I agree with IO540 ..... in my experience when you really need LARS on a busy summer weekend with haze then they quickly get overloaded and you don't always get the traffic calls. In fact I have had a couple of close encounters in the Farnborough area with no radar information received whatsoever on conflicts even though I was on the service (which i believe is normally very good and so this is only a 'capacity' issue ... not a complaint!). There is a problem though in that being on an RIS you may be lulled into a false sense of security - I used to regard it as a chance to play with the GPS and check around the panel in a relaxed mode....... until that Commander 114 streaked across my nose at what seemed like 200'
(probably more, but I could see he was staring down inside his cockpit as well!). Another time on Bristol radar we had a vic of Hercules pass under us at less than 500' .... again with no word from the radar service ! Beware ! Out of interest I have flown to and from Hungary a few times (VFR) and have always found the German air traffic system to be very impressive - all of their regional flight information services seem to have radar with 100% cover across the country. It was absolutely brilliant ... you received radar info whether requested or not as well as offers of weather and all other manner of helpful info (fuel availability ect). And it was quite amusing if any hapless German PPL tried to speak in his own language as he was immediately reprimanded in public for this terrible transgression .... "Ve only speak English on zis frequency" - I thoroughly recommend that you put Germany on your list of tour options. (and by the way .... Belgium was bloody awful - they seem to have a thorough dislike of VFR traffic transiting their country .... best avoided !)