Appreciate the comments, and do love the real grit of travelling – I once walked and hitchhiked 5k around France carrying everything I needed, travelling in anything from fuel-injected sports-estate piloted by a freshly-baked (he rolled them on his lap and steered with his knees, at 90mph ffs…) sculptor angrily racing an ambulance that jad dared to overtake us – to sharing the luggage bay of a campervan, sprawled out on top of boxes of fresh apricots for 5 hours straight in the heat. And a drunken man in a rusty mini who insisted he instead drive me to his house in Nantes for ‘fun’ 😯 (finally persuaded the eager fellow to arrest his loveboat on the main bridge and had to walk between traffic to find my way out – which was arguably safer than his DUI skills). Treasured memories

Problem is Mrs R has a frequently subluxated shoulder, plated collarbone, joint impingement and painful migratory osteolysis/osteopena to deal with, so some decent degree of comfort is unavoidably required. Saying that, the Panda is no slouch for such a little car and feels wider/roomier than some minis. The heat with no AC will probably be the bigger issue, esp also with small thick-coated doglet – am looking into wind deflectors for the windows, great idea thanks.

Now looking fwd to many nights online planning stopover sites love iiiiiit!

Ok – on a PC now. Back in 2007(?) we drove from Manchester – to Hull – Zeebrugge down to Germany and back in an Aygo.

Loved it- the only **** on the whole journey was a block in a Octavia VRS who came right up fast and close on our tail on a autobahn……with english plates. everyone else gave us lots of space etc.

Ideal would be a T5 motorhome etc but then the Panda has such charm- a brilliant roadtrip IMO.

In a car that you KNOW too.

My main concern is the lack of AC, not the car. Can you stick the car on a train to the south of France?

I can’t stand A/C.

Back in 2013 my Mondeo shat out (again) a few days before we were due to drive to Morzine, glad it did rather than in France, but that’s beside the point.

Drove my Wife’s 1.4 Astra down, yes it’s bigger than a Panda, but not much, plus I had a kids bike in the boot, two adults bikes on the back and whilst it had A/C using it made an already underpowered car worse and laid waste to any sort of acceptable economy so we did without and just used the ‘blowers’.

The biggest drama was the bike rack, a cheap Halfords job, just outside Dover my wife’s bike leapt off it and hung about 3cm off the road surface at 70mph, about an hour south of Calais the number plate fired off – never to be seen again – ever tried to buy a UK number plate in France? Don’t bother, you can’t. It just wasn’t up to the job, so to try to reduce it’s drag and fondness for self-destruction we had to remove the rear wheels from the bike – so tiny little car, 3 up, 3 bikes, rear wheels in the boot, all our luggage, alpine climbs – it was tougher going than last year in my 2.0 diesel estate, but no one died and it was okay.

…do you want to go through the mont blanc tunnel dicing with the lorries at insane speeds in pitch black

OP – don’t listen to the person who has clearly never driven through the, mercilessly monitored 45mph speed limit, of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, that is also so brightly lit you need sunglasses!

Just go for it!
Road trips in unsuitable cars are brilliant.

(Although yours is actually not all that unsuitable)

Given your SO physical impingements are the seats comfortable for her….I struggle with back and neck probls so hire cars can be a nightmare….especially GM seats.. So if you know what you have and able to get comfy and take plenty of breaks all the better IMHO

Just take plenty of breaks, and make sure she can get comfy. Then crack on. It’s not really all that far.

Jesus we are such spoiled folk now, can’t do without A/C give it up 👿

I drive a Panda (with A/C 🙂 ) so I’m biased but don’t be so wet and crack on, it’ll piss it..

Jesus we are such spoiled folk now, can’t do without A/C give it up

You could say that about pretty much any technological advance, though. And living in southern Europe there’s no way I’d get a car without A/C!

the way today’s going I’d drive to Italy in bathtub if it got me out of here!

And living in southern Europe there’s no way I’d get a car without A/C!

Yes but the OP doesn’t so it’s not really relevant, and it’s hardly worth buying a new car just for A/C for 5 days of driving.

Deffo not spoiled, neither of us ever had a car with A/C, always been either broken or non-existent, have always driven bangers until the Panda. One of the reasons I love Mrs R is when we met she was driving around Miami in a rusty 1990 ford escort covered in surf stickers, broken blower, windows down all the time, while all her friends seemed to have a Climate-controlled SUVs 😉

The dog is the only worry on that front, might have to shave him and keep a spray-mister on hand 😉

You’ll be fine in the Panda. It’s got back doors and everything!

I went down to Montpellier then back up via Alsace over a week in one of these. From Co Durham, with my then Mrs and my Marin. Still had room to bring a load of wine and cheese back too.

No a/c although we did have a sunroof. Just made it a bit noiser. I suppose if I was going in a Panda I might invest a couple of quid in some of those plastic wind deflectors for the windows, might be a good way of cutting the noise down.

You’ll have a great time!

Yes min d you I went from north west England to Naples with 5 people in 1983 in a fiat 126 no air con no space with three six foot plus blokes in the car all in the rear.

We used to dream of being five up in a 1983 126, would have been like a palace charabanc to us…

Used to drive to Italy regularly in an 8 year old car. Get yourself some breakdown cover for piece of mind and check your tyres for age, damage and wear as sustained motorway driving will get things very hot.
I presume that the Panda has windows and a fan so no AC shouldn’t be a deal breaker on the long slogs but the car will be very hot when you park up in the afternoon sun. One of those reflective inner windscreen covers may be worth while.
When I was a kid we used to drive to Spain in a mk3 Cortina estate. “We” equalled 5 kids plus Mum & Dad so I do laugh when people say they have to get a people carrier to move 2 kids around. We did have an awesome roof rack 😀

I once drove to the moon and back with 37 of my mates, 153 bikes and a travel lodge in Messerschmitt bubble car. We had a bit of a holdup just outside Calais when everyone got the black death, but in the end everything was fine as we just stuck to a speed of 1 furlong per 15 seconds. Got 97,000 kilometres per firkin milage.

@konabunny 😀

nay know now’t these days young ‘uns

Mind you on the return leg I got out in northern Italy so it would have been much more spacious.

My Mum and Dad drove all over Europe in a selection of cars we wouldn’t think could make it these days. For Anglia, Morris Oxford, etc. No AC in those days and lots of water troughs on the big alpine climbs (for the cars not the passengers). I’ve driven around the alps without AC. You’ll get hot and sweaty, take wet wipes and lots of water. Stop frequently to stretch legs and enjoy the sights.

Mrs Pondo sadly only last week got rid of her 08 Panda that she’d had from new, we used it every year to go camping for a fortnight in France, last year was to the Pyranees. 1000 miles each way – two people, big tent, a fortnight’s clothing, cooker, airbeds, boogie boards, duvets, books, cool box, stereo, tables, chairs, plus two bikes on the rack on the back. It’s snug, no doubt, but it can be done. 🙂

Pfft. You big jessie. “Oh I can’t do a cool trans-European road trip because I haven’t got the right kind of car.. woe is me!”

Just get on with it. A modern Panda is way better than the 950cc Fiesta I used to drive around in and I’d have been off like a shot.

My Aunt and Uncle and their three generously proportioned teenage kids used to do all their caravan holidays all over Europe in a mini*. Stop worrying!

* an original one, 1300cc, and a 14ft caravan. No, I’ve no idea how it was even possible either!

Re the A/C, you can (or you could) get dashboard mounted fans like little office type ones. They were pretty useful when we were kids in the South of France pre-A/C days. My Dad didn’t want to screw it to the dash though so he spent about a day carefully tapping two holes in a piece of marble (no, I don’t know why there was a piece of marble in the car, but he’s like that) to screw the fan to so it’d sit on the dash shelf. I’d probably go for two fans though as the wait for a couple of seconds of comfort as the oscillating fan passed over our faces seemed pretty long.

EDIT: just read the bit about the wife.. I’ll withdraw some of my insult.. but if she’s comfortable then that’s all that matters. Perhaps a few test runs beforehand?

OP, i may be going out on a limb here but i suspect i detect a general consensus of opinion WRT taking said Panda… 😉
Whereabouts in Italy are you heading, reason i ask is if you’re on a tight budget then avoiding the main Alpine tunnels might be advisable (Eur44/55rtn) so if you’re heading over to the North East you could take the A road (it’s low-level) over the Brenner Pass for nowt.

missus and bike on roof in a Citreon C1.

was that really the best place for her?

OP just get on with it, how ever did people manage to get anywhere in the past? oh yeah, they drove crappier, less reliable, smaller cars and still somehow made it.

Unless you have a fairly well supported suspicion that your car is about to explode I’d just check all your fluids, tyres etc. and crack on.

Sounds like a great rip especially if you take it slow and detour!

I once drove to the moon and back with 37 of my mates, 153 bikes and a travel lodge in Messerschmitt bubble car. We had a bit of a holdup just outside Calais when everyone got the black death, but in the end everything was fine as we just stuck to a speed of 1 furlong per 15 seconds. Got 97,000 kilometres per firkin milage.

So you took the easy option with the travelodge then…
When I were a lad we’d had have to sleep ont roof of the car while it were moving, non of this Nancy boy travelodge malarkey…

Panda’s aren’t that slow. Even at 70 thats normal plus on how many roads can you really speed? French’d have you for a start..

Fly and leave the dog behind.

Hire a Panda when you get there.

Thats a point. We’d never have taken our dog on a long trip (IN country). Nevermind overseas too. If you can’t face leaving pooch in kennels then maybe foreign holidays are for other people.

You’ll be fine

We did 3 blokes and 3 times kit for a wildcamping weekend in Wales in Toyota Aygo. It was seriously slow but was fine (my 3 series was in the garage and this was their courtesy car)

We could have gone a lot further, there’s not loads of room but it was fine

A Panda for 2 adults and dog basically means you have the whole of the back seat and the footwell, which will be fine depending on how much kit you’re taking and how compact it is

I’ll withdraw some of my insult..

No worries, keep it in there if it makes you feel good about yourself, I’m charitable if anything 😉

Did something similar in an original 750cc Panda with full fold back sunroof in 2004. Had to pull up only one as the water cap had come off. 5€ to a South Tirolean mechanic. Stick to A and B roads. Save on tools and see more. If crossing the alps go via Garmisch-Imst-Landeck-Reschen into South Tirol. No tolls in Germany, can avoid the tolls in Austria and route is more scenic.

Der Weg ist das Ziel….!

A chunk on my honeymoon in 97 was spent driving around the rockies in my Uncle’s 3 speed Hyundai, listening to Massive Attack, it was never in the right gear for any of the hills and kept on shifting up and down. We drove from Vancouver Island to Banff and back via Whistler, visiting my cousins in Skookumchuck on the way. We’re still married.

Planning on a trip, probably next year now, to drive from the UK to Montenegro in a Landrover (so it can be left there at a mate’s soon to be built villa). Part of me wants to do it in a Defender, but I spent 9 hours in the back of one going to Aviemore from Wigan for a stag weekend (that marriage failed) and my back has never been right since, so I’m hoping it’ll be a Discovery.

Der Weg ist das Ziel….!

As in life, marriage, friendships and biking – I agree wholeheartedly 😀

Alternate routes also gratefully taken onboard, thnks, right now this feels like the trip of a lifetime for us so looking to grab many (planned and serendipitous) sights, smells, tastes and sounds along the way.

As others have mentioned, leaving the doglet behind is best, and was provisionally arranged with (vet) friends (kennels are prob out of the question both financially and care-wise, don’t ask!) but until confirmed we at least have to entertain the thought of taking the beastie.

So many great answers thnks – varied, testicular, sensible and wise – I expect no less from these fair climes!

Pretty much set on fixing up the Panda, bunging on a roof box and just legging it. Maybe the dog too, who knows – we might like it so much we’ll do it again with winter tyres 8)

Malvern Rider, just do it.

I expect it will easier than when I did it in a Mk2 Escort that couldn’t go much over 70mph. Even that wasn’t too bad, but it did take us 20+ hours from Bristol, navigating by nothing more than memory as SatNav packed up as soon as we hit France. We didn’t have a map, it was also first time in France. If that’s not bad enough we are planning on doing it again this year.

I do recommend a Tag for the tolls, you can make up a lot of time by cruising through the tolls at 30mph not having to stop. You also get some strange looks from other cars, as you can see them thinking “I’m sure we passed that car a while a go” as they overtake yet again.

Malvern Rider – driving your Panda is absolutely the best choice. Hope you and your wife and dog have an ace trip.

I have to fly on hols this year, so rather jealous.

Oh, and take the advice of a steady time, detouring here and there. Better than fizzing in an MX5 from Geneva to Manchester in one hit….