and left it with the van. Other than that, it is the perfect way to travel through Europe with a 10 and 14 year old. Great experiences. 5 Countries in 19 days. 3900km. The little blue booklet that was provided was a life-saver. A fantastic holiday!!!

Wendy Scribner, 03 july 2010
Idea-Merge as arranger was terrific and details were spelled out clearly. Overall, experience of traveling in Provence by camper was great except for a few problems that we should have anticipated, I suppose. We would have preferred a smaller type van, but apparently that isn't available (anywhere in France?). Our camper was certainly comfortable, but we are a couple and didn't need facilities to sleep four. It (a Fiat Moo-veo) was too wide to maneuver safely down many narrow roads in Provence, which are really not two full lanes, so we actually had to forgo visiting several of the little towns we had planned to see, such as Lacoste and Menerbes. And going through several towns, looking for a place to park, on street or in a lot, was often quite hair-raising, and in one town, we actually bumped into a building wall when a car passed us, tore a small hole in the side and had to pay the damage at the end, naturally. Supplies we bought (though we hadn't actually expected them to be on camper) were chairs for sitting outside,and coffee cups. One more thing: we left the rental place before fully understanding how all the equipment (ie. heater, which we needed in May, and stove)worked, so had to return the next day (retracing over fifty miles)for a clearer explanation. (Didn't trust our French on phone.)But thanks, Idea-Merge, for arrangements!

elisa mendonça rohny menezes, 16 may 2010
Ariving in Brazil only now - here is our coments about the time we were your clients:
It was a VERY GOOD way to travel,we were very well impressed by the treatment in Nantes,where we have to tank all the staff but specially to VIRGINIE with
all the profissionalism and simpaty and the young Sandrine taking care of details inside de motohome.
It was quite a trip I can tell you (with all the vulcan's demarches...But iniciating with your staff our 45 days trip had is magic granted!!!!)
TILL NEXT TIME!

The Slatter Family, 20 november 2009
The booking, pick-up and drop-off were all fine, even though this was our first experience in a campervan. The only criticism we have is that several things in the van didn't work properly (eg. the blinds, the insect screens, a cupboard door, the fridge locks, etc) and the bedding and linen was terrible. I agree with another review - that more basics could be provided (decent glasses and mugs) as well as cleaning products.

the bredmears, 19 november 2009
We really liked our motor home rental. The pick up and drop off were
easy and efficient and the vehicle itself was just as we expected.
Thanks very much

A.B., 02 october 2009
Indeed loosing the sunglasses was quite painful (it takes 5 weeks to get the new ones!) but other than that we really enjoyed the holiday in a camper and rental is a good option for us as we have a limited number of holidays per year.

Everything went smooth from our point of view, from reservation, payment, handing over, etc and the few things that we noted as not working properly were reported when we gave back the car. I would say that it was really important to me to have somebody to talk to when doing the reservation and payment as we had some issues with our bank and talking to you colleague settled the matters quicker and easier.

So in case we will plan another camper holiday (very likely to) you we'll be the first we turn to

Kate, 27 september 2009
We rented our motor home in Annecy and spent a week in Italy.
Nothing bad to say except when we tried to pay the damage
deposit, neither our Amex or Visa credit cards worked. Thank
goodness my hubby had his Mastercard with him or I don't know
what we would have done.

Josie Sinclair, 26 august 2009
This was the 4th time that we have followed the TOUR de France in a camper, and easily the best way of doing it. The vehicle was reliable and comfortable for 3 people but could not have accommodated a couple and 2 other adults.Altho the blurb stated that you may not get that in the picture this was significantly smaller.
Unfortunately had to purchase quite a few basics which should have come with van -fittings for hose so could get water, enough mugs for3 poeple to have a coffee, board so didn't cut on bench, all cleaning equiptment so could return van clean . However loved the trip.

Dan Hazzard, 26 august 2009
We rented in Lille, France for a two-week sojourn. The beginning
of this adventure was awkward, to say the least - the depot was
hard to find, there was no one who spoke english, some notes
about prepaid services were not accounted for - but once we got
going, things kind of worked out.
Everything seemed to work as it should, with one exception. We
discovered a few days into the trip that the refrigerator would only
work when we were connected to external electricity, but we
learned to adapt to this. And aside from needing to purchase a
broom and dustpan for the interior and a longer extension cord for
the exterior electrical hookups, the vehicle was well equipped.
I'm looking forward to another trip around Europe in a camper.

Julie and Dave Rogers - United States, 26 august 2009
We traveled to France for a month during the Tour de France in late June/all of July 2009. It was the first time we had ever rented a motor home or had driven in France and we were pleasantly surprised by the helpfulness of IdeaMerge, both in the States (Doug!) and out of Barcelona, as we needed English-speaking assistance. We picked up our vehicle in Nice and it was perfect. Laurent spoke English and was extremely helpful. We had a little difficulty getting the refrigerator to work, but figured it out after a few days.

We brought a Garmin GPS from home with a French chip and never would have survived without it. Laurent had maps that he loaned us for the trip, which were also extremely helpful. We also had appropriate dishes (though plastic would have made more sense - and made less noise!), utensils, broom & dustpan, etc. We would have liked to have had foldable chairs to sit outside (good addition?) as the weather was fabulous, but we couldn't enjoy sitting in it.

We did need assistance from IdeaMerge during our trip and they were fantastic in their quick response. We would recommend them in an instant to anyone traveling to Europe!

Mal Fox, 08 june 2009
Picked up the vehicle in Lyon, wrong address given
for Camping car 69. but the taxi driver got the
correct address from the 'phone No., which was
correct.
Arrived late due train delays just before closing
time, but apart from saying we should have been
there in the morning, everything was OK.
Adequate linen and duvets supplied (Mar/Apr), full
tanks, water and fuel, 2 gas bottles, full, useful
books on camping, incl. FREE areas on motorways.

On return, very efficient handling of vehicle return
Very satisfactory all round.

Note from IdeaMerge: Indeed the McRent Lyon depot had recently moved a couple of blocks down the street, although we weren't informed about this change. Our deepest apologies and thanks go to this client. We've straightaway corrected our McRent France Locations page.

Pam Symons, 31 august 2008
We collected our van from Nantes, we had a bit of trouble at the depot, as they had prepared the wrong van for us but when mistake realised van was changed over, but the process was very long, took over 3 1/2 hours, even though we had sent all our information through previously. Van was in immaculate condition, beigh that it was almost new. Had no problems on our two weeks travelling in France, which was an amzing holiday, would recommend to anyone and will probable do again in the near future. When we returned van we were again kept for a long period again whilst they went over everything, we had cleaned the van inside and out, but they insisted that it wasn't clean enough as they found dust in a storage box, that we didn't even know existed, so we were charged for cleaning, which was disappointing as we had gone out of our way to keep van clean, and seeing as no cleaning equipment supplied, not even a broom, or a dust cloth, that wasn't easy. Staff were quite friendly and did help us with other issues. We would most probably hire through them again, but take a broom next time.

Avis Family, Ontario, Canada, 27 august 2008
Executive Summary - Had a great time. Camper was an ideal way to travel for our family. Would do it again.

Our family of 5 (parents and 3 teenage sons) had a fantastic 2 week camping excursion around northern France starting the last week of July 2008. We arrived in Paris on a Wednesday and spent two nights in a wonder hotel just one block away from Notre Dame Cathedral (Hotel Europe St. Severin). We returned to the same hotel of our last night before heading home. Our camper pick up was at the Rennes depot. We took the high speed TVG train to Rennes and luckily found a taxi van to carry our group plus a mountain of luggage. The depot is about 20 minutes from the train station.

Faxing in the rental information prior to leaving Canada really helped to streamline the process for signing out the camper. The staff at the rental shop were courteous and helpful. We had a reasonably detailed briefing of the ins and outs of the camper and were on the road in about 1.25 hours. We had the Family Luxury unit that has a huge storage bunker below the rear bed and we put that storage to use for the bulk of our luggage. The camper was brand new with only 200 km on the odometer.

When planning for the trip we purchased an SD card for our TomTom GPS with maps for all of Western Europe. We don’t know how we navigated around Europe on previous driving trips without this unit - we certainly wouldn’t attempt another trip without a GPS. It took most of the stress out of driving. Our preference - stay off of toll roads - they are typically built in never-ending ditches with no views. Go for the smaller 4-lane and 2-lane roads to see more of the country. (Set your GPS to avoid toll roads).

We brought $10 Canadian Tire summer sleeping bags with us to reduce housekeeping (as well, reviews were not very positive for the bedding package that was available). The sleeping bags worked great, and we would not have had guilty minds if we had to leave them behind to free up space in our luggage for our return flight. We also brought our own old pillows (some of those remain in France). Use the stabilizer legs under the rear carriage to reduce rocking of the vehicle when parked overnight.

The utensils, cooking equipment, dishes, etc. were adequate for our needs. Hint: pack towels or sheets around the dishes and cups when travelling to eliminate shifting of the load.

We purposely avoided using the on-board toilet. We did not realize that emptying of the dirty sink water should have been done at every possible opportunity. After about 5 days of warm summer weather an unpleasant odour was noticed and it intensified as days past. We finally figured out it was the fermenting dirty water vessel that was back gassing.

To our surprise, there was a strong-box (safe) under one of the seats for storing valuables.

We were amazed that there were essentially no bugs during our entire trip which included coastline and inland travel. The campground book provided was on little use. We had pre-purchased a Alan Rogers guide book which was of more use. Unfortunately, we were unable to purchase the interactive CD from ACSI - I think it would have been very helpful since we did bring along laptop computer to allow for email access and cataloguing of digital photographs.

We eventually discovered that campers are allowed to set up overnight at certain parking areas throughout France. One Dutch camper said there is a book that identified all of these free campsites. District information centres can point out the free campsites in their area. We utilized three of these free sites and also set up camp on residential streets on two occasions.

We wish that we would have had a few fold up chairs to use once we settled in for the night. We did not arrange for rental of the chair/table set due to comments from other reviews.

Our travels took us from Carnac, all along the D-Day Beaches, through Flanders Field (including parts of Belgium) and down the Lore Valley. A total of 2,700 km of travel was accumulated. A typical fill of diesel fuel was just of 100Euro. We had to fill up about 6 times in total.

We spent a few hours on a last night in the camper to do a thorough cleaning. No problems upon return, even though the upper corner panel had a couple of dings from encountering a tree limb. No additional charges or penalties, only the cost as per original booking arrangements.

Simon Hooton, 21 august 2008
We booked to pick up our camping car from Loisirs 44 in Nantes. The company were great but we were supplied with the wrong address for the depot. We were given 315 Route de Vannes where as the address is 316 Route de Vannes, which is about 3km away. We found it having made many phone calls on expensive mobile roaming charges, thinking all the time that the company had gone bust and we'd lost our holiday, hey ho. Once we arrived, everyone was helpful and we had a great holiday-France is brilliant for campervans. So after a bad start we had a great time!

Penny Shek, 10 august 2008
We loved our campervan holiday, but Avis Caraway, St Laurent Du Var, Nice, was disappointing.

1. We were promised maps, but all we got was one map of France. This was not helpful at all, because it was difficult to read the roads at such a small size, and some roads and suburbs were not even on it. When I asked for another map, there was only one other available (also of the whole of France), and I was not allowed to take it! We had to buy our own for 20 euros!
We did not get a list of camping grounds as promised either.

2. The bedding which we paid for, was inadequate. We booked for two, but only got one blanket. One blanket did not keep either of us warm enough at night (july, summer).

3. The cooking equipment was unsatisfactory and inadequate eg. the knife had black stuck on it, only three plates for four people, no mugs for tea, no cleaning products/sponge. The fridge was not very cold.

4. The pick up location was not easy to find especially when returning the vehicle. Again, a map of France did not suffice.

Some good points were:

1.The vehicle itself was quite new and in good condition. It had good storage, was spacious and comfortable.

2. The flyscreens on the windows.

Hannes, 28 july 2008
Picked up almost brand new camper in Paris. Well organized and friendly staff. Experienced NO PROBLEMS with van, utensils or amenities. Driving a 6 seater in Italy / France was challenging at times, but handed camper back with no scratches.

Will definitely do it again, with the same people.

Jacob Pot, 28 may 2008
Pick up and drop off in Nice. Not the most organised; but friendly and effective.

Van not as new as last time. Some minor defects. Intermittent problems with water heater and fridge. Cooking gear very minimal.

Cannot understand why a van that will sleep 6 only has four seats with seatbelts.

Otherwise would do it all again, as it is an ideal way around the area.

Tom, 22 october 2007
Picked up the vehicle in Paris. Nice, clean and comfortable, however missing were the pots/pans, cutlery, dishes and information about campsites. (Double check for those.) Other than that, great holiday, nice way to see the country.

Ken Ackley and Karen Pope, 18 october 2007
We picked up our RV just outside Paris.
It was in very clean good condition.
We were not too happy with the maps and directions given us - ended up stopping to buy an atlas after hours on the wrong highway !!
No coffee pot was a surprise seems it would be an easy thing to provide. Yes the dishes rattle around.
Sheets were just barely OK - would make a big impression to have good ones.
These complaints aside -- we loved our time in the vehicle ---camped near Samois for 6 days for a Music Festival. Great to be able to fix our meals.
Our return was seamless ...the place is NOT easy to find or get to but -the folks there are great.

Wood Family, 08 october 2007
We picked up at Paris, France, and returned to Lyon, France. Great space in van and we had a good time but a few suggestions for improvement.
1. decent maps included, the camping books were no good for actually locating the camp sites.
2. specially moulded or cut out shelves to hold the crockery to save it crashing around in the
cupboards.
3. depots miles away from anywhere, closer to airports much better. Taxi driver in Paris had no idea hence a very expensive fare!!!
4. our linen was very threadbare and very stained and smelly pillows.we had cold weather in July and one blanket wasn't enough.

pat richter, 03 october 2007
We're a couple of months late with this but, better late than never! Picked up our motorhome in Paris for a 2 week trip through parts of France, the Swiss Alps & Italy in June.It was our first time in a motorhome. Loved it. Would do it again at the drop of a hat. We recommend getting a GPS---worth it's weight in gold!The staff at the Paris depot were excellent, very friendly and all spoke English. However, we feel it should be made very clear that the actual depot isn't in Paris but in a suburb. We had been picked up at the airport and taken to the depot but it was a nightmare trying to return it because we programmed the GPS for the road in Paris(rue du Colonel de Rochebrune) and ended up all over Paris---including going up the Champs Elysees and circling the Arc de Triomphe 3 times!!! We laugh about it now but didn't at the time!The depot is actually in the suburb of Rueil and both it and Paris have a road of the same name but we were unaware of this. We should have programmed Rueil into the GPS. We weren't impressed with the table & chairs that we rented--they were basically falling apart.Other than those 2 minor things, it was a fantastic experience.So easy to just pull off somewhere and eat etc. Doug at Ideamerge answered all our questions very promptly & we'd definitely rent through Ideamerge again. We agree with a previous review--------just doit!(but get a GPS!)We're already thinking about our next trip.

Pat Richter

Anthony Cranny, 09 september 2007
We, as a family, were very impressed with the simplicity of pick-up and return of the Motor Home. July and August traffic can be horrendous but it was easy to drive, even around the streets of Paris. It was fun and we were able to see more of France than we normally do. The vehicle was in good condition, and very clean and comfortable. We shall be doing this again in the future. thankyou for a great holiday.

Kerri Ackland, 18 august 2007
Ideamerge were the perfect answer for us, as we were looking to hire a vehicle from one location and drop at another, but further to that we were hiring at very short notice. Ideamerge were extremely helpful and prompt with getting us set up with exactly what we needed and when.

We found the people at the pick up location in Marseille freindly albeit a little disorganised and the people at the drop off depot in paris exceptionally helpful and totally well organised.

The camper was in prestine condition, dishes and pots etc below average, but completely functional.

We did have an accident, which is a very complicated proceedure to work through, especially if your French is only average as mine is. And we did have a mechanical problem, which used a whole day of normal touring time, but the help desk free phone was absolutely as helpful as they could be.

I would definitely hire through Ideamerge again and we have told friends to do the same.

Jay Crystal Merz, 25 july 2007
We picked up our motorhome at Paris South. Drove it through France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Plusses.
Ideamerge personnel were helpful and responsive.
The RV was clean, new, easy to drive and quite spacious for a family of four. We saved a lot of money preparing most of our own meals. Our teenage son loved the flexibility of eating when he wanted to. The bed even fit our 6'4" son. We would do this again in a heart beat. Finding campgrounds in Europe is relatively easy, easier than finding a room every night. There were no hidden fees. The dishes were nice.
Checkout was quick and easy.
Cons
Getting to Avis for pickup was a nightmare. More assistance than "take a cab" would have made it so much easier. We took the train from Gare du Nord. We thought we were walking distance from the Bretigny train station but that was a different station. We walked for 45 minutes. Upon arriving we quickly got our orientation and left.
The promised camping book and map didn't match so they were worthless.
The pans were in poor condition with no lids.
Even though the instructions emphasized keeping the RV level, ramps or jacks were not included.
The instruction manual was incomplete. We were surprised as was everyone else in the campground to find out we had an alarm system.
Again more assistance on getting to the Paris south location would have made the beginning of our trip so much more enjoyable. A taxi from central Paris would definitely have been more than Euro70. The train to Bretigny then a taxi was very affordable.
If you can drive a manual transmission this is a great way to go.

Anthony Willis, 24 july 2007
Ideamerge were efficient and wonderful.
We collected our motorhome from Nice, unfortunately arriving from the airport to find the place closed for siesta and nowhere for us to even sit while they ignored us outside the gate. The depot was a filthy shambles and obviously a very distant cousin of Avis. We explained that the main door of the van didn't seem to work properly, for which they gave little attention, but failed to understand that it wouldn't open from the inside. In the end after days of frustration I 'fixed' it with a bit of wire. The back seats were torn and shabby. They provided us with one empty LPG gas bottle and a quarter full one. The fuel tank was provided on a quarter full, which eventually meant we had to turn back from our intended route because we couldn't find any open gas stations. There are only seat belts in forward facing seats. They were unable to provide a camping table and seats as booked, so we brought our own.
However Avis at the Paris end, reimbursed us and COULDN'T have been more helpful, courteous and professional.
Having glass and china crockery is a constant annoyance (on every corner). Surely melamine is a cheaper, quieter and better option. Otherwise the vehicle was pleasant to drive, economical and comfortable. It would have been helpful to have electrical converters provided for each country, as we had trouble in Switzerland. It took some getting used to the width of the vehicle, especially when our GPS took us into ever narrowing streets. In all a wonderful way to see Europe.

sam Robbins, 07 july 2007
We picked up our RV at the Paris Avis location and apart from a
brief downpour as we did our outside inspection of the vehicle
everything went well. We had some logistical issues both picking
up and dropping off the RV at the Avis Paris location. It couldn't be
more distant from CDG airport if they tried! Our real problem was
that we had too much luggage (we are musicians and along with
our regular bags we were carrying three musical instruments). It
really is our only quibble with the Avis situation - the staff were
very competent and helpful but the location for most international
travellers is not great - a location at Roissy en France would be
much better.
We had booked one of the smaller RVs but I could see that look of
fear and apprehension in the eyes of others who were waiting to
take possession of larger units knowing that they would have to
navigate the 'beast' out of a very cramped yard and down some
fairly narrow streets.
Anyay back to us. The RV was fine and just as described. We drove
south through the Loire, Dordogne, Provence and down to the Med
and then crossed into Italy and eventually Slovakia and Croatia
(which is very beautiful). The gas (diesel) mileage was fine and the
vehicle (Citroen) performed flawlessly for the whole trip.
I am used to driving in Europe and so didn't have too much trouble
adapting to the road conditions and despite what others may say, if
you know what to look for, campsites are very easy to find -
especially in France.
I would highly recommend the experience to anyone - but I would
also suggest that they get themslves a GPS (or rent one rom AVIS)
Bon voyge

Paula Rich Beckwith, 31 march 2007
We picked up and dropped off the RV in Paris in March 2007. Picking up and dropping off was considerably easy and very pleasant. We booked the first and last night at the Camping du Bois de Boulogne, which is only about 15 minutes from the RV place, I would recommend it. Great location to catch the bus to the metro. The RV was like new with no problems. We ordered the pickup and drop off at the airport option, the drop off went wonderful, the pick up was very confusing especially considering it was 6 AM, we had to call 2 times and then had to walk to an outside car rental area. Overall the whole trip went off without a hitch. This is our second RV rental from this company, last year we picked up in Frankfurt, Germany. We would surely rent from them again in a different part of the country. They were very helpful and informative. Thanks again

LEE, OKKYOUNG, 22 january 2007
I had enjoyed a wonderful journey with a wonderful motorhome of Avis-Caraway(Paris Depot of Ideamerge). I can't forget their kindness and hospitality. We had no trouble during our journey as long as 40 days. It gave us a lot of interesting and beautiful memories. Also, I strongly recommend the motorhome if you have a baby. My 18-month baby can manage 40 days journey with motorhome, otherwise she couldn't do it.

Brad Brioux, 25 october 2006
The unit we got was brand new a Citroen Pilote model D2, their were three guys and it was perfect. Very easy to drive with an excellent turning radius, and super fuel efficiency, excellent interior layout very efficient use of space and comfortable sleeping arrangements. We went from Paris to the 24 hours of LeMans and stayed at the camping area they provide. After that we went to the Loire valley and camped in various areas near the river. On the way home prior to having to return the RV we stayed at the Boise de Bolgne camping area and it was super. In fact after we returned the RV we went back their and stayed in one of their mobile homes they have for rent which was very reasonable. All in all the trip was fantastic and thanks for helping us out with the superb RV rental.

Regards Brad Brioux

Nigel Dick, 09 october 2006
With 30,000km on the clock the RV was still in very good condition with a external few bumps and grazes we had to agree on before I left the yard. Though the truck (based on a Renault chassis) was the smallest on offer it was still the biggest vehicle I've ever driven but quite sprightly and I soon got used to driving down tiny lanes and narrow streets. It also sported much more storage than I expected.

On returning the vehicle I got a heavy reprimand for parking outside the gates while waiting for the operators to get back from lunch (there was no place else to go!) and that leisurely 2 hour lunch-break effectively added another day's rental onto my bill.

Apart from that it was a great experience and my only other advice is: The campsites in Florence and San Gimignano are wonderful but the one in Siena was closed and, with the closest alternative 40 km away, there was a long line of RV's outside cursing the owner of the place. I expect his karma balloon will be badly deflated when he returns next summer!

Dirk and Dixie Havlak, 24 august 2006
We rented in France. The motor home was easy to drive for a big vehicle and was a fun way to travel. Considering that we had 6-7 adults in it, it was well designed and although crowded, fun. There was enough storage space. Although almost new, it was in need of better repair and maintanance. One of the bench seats collapsed when two people sat on it at once, a problem since we needed it for our big group. One of the big drawers had a latch that didn't work and flew open on turns. The refrigerator latch didn't always work, and we couldn't get the refrig to run for the first two days until we met some Germans with a similar rig. It never did work on one of the electrical options. The dishes and glasses provided were glass, a terribly impractical option as they rattled around the entire time. The blankets were wool, also a terrible option as it was very hot and they were hot and scratchy. There was AC in the cab but not in the back of the vehicle and it was very hot inside, so we slept with mostly no covers.

The training video in English was good, but did not show us where the electrical outlets were and we could not find them so were unable to charge batteries, cameras, etc., which was aggravating.

Driving near Paris is scarey and difficult, especially if you are inexperienced, and better instructions and maps for driving and for taking public transportation would have been useful.

In summary, I would recommend motor home travel and the arrangements made through IdeaMerge worked well, but I would seek a better rental agency (than Avis Car-Away) if there were other options in the Paris area.

Diane, 24 august 2006
We had a great holiday in our motorhome. We were picked up from our Paris hotel and taken to the depo to collect our vehicle which whilst daunting at first sight proved a doddle to drive. We headed south west to Bordeaux and to the coast. It provided a comfortable wasp free retreat after long days of surfing and sunbathing. The down side: the state of pre booked picnic table and chairs was shoddy to say the least, broken and rusty. I would recommend checking that sort of thing over carefully before taking posession. Sadly finding the depo on the way back into Paris was a nightmare and took an hour and a half longer than expected leaving us without our pre-booked taxi! He'd left without us. So there you are. I would definitely do it again though. Thanks.

Simon Cox (Hong Kong), 21 august 2006
We hired a 6 berth van (for a family of 5) out of Paris, and headed west to the Loire Valley, up to Brittany and Normandy and back to Paris. Probably the best family holiday we have had. Will certainly do again. IdeaMerge were efficient. The van was new'ish and very comfortable. Avis staff in Paris were helpful. No vehicle problems. Although if our kids were a bit bigger we would take a bigger van next time, to avoid having to convert the dining table into a bed. I also recommend buying your own bedding on arrival rather than renting. We took an iPod travel kit with us to plug into the vehicle, so the kids could listen to their music - recommend that. Out of all the campsites we visited, the only one we didn't like was the most expensive, being the crammed Bois de Boloigne in Paris, just near the Avis van depot - avoid it.

YH Lee, 26 july 2006
I had a good time with camping car. I rented it in France. Staffs were kind. Thank you.

Neil Wilkinson, 28 june 2006
Just a quick notre to say that we had a fantastic time with the Motorhome which was our first time. The Motorhome was almost brand new which was a great start and the staff were friendly on arrival. The only negative is that the pick up point in Paris was very very hard to find!!

kang namil, 11 june 2006
It has really been a unforgettable journey in our lives, driving thru 8 countries such as France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherland, Germany, Czeko, Austria in Europe for 29 days. The campervan had been in good condition and the joys and funs were always with us. We miss the beautiful sceneries thru the windows of campervan and we are already looking forward to next journey with the campervan as soon as possible. Many thanks for kind hospitalities rendered to us by
your staff in Paris.