Please note this pages has a corresponding message board thread which may be more up to date, plus you can point out any errors or add your own suggestions here. Click here to see it.

***All information in this thread is how we understand it and is as Feb 2007 – All dates shown forthwith are 2007. It is informal advice to help with your decision making process only and is not legally binding to Balearic Jobs. You are strongly advised to seek recognised legal sources if you plan to go ahead with a road trip. All prices are sourced from companies websites and are not quotation, just guidance and may be pre-book prices only ***

Its becoming an increasingly popular thing to do driving all the way to Ibiza or Mallorca It has its advantages, especially for workers. You can take more luggage for a start, whatever you car can carry (providing of course there is no limit on weight on the ferry - unlikely) and you will have your own car all the time you are in Ibiza or Mallorca. Also ferries do not tend to have seasons like flights, so you can usually do it at any time of the year.

I should say from the start, I've never done this myself. So those who have or are researching it themselves, please feel more than free to correct mistakes or add alternatives to this thread.

One thing I have realised that the cost of doing this is fantastically reduced per person if travelling with 3 other people in your car other than just yourself. So please feel free to use our message board to find travel partners.

First thing is first. Your car.

Firstly, most motor insurance polices do not cover travel outside of the UK as standard, so you want to ring up your provider and make sure you are covered for the duration that you plan to be away. Be careful, many European additions to insurances have a single trip limit, often around 30 days - as a worker you of course do not want that.

You may require an IDP (International Driving Permit), click here for more information and instructions on how to apply.

If you have something like RAC or AA breakdown cover, make sure you get that upgraded to cover Europe as well. Think about the prospect of breaking down in a location were you cannot speak the language and having to sort it out yourself. If you don't have it, I would personally recommend it as a serious consideration.

Route planning. Get a TomTom or another GPS device with European Maps. Expensive, but a god send IMO – not only will it plan for you but it will help with traffic and help you find suitable places to stop. However failing that the RAC website has an outstanding European route planner which can be found here as does the AA, that can be found here

Make sure you meet all the requirements for driving in the country you are either passing through or stopping in

France. Driving Age - 18. Alcohol in bloodstream, 0.05%. Unleaded, Diesel and LPG, generally available - not leaded. No child under 10 in front seat. Seatbelts compulsory front and back. Warning triangle compulsory. Replacement bulbs recommended. In built up areas give way to right. On roundabouts signed "priorite a droite" or "cedez le passage", traffic on roundabouts as priority, no sign means traffic entering roundabout has priority. Using car horn in built up areas is illegal except in emergency. Radar detector illegal. Speed limits – 31mph built up / 55mph open / 68mph dual / 80mph motorways. For people who have had a licence for less than 2 years or in wet conditions - 31mph built up / 49mph open / 62mph dual / 68mph motorways. Exceeding limits by more than 40kph will lead to immediate disqualification on the spot by police.

Spain. Driving Age - 18. Alcohol in bloodstream, 0.05% - Drivers with less than 2 year experience, 0.03%. Unleaded, Diesel generally available and LPG (known locally as AutoGas) rare but available - not leaded. Use of full headlights in built up area illegal. Seatbelts compulsory front and back, if fitted. Warning triangle compulsory. Replacement bulbs compulsory. Reflective jacket compulsory if exiting vehicle on busy roads. DVD or video equipment other than GPS is illegal. Radar detector illegal. Speed limits – 31mph built up / 55mph open / 62mph on Category 1 roads / 74mph motorways and dual  / 49mph motorways and dual in built up. In Spain speed limits can vary considerably locally, always check signage.

So getting to mainland Europe.

Portmouth to Bilbao

A very popular way to do it is to get the ferry from the South Coast of England to Bilbao – the approximate crossing time is 29 to 34 hours, usually confirmed at booking. I can find the following ferries that are doing that route;

P&O - I personally recommend them, I have travelled on them a couple of times and they have always been very good and the bar and so forth on board is not far above what you would pay in a UK town centre.

Click here for their website.

A couple of prices I got to give you an idea;

Wed April 11th – 1 adult with car (cabin mandatory) - £287 / 4 adults with car sharing - £323 (£80 each)
Mon March 19th – 4 adults with car - £199 (£50 each)

• AT Ferries (who Trasmediterranea are using) also does this route. Although at the time of writing this all services have been suspended.

Plymouth to Santander (Spain)

Brittany Ferries – example booking 11th of April with a normal sized car. 1 person with reclining seat (it’s a very long crossing!) was £232. 1 person with a cabin was £284. 4 people with a cabin was £352 (£88 each).

Dover To Calais

Obviously it is likely this route is going to give you best value for money however will require you to drive the entire length of France, a distance of around 700 miles, so at 55(average) its around 12 to 13 hours of driving. Then of course you have the small matter of Spain.

Typical prices on P&O are on the 11th of April - £40 for 4 people with a car (no cabin) – journey time is a mere 90 minutes and there is frequent departures. Visit P&O’s website

Other ferries on this route include SeaFrance which costs £41 for 4 adults with a car on 11th of April.

Travelling from “Op North”? Hull to Zeebrugge (Belgium)
- Note. Check driving requirements for Belgium

Available from P&O ferries. 11th of April price. 4 adults, one car, shared cabin - £133. Click here for more information

Routes to Europe also available from

• Newcastle
• Poole
• Plymouth
• Folkestone
• Cork (Ireland)
• Rosslare (Ireland)

For more info, click here

Other options, other than ferries or flights

Eurostar

You can get a train with your car from Folkestone to Calais for as little as £49 per car, although on my example day, the 11th of April, it cost between £69 (early morning) to £98 (midday) . Click here for the Eurotunnel website.

OK, so you are on the continent of Europe. How do you get from the Balearic Islands?

Driving Distance from; (not avoiding toll roads)

• Bilbao > Barcelona 377 Miles

• Bilbao > Alicante 504 Miles
• Bilbao > Valencia 389 Miles
• Bilbao > Denia 453 Miles
• Calais > Barcelona 822 Miles
• Calais > Valencia 1033 Miles
• Zeebrugge > Barcelona 823 Miles
• Zeebrugge > Valencia 1035 Miles
• Santander > Barcelona 436 miles
• Santander > Valencia 448 miles

For information on toll roads and how much you can expect to pay, or too help you avoid them, visit the AA website. Click here.

Ferries go to Ibiza on Trasmediterranea from;

• Alicante
• Barcelona (Least Amount of Driving)
• Denia
• Palma (Mallorca)
• Valencia. (Closest to Ibiza)

A quick price check that I just did (website does not seem to work with Firefox BTW) for 14th April (Dep. Barcelona 21.30), 179 Euros, with car, no cabin for 1 person.

See their website

Balearia Ferries also go to Ibiza from the same locations and Iscomar from Barcelona and Denia – both websites booking process is in Spanish. There are many third party booking agencies on the internet that may be able to assist you.

Ferries go to Mallorca (Palma) on Trasmediterranea from;

• Alicante
• Barcelona (Least Amount of Driving)
• Palma (Mallorca)
• Valencia. (Closest to Mallorca)

A quick price check that I just did (website does not seem to work with Firefox BTW) for 14th April (Dep. Barcelona 23.30 Arrival. 06.15) 179 Euros, with car, no cabin for 1 person or 318 Euros for 4 people (79 Euros each). 1 person with a car and cabin was 323 Euros and 4 people with a shared cabin was 456 Euros (114 Euros each)

Balearia Ferries also go to Mallorca from the same locations as well as Menorca and Denia. Iscomar from Barcelona, Valencia and Menorca – both websites booking process is in Spanish. There are many third party booking agencies on the internet that may be able to assist you.

Ferries go to Menorca and Formenttera

Menorca.
Formentera - Denia (Balearia)
Formentera - Denia (Iscomar)
Formentera - Ibiza

Formenteera
Formentera - Denia (Balearia)
Formentera - Denia (Iscomar)
Formentera - Ibiza