Guest Contributor - Carol Stroud!

We first met Carol and Pete Stroud in Kalami shortly after we had taken up residence in Corfu. They explained that they were contemplating coming to live in Corfu in October 2002. I must admit that it was with a degree of smugness that we told them that we had done just that! We have maintained contact ever since and now live within 5 kilometres of each other.

Shortly after their arrival here, Carol told me that she had written up details of their preparations for moving here and had kept a journal of their overland journey from the UK to Corfu. She had had a bit of a mishap whilst trying to get it printed at a local internet cafe and so I offered to re-type it and asked if we could publish it on our website. I am glad to say that she agreed!

So, for another viewpoint on taking the plunge and moving to Corfu, read on.

The details of Carol and Pete's overland journey from the UK to Corfu, together with costs, will be of particular interest to many. Please note that the prices and conversions were correct as at November 2002.

Agencies were contacted and, very quickly, a tenant was found. The agency takes 1% more for overseas landlords, bringing their charge to 11% of rent monies for checking out tenants, arranging contracts and paying money into our bank account. The agency registered us as overseas landlords with the Income Tax office - form………….. If this is not filled in, the agency takes 25% of your rent to hold for tax! Worth doing!

They also check the property on a regular basis to ensure the correct number of people are occupying it, that they are keeping it tidy and the garden is being maintained.

We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of rental we could get as this would pay our Corfu rent plus some over.

We had two months to redecorate, carry out repairs and decide what to take with us, what to sell and what would have to go into storage. This was very difficult! We sold some of our things at car boots, some we advertised on shop notice boards and some went to auction and still we had loads to pack into storage.

Storage is more expensive than we thought originally, averaging £25 per week plus £250 to move our things to their warehouse. Luckily for us, family came to our rescue with the offer of a dry, sound garage which we could start filling with small items.

The day before we set off (which I would not recommend!) we hired a lorry and took the larger items over to be stored. This was harder work than we thought, especially as we now had to clean through, read meters and return the keys to the agency.

We had decided to drive to Corfu as this would enable us to take more than allowed baggage allowance on a plane, plus we had the benefit of seeing many countries and arriving at Corfu with our own car. Originally we had decided to buy a second-hand Suzuki jeep as they are used by the Corfu car rental companies and therefore, we hoped, would be easily repairable if necessary. Unfortunately, we ran out of time, the jeeps hold their price and we would have lost money on trading in our car (a VW Polo).

The only  insurance we found for travelling in Europe for one year was through the AA who use AXA Insurance Company ( but who will not deal with you direct). There may be others but we did not find any. The car was serviced, taxed and MOT’d for a year also. This will cover us for the first six months after which we should register the car with the Greek authorities and have Greek plates. We will sort this out at a later date! You also legally have to buy a red road triangle, fist aid kit, GB stickers and headlight beam deflectors for driving in Europe.

After informing all utilities, TV licence etc., and packing what could be squeezed into our car – car tools, basic maintenance tools, books, clothes, some Christmas decorations, a small CD player and CDs, art equipment, some bedding, mosquito nets for the beds, binoculars, cool bag, candles, towels and tea towels……..we were ready!

1^st Day
On October 2^nd we took the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland which cost £108 for two adults and a small car, one way of course! This left at 10.30 am and arrived at 3.30 pm ready to get a couple of hours driving under our belts. ( We used the AA route from the internet).

The first nights stop was in Brussels where, by much luck, we found a Formule 1 hotel which provided basic, clean accommodation for one price – here 31 euros for the room which sleeps 1,2 or 3 people. Excellent value! Many travellers and drivers use these, so do not leave it too late in the day or they may be full. The room had a double bed with bunk bed over, a washbasin, TV and alarm clock. There are WCs and showers on each floor that are cleaned automatically after each use. Continental breakfast is also one price – an all you can eat buffet.

2^nd Day 
Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany. Stopped at Formule 1 in Basle – 24.50 euros! Breakfast 3.40 euros.

3^rd Day
Switzerland and the first border control where we were asked to show our passports. You pay 30 euros for a vignette sticker for the car to travel on Swiss autoroutes. This is valid from December 1^st of the preceding year to January 31^st of the following year.

Into Italy. Be ready for very fast driving! On to Venice – poorly signposted – to discover ferry had sailed 45 minutes before!

So onto Ancona  (An extra 5 hours driving) to be ready for the next days ferry. Again no info about ferry times at either port after booking office closed. (May be more prepared to get ferry times before travelling but I could not find out from the website).

Stayed overnight in Ancona at Hotel Rosa – 80 euro for double room – superb luxury after Fomule 1s.

4^th Day
Booked ferry to Igoumenitsa as there were no ferries direct to Corfu that day. We left at 1.30pm to arrive at 6.30am the next day. (Cost 139 euros.) TIP: If travelling out of season, it is worth buying two deck tickets and a ticket for the car as we did. Then see the pursor after setting off. We were offered a four berth outside window cabin for less than a two berth economy cabin. The ferry was very luxurious and the cabin was excellent. The food was good value.

5^th Day
We arrived at Igoumenitsa at 6.30am and then caught the 9.30am ferry to Corfu. This cost 33.60 euros.

Summary of Cost
Petrol   - €132
Accommodation – €135.50
Tolls – €54.70
Ferry – €498.60
TOTAL – €820.80 (£548) + Food & drink

Comment
The journey was stressful at times. The scenery through Switzerland was particularly beautiful. In our opinion this was a worthwhile adventure. Having your own car means that you travel in comfort with as many of your possessions as you can pack in.