Vacation season is at its finest. Everyone need rest, which is why we are happy to go on shorter or longer journeys. Poles very often go on foreign trips. Many people leave the country to experience a slightly different culture, enjoy a warmer climate or to avoid the high prices in main tourist resorts in Poland.

Poles are very often true automotive enthusiasts, who love to go on vacation in their own cars. Many of us consider cars to be the most convenient way of transport, that gives the most independence. No wonder that many people go on vacation in their own four wheels – whether in a passenger car or a camper van. Among our favourite holiday destinations, there are countries such as Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Fans of longer distances choose more distant countries, such as France, Spain, Great Britain or the Norway.

Source: https://auto.wprost.pl/rankingi/10458280/polacy-pojada-na-tegoroczne-wakacje-na-wlasna-reke.html

Traveling by car is so popular, that everyone knows someone who spends their holidays this way. If we want to go on such an expedition, we must remember about the necessary preparations.

Fuel is one of the biggest costs associated with traveling. In order to reduce them, vehicle owners decide to equip them with gas installations.

The most important issue in automotive tourism is, of course, planning and collecting information about the place we are going to. That information is very important and will often let us avoid for example situation when LPG is unavailable in a given country, which may turn out to be an unpleasant surprise and a significant obstacle in a comfortable travel.

LPG gas installations are very popular in Poland. Especially in petrol engine cars. But those installations are more and more popular in passenger cars and campers, trucks, special vehicles and other machines with a diesel engine. No wonder, because gas is an environmentally friendly alternative fuel that allows you to save a lot.

It is worth remembering, that LPG is not the only gas used to power vehicles. Although most petrol stations in Poland only offer propane-butane, the situation is different in some countries. For example, in the Netherlands, CNG is much more popular, so we can find a station where LPG is not available. The gas infrastructure in one country may look completely different than in other one, so you need to make sure of its condition each time.

The smallest problem will be in countries such as Italy, Germany or Belgium, where both CNG and LPG are very popular and we can easily find them at a gas station. In such situation, the availability of LPG will not be a problem.

We should also remember that LPG refueling stations in different countries may require different refueling tips from us. In Poland, we use the Italian connector (dish), which is used in many other European countries. But not in all. For example, in Germany or Austria the ACME valve is used, in Portugal and Spain it is the euroconnector and in the Netherlands and England it is used BAYONET.

Before trip, we need to find out what connector we will encounter in a given country. If this is not a standard, that matches our installation, we should get an adapter.

If you forget to take adapters with you, it is worth to ask for it at the station – most of them borrows adapters for drivers in need.

Refuelling a car seems to us a trivial activity. Every owner of a gas installation knows exactly what to do. We stop at the distributor, get out of the vehicle, connect the LPG gun to the car and start refuelling. STOP! While this behaviour may seem obvious to us in our country, the rules may be different abroad.

In France, the Netherlands, Greece and parts of Italy, self-refuelling is prohibited. Drivers are required to wait for a gas station employee who will serve the distributor.

Even in countries where self-filling is allowed, we must remember that stations may have their own regulations. Therefore, it is always worth making sure how we should behave.

The LPG and CNG refuelling valves differ to such an extent that it is not possible to combine the LPG gun and the CNG refuelling valve and vice versa. Therefore, we do not have to be afraid of a mistake and its consequences, as in the case of choosing a petrol distributor instead of diesel fuel. Nevertheless, it is worth looking carefully at the inscriptions on the dispensers at the petrol station.

Traveling abroad with your own vehicle is a great way to spend your holidays, relax and have a great adventure. However, you should prepare for them. Before the trip, you should collect basic information about the country we are going to – find out how gas stations are equipped and how to behave at them. The better we prepare for the trip, the easier it will be for us to enjoy it. Using LPG installations on such route will allow us to significantly reduce travel costs.