In March 2026, I was wrapping up what had been a very productive two months working semi-remotely in Spain. From a work perspective, it had been excellent. The internet stayed on, the power stayed on, and the weather didn’t interrupt Zoom calls — a refreshing change from the occasional storms and power cuts that can happen where we’re based in the west of Ireland.
The plan was simple: drive our trusty 2007 Jeep Discovery to Bilbao, catch the ferry back to Ireland, and be home the following day.
We made it to within 30 kilometres of the ferry port.
Then the journey took a turn.
The First Sign of Trouble
About two hours before ferry check-in, I noticed the Jeep starting to feel strange on the road. The handling was slightly off — one of those subtle changes drivers recognise immediately.
Sure enough, when we pulled over, the issue was obvious: a flat tyre.
Normally that wouldn’t be a major problem. I’m perfectly capable of changing a tyre.
Except for one small issue.
The spare wheel wouldn’t come down.
The Jeep’s spare sits underneath the car, lowered by a cable mechanism. In theory, you insert the tool, wind it down, and the spare drops.
In practice?
After 10 years of never needing it, the mechanism was completely seized.
The car was packed with the usual baggage you accumulate after two months away, and suddenly a simple roadside tyre change turned into something else entirely.
Calling for Help
A road maintenance attendant had pulled up nearby and advised contacting roadside assistance.
So we did what most people would do:
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Called the insurance company
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They transferred us to the AA roadside service
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The AA confirmed assistance via WhatsApp
Their message said they would arrive within two hours.
So we waited.
Two hours later — nothing.
I messaged again. They replied saying they were busy but would arrive within 90–120 minutes.
Another two hours passed.
Still nothing.
Finally, after five hours on the roadside, the situation became clear. A tyre service operator contacted us to explain something the system had only just flagged:
The AA did not actually cover us in Spain.
Despite our insurance covering Spain, their partner service apparently didn’t.
At that stage, arguing the point wasn’t exactly helpful.
Five hours had already passed, and the ferry was getting further and further away.
Plan B: Private Recovery
Thankfully, the road maintenance attendant who had stopped earlier stayed with us and helped organise a private tow truck.
Within about 45 minutes, the truck arrived and took us to the nearest garage.
But the situation turned out to be worse than expected.
After inspecting the vehicle, the garage discovered that the issue wasn’t just a tyre.
There were problems involving:
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The suspension
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The brakes
At that point it became obvious that even if the Jeep could be repaired, it wouldn’t be quick.
Parts would need to be ordered, and the garage didn’t have the specific expertise required to do the work themselves.
Meanwhile, the ferry to Ireland was long gone.
A Night in Vittoria
The garage recommended a nearby hotel in Vitoria, where we spent the night while figuring out Plan B.
The next morning I hired a small car locally and began the process of trying to find a one-way rental vehicle to get home to Ireland.
This is where things got surprisingly complicated.
The Rental Car Problem Nobody Talks About
I contacted all the major rental companies:
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Europcar
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Enterprise
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Budget
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Avis
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Hertz
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Sixt
Every one of them said essentially the same thing:
“Yes, we can rent you a car… but it cannot go on a ferry to Ireland.”
One branch even had a lengthy conversation about whether you actually needed a ferry to get to Ireland.
After showing them the map, that discussion concluded fairly quickly.
Technically, Ireland appears on the list of permitted countries for some companies — but in reality they simply don’t allow it.
Which raises a practical question.
What do people actually do in situations like this?
Fly home and leave their car and luggage behind?
Who looks after it?
It’s one of those logistical gaps that you only discover when you really need the system to work.
The Unexpected Solution
Someone had casually mentioned camper vans earlier, so I tried something different.
I called Roadsurfer, a camper van rental company.
To their credit, they answered quickly and clearly.
Yes — they could rent a camper van.
Yes — it could go on the ferry to Ireland.
Yes — we could bring it home.
The only condition was that it had to be returned to them later.
Luckily, because we still had 24 hours before the next ferry, they were able to arrange the booking.
So the next day we:
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Transferred all our luggage from the Jeep
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Loaded everything into the Roadsurfer camper
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Left the Jeep to be transported to a specialised garage
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Booked the next ferry home
The Jeep will now be inspected by specialists who will quote the insurance company for the repairs.
In the meantime, we’ll be returning the camper van in a couple of weeks — whether the Jeep is ready or not.
The Moral of the Story
This story has nothing to do with accounting, QuickBooks, or business systems.
But like most real-world problems, it still had lessons.
A few things stood out:
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If a spare wheel hasn’t been used in ten years, test it.
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Never assume roadside assistance coverage works the same abroad.
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Rental car policies in Europe don’t seem designed for emergencies.
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Sometimes the solution comes from the most unexpected place.
In this case, the solution was a camper van company that turned out to be far more flexible than the major international rental brands.
And perhaps the bigger question remains:
If someone driving home to Ireland breaks down in continental Europe —
why isn’t there a straightforward way to rent a vehicle and bring it home?
It can’t be that rare a situation.
But apparently, it is rare enough that the system hasn’t figured it out yet.
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