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Traveling Europe by Campervan: Our Tips for “Van Life Europe”

by Drifter Planet | Dec 6, 2019 | Road Trips , Most Popular Blog Posts

It has been a few years that we bought a campervan. In the time, we have driven around Europe in our van from east to west and covered many countries.

We drove to 11 different countries on our campervan, that includes three national parks, mountains, beaches as well as two music festivals . 

With very little knowledge at the start of our first trip, we made a few rookie mistakes. Nothing serious but we laughed a lot at our stupidity and eventually learned how to explore Europe in our campervan like pros.

A lot of information that we needed about traveling Europe in a campervan wasn’t really available online because most of the website focused on living in a van, versus traveling in one. 

Anyway, before we share our essential tips for exploring Europe by camper van, we’d like to discuss a few things to help you decide if van-life is really for you, and if it is – then what kind of van you really need.

Why Should You Consider Traveling Europe by Campervan?

Us with our van in Bosnia and Herzegovina

I’m sure you know how a typical first timer’s Euro Trip looks like. A little bit of Paris, Amsterdam , Rome, Venice, London, Berlin , Vienna, Zurich, Porto , Lisbon , Budapest and Prague – usually all on trains and buses.

Guess what, these are really the most expensive European destinations. Moreover, the train transportation is expensive in Europe, especially in Western Europe. 

If you’re on this page already, then I’m sure you’re looking for something different. Maybe you’re looking to explore the lesser visited and under the radar places in Europe that you can’t easily reach by trains or buses.

The best part about travelling around Europe by campervan is that you can go literally anywhere you want.

You don’t have to worry about high internal transportation costs, schedules, and connections. It makes your itinerary super flexible and as a result, an entire layer of possibility opens up for you.

Scenic camping spot in Geirangerfjord, Norway – Traveling Europe by Campervan

Europe is one of the best continents for road trips because of super easy border crossing.

For instance, if you start driving in Belgium, you can be in Germany or France or Luxembourg or even the Netherlands in just a matter of 2-3 hours, and you won’t even realize that you’ve crossed the border because there aren’t any check points. 

Just to recap, the below points summarize why exploring Europe by campervan is awesome. 

• Public transport cost, 
• Super easy border crossing, 
• Flexible itinerary
• Access to smaller towns, natural sites and offbeat areas

Camper van vs Normal Van vs Caravan

Wild Poppy field on Rugen Island and a car with a caravan in the background

Many people interchange these terms but they aren’t the same. We all know what a van is, but let me define a camper van for you.

A campervan is a van that’s specifically made for camping with a sleeping space inside. Or, a normal van converted into a campervan.

Apart from a place for sleeping, ideally a campervan also has a place for cooking. Some camper vans also have toilets inside. 

A caravan parked next to a lake in Slovenia

A caravan also has all of this inside or even more, but it isn’t a camper van. Just for clarification – a caravan is a wagon what you attach onto your car and drive. You can’t drive a caravan without a car that tows it.

What Kind of Van do You Need?

If you’re a couple on a budget that loves adventure, then get yourself a small campervan. A smaller vehicle will give you an advantage of letting you enter smaller lanes. Moreover, the cost of camping, toll and parking is much lower for smaller vans. 

On the other hand if you’re a family with more than one kid, then it makes more sense to get a bigger campervan so that you have the space and comfort you need. These are the typical RVs (Recreational Vehicles) that you see in American movies.

These are further divided into Class A Motorhome (looks like a big bus), Class B Motorhome (looks like a cargo van, bigger than a truck) and Class C Motorhome (looks like a moving truck house). Normally the Class C Motorhomes are the most common campers that you see on European roads. 

If you’re enjoying your retired life with your partner and driving around Europe, then get yourself all the comforts you need. Get a spacious campervan that has a nice bed, kitchen and sitting area.

Van vs camper van vs Motorhome vs Caravans – Tips for Van Life Europe – Infographic

Renting a Van in Europe vs Buying

Should you buy a camper van for the purpose of exploring Europe on it, or should you just rent one? The answer depends on many factors.

If you’re visiting Europe for a few weeks or a few months, then obviously you will rent a camper van and not buy one.

However, if you’re going to travel on the van for a longer period of time (say a 6 months or a year), then renting can end up being expensive. In that case, buying makes more sense. You can find vans to rent on this car rental search engine . 

Buying a campervan isn’t as easy as renting one. Below are the points you need to consider before deciding whether you should rent a camper van or buy one. 

• First, you need to have enough money. Campervans aren’t cheap and even if you look for a used one that’s very old, be prepared to spend at least ten to fifteen thousand euros.
• Second, buying a van comes with the hassle of paperwork.
• Third, buying makes sense as long as you’re sure you will actually end up using it enough and as long as you can sell it back when you’re done.
• Four, buying comes with an expense of insurance and repair costs – keep all of that in your mind.

If you’re a total van newbie and would like to just get a glimpse of VanLife to determine if it is really your thing, then just rent one. This will also give you an idea about what kind of van you actually need.

VAN LIFE TIPS SECTION 1: Sleeping in the Van

Our camping set up – campervan tips

The best part of “VanLife” is actually sleeping in your own little home on the road and waking up to an amazing view. In reality, you won’t have an amazing view everyday, but you can at least try.

Van Life Sleeping Essentials

There are many van life aspects where you can be cheap, but your mattress shouldn’t be one of them. Invest in a comfortable mattress otherwise you will hate your van.

If you’re not able to find a compact mattress that is easy to travel with for the size of your van bed, then just look for just a mattress topper.

Tips for Sleeping in the Van

Carry your pillow as per your sleeping habits. Make sure you’re carrying thin as well as thick blankets so that you are good to go for different weather conditions. European summers can be strangely hot and suddenly very cold in a matter of hours or days. 

You will also need to get insulated covers to stop the condensation on the windows when it is cold, and also to keep the insides of the van cool during summer.

A silver thermal insulated window screen will also act as a black out curtain so that you can peacefully sleep after the the sunrise. [Btw, the sunrise occurs around 4:30 am in most of Europe during summer.]

Don’t have an air conditioner in your van? Neither do we. We do however have a battery operated Makita fan that works for 10 hours after a full charge.

I highly recommend this fan to you if you want to sleep comfortably during Europe’s summer heat. Summer means mosquitos, and Citronella mosquito repellant stickers will keep you safe. Plus they’re natural!

• Mattress or Mattress topper
• Pillows, blankets, bedsheet.
• Insulated window covers / Silver thermal window screen
• Citronella mosquito repellant stickers

VAN LIFE TIPS SECTION 2: Cooking in a Campervan 

Outdoor camping cooking set up – Van Life Europe

Apart from sleeping in it, another amazing aspect of traveling on a camper van is cooking your own meals on the road.

No, you won’t cook while you’re driving but at parking places or camping spots. We have a lot of information to share about cooking on a road trip outside and inside the camper van, so we decided to create an entire section about it. 

Do You Really Need a Kitchen Inside the Van?

Not Really. If you have a travel stove and a small cylinder, you can cook outside. We have both – a stove inside the van and a smaller portable stove but we cook most of our meals outside. 

Why? Well, because baby K was usually sleeping inside when we cooked our dinner and it made more sense to cook outside. It was generally more convenient to cook outside after spending most of our day inside the van.

Van Life Kitchen Essentials

If you’re building your van and converting it yourself into a campervan, then here are a few things we have in ours that are essential for any motorhome kitchen. 

Van Life Kitchen Essentials – Traveling Europe by Campervan

You will need a small countertop stove, a slot for the cylinder that’s preferably built into one of the kitchen cabinets, a sink, a small refrigerator, and multiple kitchen cabinets to store things.

It will make your life simple if you have one drawer that’s just for the cutlery, a hanging bag for plates, cutting board, cooking oil, a kitchen tissue roll fitting and small hooks where you can hang things.

Don’t carry a lot of kitchen dishes but only the basic stuff. Carry at the most two pots – one small and one medium-ish.

A small hand sized non stick pan is also a good to carry cookware. A cutting board, a big spatula (or two) for the non stick pan and pots, soup bowls, plates and cutlery and you’re good to go.

I haven’t seen a campervan that doesn’t have a refrigerator inside. In case yours is a van converted into a campervan, then it maybe doesn’t have a place for a fridge.

You can buy a small cooling box to store your food and use it as a makeshift refrigerator. 

Your van also needs to have a small exhaust window on the top if you’re planning on cooking inside. If you don’t have a sink, then you can carry a bucket where you can keep your dirty dishes and wash them outside when you’re done. 

Campervan Cooking Equipment

The stove inside your van can be a propane cooktop or even an electric cooktop. If your van doesn’t have one, then get yourself a portable stove and gas.  A camping stove with 2 burners doesn’t cost double but is is surely useful so that you can boil rice or pasta on one and make sauce or curry on the other one.  

If you have electricity in your van then get an electric kettle, it will make your life much simpler.  An outside camping grill won’t cost much and it is surely a good to have item.

Campervan Food Essentials + Camping Meals

Simple rule – keep it short, fast and efficient. 

We ended up buying a lot of useless cooking stuff before our first trip but we realised much later that we don’t need it all. We just need enough of the basic stuff when we’re on the road. Some of the easiest meals to make on the road are pasta and rice with daal. 

Our of our camping meals – Pasta

Buy premade pesto, sauces and a lot of pasta to shorten your cooking time. Visit local markets and grocery stores to buy fresh vegetables to put in your pasta.

You can make a really good pasta sauce using avocados and you don’t need to cook it. Just mash avocado pulp with olive oil, garlic, lime juice, salt and chili. Add this to your hot pot of newly boiled pasta and your epic camping meal is ready.

Cook daal and rice together with salt and a few spices – it is called khichari in India. It is a “one-pot-meal” that’s perfect for camping and it always tastes good. Instead of daal, you can also add vegetables to make fried rice. In that case, you will just have to roast garlic, ginger and veggies for a few minutes in the pot and then add water and rice. 

Just a recap, here are some awesome camping meals that you can cook in a jiffy. Most of them are vegetarian options but you can un-veganize them by adding smoked salmon or eggs or chicken. 

• Pasta (raw avocado pesto, pre made sauces, or just with veggies)
• Daal and Rice cooked together ( Khichari )
• Stuffed wraps or Burritos (Get tortilla wraps and stuff them with kidney beans, garlic, peppers, corn, jalapeños, avocado, salmon – try everything)
• Toast with bananas / eggs / avocados / cheese
• Bratkartoffeln (as called in Germany) or Aloo ki sabzi (as called in India) – potatoes sautéed in oil, garlic, chili, onions and herbs. You can add spring onion greens on top for the extra oomph. Or, meat eaters can add bacon.
• Sautéed veggies. Buy or pick fresh veggies and sauté them in a pan with oil and herbs. 

VAN LIFE TIPS SECTION 3: How to Make Your Life Simpler on the Road

Tips for Van Life Europe

Alright, so you have your van, your kitchen is all set and you’re ready to go. What’s next? Most likely you have your destination picked out already. But hey, road trips are more about the journey and not much about the destination.

You will end up spending most of your time driving your van, so it makes total sense to consider the apps and tools to make your life simpler on the road.

Invest in a decent GPS Navigation system

Get one that covers all the countries in Europe – at least most of them. You will be surprised to know how some of them don’t. With a decent navigation system like TomTom , you won’t need to depend on your smart phone all the time.

Apps for Planning the Road Trip Itinerary and Route

You may have a rough idea of the route already, but you can modify it while you’re on the road using Google Maps , we discuss this in detail in the next point.

We also use an app called CamperContact , it has a database of almost every camping spot in Europe and they’re geotagged so it is easy to open the app and find a spot near you. If you upgrade the app to buy a full version, you will be able to view more details about the camping spots.

The biggest headache of driving a van in Europe is parking it. There’s an app called ParkMe , it will sort your life out by helping you find parking spots near you and how much they cost. 

View of the beach from our van in Spain

Getting the Most Out of Google Maps on your Road Trip

It is the most obvious app to use for road trips but not many people use all the awesome features to maximize their experience. If you know how to use Google Maps really well, you don’t need any other app. Really!

Google Maps will help you find anything around you, not just restaurants or gas stations but also camping spots.

Although there are many dedicated apps for finding campgrounds in Europe, we end up using Google Maps more than anything. Just type “camp” or “camping” in the search box and you will get a list of suggestions. You will also be able to usually see pictures, read reviews and see the prices  of the camping spots.

Do you know you can search for waterfalls on your way to your destination so that you can make an epic stop? Try it. Just put “waterfall” in the search box and you will be amazed to see the result. Similarly, you can just find anything anywhere.

Want to save money and avoid toll? Set your Google Map’s navigation setting to avoid tolls and highways. It is as simple as that. As a result, your route may end up being a bit longer but will be cheaper and more scenic. 

ADAC Membership will Save Your Life

ADAC is the largest automative club in Europe and it was founded in Germany. They have a massive fleet of mechanics on the move that help motorists. They also provide air ambulances in urgent needs.

I do not know of any single camper van or a caravan owner here in Europe that doesn’t have an ADAC membership. Not just for vans, but is for any kind of automobile as the organization helps the members in case of needs and emergencies on the road. If you sign up for a “plus membership” (ADAC Plus-Mitgliedschaft), you get services all over the world. 

I am not affiliated with ADAC in anyway, but I’d just like to share their details with my readers because I truly see a value in this membership. You can check more details here on their website .

2021 Update : Our ADAC membership saved us. In 2021, we did a road trip to Italy and towards the end of the trip, my husband had a cliff jumping accident in Puglia . It was a very difficult time but thankfully ADAC coordinated everything for us.

They arranged for my husband’s surgery in Italy, they flew our family of 3 back to Germany for free, sent a car for us to reach the airport, and also got our car back from Puglia and delivered it right at our doorstep with all the luggage inside.

VAN LIFE TIPS SECTION 4: Finding Camping Spots

Our camping spot in the Netherlands – A typical campground

While traveling in Europe on a campervan, there are three kinds of camping spots that you will find:

Paid Camping Spots

An awesome thing about traveling in Europe on a campervan is that there is no shortage of decent camping areas.

Almost every town or village has a paid camping area that’s specifically designed for motorhomes and tents, and includes shared toilets, kitchen, bar, restaurants, a small supermarket, toilet disposal unit for vans.

Free Camping Spots 

Yes, it is possible to find free camping spots too. Keep in mind that these “free” camping spots aren’t exactly beautiful. These are usually in gas stations parking spots or in rare cases, even supermarkets. 

As you drive along the highway in most of the countries in Europe, you will see many resting spots along the way. Usually there is a sign that says what all you can expect in that resting spot. Some of them have a fast food restaurant, a paid toilet, an overpriced gas station shop, or even a children’s play area. 

Finding these resting spot that you can use for parking are very easy because they’re well marked on the road. In any case, you can use Google Maps and park4night a pp to find them.

On all our road trips in Europe, we did not do find much of free camping spots that were picturesque. We mostly spent a little money to park in a scenic spot and enjoy our evening in a proper camping area with all the amenities. Only the times when we had to drive till the night was when we slept in our van in the fuel station parking.

Wild Camping in Nature in Europe – Is it Possible?

Our Camper van parked near a yellow flower field in Germany

Wild camping isn’t allowed in most of the countries in Europe and most likely you won’t end up doing this. You can get arrested for this in most of the instances.

So, as opposed to what it appears in a typical “VanLife Europe” instagram post, you can’t just stop at any random scenic spot and camp in a majority of countries.

Out of all the European countries, there are just a few countries where wild camping is allowed on land that’s owned by the state. These are Spain, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Estonia and Latvia. Even so, it is not easy to find land that’s not privately owned. We don’t encourage this because you can get into trouble for this. 

How to Find the Best Camping Spots

Our camping spot in Croatia

The best part about traveling on a campervan is being outdoors. It is about finding a scenic spot, setting up the camp and enjoy being outside instead of the comfort of a hotel room. This is why I make an effort to find the best spots in the area while traveling on our campervan. 

I use a combination of Google Maps, CamperContact and Booking.com apps. Yes, booking.com also has camping spots. 

I prefer Google Maps because I can zero down on an area, search for something that’s next to the river or lake (based on the satellite image), read reviews and see pictures. 

Many Campgrounds in Europe are Closed During the Low Season

How to save money while travelling Europe? Travel off season. Ironically it doesn’t quite work out like this because most of the places are closed during the low season. 

Many campgrounds close operations towards the end of September and at the beginning of October. We got a big shock while we were driving in Spain, Portugal and France in October.

We knew some places would be closed during the low season but we didn’t know everything would be. There were days where every campground that we drove to was closed for the season. That’s when we decided to just park our van in the parking area of a fast food place on the highway. 

If you’re traveling in Europe with your campervan during the low season, then be sure to call your camping spot in advance to see if they’re open.

VAN LIFE TIPS SECTION 5: Avoiding Costs – How to Make Your Van Life Affordable

How to avoid toll in europe.

I had no idea how expensive the toll fee can end up being while road tripping in Europe. There are some countries where the toll is super high (like France), and the others where it is non existent (like Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands). 

There was one particular day as we drove from Normandy (France) to Bordeaux (France), we paid total toll of close to 100 Euros.

It is easy to avoid the toll most of the times – just change the setting of your in your car’s navigation system. You can set up your navigation settings on Google Maps app to avoid tolls and highways.

When in Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia , make sure you buy vignettes as soon as you enter. Vignettes are road tax stickers that are prepaid. They are mandatory in these countries. 

Just go to any gas station and ask for a vignette. You can find one based on the number of days you’re going to spend in that particular country. If you ever get caught without a vignette, it is going to be super expensive for you. I know a friend who paid EUR 200 in Austria for this.  

Lower Fuel Costs 

Somewhere in Portugal – Van Life Europe tips

A little effort and a few good driving habits can help you save a lot of money on a road trip. Not just with campervans but in general you should pay attention to how you drive and make an effort to lower your fuel costs. 

Too much accelerating and pushing breaks is not good for the fuel efficiency. Drive at 60 as often as you can and on the right gear. Keep checking the air in your tyres frequently. A little drop in the air pressure can significantly increase your fuel costs. 

Whenever possible, hunt for a cheaper gas station along your way and fill up the tank to 90% before it gets close to empty. GasBuddy app is great for finding current fuel costs as per your location and can help you find cheaper gas stations. 

Avoid Gas Stations Along the Highways

Gas stations along the highways are way costlier than the others. A few cents make a difference and can add up to 8 – 10 Euros when you’re filling up your tank. 

Most of the Western Europe is Expensive

Road tripping in France, Switzerland, and Austria is expensive because of the toll, fuel prices and camping costs. If you’re on a budget, then you may want to spend less time here or skip these countries entirely. 

The Balkans are Beautiful and Affordable

Amazing camping spot in Bosnia’s Una National Park – Free of Cost

I have said this before and I will say this over and over again. The Balkan countries are beautiful and affordable. The difference in costs is significant and should be enough for you to pick where to go.

I did write a very detailed Balkan road trip itinerary , and our favorite country for a road trip in that area is Bosnia-Herzegovina . If you are lucky, you may just find a beautiful camping area here like we did, and it was for free.

I also like the ease of road tripping in Croatia , as well as Montenegro . For me, the most interesting was Serbia because it is so offbeat, pretty and mysterious. 

Big Cities = Parking Problem

Skip the likes of Paris, Amsterdam , Rome, Belgrade, and all the big cities.

First, parking will be difficult to find and expensive. Second, most likely there will be traffic and it will kill your mood. Third, everything is usually expensive in the big cities. 

Save Money on Camping when You Can

Save Money on Camping – Traveling Europe by Campervan

Camping costs can be very high if you’re traveling with a big van during the peak travel period – the summer. San and I paid normally 20 Euros per night at most of the places with a small van.

The cost goes up if you have a bigger van and if you need an electricity recharging point. 

Some of the most beautiful parking locations in Europe are on land that’s owned by farmers or the government. Not many of them will let you park there – unless you’re very lucky.

While I agree that camping at a scenic spot and waking up to an amazing view is the best part of van life, it can turn out to be expensive.

If you want to be smart with your money, you shouldn’t aim to find a beautiful camping spot every night. Parking your van near such scenic spots is never cheap!

From time to time, try to find free camping spots such as gas station parking areas along the highway in countries that allow like Germany and Belgium, or supermarket parking in other countries. Of course, you can only do this if none of the travelers need to put up a tent to sleep. 

Save Money on Eating

If you have read this article thoroughly, then you probably know what I’m about to say, but I reiterate here: Cook your own meals to save money.

Buy fresh local produce and cook some epic camping meals to make your road trip memorable. Scroll up to the cooking sections to read about easy camping meal recipes. 

Quick Country Specific Tips for Road Trips

Tips for exploring Europe with a Camper van

Germany’s highways are free but most of the toilets along the road are not. If you stop at Sanifair or Serways, the toilets will be extremely clean and will cost from 50 to 70 cents.

The parking and resting stops along the highway are really big. You can normally park your van in these spots for the night to sleep.

While driving in Germany, be very careful about the traffic rules and road signs. You can stopped at many random spots for an alcohol or drug test. Even if you have not consumed drugs on the same day but consumed a week before, you can be in trouble.

Apart from Liefkenshoektunnel in Antwerp, Belgium’s roads are all toll-free. The signs are mostly in local language. Did you know 60% of Belgium is Dutch and 40% French? So expect to see the road signs in either French or Dutch but not both of them together often. 

The Netherlands

The roads are very good in the Netherlands but expect congestion in summer near beach destinations such as Zandvoort. When driving in towns and cities on smaller roads, always give priority to the cyclists.

For affordable parking near cities in the Netherlands, look for “P + R” (Park and Ride) signs. You can park your van here and use the public transport to enter the city.

Of course, if you’re including a busy city like Amsterdam in your itinerary then this is where you can park and get inside Amsterdam using public transport. 

Out of all the countries that we have road tripped in, France has the most expensive toll. There are really good resting stops along the highway with free toilets.

France is one of the few countries where the toilets also featured a super tiny WC for the toddlers. It was adorable and thoughtful. The only other one I saw was in Belgrade, Sebia.

When entering the highway, you will get an entry ticket at the toll station which you will have to present later at the exit toll station and make a payment. If you lose your entrance ticket, then you will be charged for the longest length – so keep it safe.

The expressway class S roads, national roads and motorway class A roads are very well maintained in Poland. However, the same can’t be said about the smaller provincial level roads. Certain A level roads are tolled. 

Poland is infamous for reckless and aggressive driving behavior, so watch out when you’re there. 

Our van in Spain – Europe by Campervan Tips

Many travel guides mentioned that driving in Spain can be nerve wrecking and many roads are “one-way”, but we did not face any challenge ever.

With the help of our GPS and Google Maps, we thoroughly enjoyed driving in Spain. Not just along the coast but the landscape was spectacular even in the middle of the country. 

Spain completely lifted our spirits up when we arrived here form dull France. The weather was petter, people had massive smiles on their faces, the food was more flavorful, and things were affordable.

While in Spain, we loved stopping in small Spanish towns and visiting the coffeeshops / bars for a quick snack and drink. Eating and drinking in Spain was generally affordable for us as compared to France and Germany.

We were warned by many about watching out for erratic driving behavior in Portugal but we did not encounter any. The experience of driving through small Portuguese towns, from the mountains to the coast was beautiful.

Pastel de Nata on Dona Ana Beach, Lagos, Portugal

When in Portugal, make sure you stop at smaller road side bakeries and try the famous custard tarts / egg tarts (pastel de nata). I talk about the egg tarts in almost all of my blog posts from Portugal.

Driving in Slovenia was a good experience for us because of the road condition and landscape. Be sure to get a vignette as soon as you enter Slovenia. You can get is from a gas station and it comes out to around 15 euros per week (2019).

Croatia has highways that connect the major cities and they are not free. Upon entering the roll road, you will get a ticket. You will need to present this ticket at the time of exiting the toll road. The toll fee isn’t expensive in Croatia. The Croatian highways have frequent rest stops and some of them also have play areas for children.

When in Austria, you need to get a vignette – failing which, it can get very expensive. The vignettes can be bought in gas stations in Austria as “Vignetten” for 10 days €8.90. If you’re just driving through Austria and not staying, then get a Korridor-Vignette instead. It is valid for a single trip for €2 or a round trip for €4.

If you’re caught driving in Austria without a vignette, it will end up being very expensive for you. It starts with a little over €100 and can go up to €300 on the second day if the fine is unpaid. Post that, valuables can be seized from your car.

The vignette needs to be stuck on the windshield to be valid, preferably in the top centre or the driver side corner. Do not share the vignette with anyone otherwise you will have to pay a very high fine.

Switzerland

Switzerland has some of the most beautiful roads for driving in Europe. Just like Austria, you need to buy a vignette to drive on them, failing which can end up being very expensive for you. 

Watch your speed while driving in Switzerland because there are many areas that have speed cameras after every 2 kilometers. Believe it or not, you can be literally thrown into the jail for speeding. Your driver’s permit can be revoked if you’re caught driving 20 KMs per hour more than the allowed speed limit. 

Bosnia & Herzegovina

We have driven twice in Bosnia & Herzegovina (B&H) and it was a memorable experience. While driving in B&H, we have been warned not to leave the paved road for even a toilet break because of the threats of landmines.

The country is beautiful and affordable but don’t expect the very good roads. Our best driving experience in B&H was along the river Drina.

Europe by Campervan itinerary ideas – Some of Our Favorite Routes

Tips for traveling by Camper Van in Europe

Nature trail in the Balkans

This is our favorite road trip itinerary for road tripping in Europe and is mostly around the Balkans. This itinerary starts in Croatia where you can start in Zagreb or Pula or Plitvice Lakes . From there, this itinerary goes from one natural paradise to another in Bosnia & Herzegovina , Serbia , Montenegro , Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and the Balkan countries. This trip also includes many national parks. You can find more details here in my post about this epic Balkans road trip itinerary . 

Germany’s themed routes

Germany has many themed routs that road trippers will love. There’s the famous “romantic road” that most of us have heard of but do you know there’s also the fairy tale route, a castle road and a wine route? We have a post about Germany’s themed road trips on our website, check it out.

Portugal and Spain

Our second visit to Portugal and Spain was in 2019 with our new camper van. We actually started from Germany and crossed Belgium and France but the best part of our road trip was in Spain and Portugal. We suggest you start in Zumaia (Spain), and from there drive along the coast the Galicia area. Make sure you include Valdovino and Playa del Silenco in your itinerary.

From A Guarda in Spain, you can drive to Portugal’s coast starting from Afife, Porto, Vagos and Figueira da Foz. From there, you have an option to continue along the Portuguese coast to Lisbon, or you can drive to the middle of the country to see the mountains in Serra da Estrela Natural Park. From here, you can enter Spain and spend some time in the Salamanca area.

Check my blog over the next few weeks because I aim to publish an epic Spain – Portugal road trip post.

The Best of the Netherlands

The Netherlands is an amazing country to cover on a road trip, especially if you don’t have a lot of time in your hands. The Netherlands is small as compared to many other European countries. We have a post about amazing places to visit in the Netherlands with an itinerary suggestion that starts from Belgium or France. We have another post with a suggested road trip itinerary for Netherlands that includes a few offbeat places. 

Northern France Coast – Normandy to Bordeaux

The route from Normandy to Bordeaux in France is lovely and you will get to see some amazing natural and architectural attractions. You don’t necessarily need to stop at the starting and ending big cities. Instead, make a stop at Etretat, Honfleur, Mont Saint-Michel, and a few other small towns of your choice along the way.

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Driving along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way is surely the best route in the country for a road trip. The best part is that it can be modified in many different ways. We did a road trip that started in Kerry, then went on to Westport , Achill Island and Ballina in Mayo County.

East Bohemia in the Czech Republic

Prague isn’t the only destination in the Czech Republic but there are many other picturesque smaller towns, castles, and natural attractions that are worth a visit. Start at Pardubice , then head to Sec to relax in the nature and enjoy the viewpoints, next – head to Litomysl and explore the art scene and end your trip in the magical Svojanov where you can get a break from camping and sleep in a castle.

Tuscany to Selento (Italy)

Drive from Central Italy to South Italy’s beaches. Start in the Tuscany region, which is known for picturesque landscapes and historical art scene. It is where the Italian Renaissance art scene began and spread all over. From here, you have an option to drive to Rome or head to Monti Sibillini National Park and move towards the coast. We recommend the latter because the more you drive, the more you would want to avoid entering big cities. 

From the Sibillini mountains, you can make your way to Selento by making stops at small fishing villages on the way such as Termoli, Trani – or find your own new destination.

The Dolomites in Northern Italy

Drive around Northern Italy’s little villages up in the Dolomites. You can start this trip in Verona and make your way up to Trento, Alpe Cimbra , Val di Non . This area looks really beautiful in spring because of apple flowers. You can also stop at the lovely Lago di Tovel – a stunning clear lake that’s surrounded by the mountains.

Many Italians say that North of Italy isn’t the “real Italy”, but this trip is about nature. To enjoy the best of Italy’s culture, make a trip to South of Italy.

Austria & Slovenia

Explore the Alps and spectacular alpine lakes. Start in Austria’s Salzburg from where you can go to Mondsee or Ebensee lakes. Next, visit Hallstatt, then Slovenia’s Lake Jasna, Lake Bled and finally Lake Bohinj. Lake Bohinj is spectacular and you can camp right next to it in Camp Zlatorog Bohinj.

Final Thoughts about Travelling Europe in a Van

Living in Europe, we have tried multiple ways of exploring this continent. We have used buses, trains, hopped on to budget flights and also backpacked across Europe, but nothing compares to road tripping.

The experience of t ravelling around Europe by campervan opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of accessing destinations that are not served by public transport.

Greg Anderson said that one should focus on the journey and not the destination. This quote applies really well to the Van Life experience. It is truly about the journey.

So, are you interested in driving around Europe in a van too?

Did follow our campervan travel tips or are you living the Van Life?

Tag  @drifterplanet  on Instagram and hashtag it  #drifterplanet . We will be happy to share your journey with our audience.

PS: Drifter Planet contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will earn a little commission at no extra cost to you.  We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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13 Comments

I found your website very helpful as I plan my family’s summer camper van getaway. I do have a question about stickers that I may need for the vehicle as I enter different countries. We are planning on Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Any info for where to find that out would be great! Thanks, S

Great ! I have a future plan of visiting Europe by campervan. I’m Eduard from Romania, I saw that you haven’t been here and I tell you it’s a pity ! You should visit sometime also Romania, you won’t regret it !

I have been to Romania in 2018 and I have quite a lot of blog posts about it on my website. 🙂 You can find them under “destinations”

Hi there! I am in love with this article! I do have a question. I want to live on the road. So literally ten years or so be vanlife 100%. How do I as an American, buy a vehicle that I can KEEP.? Everyone does the buyback in 2 years thing but we don’t want to return it we want to keep it and keep traveling. Every country with requirements says you must have residency.

hi there! we will be traveling to germany, austria, swiss , france and netherlands via a RV.

any suggested route u think we should be going ?

Excellent stuff, I am also planning to retire in Europe and will need a Campervan

Great post for europe traveling. Thank you so much for sharing.

Glad you liked it. Yes, the best way to travel within Europe is by van or a camper van.

Really appreciate your elaborate details, which I found to be very useful.

We are relatively new to camping and traveling in campervans. My family includes myself, wife and toddler son of 2 years. Our only camper van experience have been in last July when we made a 12 days ring road trip in Iceland in a motorhome. Now we are planning a 15 days trip in Europe starting end of April. Vienna-Prague-Salzburg-Munich-Luxembourg-Paris. My question is, in your opinion, is this route safe for family travelers? Can I find camping spots (paid ones) easily in this route? or is it far away from each other? What’s your advice when we approach cities? Shall we opt for a parking spot on the outskirts of the city and travel by rent a car in the city? Any other things that we needs to take care of? please advice.

Hi Jithu, wow a road trip with a camper van in Iceland sounds really good. I do like your 15-day itinerary but in my experience driving in those big cities that you just mentioned, isn’t so easy with a van. You will have to find paid camping spots that are a little outside. We did drive through some big cities like Paris but the experience was horrible because of the traffic and lack of parking spots to even get out to eat in a restaurant. Of course, things are different if you have a small car but not with a camper van. So, with that experience, I’d suggest you park outside the bigger cities and use public transport or a bicycle with a child carrier to explore the cities. Or, just avoid the cities and pick smaller towns or national parks.

Thanks a lot for your valuable comments dear 🙂

Hello Drifter Planet,

This article is very useful. We are a couple planning their first 2-weeks rented camper van trip starting in Munich, to Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna, returning to Munich towards the end of October. Would it be worth getting the insurance you mentioned?

Also, you say that many camping sites may be closed, so the alternative could be Gas stations in Germany or supermakets elsewhere. The question is if it is safe to spend the night in those parking lots, and also what to do about the electricity and also the waste disposal… Please let us know your thoughts. Thanks for your advice (we may have other questions as we get closer to the date).

There should be an pate to this excellent information. These days there are many Low Emission Zones, Congestion Charging & Urban Traffic Restrictions in Place within Europe. For example in France every vehicle has to have a Crit’Air. Both Spain and France cities/towns with relatively small populations will be implementing low emission zones. Rules are confusing and there is no single standard. In Europe vans that are registered as commercial vehicles often have lower speed limits imposed on them over vehicles registered as Camper Vans.

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Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Drifter Planet

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Van life in Europe: A bucket list of road trips to go on

Updated On 22nd February, 2024

Van life in  Europe  is  #vanlife  goals and summer 2021 has road trips in Europe written all over it (at least we hope so).

When planning a 2021 road trip in Europe you have 44 countries, containing contrasts of landscape, culture, food and language to choose from. You have the mountains, the ocean, lakes, culture, history and so much squeezed into a relatively small area. When you have a vehicle to road trip through Europe with, you have freedom and you can define adventure. Europe is your oyster and so if you’ve never taken on a European  road trip , I have a feeling that by the end of this post you’ll be adding one to your 2021 road trip bucket list.

See the  best capital cities to visit in Europe  here.

Where do you even begin to start planning a European adventure though? There are so many options, right?  Planning your next adventure  begins with dreaming and identifying the things that make you tick most on a road trip. I have so many Europe travel guides on my blog so if you’re still looking for inspiration after this epic blog post of road trips to go on, be sure to scroll back up and check out the below:

• Europe: The ultimate travel guide
• The best things to do in Europe: a Europe bucket list
• 22 top tips for travelling in Europe
• Hidden gems in Europe that you must visit
• 21 cheap places to visit in Europe
• 10 spring weekend breaks in Europe
• Van life in Europe: a bucket list of Europe road trips

In this blog post, I’m going to share a bucket list of European road trips, some of which I’ve been on and some that are still on mine.

P.s. If you’re completely unaware of the fact that I have just converted a VW T5 high top transporter, well,  where have you been?

Come and join life on the road with me on Instagram – @wheresmolliesvan.

SHOP MY #VANLIFE ESSENTIALS HERE

Van life in Europe: A bucket list of road trips to go on…

1. A month surfing in Portugal

This was top of my bucket list and I’ve finally ticked it off! I’ve just returned from 8 incredibly dreamy weeks road tripping through  Portugal  and I can confirm that it’s every bit as amazing as the rumours tell you it is.

Think surf, surf and more surf, camp spots by the ocean, morning coffees on the beach, beach days with friends and all the spacious nature.

I spent 3 weeks making my way down the west coast from Ericeira to Sagres, followed by nearly two weeks in  Lagos  before heading back up the coast through  Lisbon  and on to  Nazaré  to catch the big surfers ride some record-breaking waves before returning back to  England .

I highly recommend adding Portugal to your road trip bucket list!

See  my guide to driving from England to Portugal here.

EXPLORE ACTIVE TRAVEL ON MY BLOG HERE

See my  21 cheap places to visit in Europe here

2. Belfast to Dublin, the loop of Ireland

It’s so close to home (if you’re based in the UK like I am), I’ve heard it’s insanely beautiful and you can drive up to Liverpool and get your van on the ferry to either Belfast or Dublin.

I’d love to get the ferry over to Dublin and drive south along the coast.

Included on my bucket list are adventures like:

• Giant Hedges,  as featured in the Game of Thrones.
• The  Giant’s Causeway  in Northern Ireland
• views with the  Cliffs of Magho  and the  Kilkeel & Mourne Mountains.
• taste some  Irish whiskey  along the way!
• admire some of the many  castles in Northern Ireland  like Kinbane Castle, Dunluce Castle and Slane Castle.
•   Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge  which connects the mainland to the small island of Carrickarede!  Eeeeek!

EXPLORE IRELAND ON MY BLOG HERE

Check out the  best weekends away in Europe here.

3. The romantic road in Germany

Built just after World War II this self-drive adventure spans 220 miles (350km) between Wurzburg and Fussen. I actually found out about it on the Christmas Markets road trip I did through Europe as I spent a night in Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber (one of the destinations on the Romantic Road itinerary).

I’ve heard that the title ‘Romantic Road’ is a bit of a marketing ploy, none the less that the route takes you through some incredibly beautiful towns and it’s deserved of a place on your van life bucket list.

Top tip:  Start in Wurzburg and travel South to Fussenso.

EXPLORE GERMANY ON MY BLOG HERE

See my  ultimate Christmas Market road trip itinerary through Europe here.

4. Drive through the National Parks in the South of France…

I’ve never been to the south of France but ever since I saw a photo of people floating down Verdon Gorge on inflatable everything’s… it’s been top of my list.

I also love a good glass of wine and rumour has this is the country to find it. National parks, campfires, wine under the stars (reasons I’ve got a roof rack on my van) and floating down gorges. Count me in.

EXPLORE FRANCE ON MY BLOG HERE

5. Scotland’s North Coast 500

There are so many  amazing places to visit in Scotland  but this one is always right up there at the top of people’s bucket lists, particularly when it comes to road trips. The North Coast 500 is Scotland’s answer to America’s Route 66 and has become pretty iconic in the last couple of years. I hear more and more about it in the travel community. This may mean picking a time out of the season to do it as I think it’s getting pretty busy, but, for a good reason.

I spent 5 weeks in Scotland in @wheresmolliesvan and it was absolutely insane for van life and road-tripping! I have dropped all of my top tips, pull-ups, favourite hikes and best things to do in the  Scotland Google Map Legend here.

• See my  guide to planning a road trip in Scotland here.
• The best things to do on your NC500 road trip, Scotland
• Top tips for your road trip in Scotland
• A 2-week road trip itinerary for Scotland

EXPLORE SCOTLAND ON MY BLOG HERE

6. John O’Groats to Lands End

I feel like as soon as you get a van in Europe, you escape to the likes of the Alps and the Algarve. I get it and I’ll also be doing the same,   but I’m also so excited to uncover more of the UK and expose the incredible landscape we have right here.

How awesome would it be to drive 874 miles – the whole length of Great Britain from the northeast to the south-west and see what we come across on the way!?

See my  top places to visit in the UK here  and make sure you don’t miss  these incredible spots in Cornwall  when you get to the end!

EXPLORE THE UK ON MY BLOG HERE

Check out my  hidden gems you must visit when planning European adventure here.

7. A girly trip in the champagne and wine regions of France

Does it need an explanation? Last year, at the very end of Lydia and I’s epic road trip through France and Switzerland, we stopped in  Epernay , the champagne capital and toasted our epic adventure. How fun would it be to get a group of girls together and stay in a cute cottage and do some vineyard bike tours in France!

EXPLORE ROAD TRIPS ON MY BLOG HERE

8. A climbing and hiking week in Switzerland

This is hands down the location that blew my mind the most in 2018 and to be honest on my travels so far. It was also where I did my first  Via Feratta . I’d love to go back and alternate days climbing and hiking with days by the lakes here.

EXPLORE SWITZERLAND ON MY BLOG HERE

See my  22 top tips for travelling in Europe here.

9. Fjords of Norway

I recently took a week holiday with my Mum and cruised (literally) through the fjords of Norway. Whilst there’s not much room for going off the beaten path when on a cruise ship, I took every opportunity to read magazines in local coffee shops and was so inspired by the imagery featured and displayed.

I’m definitely coming back.

Winding roads, freedom to roam, all the waterfalls and… have you seen the Atlantic Road?  Say no more.

EXPLORE NORWAY ON MY BLOG HERE

Top tip: Get more  sustainability tips for travelling in Europe in this blog post !

10. A snowy Alps road trip

My van is 4WD and I’ve invested in having heating installed so… I am ready for the mountains. The Alps are my favourite place in Europe by summer and winter and, just like with surfing, I’ve never had the chance to fully immerse myself in snow sports. I really want to nail it.

The resorts are so close to each other and you can cross over multiple borders and get a really varied adventure through different terrain. Done deal. Now I just need an instructor friend to come with me?

EXPLORE WINTER SPORTS ON MY BLOG HERE

11. Weekends in the countryside

As you’ve seen, I have a million van life dreams that will have me out of the country for weeks at a time but do you know what I’m also  reallllly  looking forward to? Hopping into my van on a Friday after a full week of work, chucking in the essentials and heading out of the city into the countryside, with my pup of course. Tea straight from the stove and long walks through the fields.

EXPLORE VAN LIFE ON MY BLOG HERE

See my  10 dreamy spring weekends in Europe here.

12. Albania coastline and mountain villages

Albania is one of the places in Europe that has blown my mind the most. Think the beauty of Croatia but before word caught on about it. Untouched beauty. Raw travel experiences and the feeling of discovering coastline where the mountains meet the ocean, all to yourself.

Think mountain villages tucked away and magic surprising you around every corner. Albania is insane and one of the  hidden gems in Europe . If you’re looking for a lesser-known, off the beaten track location for your road trip in 2021, this is it! See my  4-day Albania road trip here.

See my  Albania travel guide here.

EXPLORE ALBANIA ON MY BLOG HERE

SEE ALL MY YOUTUBE TRAVEL VIDEOS HERE

My list honestly grows by the day so as it grows, I’ll keep updating here for you!

Any suggestions, send them my way!!!

EXPLORE EUROPE ON MY BLOG HERE

Have you got a van?

What road trips in Europe have you been on? I’d love to know!

Love as always + happy adventuring,

Did you find this post helpful? I’d love you to share it for me.

I can’t do this without you.

Pin and save this blog post for later…

IT’S LOVELY TO MEET YOU

I’M MOLLIE AND I STARTED THIS BLOG BACK IN 2013 WHEN I HEADED OUT ON MY FIRST BACKPACKING ADVENTURE. 

I’D LOVE TO SHARE THE JOURNEY WITH YOU, WE’VE GROWN A LOT SINCE THEN!

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The Ultimate Guide to Travelling Europe in a Campervan

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click through & make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Has it been a dream of yours to travel Europe in a Campervan? Then look no further – this comprehensive blog post is FILLED with tips and advice on how to have the best van adventure ever.

We spent 8 months living in our beautiful Ford Transit campervan conversion exploring Europe, and now you can too with the help of this guide. We get asked a lot about how we did it and what it costs so we are sharing our experiences, the good and bad with you!

So if you are curious about what it takes, already have a camper van or want to add a road trip through Europe to your bucket list – dive right in. We are not leaving any details out- it’s stuff like this we wish we had known before we left on our trip.

Why Travel Europe in a Campervan?

How much does it cost.

• What to Consider Before Buying a Campervan?

Converting Your Van

Our route through europe, where to camp in europe, the best campervan resources, our van essentials – must have items, departure checklist.

• Petrol, Tolls and How to Avoid Them

Mobile Data

• Our Favourite Free Camping spots with GPS Co-ordinates

Location Highlights

Our whole route in detail.

• Freedom! Whether you buy a used motorhome or decide to build your own, we think the freedom that this gives you when travelling is the best feeling in the world!
• Being able to sleep wherever you want- next to amazing beaches, mountain views and lakes. You name it – having a van allows you to park and sleep in places that you never could do on a normal trip.
• Choose how long you want to stay and where, while having your own home to sleep and cook in also saves money.
• You can take everything you need with you for your favourite activities – we took surfboards, bikes, skateboards and snorkelling kits. Always be prepared for an adventure!
• Outdoor living and camping life with all the home comforts! We loved how homey and comfortable our van was.
• Travel for longer , spending less money.

Our daily budget was approximately £25 per day. This meant for 8 months we had a budget of £6000 for food, gas, petrol, tolls, parking/camping and sightseeing between the two of us. This budget for us, was super easy to stick to. We were in it for the long haul and once you are on the road you realise how little you actually need to spend in order to have an incredible time. 

Our camper van cost us about £6500 to purchase and convert. This might seem like a big investment including the daily budget, but once you sell your van you get that money back. Think how much money you would be spending on transport and hotels, the hours wasted on public transport and not being able to stay in some of the most insanely beautiful locations in Europe.

What to Consider Before Buying a Campervan

• Can you stand up in it? 

Phil is 6ft 6 so this was a tricky one but most High Top/Roof vans have exactly that amount of head room. This will make your time in your van much more comfortable. Medium Roof vans also work for some people. If you plan on spending a long time travelling in your van you will 100% want to be able to stand up.

• Reliability ! 

We spent hours researching the pros and cons of various types of vans and which models might suit our needs. Try and get something with a good service history and ask a garage to give it a once over. Is it easy to get replacement parts abroad, how many miles on the clock etc.

• A good nights rest

A comfy nights sleep was high on our list as we were planning to be in the van everyday for 8 months. Luckily building our own van allowed us to plan our bed layout and what mattress we wanted. We loved our double memory foam bed so it was worth the effort researching!

• How self sufficient do you need to be? 

We wanted to be able to go fully off grid for a few days at a time without having to fill up on water, empty our toilet and get supplies. So we had a fridge, large water storage, solar energy and running tap to keep us sustained.

• Do you want to live off grid?

How much electricity will you use or need – will you go solar and be a true off grid explorer? Getting a leisure battery that runs separately to your vans battery will give you so much extra power, you get even more time to be off grid by having solar panels.

It took us about 2 months working 6 days a week to do our Ford Transit campervan conversion! There are so many resources out there about how to plan and do the conversion. We loved using Pinterest for inspiration on designs, watching YouTube videos for how to guides and reading blog posts. Anyone who can use a few tools can get started from home once you have your van or motorhome. I had never used many of the tools before and built an entire kitchen from scratch.

We started off catching a ferry from Poole in the UK to Cherbourg in France and decided on a clock wise route of Western Europe. Our plan was to drive a maximum of 1-3 hours a day between locations. This worked out pretty perfectly for the length of our trip. We stayed in some places for just one night and the ones we liked we stayed more. For example we stayed in Paris for 3 nights and Rome for 5 nights but stops in between may only be for one night. To determine our route we would get out our resources ( Camperstop book, Park4Night app and Google) and see where looked good, had good camping spots and was within driving distance.

When you travel Europe you can park in places called Aires, also known as Motorhome stops. These are dedicated campervan parking spaces with varying facilities. Run by the town municipalities or privately owned they are often free or cost a couple of Euros per night. Some of the privately owned ones can have more facilities and will charge more (Up to £20 depending on where they are located.)

If you are looking at camping somewhere that has a lot of facilities then a Campsite will suit you. Things like showers, toilets, washing machines, swimming pools, scenic camping spots etc.

• Free Camping

Europe is very well suited to free camping. This is where you park somewhere that is not a designated Aire or campsite. You are parking your van in a space that allows overnight parking and have to be self sufficient. These could be side roads, beach car parks etc. You will have no facilities and can generally park for free for a night or two. The rules change from country to country and you must respect the local authorities. Most importantly, in order for free camping to remain allowed in Europe you must always leave no trace, never leave rubbish behind and be respectful of noise.

• Camperstop Europe Motorhome Guide

This was such a great resource for us for when we were on the road. Camperstop is a book you can purchase that has over 9000 of the Aires in Europe listed with GPS coordinates. You will find that certain countries have more aires than others so you may have to mix up the types of places that you stop.

If you are going to buy one resource- let it be this one .

• Campercontact

Campercontact is a website and app that is run by volunteers. You can search for Aires all over Europe just by searching by location. There are photos, reviews and GPS co-ordinates.

When we were in Germany, about 3-4 weeks into our trip we met someone at an Aire who happened to mention the app Park4Night. From this moment on it became one of the best resources we had for our trip in finding free camping. The information on the app is user generated, with people stating GPS coordinates of where they managed to stay for free! People can then rate these locations for future users. These locations range from side roads with free parking to cliff sides overlooking incredible beaches. It saved us an incredible amount of money and allowed us to stay in some of the most insanely beautiful locations that you would not normally be able to stay.

Ensure that you get a good GPS device with up to date maps for all of the countries that you are going to visit. As most of the information for where to stay is given in GPS coordinates this makes it a lot easier navigating. You will also be able to see where there are toll roads (and there are a lot) and how to avoid them. It will also inform you of the local speed limits for each country.

• Big Road Atlas – Europe

We also found it incredibly useful having a paper map. As our route was not set in stone, we would only plan where we wanted to visit a few days to a week in advance. You can plot your route on the paper map, which is also a lot of fun. It also becomes handy if for some reason your GPS device stops working and you need to go old school.

Get your Big Road Atlas here .

• Pinterest  

A great place to start to get your design ideas is Pinterest – there are thousand upon thousands of boards where you can get ideas. We had a particular style in mind as we needed space for our bikes and surfboards inside the van. It served as a great resource for us and helped in the planning process greatly. Every van design is so unique to each owner and it’s incredibly inspiring to see everyones camper van hacks.

• Fellow Travellers

Ask other people who have done this before for their advice. If you don’t know anyone personally there are plenty of blogs, forums, instagram pages all dedicated to #vanlife. Like this one for example. Don’t forget to pin this to Pinterest for reading later.

• Where to shop for food

Without a doubt the best place to shop for food in Europe is Lidl. This supermarket is in practically every country, has large carparks and cheap and delicious food.

Portable Toilet for Campervan

We debated this essential a fair bit before we decided to get one. Phil didn’t think we needed one and I did. In the end we realised it was a must have and enabled us to have a lot of off grid camping experiences. It is easy to build in to the framework of the van so it stays hidden. It is super easy to empty and clean. We would never do this trip again without one.

Get the Portable Toilet we used here .

Portable Electric Camping Shower

There are many different ways that you can have a shower in a van these days, no matter the size. Our shower was an outdoor one we plugged into to the back of our van using the power generated from our leisure battery. When the back doors to our van opened we simply placed a curtain rod with a shower curtain between the doors for privacy.

Get the Portable Electric Camping Shower we used here .

Campervan Fridge

Something we also debated whether to get because they cost quite a bit of money, was a fridge. Deciding whether to get one depends on how long you are going to be travelling for. As we were going for 8 months we deemed it necessary, we especially appreciated it in the summer heat wave enjoying our cold beers. There are several things that you have to take into account when getting a fridge. Does it need a flat surface, will its temperature remain low enough for the country you are visiting, so we recommend doing a lot of research.

We absolutely loved ours – this is the model that we got here .

Solar Panels for Campervan

We fitted 2 of these to the roof of our van and it kept our leisure battery charged long enough for us to be able to camp off grid for quite a few days. If you want to reach some off the beaten locations and not rely on plugging your van into electricity at campsites then we highly recommend fitting these. We did not need to plug in our van to external electricity sources our entire trip.

Your Vans Security

Van theft in Europe is quite common in certain areas and something you should definitely be aware of. Especially if you are keeping all your worldly belongings inside.

We fitted a sliding bolt lock to the inside of our back doors as an extra precaution. You will also want to consider where you park your van and always carry your important belongings with you (passport etc).

We unfortunately had our van broken in to when we were in Portugal. They broke open our side door window and climbed in taking the closest belongings they could find. This unfortunately happened to be my empty leather bag I treasured which had my wedding ring inside, my backpack with our DSLR camera, our hard drive with 6+ years of travel photos and our wash bags. These just happened to be left inside on this day when we visited the beach for just 1 hour. When we visited the local police station they were not surprised this had happened as it was very common in that area.

All we could have done was park somewhere more populated and not have left our belongings inside. We parked in a beach car park but right at the back because we wanted to camp there in the evening. Luckily for us there was a campervan shop close by so we could fix our window easily. But always be sensible, park in busy places when leaving your van and look after anything important.

A Good Mattress

One of the best purchases we made was getting a proper memory foam mattress. As Phil is quite tall we wanted to sleep lengthways and you can purchase shortened memory foam mattresses designed for boats which fit perfectly in a camper. When you don’t have a huge amount of living room this makes your time in the van so much more comfortable.

Mosquito Net

Having a mosquito net is definitely worth investing in. If you plan to travel when it is warm outside then you will more than likely want to have your windows open or even your doors. We had a mosquito net built into our window but would have loved one for our doors.

At dusk the mosquitos love to invade your van if you have the doors open – imagine your van being 40-50 degrees inside and you want to cool it down. Once you settle down to sleep, that is when you will spend all night irritated by buzzing noises flying past your ears every few minutes. Take heed of this advice, many nights were ruined by mosquitos invading our van.

Ventilation

Temperatures during summer in your van can get particularly high. The hottest our van reached was over 50 degrees inside during the peak of summer. We had a roof window installed which helped but what made a huge difference was having a fan that we attached to the wall. We didn’t manage to get the fan until half way through the trip, a huge mistake not having it before we started.

Get a fan like the one we used here .

Collapsible Table and Chairs

Grab a couple of collapsible camping chairs and a table to complete your alfresco dining situation. The chairs can be used for multiple purposes and just extend your living space. A collapsible table also means you don’t need a permanent fixture inside and creates more space.

Get the table and chairs like we used here. For the table click here and for the chairs click here .

Power Source

So you can go down two routes when designing your van. The simple DIY route where you just use battery powered lights and will charge your devices when you are driving using the cigarette lighter socket. The more advanced route is to have a leisure battery that supplies electricity to your lights, fridge, shower and electrical sockets so that you can charge devices when the engine isn’t on. Combine this with solar panels and you won’t need to charge the battery by driving much.

Gas for Cooking

We debated about what type of gas supply to get for our cooker for quite some time. For you it will depend on how long you are travelling for.

If you are planning on going on a short road trip, anywhere up to 1-2 months then i would say that you can buy a normal camping gas cooker and canisters.

If however you are planning on a longer journey as we did then you might want to consider purchasing a refillable LPG canister. Many of the European petrol stations have LPG pumps designed for filling up cars and you can buy the appropriate canister heads for each country. It is a lot cheaper and lasts a long time, we only had to fill up twice in 8 months. Be warned though, if you convert a camper van, filling these LPG canisters can be tricky if they are located inside your van. This is because some petrol stations deem it dangerous to do so.

Van Insurance

Ensure that you have comprehensive campervan insurance before you depart. If you plan to travel for an extended period of time outside of your home country then you will most likely need to purchase a specialised insurance policy.

It gets quite tricky determining if you need a campervan insurance policy or a normal van insurance policy if you have converted your camper. The way that this is determined is dependant on what permanent fixtures that your van has in place and then the DVLA classify your vehicle. If you have an accident and your van is not insured correctly this can cause problems when it comes to claiming. So you have to ensure that your policy covers you.

We used Adrian Flux as they were the only company that would cover us for the length of time that we needed in Europe. They were also the only company that offered us a policy for a campervan IN conversion (I.e not completed).

This may be different if you are from the UK now due to Brexit so it is worth shopping around and getting quotes on who will cover you. People often will get a camper van insurance policy over a normal one because it is a little cheaper. Obviously if you have a standard RV then it will be a much simpler process than insuring a self built camper.

You can find details for classifying your vehicle type with the DVLA here :- 

Breakdown Cover

We cannot rate this product highly enough. For a couple of hundred pounds for an 8 month journey this cover paid for itself. Let me tell you why…

Unfortunately for us, just 3 weeks before we were due to return to the UK our van broke down in Northern Spain. Yes, we managed to travel for over 7 months across the whole of Western Europe without a problem and then on the home stretch it goes kaput!

Luckily we had European Breakdown Cover and it honestly saved the rest of our trip. They provided a weeks worth of accommodation for free, a hire car for the entire duration that our van was at the mechanics, which was several weeks! They also provided flights home AND picked our van up from the mechanics and shipped it back to our home address.

Unfortunately the van could not be fixed in Spain, not only were they quoting an insanely overpriced bill, they didn’t get around to inspecting the van for 2 weeks. It was on the advice of our breakdown cover rep that we get it fixed in the UK to save money. Needless to say we think this is worth investing in. You just never know what is going to happen and it can cost thousands to either fix your van and/or ship it home.

Travel Insurance

As with any trip it’s super important to get a travel insurance policy for the duration of your trip. As someone who has had to claim on travel insurance policies in the past I can attest their worth and importance.

European Driving Kit

Most countries in Europe will require that you have a driving kit in your car at all times. These will include things like First Aid Kits, Visibility Vests, Warning Triangles. You may also need to apply headlamp stickers when driving in certain countries. Check what you need for each country you are planning on visiting and then buy the kit that has everything you need.

Get your kit here .

Petrol and Tolls

Petrol in europe.

This will be one of your biggest out goings on your budget. Since you will most likely be travelling long distances, the cost of petrol does add up and takes a huge chunk out of your daily spends. Prices vary from country to country with the cheapest we found to be in the tiny country of Andorra (it is tax free there).

These are temporary tax discs that you need to purchase before you enter certain countries. You can purchase them from lots of petrol stations before you cross the border and they are valid for varying amounts of time dependant on how long you plan on being in each country. We had to purchase Vignettes for Slovenia and Austria on our route (see below for full list of countries we visited)

Toll Roads and How to Avoid Them

Lots of the roads in Europe have tolls to pay and it is worth doing a bit of research before you embark on your route to see if you can avoid them. They can often make a journey far quicker but it is worth weighing up the prices versus time spent saved. Prices can be anywhere up to 50 euros depending on how long the route is.

For example if you plan on using the Mont Blanc tunnel to Chamonix it costs almost 50 euros, just to travel through the tunnel! The alternative route over the mountains is not even worth considering.

However if you take these tolls into account on your route it can help with your budget before you depart. Your GPS device will be able to tell which routes have toll roads and you can find out the costs online. You can then use your map to check if the alternative non toll roads are much slower. Often they can be much more scenic and only a little slower.

Currently you can use a UK sim card in Europe for up to 90 days as if you were at home. If you plan on travelling for longer than 90 days then you will need to think about alternative options.

We purchased local sim cards in some countries as they are pretty cheap. If you encounter problems with your SIM cards it can be difficult to rectify if you cannot speak the local language. Local sim cards are the simplest and cheapest route to take.

There are portable wifi devices that you can purchase that allow multiple devices to access the wifi. You pay a monthly fee but these are very expensive. It ultimately depends on how much time will be spent on the internet – will it be light use researching your destination or heavy use working on the road.

Our Favourite Free Camping Spots

Iconic locations.

Italy: Bellagio, Lake Como lat.45.976601 long.9.25433, 51 Via Alessandro Volta

A car park located on a hill overlooking Lake Como in Bellagio. A short walk to town where you can catch the passenger ferry to Menaggio and Varenna. Free fresh water available with little passing traffic. We stayed 2 nights.

Italy: Rome – Villa Borghese, Viale dl Giardino Zoologico

Imagine staying in the centre of Rome for 5 days for free! We found this spot on a blog post and it was perfect. Down a quiet street, next to the Zoo. Walking distance to Villa Borghese Park and central Rome. A diamond find for free camping.

The Mountains

France: Chamonix, Mont Blanc lat. 45.93312 long.6.884868

Great shaded wooded area, suited to smaller and larger vans than motorhomes. Nice picnic area and close to main road into Chamonix with biking trails accessible.

France: Les Gets, lat.46.149799 long.6.6582, 310-328 Route des Pesses

We stayed here for 4 nights for free. It’s a car park at the base of the town with access to toilets and water. Easy walk to town and quiet at night.

Northeast Spain: Montserrat GPS Unknown

On our way to Barcelona we stopped for a night here. There are plenty of places to stop along the way with the most incredible views of the mountains. I recommend using the Park4Night app to find a space to park.

The Most Scenic Viewpoints

Southern France: Views of Monaco, lat. 43.734501 long. 7.40159, 1094 – 1158 Route de la Tete de Chien

If you want insane views of Monaco/ Monte Carlo park here for the night. Hike up the Tete de Chien at night and morning for incredible city views. Picnic benches available.

Southern France: Valensole lat. 43.822179 long. 6.017428

Quite rural spot not far from the road, shaded under trees with great views of the lavender fields. Waking up to the smell of lavender and possible farmer. Accessed via private road, very private and beautiful.

Northern Spain: Llastres lat 43.51675 long. -5.269843

Great spot with ocean views. Good BBQ area and easy walk down hill into beautiful fishing village of Llastres.

The Best Beach Camping Spots

Northern Spain: Ferrol lat 43.556571 long. -8.298003

Absolutely stunning beach car park location. Literally overlooking the ocean with direct beach access. Bins and toilets available in season.

Belgium – Belgian Beers in Rochefort and Waffles in Brugge .

Netherlands – Lisse for Tulip Season and Amsterdam during Kings Day.

Germany – Heidelberg for history and castles. Triberg for the original Black Forest Gateaux and home of the Cuckoo Clock. Lindau in Lake Constance – just wow!

Austria – Salzburg – pretend you are in the Sound of Music!

Slovenia – Lake Bled , such a beautiful town and stunning lake. We would love to come back to Slovenia and explore more.

Croatia – Rovinj , a cute and colourful fishing village with incredible sunsets and seafood. Kamenjak National Park for endless nature and ocean vistas. Plitvice Lakes – the most insane set of lakes and waterfalls we have ever seen.

Italy – Alberobello , home of the unique Trulli houses. Matera – a cave town situated on a gorge, Wonder Woman was filmed here! Positano , an iconic place to visit in Italy. Pompei – visit this ancient towns ruins for free on the first Sunday of every month. Rome and Florence for the history and architecture, Tuscany for the rolling hills and Venice for the winding lanes and Burano. A dream come true visiting Lake Como and Lake Garda. Basically we loved all of Italy!

Southern France – Valensole for the lavender, Verdon Gorge for the most insane turquoise blue water and Tete de Chien for views overlooking Monaco. Cascade du Sautadet and Vallon Pont D’arc for water sports heaven in the Ardeche.

Southern Spain – Barcelona for Gaudi art and Tapas, Valencia for the Art Science Park and Nerja for dreamy town beach vibes. Puerto Banus for high fashion and luxury, Tarifa for kite surfing heaven and Seville for flamenco!

Portugal – Benagil caves , a huge cave with a hole in the roof and a beach inside and Ponta da Piedade for incredible coastal views. Lisbon for city chic and Pastel de Natas (Portuguese egg custard tarts) and Sintra to visit Pena Palace. Porto is a coastal city, you must see the Livraria Lello, marvel at the stunning tiles and cross the Dom Luis bridge.

Northern Spain – We adored Northern Spain for the Pico de Europas , San Juan Gaztelugatxe and San Sebastian . Incredible hiking and Pintxo’s – like tapas.

France: Cherbourg – Cambremer – Paris – Epernay (Known for Champagne)

Belgium: Rochefort – Dinant – Namur – Brugge

Netherlands: Lisse – Amsterdam

Germany: Heidelberg – Baden Baden – Schiltach – Triberg – Freiburg im Breisgau – Lindau – Garmisch Partenkirchen

Austria: Salzburg – Hallstatt – Gmund

Slovenia: Bled 

Croatia: Rovinj – Premantura – Plitvice Lakes – Zadar – Split – Dubrovnik – Split (Ferry to Ancona in Italy)

Italy: Ancona – Assisi – San Benedetto Del Tronto – Amatrice – Lake Compotosto – Mattinata – Alberobello – Locorotondo – Matera – Sorrento, Day trip to Positano – Pompei – Rome – Siena – Tuscany Hills – Florence – Verona – train to Venice – Lake Garda (Sirmione – Moderno – Torbole) – Molveno – Andalo (Dolomites) -Lake Como (Menaggio, Varenna, Bellagio) – Aosta 

France: Chamonix – Les Get – Tigne

Italy: La Thuile – Finala Ligure

France: Menton – Monaco – Nice – Canne – St Tropez – Verdon Gorge – Moustiers St Marie – Valensole (lavender) – Cascade Du Sautadet – Vallon Pont D’arc- Villefranche de conflet

Spain: – Montserrat – Barcelona (Gaudi) – Cambril – Valencia – Nerja – Puerto Banus/ Marbella (fancy rich place) – Tarifa – Seville (flamenco)

Portugal: -Albufeira – Benagil (caves) – Lagos (Ponta da Piedade) – Sagres – Lisbon – Cascais – Sintra (pena palace) – Ericeira -Peniche – Porto

Spain: Oia – Santiago De Compostela – Ferrol – Cudillero – Llastres – Covadonga – Picos De Europa – Llanes – San Juan De Gaztelugatxe – Bermeo/Bakio – Mundaka – San Sebastian

France: Saint Jean De Luz – Biarritz – Hossegor/Seignosse

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Rachel Hughes

Hey there! I'm Rachel Hughes aka Ever The Wanderer. I am a Digital Media Creator and long term travel expert. I help people realise their worth and what they can achieve.

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24 comments.

So interesting! My husband and I rented a campervan in Iceland and loved it. We never thought about traveling main land Europe in a campervan. Thanks for sharing!

Oh I’d love to visit Iceland by campervan! That must have been amazing! I highly recommend mainland Europe it’s honestly one of the best things we have ever done

Loved reading about your trip! I have so many dreams about doing a trip like this. Well, I guess I’ll start by doing something in California and the Western US. I didn’t know about portable toilets and showers. Good to know about those. Question, how do you factored for seasonality? Seems like you avoid traveling during winter (is that true?). Also, reading about the incident in Portugal made me wonder if a portable safe or another security mechanism exists. I have never thought about it but going to do some research.

Ah thank you! It was such an incredible journey for us! We can’t wait to do it again! We have done a few road trips in the US but never by campervan so that’s definitely on our list too. We planned to travel in the summer but a lot of people to go in winter as there are places with very mild temperatures like Portugal. A lot of vanlifers head there in winter, or pop in a wood burning stove and head to the mountains in the snow. Although I’m not sure we would do that, might be too cold haha. A portable safe is a great idea, unfortunately campervan windows are all built the same and have tiny plastic latches which can easily be broken. You just have to not leaves valuables inside I think or have a very secure safe. Some people had glass windows broken, if a thief wants something bad enough they don’t care. Next time we will definitely be more prepared.

Oh wow what an adventure it could have been! I would love to do something similar next year and reading your post just made me wanna do it even more. Can’t wait to hit the road again! 🙂

Wow this is an epic guide! And kudos to you for buying and converting your van for such little money. I’m struggling to buy one at the moment; the van market in the UK is not normal – dammit COVID.

Ah thank you! Yeah there weren’t too many vans around at the price point we wanted but we got lucky. I’ve not looked lately to see what it’s like but I think it’s a great investment because we got it all back plus extra when we sold it!

This is the kind of trip that I’d dream about forever (it’s literally my dream trip) but never actually do because I’d think it was unachievable. This post has changed that completely, and where you’ve included things to consider when planning a campervan trip has given me the confidence that I could do this! Really great post, thanks so much for sharing.

Ah I’m so glad I could motivate you to do it! That’s always my goal to show people how achievable dreams can be!

This is exactly the kind of guide that I need now! I’m in the process of swapping my car for a van to travel full time, so it was the perfect timing to come over your post. You really aswered a lot of the doubts I’ve had, especially considering extra battery/solar panel, toilet/shower etc. Saving this for when I get my van:)

Oh awesomeness best decision ever! Yeah we really thought about what to include in the post given the experience we had to make it easier for others! Solar panels were an awesome idea, so much off grid camping. And 100% a toilet and shower 😊

A great trip with so much information shared! Would love to tour around Europe.

Kariss Ainsworth

Doing this is a total dream of mine, van live looks amazing

It must be so cool to discover Europe with a camper van! I appreciate all the tips and info you gave, I am sure this will be super useful for the day I want to try this kind of adventure!

What an incredible adventure this must have been! Love all these tips and it’s interesting to see which places you chose to stop off at.

Michelle du Toit

Thank you for compiling this insanely useful guide to campervanning! Hubby and I are only at the stage where it’s a dream for us and your blog has covered a whole lot of tips that haven’t even crossed my mind yet.

It is a dream worth investing in for sure. Honestly the most free we have ever felt

What a beautiful itinerary. How long did it all take you? Living in Europe, it is hard to find time to do a full-blown road trip, I always end up just going to one place and back. Pinning it for when I finally find the time for this 🙂

Thank you! The Itinerary took us 8 months. The van build took two. Yeah you definitely need to make the time and it is so worth it!!

I have been thinking about doing a campervan road trip, but doing it in Europe seems pretty amazing!

Love this article! I am absolutely impressed by how many places you managed to visit on your road trip around Europe. Your photos are so beautiful as well.

Vanessa Shields

This sounds like the most amazing 8 months getting to see so many places by campervan! I would love to do this one day as long as the mattress was comfy. Lol. That would make or break it for me. I’d probably buy a van already updated like yours to make it easier. So cool how you can visit so many locations at your leisure this way!

This is incredible and super helpful. It’s honestly always been a dream of mine to backpack through Europe – though a camper van sounds even better! Especially since I’m not as young as I once was 😉

Ankita Sharma

well-written post! A friend of mine likes to travel and I was going on a trip with him. There was home setup in his car. Apart from this, I also watch vlogs of some couples, their setup is also similar. I liked the whole setup.

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Road tripping through Europe with a campervan in 2024 (Itinerary)

With another eventful year behind us, where our trips were less wild and our adventures less spontaneous than they used to be. A year where we were constantly inspired by the beautiful pictures and crazy videos that our social media algorithms presented us.

Since we knew the roads would be calmer in November so we decided to follow our ‘Saved Instagram pictures’ and enjoy a wonderful autumn trip through Europe.

Our bucket list took us from the outskirts of Brussels to gorgeous medieval German castles, from the astonishing Dolomites to the picturesque Venice, and finally from fashionable Milan to the peaceful Strasbourg – How is that for an adventure?

In this itinerary, we’ve listed all the info you’ll need for a road trip through Europe with a campervan; what items to pack, how to rent a campervan, itinerary ideas, and finally: some tips for a fantastic adventure on the road.

Page Contents

Our road trip summarized in numbers. 

• 1x stuck in the Italian snow
• Crossed 7 country borders
• 0 Speeding tickets
• … a thousand new adventures and stories to tell about

The roadtrip

After an earlier adventure in which we discovered the Dolomites with a campervan , we immediately knew that we wanted to travel the same way; through Europe with a campervan! 

As we see it, this is the easiest solution to travel through various countries while still complying with all the COVID measurements and having a minimal risk for infection; we’d stay in our own bubble while still having all the comfort we needed: large beds, a small kitchen, and even a shower!

Our goal would be to drive from Brussels to Venice and back while discovering the most fabulous places we could find; after all, we had an immense amount of inspiration and a huge bucket list of places to visit. 

Essentials for a road trip in a campervan

Are you planning to go on a campervan road trip, but want to make sure you have the essentials with you? We briefly listed the essentials that made sure our trip was a success.

Ecoflow River Pro Powerstation

As content creators, we’re always haunted by our fear of not having enough power, from the fear of being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a GPS to the fear of having a dying camera battery just when you’re about to shoot your favorite location. 

Either way: We’ve all been there, so we all know these are valid worries! No wonder why one of Google’s top road trip-related searches is about finding or generating power. While there are various solutions, we found one that put our minds at ease before starting our road trip; The Ecoflow River Pro Powerstation !

In essence, the Ecoflow River Pro is a massive power bank with 2 AC power outlets and a few USB connections, generating enough power to charge our Macbook M1 Pro laptop 13 times, our smartphone 58 times, and our Sony A7III camera over 30 times. Due to its dimensions, the River Pro can usually last 8 hours, being a massive help for every road trip.

When you’re planning to cross various borders or wander around mountain passes, you’ll have to switch radio stations regularly, or you’ll end up with noise. Our trick? Make sure everyone has made their own Spotify playlist in advance! That way, you won’t be bothered by the noise and leave room for spontaneous singalong moments to occur.

Data Roaming

If you are located in Europe and are traveling through various countries, you’ll need to ensure that your data roaming is enabled on your phone to keep having an internet connection. 

You shouldn’t worry about the amount of roaming you use, thanks to the European Union’s roaming regulations which say data providers can’t charge for roaming in the European Union. However, keep in mind: Switzerland is not included in this regulation! So don’t forget to turn off your Data Roaming when entering Switzerland.

What have we learned about road tripping through Europe with a campervan?

Our campervan trip through Europe confirmed something we already knew: that it’s very easy to travel between European countries. A 100 kilometers drive can bring you to a different cultural and diverse community.

Next to this, we had a few other learnings as well. 

The ease of a camping site with decent facilities

While traveling in a sustainable campervan, you’ve got different options in terms of camping:

• You could visit an official campsite which has loads of facilities.
• You could park overnight at Highway stops.
• You could wild camp and stay at a new place every night.

Most European countries have different rules and regulations about camping, but generally, they (Switzerland, Italy,…) aren’t allowing wild camping … which makes it technically illegal. However, in most cases, overnight parking where you don’t set up camp or leave in less than 24 hours is allowed. 

Our tip? Make sure you can drive off at any moment so that nobody can complain about it.

The thing is: If you’re on the road for over a week, you’ll need to clean your campervan and want a more luxury shower. Don’t hesitate to stop wild camping and pause at a camping site with decent facilities. 

The ease of planning

Being prepared for your campervan trip ensures that you can switch gears faster and need to spend less time worrying. The things that helped us a lot were:

• Backup locations. Since we used our itinerary as a guideline, we had the flexibility to skip specific locations because of bad weather. Having backup locations made it less of a hassle to find hidden gems.
• Ecoflow River Pro . We knew we would probably wild-camp a lot, which meant not having the power to charge our electronic devices (laptop, camera,…). Luckily our friends at Dutchtravelshop.nl hooked us up with this mobile power station, which we didn’t have to recharge one single time during our 8-day trip.

The costs Tolls and Vignettes

Something we have underestimated is the fact that most European countries have toll roads, which can make your trip very expensive very fast. Luckily, there are exceptions, such as Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium.

Some countries such as Austria and Switzerland are working with a vignette, which is a prepaid motorway toll in the form of a sticker you typically purchase from petrol stations before you cross the border and which you stick on your windscreen.

Alternatively, you can always avoid tolls by picking alternative routes on Google Maps or Waze, but these will guide you through the smaller roads, resulting in a slower and longer route. 

Our tip? If you have the time, save your money and go for the slower, more scenic route. If you’re in a hurry or have a tight schedule: go via the tollways.

Our road trip Itinerary

Since the lockdown started, we’ve been saving Instagram pictures of destinations that inspired us and deserved a place on our bucket list. We’ve added them all to a Google Maps collection and started planning the regions we wanted to visit.

From there on, we casually decided that we wanted to visit the Dolomites, Venice, and Milan. Because the beauty of a road trip in a campervan is that you can make up your itinerary along the way: when you’re experiencing bad weather, you can just start a few 100 km’s and adjust your itinerary as you go.

Additionally, once your start to post Instagram stories or timeline pictures of your trip, people will automatically start to recommend locations that weren’t on your bucket list to start with!

Remember that our style is to have a flexible road trip itinerary and adjust our planning accordingly. As a result, we’ll need an internet connection during our trip, which can’t always be found when traveling to rural destinations like the dolomites.

DAY 1 – Getting started

Our first day was mainly focused on picking up our campervan, unpacking the bags, and learning how to drive the campervan properly. Ultimately we already wanted to drive to our first location so that we could start our hike early!

Pickup Campervan in Brussels

We started our trip by picking up the campervan in Brussels in the afternoon, where we finally met the owners of the campervan face-to-face, received an extensive explanation of how the campervan functions, and finally managed the paperwork (for example; noting down the milage of the car, check for damages, etc).

After unpacking our bags and filling the drawers, we started driving towards our adventure! We left Brussels around 3 pm and drove straight to our first stop in Rheinland-Pfalz. Just when we crossed the steep hills of Malmedy, darkness fell over the highway, and fog started to appear. 

Since the darkness prevented us from sightseeing opportunities, we quickly arrived at our first stopover and sleeping place – the “Wanderparkplatz” in Nothweiler on the German-French border . This parking is located in the middle of the woods, which explains why we came across some wild boars on our way to the parking spot.

Wegelnburg – Wanderparkplatz Nothweiler

After (wild) parking at Wanderparkplatz Nothweiler, we looked up at the sky and noticed how beautiful the stars were in the sky. We decided to unpack our Nanlite Pavotube II’s light tubes and used them to illuminate the (unlit) hiking trail, looking for the perfect spot to stargaze.

We decided to follow the winding hiking trail that crosses the German-French border until we found an open spot, which we used to capture the stars.

Day 2 – Chasing castles

We knew in advance that during our road trip to Venice, we had to pass through the German provinces of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. Both regions are known for their medieval castles, of which most have a panoramic view.

Our goal was to visit the most impressive castles on our route to Venice.

Wegelnburg, Germany

Wegelnburg , a ruined castle located in a forest on the French-German border, is best known for its panoramic view and incredible sunrise.

We wanted to witness that specific 7 am sunrise, so to observe this, we had to start our hike at 6 am, where we followed the zigzagging hiking trail to the Wegelnburg. This took us 5 kilometers, regularly crosses the German-France border, and passes by several other ruins on its way. The hike was covered in darkness since the sun was still about to set, making it an authentic experience. However: seeing the sunbeams roll over the mountains with such a fantastic panoramic view was just … unreal.

Be aware tho: the entrance of Wegelnburg is surrounded by fencing, so at first, we thought it was closed to visitors, but nothing could be further from the truth!

We found a shorter hiking trail on our way back, which brought us directly to the village, only 200 meters walk to the Wanderparkplatz Nothweiler. 

Schloss Lichtenstein, Germany

To make our route to Venice even more interesting, we aimed to visit interesting stopovers every 2 to 3 hours (+- 200 to 300 km). In this instance, we drove towards Schloss Lichtenstein : a 12th-century fortress built on top of an 800-meter high cliff.

We noticed that the castle was managed from a commercial point of view, where everything involved a cost: parking, entering the courtyard, etc. 

Nevertheless, the panoramic view over the valley and the fantastic color palette of the surrounding trees, hills, and valley made it worthwhile. It also struck us how beautifully everything had been restored and how detailed they had for their sculptures.

Hohenzollern Castle, Germany

Located less than 40 kilometers from Schloss Lichtenstein, you can find Germany’s most visited castle: Hohenzollern Castle! The castle has been known as “The Crown of all Castles” ever since 1267. Reason enough for us to visit it and admire it with our own eyes!

Our tight itinerary wouldn’t allow us to stop by the Hohenzollern Castle for an extended visit, so we decided to admire the castle from Zeller Horn’s legendary viewpoint ; It’s the mountain range located about 1.5 kilometers away, at the same height as the fortress. As a result, you have the best view of the castle and the surrounding area.

We have to be honest tho: it took us a while to find the exact location of the Zeller Horn viewpoint, but once we found it … we loved it! You can judge for yourself … 

Plansee, Austria 

While we had already discovered some of the most amazing places, we decided to push our luck: our goal was to visit Plansee lake, located just beyond the Austrian border, and search for its very instagrammable viewpoint that looks down over the lake.

Unfortunately, a combination of traffic jams and mandatory stops (buying our Highway Vignette to enter Austria) caused us to arrive just after sunset. We learned during our road trip through the mountains that as soon as the sun has set, it’ll be pitch dark in a matter of minutes. The same goes for our visit to the Plansee lake: as soon as we crossed the bridge, we couldn’t move without using our Nanlite lights.

After our short stop at the lake, we decided to continue our journey to a place to sleep for the night: the legendary Innsbruck city.

Innsbruck city

We’ve visited Innsbruck city numerous times, and we may even say that it’s our favorite city in Austria. This is because of its beautiful mountain background, architectural gems, alternative culture, and Innsbruck’s importance on the winter sports community.

Once we arrived, we decided to head downtown to reminisce memories from the past and see how the historic buildings (such as the Liberation Monument on Landhausplatz and the building with the golden roof) are lit up at night.

We decided to end our evening at the Hard Rock cafe to explore the same downtown area the next day after dawn before the shops opened.

Day 3 – Arriving in the Dolomites

During our previous road trip, we visited the Dolomites and missed out on a few of our bucket-list locations. Since the Dolomites were only a slight detour from our route to Venice, we decided to give some of these places a second chance … but not before we wandered around Innsbruck first! 

Innsbruck, Austria

Imagine the feeling of waking up, opening the doors of your campervan, and looking out across the streets of Innsbruck with their impressive mountains as a backdrop. Well, that’s precisely how we woke up!

After a quick shower in our campervan, we decided to wander around the city again and rediscover the same historic buildings, but this time using daylight. 

Another reason why we stayed in Innsbruck is that we’ve been following Holzkern Watches on Instagram for ages and noticed we could visit their shop in Innsbruck. We made an appointment, and were welcomed by their store manager Stefan who explained to us more about Holzkern’s philosophy and lifestyle, showed us how an automatic watch works and how to replace the chains of a wristband.

During our visit to the store, we fell for the charms of the La Concorde watch and the Intergalactic watch , which we took home as a reminder of our road trip.

MMM Corones

Since we visited the Dolomites last year, the MMM Corones (being designed by Zaha Hadid) have been on the top of our bucket list. When we entered the region around the Dolomites, we noticed that the lakes weren’t frozen and the roads were not covered with snow … so our first reaction was to visit MMM Corones.

Unfortunately: the ski lifts were closed because the season hadn’t started yet, and the roads were now permanently closed and accompanied by prohibition signs. So one thing is sure: MMM Corones can only be visited in a dignified manner when the ski lifts are open.

With pain in our hearts, we had to make a cross over our visit from MMM Corones, but luckily there are plenty of other places to visit in the region … so we decided to drive to the legendary Lago di Braies .

Lago di Braies

Lago Di Braies – also known as Pragser Wildsee – is the biggest lake in the Dolomites and is known as the most beautiful lake of the Alps because it’s surrounded by beautiful pine forests, towering limestone peaks, and included a unique boathouse. As a result, most people know it as (“Lago di Instagram”). 

The last time when we visited the lake, it was totally frozen and covered in snow. This setting certainly had its charm, but we also wanted to visit Lago di Braies before the snow fell. Unfortunately, there was so much fog that we still couldn’t admire the lake in its best condition. Next time!

St. Johann church in Villnostal

Noticing that the sunset was approaching fast, we decided to revisit one of the most legendary sites in the Dolomites: St. Johann in Ranui Church in Val di Funes, Villnostal.

While driving over the winding roads, we noticed that the weather conditions would be utterly different from our previous visit: there wouldn’t be any snow, but the church and its surroundings were covered in fog. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t notice too much of the sunset since the fog blocked all the sunbeams. By the time we left the church, it was already pitch dark.

Alpe di Siusi & Earth Pyramids Renon

We decided to drive up to Compatsch to experience the sunrise at Alpe di Siusi to save some time. Last time, we missed this view since it’s located in a nature resort and has a curfew for cars: no-one can drive by between 9 am and 5 pm.

This time, we could access the road to Compatsch, but while we were driving up the mountain, it started to snow, almost to the level of a snowstorm. When we arrived in Compatsch, our van got stuck, and a local farmer had to pull us out of the snow. 

According to the local weather forecast, it would snow for the entire night, and we would miss the sunrise anyway since it would be covered in fog. In fear of getting stuck, we decided to go back down the mountain and skip our visits to both Alpe di Siusi and the Earth Pyramids of Renon. 

We ended up spending the night at a truck stop next to the road.

Day 4 – The road to Venice

We knew it wouldn’t be the shortest route to Venice, but we decided to drive via Santuario Madonna Della Corona and Lake Garda since it captured our imagination.

Santuario Madonna Della Corona 

What’s more astonishing than an ancient place of worship, located 800 meters into the side of a cliff? We wanted to experience it, so we drove towards Santuario Madonna Della Corona, only a 15 minutes drive from Lake Garda (the Italian part)!

We parked at Localita Santuario 1 in Spiazzi, on a parking lot that usually wouldn’t allow campervans and mobile homes, but we decided to risk it since it was empty. The reason for this might be the thick fog that stood over the mountain, on the fact that it’s not the most touristic period to visit Santuario Madonna Della Corona.

Although we could not fully admire the Santuario Madonna Della Corona due to the thick fog, the location continued to impress us. We also had the opportunity to check our fitness by climbing the steep stairs to access the sanctuary.

After arriving, we learned that this sanctuary is a place of pilgrimage that already existed before the year 1000! We’ve listed our findings in this specific destination article about Santuario Madonna Della Corona .

Lagi di Garda

In less than 24 hours, we went from a small snowstorm in the Dolomites to a 20-degree summer breeze at Lake Garda. 

The small town was quite dead, considering the tourist season was already over here, so we just briefly wandered through the city. Our goal was to catch the sunset in Venice before 5 pm anyway, so we quickly left the lake.

Venice City

Where we spent the past few days in quiet or remote regions, with endless possibilities to park and wild camping … Venice would be a bit more crowded and strict. That’s why we decided to spend the night at the campsite of Venezia village, which had some fantastic facilities: decent showers, an elegant restaurant, and a clean swimming pool. 

An additional advantage was that there is a bus stop in front of the campsite, with busses that go directly to Venice. The ride to the city takes no longer than fifteen minutes and drops you off at Piazzale Roma.  

By 4 pm we arrived at the tourist center, where we were overwhelmed by history and architecture! Strolling with our camera in hand, we followed the small corridors of the city, arriving at a (relatively empty) San Marco square just after sunset.

Unfortunately, The darkness brought in some shady types, from aggressive salespeople who punched us on the shoulder to get our attention to pickpockets popping up from sketchy streets and following us until we noticed them. As a result, we decided to skip the rest of the city and return the following day.

Pro-tip; Gelateria il Doge’s ice creams are known as the best in the old town.

Day 5 – From Venice to Milan

By now, our road trip was already halfway through, so after enjoying Venice’s charms in the morning, we had to start on our way back. This time we chose to spend the night in the city of Milan since we wanted to discover some of their ancient buildings as well.

Be aware: Something we didn’t realize before going on this trip is how many toll stops you can find in Italy, especially between Venice and Milan.

Venice, the city of canals

Since we ended our wanderings around Venice early the night before, we decided to sleep in first… and then head back into the city!

This time we parked our campervan in Venezia Tronchetto Parking because we were only planning to stay in the city for a few hours. Ultimately, we stayed for 4 hours and realized that we had paid more for this parking spot (without any facilities except) than staying an extra night in the camping Venezia Village. Yikes!

Unlike the previous evening, where we walked to San Marco square via Basilica S.Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, we now had the time to take a different route: via Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

Milan and its impressive Duomo di Milano

Since we took our time to wander around Venice, we arrived in Milan during rush hour and had to endure several traffic jams before arriving in “Camping Village city of Milan.”

The campsite’s reception was already closed, but luckily google maps had a function that allowed us to know perfectly see what public transport connections would lead us to the Duomo di Milano. Our trip was a bit more delicate since we needed to transfer from the bus to the metro, in a place we had never visited before. Luckily we had google maps to fall back on.

Since this route to the center of Milan took almost an hour commute, we only found the time to discover the illuminated cathedral and the neighboring streets. To make it easy for us, we also made a quick McDonalds stop here.

Day 6 – From Milan to Strasbourg

We had less than two days to cover 1000 kilometers and go from Milan to Brussels. This gave us enough time to visit the center of Milan and then leave for Strasbourg in the afternoon.

Milan, Italy

Since Milan is such a beautiful city accompanied by ancient architecture, a sense of fashion, and art … we made a small “bucket list” of locations that we had to see during our visit to the city center. 

Castello Sforzesco

Castello Sforzesco – also known as Sforza Castle – is a fortress that was built during the 14th century. 

Over the centuries, the fortification was destroyed in various wars, by the troops of Napoleon and during World War II. It was extensively rebuilt in 2005 and currently houses several of the city’s museums and art collections. That’s why it’s currently one of the most famous landmarks in Milan.

Arco della Pace

Arco della Pace is a huge triumphal arc located where the ancient Romans built their city gate. The gate is called “The Porta Sempione” and refers to the district it was located in.

While the origin of the arc can be found in 1807 when Napoleon was in command of the city, the construction of the “Arch of Peace” was paused when the city of Milan fell under the control of the Austrian Empire. The construction of the Arch was resumed in 1826 and was finally completed in 1838.

Bosco Verticale

The Bosco Verticale – or Vertical Forest – are two residential towers built in 2014 and are already known as the most iconic and most recognizable buildings of the last decade in Milan.

Pictures of the building often surface on Instagram and Pinterest, as it is iconic for its pioneering incorporation of a vertical forest.

Duomo di Milano

The Milan Cathedral, known as Duomo di Milano, is without any doubt the most known building in Milan.

It is logical too since they started the constructions in 1386 and only finished working on it more than six centuries later: in 1965! What’s even more impressive is the fact that the cathedral contains over 3400 different statues.

Strasbourg, France

As mentioned: Milan is still a 1000km drive from Brussels, so we had to keep going if we wanted to back on time! We decided to pass via Switzerland, which meant buying a new vignette when crossing the border and disabling our roaming data.

Once we arrived at Strasbourg, we parked at Parkplatz Friedhof since it was close to the city center, and parking on a Sunday would be free of any charge.

Day 7 – Back to Belgium

Every fairy tale comes to an end, and unfortunately, ours too. It was the last day where we were actually on the road; we wanted to enjoy it until the end. That is why we chose to discover Strasbourg in the morning and pass quickly via Veves Castle in the afternoon.

Being a university city on the border of France and Germany, Strassbourg is a very characteristic and cultural city, with enormous history. Proof of this is the street art that can be found all around the city or the ancient buildings scattered around the city (such as their cathedral).

We had some help from some locals; we were advised to discover the part of the city known as “Le Petit Paris.”

Vives Castle

What’s a better way to end our trip than to visit a 12th-century castle? We arrived rather last-minute: 10 minutes before the castle closed, so we didn’t have the chance get to explore it from the inside … but the sunset made up for it!

If you don’t know about Veves Castle yet, make sure to read the extensive guide we wrote, it contains the history of the castle, the legends around the castle and how to reach it. 

A fascinating part about the castle is that the same family has owned it for the last 800 years, and that is classified as an exceptional heritage by the region of Wallonia. As a result, the castle is referred to as Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

Day 8 – returning the campervan

Our last day was mainly focused on bringing back the campervan, where we had to pack our bags, clean the campervan in a self carwash, and ultimately fill in the paperwork again ( check for damages, note the number of kilometers we’ve driven,…).

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Hey there! I'm Elliot Clennam, a passionate photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. My love for capturing the essence of my surroundings has led me on countless adventures, from exciting road trips to bustling city escapes.

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The Definitive Guide to Europe by Campervan

Imagine the feeling waking up each day, grabbing your morning coffee and looking out across the lake/mountain/beach you parked next to the night before.

You take a look at the map, plot a course and make your way to the next destination. In your own time, on your own schedule, in your own home on wheels. This is life when traveling Europe by campervan.

It is a steep learning curve once you decide to campervan in Europe for the first time, particularly if you are not from Europe. 

We are here to fast track you past the initial planning stages and help you plan your trip by campervan around Europe. In this Guide to Europe by Campervan we have listed all of our best campervan travel tips.  

There is A LOT of information here so don’t forget to save or share the article to refer to later.

• 1 How To Plan Your Europe By Campervan Itinerary
• 2 To Buy Or Rent a Campervan In Europe?
• 3 The Best Campervan Layouts
• 4 Get To Know Your Campervan
• 5 LPG Gas Bottles
• 6 Best Campervan Gadgets
• 7 Essentials Apps for Campervan Life
• 8 Connectivity Tips
• 9 Navigation Tips for Campervanning in Europe
• 10 Toll Roads
• 11 Using Ferries in Europe
• 12 Campervan Camping In Europe Guide
• 13 Campervan Security
• 14 Campervan Meals
• 15 Tracking your Europe Road Trip Costs
• 16 Important Documents to Carry
• 17 Ready To Plan Your Trip?
• 18 Final Travel Europe By Campervan Advice

How To Plan Your Europe By Campervan Itinerary

We explored Europe by campervan for 5 months on a family gap year and it was an incredible experience. The region is well set up for touring by campervan.

The ease of travel between countries and the cultural and natural diversity of Europe make it the perfect road trip destination.

The natural thing to do first when planning to campervan around Europe is plan the itinerary.

There are millions of different campervan routes in Europe and it can be hard to whittle it down to a manageable list. 

We suggest you start with this list of questions to help you narrow your planning efforts:

• How much time do I have
• Where will we start and end the road trip
• How much driving am I prepared to do each week
• What time of year will I be in Europe (the weather is an important consideration)
• Do I want to travel slow or do I want to tick off as many places as I can.

Next we suggest you pull out your Europe bucket list, a spreadsheet, a map of Europe, Google Maps and your Weather App and start planning.

Expert Tip:   When looking at distances on Google maps, add half the time again to get a realistic idea of the time it will take to drive in a campervan. Travel by campervan is slower than by car and you will most likely stop a number of times on the way. In our experience a 3 hour trip on Google Maps typically becomes a 4-5 hour driving day.

We love using Lonely Planet Guide Books when we first start planning a new trip.

They give a good overview of a country or region, the key sights, and best time to go. They are a helpful way to come up with your Europe bucket list in order to start planning.

Click here for the latest prices for Lonely Planet Europe .

As you start to form your high level itinerary, my best piece of advice is don’t lock it all in!

The beauty of travelling Europe in a campervan is that you can also make it up as you go along. Prioritise the countries and sights you want to see and adjust your Europe itinerary as you go.

Europe Itinerary Planner

If you would like more guidance to plan your Europe itinerary, we recommend this Europe Motorhoming Travel Toolkit by motorhome experts, Wandering Bird.

The toolkit includes a Europe travel ebook, printables, video tutorials and guides to route planning, camping, motorhome security and much, much more.

It is an invaluable resource full of tips and ideas and so helpful for first time motorhome Europe travellers.

>> Click here to check the price and find out more

To Buy Or Rent a Campervan In Europe?

Buy or rent? This is one of the most difficult decisions and unfortunately there is no right answer to this question. It really depends on your situation.

So to help you choose here we guide you through a couple of key questions to help you make this important decision.

In short, renting is the simplest and easiest option and the best choice for short trips (less than 8 weeks).

There are many European motorhome rental agencies, but we recommend   Motorhome Republic . They have a huge network of vans across Europe and offer discounts for longer bookings.

Click here for a no obligation quote from Motorhome Republic.

Renting an RV in Europe makes sense for short trips, but will cost more if you are travelling around Europe for a longer period.

Considerations for renting or buying a motorhome in Europe

Here are some things to consider when weighing up whether to buy or rent an RV in Europe.

Length of trip in the campervan

The longer your trip the more sensible it is buy. On our calculations it was worth buying a camper van if the trip was longer than 2.5 months.

Less time than that and it was probably easier to hire a campervan in Europe.

The time of year

Off season rentals are typically much cheaper as loads of campervans are returned at the end of summer.

If you are brave enough to start your trip in winter and are prepared to negotiate, you should be able to get a much better price on a Europe RV rental for the off season.

Van repairs

Are you prepared to take responsibility for fixing the van, should things go wrong? When renting a campervan in Europe, if anything goes wrong, the rental company will resolve the issue.

If you buy the van you are going to have to work it out yourself.

We met a couple in Montenegro who had been holed up in the campsite for a month waiting for a part for their van to be shipped from the UK.

Thankfully we had no major issues with our van over the 5 months.

But it is a big consideration. For this reason, before purchasing a van we strongly recommend you have it checked out by a mechanically minded person.

Your country of origin makes a difference

As a non-European it is a little more complicated to purchase and insure a van in Europe.

It makes a private sale with an individual buyer very complicated unless you have friends or relatives in Europe who are prepared to purchase insurance on your behalf.

But the good news is that it is possible to purchase a campervan as a non-resident through a number of smaller European campervan companies.

If you are interested in buying a European camper van, contact us and we can put you in contact with our preferred company, a small family run business.

Expert Tip: If you need to transfer funds when purchasing a van in Europe we use and recommend Wise. Much better rates than most banks and quick and easy to set up. We saved hundreds of dollars transferring funds for our van purchase using Wise. Click here to find out more.

Look at campervan buy back schemes

If you don’t want the hassle of selling the campervan privately at the end of your trip, there are companies who will offer a guaranteed buy back. This will cost you more than purchasing and selling privately, but it is cheaper than renting.

You are assured of selling the van and it simplifies the process at the end of your trip. It is a good compromise between renting and buying privately. We opted for this option and we very happy with our decision.

If you would like to get a quote for buying a camper van in Europe through a buy back scheme, contact us and we can put you in contact with our preferred supplier.

So in summary, buying a van requires a large financial outlay but will most likely save you more over the long term.

But if you don’t want the hassle, motorhome hire for European travel is easy and worry free.

Get a campervan rental quote today and start planning your road trip!

The Best Campervan Layouts

Before you choose to purchase or rent a van, you should spend some time thinking about the best campervan layout to suit your needs.

There are literally thousands of different van configurations. It is hard to know what will work if you haven’t been RVing in Europe before.

Questions to help you find the best van layout

To simplify your van search, use these questions to prioritise what is important before you start looking.

How new do you want the van to be? What modern features does it need to have?

Are you prepared to accept an older van with older furnishings, no air conditioning, fewer mod cons. Older vans are generally much cheaper to buy or rent.

Or are these things important to you? For example, if you are considering Europe campervan routes in the south through Summer, air conditioning will make your trip much more comfortable.

Van size is a big consideration and will depend on how many people are traveling, but also the style of trip you want to take.

Do you want to go offroad on your camper van Europe trip? Do you want to free camp in out of the way places? Do you want to be able to drive the van into major cities? A smaller van is better for these types of European road trips.

Do you have kids? Do you want them to have a separate sleeping area and/or their own beds?

What size van are you comfortable driving? There are pros and cons to both. A small van is easier to drive and park and is easier to take to out of the way places.

But a larger van usually has a toilet and kitchen onboard, provides more comfort inside when traveling to colder countries and allows you to take more stuff.

It is worth noting that European camper vans on average tend to be smaller than what you find in Northern America, but are perfectly suited to RV through Europe.

Right or Left Hand Drive

Do you want a right or left hand drive? If you are going to spend most of your time on the continent, it makes more sense to buy a left hand drive vehicle.

Many vans for sale in the UK are right hand drive, so always check when enquiring if it is a left hand or right hand drive.

Bed Configuration

Are you prepared to convert a table into a bed each night or do you want permanently set up beds when you RV Europe?

If you are on a long term road trip, converting a bed each day can become pretty tiresome, but it means you can take a smaller van.

We took this compromise on our US month long road trip , but didn’t want to for a longer Europe tour.

If you have kids and they are still in car seats or booster seats this needs to be factored in to your decision.

Expert Tips: If you are traveling with kids, we talk more about bed configuration when traveling Europe by campervan with kids here .

Do you want to carry bikes or other large sporting equipment like kayaks or paddle boards that will need to be stored in or on the van?

Kitchen Appliances

Can you cook everything in your campervan kitchen on a gas cook top? Can you live without an oven and grill in the van?

Camper Van Amenities

Do you want to be able to free camp for days at a time off the grid with sufficient power and amenities to do so?

A van with a fridge that runs on gas, lights that run on a dual battery and a toilet onboard will help you achieve this.

Heating and Cooling

Will you be traveling through hot climates on your campervan Europe trip?

If you don’t have air conditioning you will need a van with plenty of opening windows (preferably with insect screens).

Will you be travelling Europe in the winter? If so you will need a campervan heater.

Related: The best campervan accessories for van life

Get To Know Your Campervan

Once you have chosen your van, it is really important to familiarise yourself with the vehicle before you set off campervanning around Europe.

We cannot stress the importance of this enough: get to know your new home before you go too far from where you rent or buy it.

Travelling Van Pre-Travel Checklist

• Check the campervan is mechanically okay. Ask when was it last serviced. Check the tyres.
• Do all the windows and blinds open and close correctly?
• Do all doors open, close and lock properly?
• If there is an alarm, does it work and how does it function?
• Confirm the appliances (fridge, heater, 12V outlets, AC outlets, air con if you are so lucky) are working and you know how to use them.
• Have the company/seller show you how to fill the LPG tank. Have they provided the necessary attachments for the countries you are visiting?
• Check you know how to open and close the campervan awnings.
• Check if the awning comes with tie down ropes. If it doesn’t we recommend you buy them to secure the awning. Click here to see the tie downs we recommend .

Know the van dimensions

It is also really important to know the height, length and width of your van!

Unlike rving in the US , there were MANY occasions heading down a country road or under a small bridge we would notice a road sign indicating the maximum width or height.

We would have to stop and find another way around because we wouldn’t fit in our large motorhome. It is VERY important to know this!

Campervan Parking

Navigating into campsites and getting out of carparks is often tricky and we saw a few other drivers hitting light posts and fence posts in their attempts to reverse their RVs!

Our van didn’t have parking sensors or a reversing camera and it was impossible to see what was behind you.

We suggest that if you are traveling with other people, one of you always get out and direct the driver into or out of the spot as you campervan through Europe.  

Agree on a method for helping the driver with reverse parking. We found that hand signals worked better than voice commands.

Supermarket carparks are a good place to find large spots to park when in visiting towns in Europe.

They had more space and we could take up a few spots. Much less stressful than trying to park on a busy street!

Managing Waste Water

Larger campervans come equipped with grey water tanks. This collects all the used water – from the kitchen and bathroom sinks.

The older the van, the more likely it is this tank is going to have a unique and not so great odour.

If you rent or buy an older van our recommendation is to empty the grey water tank before setting off on long driving days.

When we didn’t empty the grey water tank we would be driving along with our sleeves held over our noses! The smell of grey water wafting through the van is terrible and was much worse in hotter weather.

We tried everything to improve the situation. From special tank cleaner to dishwashing liquid to putting ice cubes into the tank. Nothing got rid of the smell. The best solution was to have an empty grey water tank whilst driving.

If your van has a toilet we suggest you use toilet chemicals. Carry spare bottles of toilet chemicals as they were not always easy to find in smaller towns.

Thetford Aqua-Kem is a popular holding tank chemical and the one we used on our trip around Europe. Click here to check the latest prices .

LPG Gas Bottles

If your campervan has a refillable LPG bottle, monitor the gas level and don’t let it get too low. In some countries such as Portugal and Austria it was difficult to find LPG so we tried to keep it above half full.

Having said that, we used the gas for cooking, heating and cooling the fridge when off the grid and it really didn’t use much gas at all. We probably could have only filled it once or twice in 5 months.

Note also that there are four of different types of LPG gas bottle fittings used across Europe. Our campervan came with all of them and we could screw on the one we needed when we refilled.

The website mylpg.eu/adapters explains which fitting type is used in each country and also has a listing of LPG filling stations.

Also, if you were like us and had no idea how to use an LPG pump, have a look on YouTube for some guidance!

Best Campervan Gadgets

There is additional equipment and motorhome accessories you will use all the time and we recommend you purchase for travelling in Europe by campervan.

1. 12V USB Port Adaptor

You will need to buy a 12V USB port adaptor to charge your phones and tablets. Make sure you get a good quality one with a high current output to enable fast charging of your phone.

It will need to be dual USB like this one so you can power the GPS at the same time as charging a phone.

2. Voltage Inverter

If you have electronic devices such as a laptop or camera battery charger that are powered by AC voltage then see if you can find a 12V charger for them.

Alternatively, we recommend buying a voltage inverter which allows you to run an AC device from a 12V port.

When choosing an inverter you need to check that the inverter output is the correct AC voltage and is rated at a significantly higher power than the device you are powering.

For example, I needed to run my laptop power supply which was 220V at 180W so I bought a 500W Car Power Inverter. Click to check the latest prices on the Inverter.

If you are coming from the US you need a 12v to 110v inverter for US voltage electronics like this one .

We also recommend you purchase bicycles when touring Europe in a campervan.

Campsites are often located a little out of town and the bikes give you more flexibility to get out and explore the local area without having to drive the van everywhere.

You can easily purchase them secondhand on ebay like we did, or look for a good deal on a new bike that you can sell at the end of your trip.

The large supermarket chains like Carrefour and Aldi often had new bikes for sale and Decathlon is a cheap sportstore found in Europe with affordable bikes.

Many campervans have a bike rack on the rear to carry bikes. If not, ask your rental agency or seller if one can be added.

An adaptor, inverter and bikes are our top three campervan products for motorhome travel to Europe.

For more of our favorite travel accessories see our list of 14 Travel Essentials here .

Read next: Best gifts for Motorhome owners

Essentials Apps for Campervan Life

It is easy to stay connected on a campervan trip around Europe. We travel with a laptop, a tablet, 2 kindles and 4 mobile phones.

The kids have a mobile device and headphones each because it was the cheapest way for them to have access to music and audio books.

We talk more about this in our article on road trip activities for kids. Click here to read it .

To satisfy everyone’s need for music, we purchased a Spotify family membership for access to music online.

Spotify is a great app. Everyone had their own playlists and could access unlimited new music throughout the trip.

It is also possible to save playlists to listen to when offline.

Download Spotify for free. Click for: Apple Store free download (iOS) Google Store free download (Android)

Another option for access to tunes is Amazon Music . They also offer a family membership plan and have the option to play music when offline, similar to Spotify.

Click here for a 30 day free unlimited trial of Amazon Music.

2. Borrowbox

We also signed up with our local public library to borrow ebooks and audio books for free. This was one of the best decisions we made for RV travel in Europe.

It has saved us hundreds of dollars and also helped entertain the kids on long drives.

Check with your local public library whether they are set up. Our library used the Borrowbox app.

The kids would listen to audiobooks on their phones as we were driving and we could download ebooks to the tablet.

Download BorrowBox for free. Click for Apple Store free download (iOS) Google Store free download (Android)

The only limitation with the Borrowbox app is that often new releases were not available, and popular books were constantly on loan.

So the other option is to sign up for an Audible account . Audible gives you access to a huge range of new release audiobooks, podcasts and originals as part of a monthly membership.  Click here to sign up for a free trial on Audible.

A podcast app is another way to download content for both kids an adults. We use Castbox.

Book exchanges seem to be a thing of the past and we very rarely found somewhere to exchange English books, especially kids books, so the kindles were essential.

We traveled with two kindles which were shared between all 4 of us.

Our family bought us an Amazon voucher as a farewell gift. We made very good use of this during the year when we couldn’t find books to borrow from the library.

Click here to see the latest Kindle and price

If you plan to work or homeschool while travelling Europe by motorhome, a laptop is essential.

We love our Microsoft Surface Pro as it is lightweight, a fully functioning laptop that can also be converted to a tablet for use by the kids.

It was well used not only for work but also for watching movies, planning our Europe trip along the way and for the kids to do login to online learning sites for homeschooling.

Click here to see the latest prices for the Surface Pro

Connectivity Tips

Wifi vs mobile data.

One of our top campervan tips is not to rely on camp ground WiFi when you travel Europe in a campervan.

I was very surprised in Europe to find WiFi connectivity generally pretty poor. We found camp grounds almost always promised WiFi but in reality it was slow and unreliable and sometimes expensive.

Like most people these days, internet connections are an important part of travel.

Plus as we didn’t book any of our trip in advance we were planning most nights once the kids were in bed. 

To reduce frustration levels with WiFi we recommend you purchase local prepaid data plans.

In 2017 the EU introduced a new law forcing mobile data roaming costs to be the same across Europe as in the country where you purchased the SIM.

This means you can get a SIM in your first country and know it will work practically everywhere at the same rate.

While there are still huge variations in the plans on offer, it is much easier than before when it often made sense to get a new prepaid SIM in each country.

The Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki is an amazing source of information that we used to determine the best deal.

Read Next: Best Road Trip Gifts for Travel Lovers

If you are using free WiFi it is important to protect your data by using a VPN when travelling Europe in a van.

A VPN (virtual private network) allows you to use public and open WiFi connections without the risk of your data being compromised.

We use NordVPN all around the world when we travel. Just switch it on when you connect to WiFi and know your information is safe.

Click here to see the latest deals with NordVPN.

Navigation Tips for Campervanning in Europe

We highly recommend that you have a number of different navigation tools on hand to help plan your journeys.

There was never one tool that met all of our needs and we used all of these methods most days.

1. Road Atlas

For high-level planning, our first point of call was our Philip's Big Road Atlas Europe .

This may seem a little old school, but we regularly referred to this map to give us a good overview of distances for itinerary planning.

Our son also loved highlighting our Europe road trip in the atlas to track our journey and it is a great memento of the trip.

>> Click here to check the price for the Philip's Europe Road Atlas .

Traveling with kids?   Read our tips for road trip activities for kids here

A dedicated GPS/Sat Nav with up-to-date maps is essential for a few reasons:

• It doesn’t rely on mobile connectivity
• It keeps your mobile free for other purposes when driving
• The GPS shows you the speed limit when you are driving and just how sharp that upcoming bend is.

There are many different types of GPS, but you are best to look at sat navs for motorhomes with European road maps included.

We had an entry level TomTom GPS and found it simple and reliable to use plus we liked the Australian voice option who would tell us “mate, if those back seat drivers don’t keep it down, ditch them at the next servo”.

However it didn’t have settings specifically for large vehicles which would have been helpful considering the number of small roads and villages we navigated.

>> Click here to check the price for TomTom GPS for motorhomes

3. Google Maps

The only problem with a GPS is that sometimes it might suggest tiny roads or routes through village centres that our 7m/3.5 tonne van could not pass through.

Unfortunately there was no option to filter out roads not suitable for oversized campervans.

So we would also use the Google Maps app on our phone to see what route it suggested because it tended to be better at avoiding small roads.

We strongly recommend when you have WiFi you download Google Maps for use in offline mode to avoid being reliant on mobile data.

The other great thing we used Google Maps for (if you have an internet connection) is to use satellite view or street view to check just how wide a road is.

If you can see lines in the middle of the road you are good to go. If not, you may need to think twice in a large van.

4. Other Tools

We also occasionally used an app (or website) called Via Michelin which was able to give estimates for toll costs and more realistic travel times compared to Google maps.

Also ensure you research different country rules in relation to things such as driving laws, low emission zones, how tolls are charged and child restraint requirements.

The rules differ a lot between countries. We had to change our plans in and around London due to restrictions on older vehicles entering greater London.

Our Philip’s Big Road Atlas Europe had an excellent country section in the front that summarised the basic rules and regulations for each country.

Toll roads are common in Europe (except Germany and the Netherlands) and they can be very expensive to travel on in a motorhome.

We recommend you do your research on the cost of toll roads in each country, how much time they will save you on the journey and how they have to be paid. It differs country by country.

The Via Michelin site was useful for estimating tolls on different routes.

France was super expensive because our campervan was over 3m tall and classified as a bus.

We spent 30 Euros ($35 USD) on one 5 hour drive down the west coast of France. Italy and Spain were much more reasonably priced and had fewer tolls.

How to pay Tolls in Europe

In most cases you can pay the toll using cash or a credit card at a toll booth.

One exception is Portugal which has no toll booths, just toll points with cameras that scan your number plate.

In Portugal you must register a credit card against your number plate at the Welcome Points just over the border on their main motorways.

Then your card is automatically charged when you pass a toll point. More information on the process can be found here.

Another variation is the vignette. This is a prepaid motorway toll in the form of a sticker which you typically purchase from petrol stations near the border and display on your windscreen.

Vignettes are required in Switzerland, Austria & Slovenia and some other Eastern European countries.  They come with varying length validity. Being caught out will result in a hefty fine.

If you want to avoid tolls, you can set your GPS/Sat Nav and Google Maps to do this.

As a rule of thumb, if we weren’t in a hurry we would avoid toll roads. If we were traveling a long distance we generally took the toll roads to maintain the sanity of both parents and kids.

Using Ferries in Europe

It is possible to move between countries by ferry in your campervan instead of by road.

There are a number of transport ferries that operate between Spain, Italy, France, Montenegro, Greece and even Africa.

This is worth considering if you want to get to South Eastern Europe quickly to save time or if you want to extend your trip touring Europe in a motorhome into Africa.

We share our experience taking two transport ferries to get from Spain to Montenegro here .

Campervan Camping In Europe Guide

When camping through Europe you have three main options for camp sites:

• Paid campgrounds 
• Cheap Aires
• Free or wild camping

Paid Camping across Europe

If you plan to use camp grounds in Europe my best recommendation is to purchase an ACSI camping card .

ACSI is a non-peak season discount program containing over 3000 campsites around Europe.

We saved hundreds of dollars camping through Europe in the low and shoulder seasons over the 5 months with our ACSI card.

You need to order this before you arrive in Europe (unless you have a friend who is local) and make sure you allow plenty of time to receive the membership card and guides.

We bought them directly from ACSI and had them sent to a UK address. They took about 6 weeks to arrive.

It was worth paying a little extra for access to their mobile app as it was a good way to search for campsites in the general direction we were heading in.

We also suggest you don’t rely too much on camp site reviews. Also, don’t believe bigger is always better.

Often in the larger campgrounds the actual sites were small and expensive. Look for smaller, locally run campsites, or look for free campsites.

Cheap Camping in Europe

One of the best ways to save money when touring in Europe by campervan is to stay at Aires. Aires are simple sites set up specifically for people travelling Europe in a motorhome. 

Three great resources to find these sites are:

• searchforsites.co.uk
• campercontact.com
• park4night.com

Europe has an extensive network of Aires and they are perfect for RV camping in Europe.

They cannot be booked in advance and typically have a waste dump point, fresh water and toilets. Sometimes they have electricity hookups and showers.

The sites fill up quickly in summer so make sure you arrive by early afternoon to have a chance at a spot.

We occasionally used these but found them not to be ideal for stops of more than one night with the kids. 

We also strongly recommend checking out memberships such as France Passion .

They offer free overnight camping in wineries and farms for members. A similar system was operating in Portugal too. 

Free Camping in Europe

We found the park4night app to be an excellent resource for finding free or wild camping sites in Europe.

Download park4night. Click for Apple Store download (iOS) Google Store download (Android)

This app lists free (and fee based) camping sites all over Europe.

The sites and ratings are all user-generated. The sites range from supermarket car parks to gorgeous spots along the coastline.

It is available offline if you pay the small monthly fee and we recommend paying for this option.

TBH we thought we would free camp way more than we did. It is a great money saver and was much easier in some countries and places than others.

I wish we had found this guide to wild camping before our trip, as it gives a great overview of what you can and can’t do, plus recommends hundreds of good stops based on personal experience.

But in reality we had a 7 metre, 3.5 tonne, 2 wheel drive van that couldn’t sneak down little dirt tracks.

We found we stressed more when stopping in a carpark with the kids as they couldn’t go off and explore.

If I am honest, sometimes the effort to search for a free camp was beyond me at the end of a long day driving with the kids.

But, there are many people who travel all over Europe and rarely pay for a campsite. It is definitely worth doing.

Note that free camping is illegal in some countries (such as Croatia) and in others they make it hard to find a place to stop (such as Italy).

Some countries allow it in the off season but not through summer. Take a look, give it a go and see what works for you.

If you want to know more about wild camping in Europe, this wild camping guide is a fantastic resource.

It outlines how to stay legal, how to choose the best places to camp and much, much more. Click here to find out more.

Booking Camp sites

Our best tip when you are planning your road trip by campervan in Europe is not to book too much. Resist the temptation to book anything in advance!

We had a very high level view of the countries we wanted to visit and in what order, but did not book anything before we started. We decided every couple of days where we would go next.

This approach gives you so much freedom to be flexible, to stay longer at places you like, to take up recommendations you receive along the way, or choose a place based on how everyone is feeling at the time.

We found that if we arrived at a campground by mid-afternoon we always found a site.

However, the summer school holiday periods do require a little planning.

Camp sites get very busy over the school breaks, especially those on the coast or on lakes.

While most campsites have a percentage of their sites that cannot be booked, in order to claim one you will need to arrive very early during the summer.

We dealt with this challenge by heading inland to the mountains during summer where we had no trouble finding accommodation.

So look at visiting less popular places away from the coast during these busy times or be prepared to arrive very early at your destination and cross your fingers.

Campervan Security

It is important to plan how to keep your campervan and valuables secure.

Thankfully we were never broken into during our trip but it is worth taking measures to have peace of mind that your stuff is going to stay with you.

Our van was pretty old so we figured it was unlikely to be stolen (there were much better ones around!), but we were more worried about a break in.

Being an older van there was no alarm, no deadlocks and windows that were pretty easy to pull open.

Related: Best Anti Theft Backpacks for Travel

In cities we always stayed either in camp sites or in secure parking stations. We always pulled the blinds down when leaving the van in a car park or on the street.

Often one of us would stay with the campervan when doing grocery shopping if the area didn’t have a good vibe.

We didn’t come across many other travellers who had experienced a break in so there is no need to be overly concerned.

I just really didn’t want the hassle of losing our most important things, so were happy to take precautions.

Pacsafe Portable Safe

One of the things that gave us the most peace of mind was our Pacsafe Portable Safe.

It is a theft proof bag that can be used to store valuables in your van. We used the Pacsafe Travelsafe Portable Safe to lock our passports, documents and devices in when we weren’t in the campervan.

The bag was secured under one of the seats to lock it to the van. If we were free camping we would also secure it at night.

This bag has been one of our best travel purchases. We take it on every trip and use it everywhere we stay.

>> Click here to check the price and size options for the Pacsafe Portable safe .

Campervan Meals

In a past life eating out and experiencing the local food was a key part of any trip.

However, when you are feeding 4 people every day for 5 months in Europe, eating out quickly becomes a huge expense!

So if you are keen to save money, plan to cook most meals in the van.

To try and stay on budget we rarely ate out, but we still found ways to experience the local food.

Browsing the aisles at the supermarket for local treats and buying smaller snacks/treats when we were out sightseeing became our cheaper way of experiencing the local food.

Expert Tip:   Make sure you have enough food on hand to get through Sundays! Supermarkets are usually closed on Sunday, even in large towns

We recommend purchasing a camping recipe cookbook.

In the book we purchased every recipe could be cooked on a gas top. This ultimate RV cookbook was a great resource and we used it every day during our trip.

>> Click here to check the price for the camp cookbook .

Other essential kitchen items were:

• A stove top coffee maker for great coffee every day. We love our little Bialetti Moka Pot and it comes with us whenever we travel by camper van. Click here to check the price.
• A gas stove toast maker. 
• Unbreakable wine glasses. Tumblers work just fine too, but these just add a little extra!

Read more: The best campervan accessories

Grocery Shopping

It is a good idea to do your grocery shop on route between destinations.

Campgrounds are often not close to the shops and it is annoying to pack the van up to go to the supermarket once you arrive and set up camp.

Look for large supermarket chains to spend less, buy in bulk and shop less frequently.

Discount Supermarkets

Lidl and Aldi were by far the cheapest supermarkets in Europe.

We would look them up in Google maps while driving and make a detour to shop there on the way to our next camp site.

They may not have the best range of products but they saved us HUGE amounts of money. 

We can highly recommend that you buy beer, wine and spirits at the discount supermarkets.

We found many drinkable wines in the 2-4 euro price bracket and even found a decent bottle of gin at Aldi for 7 euros.

Admittedly our standards are lower when on a campervan road trip, but we still want to enjoy a glass of wine or beer at the end of the day!

Tracking your Europe Road Trip Costs

We recommend you set a budget and track your spending. I know if sounds boring, but it is not much fun if you plan to travel for 6 months and run out of cash in 3.

Costs can easily get out of hand, especially if you are doing a lot of activities, staying at camp sites and eating out.

We researched costs a lot before starting our trip. It is pretty difficult to find this information for a family of 4 and we just had to go with our gut a bit.

Expert Tip:   If you have the space, stock up on long life pantry items in cheaper countries to save money.

We set a budget by country, tracked it each day and reviewed it on a monthly basis.

Having a budget helped us make adjustments to our trip when we needed to in order to stay on track.

Budgeting Apps

There are a number of mobile apps out there to track your travel spending once you are on the road.

The one we love and use is Trabee Pocket . It allows you to easily track all your spending by country and category in the local and home currency on the go.

Download Trabee Pocket. Click for Apple Store download (iOS) Google Store download (Android)

You can also export your costs to other applications such as excel where you can track your overall travel budget. We highly recommend this app.

Transferring Money

If you decide to purchase a van in Europe and need to transfer funds internationally, we use and recommend Wise.

Wise offer competitive exchange rates without the huge fees charged by the banks and make international money transfers so simple.

Set up is quick and money can be transferred quickly and easily. Click here find out more about Wise.

Important Documents to Carry

Ensure you have a printed copy of the insurance papers and rental agreement/proof of ownership handy. Old school I know, but trust me, it is required!

We made the mistake of only having a soft copy of our camper insurance papers available on our mobile phone.

On crossing the border from Montenegro to Bosnia, we had to deal with a very irate Bosnian border officer who insisted that only a paper copy would do.

We were in the middle of nowhere and were forced to purchase additional van insurance at the border. Let’s just say it wasn’t a good day.

Also take originals of everyone’s birth certificates and marriage certificate.

You never know if and when you may need them and it is almost impossible to get them once you are touring Europe and moving regularly.

Ready To Plan Your Trip?

We have shared a bunch of information here for you to get started.

But if you are ready to get into the detail of trip planning, we highly recommend you take a look at the Europe Motorhoming Travel Toolkit by motorhome experts, Wandering Bird.

They have been exploring Europe fulltime for the best part of 3 years and share all their best tips and experience with you in one handy toolkit that offers outstanding value.

So what’s inside? The toolkit includes:

• Detailed Europe motorhome travel ebook
• Printable checklists
• Video tutorials
• In depth guide to off-grid camping in Europe
• Motorhome security guide, log book and MORE!

If you have started planning your first motorhome trip to Europe, this toolkit is hands down the best purchase you can make for stress free trip planning.

Final Travel Europe By Campervan Advice

Last but not least try and get off the beaten path on your tour of Europe.

While Western Europe offers many beautiful destinations, some of our favourite places were small towns in Eastern Europe. These countries are also significantly cheaper to travel in.

The beauty of traveling Europe in a motorhome is that you aren’t constrained by train or bus lines or hotels. You can travel anywhere!

This style of travel presents you with a great deal of freedom that you can’t achieve when traveling any other way.

Our Europe campervan trip was one of the highlights of our family gap year . 

We heartily recommend it as a family friendly way to travel and cannot wait to plan another trip.

If you are planning to RV through Europe and you have questions, please let us know in the comments below or contact us – we are happy to help.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Have we missed anything in our Motorhome in Europe guide? Leave your best tips for touring Europe in a campervan!

Read more about travel to Europe

• Europe by campervan with kids
• The best campervan accessories to buy
• Family Cycling Trip along the Danube River
• How to travel the world with kids
• Montenegro in pictures
• Triglav National Park, Slovenia

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Rachel Rodda

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19 thoughts on “the definitive guide to europe by campervan”.

Thanks for this detailed guide. We won’t be setting out for a couple of years when we retire. I am curious why you recommend bringing marriage license? Did you need to present it? Same question for birth certificate. Is a passport not enough? Thanks

Hi Cheryl, we took them as a backup precaution for two reasons – one was if we lost our passports. With copies of our birth certificates (and marriage certificate as I had changed my name), it would help fast track the process of getting new passports. When you are on the road it is quite slow to get things posted to you from your home country (and hard if you have packed everything away in storage at home). The second reason was to prove we were the parents of our children. In some countries (especially in Africa) they wanted to sight the kids birth certificates on land borders to prove we were their parents. It was also helpful if only one of us was traveling with the kids. I believe it is done to help prevent child trafficking. I hope this helps!

Rachel: THANK YOU so much for the comprehensive info! This one post answered 99% of my What About questions.

Hi Jodi, That’s great – there is a lot to learn when planning a Europe campervan trip. I’m glad we could help you out.

Hi I loved reading up on your advice . I am planning a 6 to 12 month trip around Europe. Just my wife and myself. Age 55 to 60 . We are pretty seasonal van travelers around Aus . Seeing your comments about the road access in off road camps answered my question regarding the size of van . I will be taking 2 x bikes . Is it worth getting an electric bike for my wife ? She hates hills . Also is there opportunities to tour across country a little by bikes . Maybe stay is B and Bs . One more thing did you see many travelers who carried a small boat and motor? I fond this a terrific part of my trips around Aus. Hope you can put a bit of light on these subjects. Cheers Jim Central coast NSW

Thanks for your message. We saw plenty of people with electric bikes in Europe – they are popular, so worth considering. There are plenty of opportunities to tour by bike in France, Germany and Austria. You can read about our bike tour along the Danube in this article https://www.adventureandsunshine.com/4-day-family-cycling-trip-danube-austria/ We didn’t see many campervans towing boats – but I am sure it is possible. It really depends where you want to travel. The challenge with Europe compared to Australia and the US is the size of many roads is small and narrow, which makes it especially challenging with long or wide vans, particularly in towns and mountain areas. Good luck planning your trip!

Hi Rachel Just want to say thank you for your answer. Much appreciated. We already made a budget (was around 200AUD$ per day) which then seems realistic since we are traveling without kids. Kind regards Christian

Hi Rachel, thanks for a great guide. We are looking at Rving in europe for 3 months (maybe longer) from Dec 20/21 winter with 2 kids who will be 8. We want to do some skiing in Austria and Italy and also want to take advantage of school holidays and low work commitments during those months in AUS. Hence the time of year. When i was a kid my parents took us on a 12 month trip through europe in an RV, mainly free camping with no heating when off grid and we survived, but that was the 70’s and we spent the winter mainly in southern europe. Im interested in what months you travelled and whether you think winter in and around the alps in a heated RV is a good idea. We could go a bit later and still ski through to easter, but im thinking that even if we do push the trip ending out to April, we may as well still go in Dec or Jan because work is slow and kids are on holdiays. Your thoughts?

Hi Tony, we traveled over the summer months from May through September, so I can’t give specific advice for RVing in winter. However, our van had a great heater and we were always warm when inside the van. My biggest concerns would be where to put all the ski gear (and where to dry it) and the fact you may need to spend a lot of time inside the van together. If you were skiing for just a short period that would probably be fine if you could find a campsite open where you could hang and dry your gear. Heading to southern europe over Dec/Jan is a great idea – it will still be cool, so not beach weather, but will be much quieter. Note however that many smaller areas all but close down over winter so consider where you want to go and check how much will be open over that time.

Hi Rachel Sounds like a really good trip. My girlfriend and i are thinking about taking a campervan Europe tour for +6 months…so we are ofcause interested in your trip. Is your budget to find here on this site? If not, can you share it? if yes, some level of details would be nice so that we can adjust it to our needs.

really nice site you have here. Thanks 🙂 Kind regards Christian and are spec

Hi Christian, we haven’t shared our costs on the blog, yet. Costs will vary enormously from person to person dependent on a lot of factors. Number of people, countries you visit, the size of van, whether you free camp or pay for campgrounds and how many paid activities you do. We traveled for 20 weeks with 2 adults and 2 school aged children. We mostly paid for campgrounds. Our average cost per day was $250 AUD. That includes the van, petrol and gas, laundry, campsites, food, sightseeing and activities, visas, public transport, equipment we bought for the van etc. Hopefully that is helpful! It is possible to travel much cheaper than that for 2 people who free camp more often and are able to buy and sell the van independently.

I know that Full time traveling is really hard for those who never tried any dare in normal life but peoples like you are real-life heroes. who never step back from any problem and fight with this. and your adventure always gives you great memories…. I like to read it and would like to read more n more about your van life…. Keep it up…. love all of you…

Great guide. We are at the beginning of considering a camping trip in Europe so glad to find your guide. Thanks for sharing

What great tips. We plan to travel Europe by camper van in summer next year and are just going through the shall we buy or rent scenarios. Previously rented for a month in NZ #FarawayFiles

It is a tough decision and depends on a lot of factors, with time being the biggest one. It is a fab place to visit by camper though! We would love to explore NZ by camper – one day!

What great tips Rachel. I think my favourites are – use a physical map and know the dimensions of your vehicle. We learned about those (again!) the hard way in Sicily and we only had a medium sized car. Google maps is certainly not your friend in some situations. Thanks for joining #FarawayFiles

Agreed, Katy. In a world full of online content, the physical map was still well used. I can’t recall how many times we cursed our Sat Nav or google maps! In a camper you definitely need to do a little research before you set off.

Great info here! I hope to one day go on a RV trip closer to home (across Canada, at least for my first taste of RV travel!), and even though that isn’t Europe, I think the pointers you’ve shared here are relevant! I had no clue that guaranteed buy-back ‘programs’ existed!

Thanks Bryna. The buy back schemes are a great compromise between buying and renting. Not sure of any companies in Canada who offer it. Let me know if you find one – we would love to do an RV trip across Canada!

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Vanlife Europe- Essential tips to travel Europe by campervan

Planning to travel Europe in a Campervan? Feeling a bit overwhelmed and daunted by vanlife in Europe? Want to make sure you don’t forget anything for your trip?

*We work hard to make this the best motorhome travel blog and road trip website possible, full of helpful content for you. The website is supported by our readers, so if you buy through links on this site we may earn a commission- at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own .

If you find this post useful, you can also treat us to a coffee – we promise to enjoy it while creating more useful content like this- we might even indulge in a biscuit (or two!)

Don’t worry- we know exactly how you feel. Before we set off for Europe for the first time, we felt slightly terrified (in an over-excited kinda way) . And it all worked out fine. (Except for forgetting to bring any gas . And losing all our fresh water. And burning out our brakes coming down a mountain . You know, little things like that…!)

But we’re still travelling Europe by van two years later- so it can’t be that hard!! 🙂

I promise you, a little bit of preparation will make all the difference. That’s what this guide will help you with- preparing for Vanlife in Europe!

JUMP AHEAD TO...

How to travel Europe in a campervan

So, you’ve bought your camper van. You’ve packed, adjusted and repacked your campervan. You’ve made list after list after list. You might have even spent a few nights away in your van. You feel ready to set out and take on the world. (Or, you know, Europe.)

If you’d like some more guidance on road trips and van travel, we have some fantastic guides and checklists to help you get started in our FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY- click here to check them out!

And don’t worry if you’re renting a camper and haven’t even seen it yet- you’ll be just fine if you follow the advice below. It’s perfectly possible to pick up a van and take it straight on an epic road trip adventure . 

Vanlife Europe – the boring, but oh so essential paperwork

Sorry, but this paperwork stuff really is essential. I promise it gets more exciting later on!

We’ve been stopped twice, both times near the ferry at Caen, France. I love travelling in France in our van , but the French police near the UK border do seem to love to pounce on campervanners who may have forgotten some essential paperwork.  Or who break the speed limit. Don’t let that be you!

Fines must be paid in cash there and then; no- they don’t provide any evidence if you’ve been caught speeding. It’s their word against yours. If you don’t have cash, you’ll be escorted to the nearest cash point and asked to withdraw the correct amount.

Also, don’t expect them to have change. Our fine was for 90€, and we only had 20€ notes… luckily another person who was stopped happened to have 2 x €10 notes, otherwise we’d have been going to the cashpoint 15 miles away in the back of a police car!

To the police’s credit, we offered to give them the extra 10€ just so we could be on our way, but they wouldn’t take it.

On-the-spot fines are common in all countries, except Ireland where the Police are not authorised to collect fines. Some places, like Croatia , give you 8 days to pay. Other places, like if you go campervanning in Portugal , give their police officers an ATM to make sure fines are paid immediately!!

Click here for a complete (printable) list of all paperwork you need to carry in your camper

The most important bits of paperwork are:

• V5 Logbook (yep, the original)
• If it’s a hire vehicle, proof that you are allowed to drive and cross borders
• Driver licence (pink part only)
• International Driver Permit (if required- read the post if you’re not sure)

Other items you need to carry for Vanlife Europe

• UK sticker attached to the back of vehicle or reg plates (and trailer if you have one)
• First aid kit – did you know it is illegal to NOT stop at an accident in France and many other places in Europe?
• Warning Triangle
• Hi-vis jacket which must be easily reached without leaving the vehicle (or getting off a motorbike!) We recommend carrying at least 2, ideally one per person.
• Motorhome speed stickers for some vans
• Spare light bulbs- tricky if you have LEDS but we carry a couple of random old bulbs just for show
• Headlight deflectors as our UK headlamps are pointing the ‘wrong way’ for European roads-
• Radar detectors are forbidden EVERYWHERE in Europe.
• You might also need a red/ white striped reflective board if you have bicycles or a motorhome storage box.

FOR ALL FULL LIST OF ESSENTIAL KIT, CLICK HERE

Campervan route planner- Planning a route around Europe

Europe is awesome to explore by camper, but it can also be daunting. We suggest planning a loose route, so you know where you’re headed but leave time to explore places you find along the way.

We like to keep a note of places we find or hear about on Google maps and use those points to plan our next adventure . But you can keep a simple list on your phone which you refer back to whenever you need inspiration!

Want some awesome Europe Itinerary ideas for your Campervan Travel?

>> click here <<, touring europe in a campervan – finding places to stay.

Most people travelling Europe in a camper are doing so on a budget. Therefore, you need to find cheap, or preferably FREE places to stay. That’s called wild or free camping.

You’ll be pleased to know that Europe is MUCH better at providing places for vans to stop for the night, at least compared to the UK (although Brit Stops is helping.)

Here are our favourite ways to find places to stay for the night:

This free app is what we mainly use when touring in Europe in our van. There are LOADS of places marked suitable for campers, vans or motorhomes to park for the night. Some are paid (and marked as such), some have facilities and others are totally wild camping spots in the middle of nowhere.

Most places have reviews and photos so you can see where you’re staying- we avoid anywhere that doesn’t.

Word of warning- some sites/ aires have rules against unmarked/ unconverted vans. If this is you, read the reviews carefully so that you’re not asked to move on when you arrive. Or use the places marked ‘Nature’ on the app- there shouldn’t be anyone there who cares.

>> Learn more about French Aires for campervans <<

France passion.

France Passion is a collection of local businesses across France, which offer free overnight parking for vans, in return for a meal/ purchase some wine at their shop. It’s supposed to be completely without obligation, but we’ve heard stories of a hard sell. It works great if you’re planning to eat out anyway, but if you’re trying to save money, Park4night might be a better option for you.

If you want more information on how we pick our places, here’s a video we did explaining our process:

How to find cheap or free campsites in Europe - Plan a Motorhome Road Trip Pt 2 - Wild camping

Is wild camping legal for campervans in europe.

Sometimes. There are different rules in different countries. For example, wild camping is illegal in Italy. Yet you’ll still find places on Park4night where it’s tolerated. Also, the approved places (Sostas in Italy) cost from as little as 2€/night.

Wild camping is also illegal in Switzerland- until you reach the Alps and people are merrily parking for free in any layby they can find. My favourite night ever traveling in the van was spent in the Swiss Alps, looking up at the Milky Way, with nothing but the wolves for company. And it cost us absolutely NOTHING!! You can also enjoy wild camping with a campervan in France.

My advice is to check out the legalities in the country you are heading for. If you’re not sure and not happy, move on to an approved stop point. You can find more advice on wild camping in Europe here.

Aires- Approved Places for Campervans, perfect for vanlife in Europe

Europe is NOT like the UK and Motorhomers/ campervanners are not treated like a nuisance- most towns make excellent provision for them and you can stay in clean, pretty locations within easy walking distance of town centres or attractions.

These places are called Aires (France and Belgium) / Sostas (Italy)/ Stellplatz (Germany) For the sake of ease, let’s call them all aires for now.

You cannot pre-book Aires- they operate on a first come basis. A campervan will fit well into all of them unless you have a trailer- some of the spaces can be pretty tight. Some aires have rules against unconverted vans/ vans with signage staying- be sure to read the reviews carefully (you can find reviews on Park4night.

Campervan Travel tips- some essential kit to help make life easier.

Is Wifi an essential? For me it is.

I have a wifi dongle in the van and it’s BRILLIANT. I regularly have multiple devices connected to it at once without problem. Yes, occasionally it’s a slow connection, but for convenience and power-saving I haven’t found anything to beat it. I charge it using a 12v charger while driving and it easily lasts a couple of days when wild camping.

We use an old, second-hand iPad with Co-Pilot navigation app installed onto it. It’s been great and we love the offline map feature.

If you don’t want an app, these campervan sat navs are awesome and very useful- particularly if you have a bigger, taller van.

Also, be careful where you mount your sat nav. Many countries now say it’s illegal to have the satnav mounted on the windscreen or blocking the driver’s view. We use a mount on our dashboard, where it’s low enough to not cause any problems. Here are some options you may like:

Check out the other ESSENTIAL road trip apps we use

Travel europe in a campervan- power requirements.

One of the joys of touring Europe in a campervan is the freedom. We love being able to park in remote locations for days on end. Having to find a campsite every night so we had electricity would really ruin that! (Not to mention blow our vanlife budget!)

The solution is an inverter (and possibly a power pack depending on how power hungry you are.

We charge whilst we’re driving by running the inverter as we drive, which charges the laptops. We charge phones/ iPads using USB sockets in the cab.

Solar Panel

We do have a solar panel onboard, which really helps when we’re wild/ free camping with a camper. It helps top up our batteries and allows us to stay off-grid in the van longer.

We use Gaslow refillable bottles , which are so useful and make getting gas as we travel so much easier. There are plenty of places across Europe to buy refillable gas and you use it just like a petrol station; some petrol stations even sell LPG gas.

If that isn’t an option for your campervan, make sure you get a kit with various nozzles, so you can easily switch between the different types of bottles available.

For a full rundown on the different options for gas available, read this

Europe in a campervan- tips on safety, emergencies.

112 can be dialled anywhere in Europe in an emergency, accident or distress situation.

Thieves & Security

Vanlife security is mainly about common sense (and always leaving an area if you are uncertain.) We’ve stayed put twice, even when we had doubts and both times we’ve ended up regretting our decision.

We don’t travel in our van with any jewellery, very little money and very few items of value. We try to minimise the risk as much as possible, but at the same time you have to get out and enjoy the places you visit; otherwise, what’s the point. Install a really good lock on your camper, both for outside and for inside. We also like to use a steering lock as a visible deterrent.

Essential Tips for Traveling in a van in Europe

Where to get water and waste while travelling europe by campervan.

If you’re not planning to use campsites (and you don’t need to!) there are several options for getting fresh water and getting rid of waste. PLEASE don’t just dump your black waste if you have a toilet onboard- there are plenty of places to dispose of it hygienically.

Many service stations (also called aires, confusingly!), provide a motorhome service point. Often this costs 1-2€ to get everything you need. We find these using the Park4Night app- there are loads throughout Europe. Some aires also have disposal points- again, you normally need to pay for them.

Sidelights whilst driving your camper

Sidelights must be switched on in the following countries at ALL times:

• Switzerland

Low Emission Zones in Europe

Be careful of low-emission zones and areas which require a congestion charge or similar, like Paris and London. These places are often clearly signed but it can be easy to be caught out. We try to Google each city before we visit, or park well outside and catch a train in.

Vignettes in Europe

Also,  you need a Vignette for Motorways/ toll roads in Switzerland and Austria.

Driving on the wrong side of the road!

Driving on the right-hand side is not as scary as it seems! Promise.

Don’t forget some (VERY few) roundabouts in France still give priority to people coming ON to the roundabout- so if you’re already going around you have to stop and let them on! (Don’t ask- it’s a French thing!!)

In all our years of driving in France with a car and a camper, we have NEVER found one of these roundabouts, but we have been caught out on occasion by a member of the… older… generation driving onto a roundabout without right of way, forgetting he has to stop! (I hate to say it- but it does seem to be the men who do this!!)

Just be careful and pay attention if you’re not sure- always expect the unexpected!!

Traveling in a van in Europe- essential tips for camper van life

Try and buy your Euros in advance as you’ll get a better rate. You can use cash machines in Europe but there are often high charges for that.

Also, don’t forget that not every country in Europe uses Euros . Here are some popular ones which don’t!

• Bulgaria – Lev
• Czech Republic – Kurona
• Denmark – Krone
• Hungary – Forint
• Norway- Krone
• Poland – Zloty
• Romania – Leu
• Switzerland – Swiss Franc

There are others in East European as well- make sure you check in advance.

This pass is awesome for being able to skip the queues if you are traveling Europe during Summer. We love not needing to find change as we travel- it just sends us a bill at the end of the month. We use Emovis-tag.

Make sure you’re have enough medication for you and any pets. Be prepared to explain your medication and prove what it is with a doctor’s note or something similar- just in case customs search the van and ask you.

Actually, on that note, EXPECT to be searched at customs/ borders. They do search campers and vans a lot!

Tyres & Snow chains

If you’re travelling Europe by campervan during the winter, you might need snow chains and all-weather tyres. You can get these fitted in Europe without problem.

How to travel Europe in a camper van- Final thoughts

I know the idea of travelling in a foreign country in a van can be daunting- especially if they don’t speak the same language! However, none of this is difficult; you just need to be organised, which can take some time. Here are some final tips and inspiration for your campervan travels:

• Learn a little of the local language. English is widely spoken around much of Europe, but they love it if you make an effort. After all, you are in their country and a little respect to them means a much friendlier welcome!
• Accept you are a tourist- you will make mistakes and probably look like an idiot. Don’t let it put your off your camper van adventure!
• Try to ‘slow travel’- travelling by van is about the journey as much as the destination . This can be hard when you’re on a schedule, but try not to cram so much in you can’t have a day by the beach or at a vineyard if you fancy it.
• Having said that, do a little research as you travel so you don’t miss some amazing places. We like to pick an area and then Google it to see what great adventures are waiting for us! Then we plot a rough itinerary on Google Maps.
• You don’t want to spend your time with a broken down camper. Make sure you do these essential vehicle checks before you go!

How else can I help you today??

– how much does travelling europe by camper cost, – what are the best road trip planner apps i need before i go, – what’s the best van for vanlife, – how do i increase clothes storage in my campervan.

I know you will LOVE being able to travel Europe by campervan. Let me know where you end up- I’d love to see your pictures. Safe travels.

Want to download this post as a FREE PDF guide? Click HERE

Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.

Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.

If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.

Last update on 2024-05-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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Oh wow! Thank you so much for sharing with us such a great tips. I remember your tips at the time of my trip.

Amazing tips. We are planning on doing this in a few years. However we have 4 kids. Wondering if we would be able to put 2 of the kids/us in a small tent outside so we don’t have to get a massive motor home!

Great article- thank you See you on the road,

Very informative and some great tips ⭐️⭐️⭐️????

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10 European Campervan Routes – Inspiration for your next Road Trip

No doubt traveling around in a campervan emits a feeling of freedom and awakes everyone’s adventurous soul. And Europe has numerous options for campervan routes to take! It is the perfect continent to explore different countries, cultures, and sights within one single trip and have a once-in-a-lifetime road trip experience. As for me, living in Germany and therefore quite in the middle of Europe, I love to explore all the neighboring countries and cities. Therefore, I have compiled 10 different European campervan routes , from which you can pull inspiration for your next road trip adventure. All suggested routes are usually recommended for around 2-3 weeks , but of course, you can easily adapt them to your travel plans.

Have fun planning one of these European campervan routes and see you on the road!

Need a CamperVan for your trip? Then I recommend you to choose PaulCamper , the largest camper-sharing marketplace in Europe. It lists over 10,000 camping vehicles throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for you to enjoy!

Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links. Without costing you anything extra, the small commission will help me produce more free content for you. For more information, please refer to my  privacy policy .

Table of Contents

1. Slovenia and Croatia

Route: Lake Bled – Ljubljana – Piran – Pula – Zadar – Split

Suggested duration : 2 weeks

Overall length: 826 km (9 hours of driving)

Going on a Balkan road trip through Slovenia and Croatia is the ideal way to see many amazing places in a short time without breaking the bank. The suggested route offers the perfect combination of adventurous nature activities, relaxing beach days, and city sightseeing. Starting at Lake Bled , a magical place in the middle of Slovenia, you will have the chance to experience the country’s beauty in many ways. For more inspiration regarding this place, make sure to check out my list of the best things to do at Lake Bled . After some fun activities at the lake, you will continue your route to Ljubljana , the charming capital of Slovenia.

The small and colorful town of Piran will be the next stop on your Slovenia road trip itinerary . This place will amaze you with its picturesque old town, narrow alleys, and sunset views from the town wall. Even though the town is very small, there are quite a few interesting things to do in Piran .

The campervan route leads you over the Croatian border and into the historic city of Pula . Must-see activities in Pula include visits to the Roman Amphitheater, the Augustus Temple as well as the vibrant markets. After doing some sightseeing, it is time to move on along the Croatian coast to Zadar . The city is well-known for its historic ruins, churches, and a photogenic old town. The last stop on this road trip is Split . You definitely cannot miss the Diocletian’s Palace as well as the Peristil Square in the middle of the city when spending one day in Split . I recommend spending some relaxing last days on Split’s beautiful beaches.   

2. North Germany, Denmark & Norway

Route: Hamburg – Hirtshals – Kristiansand – Stavanger – Bergen – Oslo

Suggested duration: 3 weeks

Overall length: 1,500 km (23 hours of driving)

Budget : €€€€€

This is one of the European campervan routes that are perfectly suited for adventure-seeking couples or friends, who want to see and experience a lot and have a sufficient budget available for the trip. Starting in Hamburg , one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, you will head north to the very top of Denmark . Of course, if you have enough time, other stops in Denmark, like Copenhagen or Aarhus, are possible.

In Hirtshals , you will take the ferry to Kristiansand in south Norway . From here, you are open to experiencing the variety of fjords, mountains, national parks, and other beautiful places that southern Norway has to offer, at your own pace and within your itinerary. Make sure to visit the charming towns of Stavanger and Bergen during your trip. After many days of hiking and other nature-based activities, you will arrive in Oslo , the capital of Norway. Must-see activities in this city are visiting the Viking Ship Museum , strolling around Frogner Park, and taking a tour of the Akershus Fortress. For more inspiration, make sure to read my ultimate Southern Norway road trip itinerary .

3. Switzerland and North Italy

Route: Zürich – Lucerne – Bern – Turin – Milan – Bologna – Venice

Suggested duration: 2 weeks

Overall length: 1,000 km (12 hours of driving)

Budget: €€€€

From the mountains to the sea – this could be the motto of this beautiful European campervan route. Starting in Zürich , the biggest city in Switzerland, you will admire the old buildings in the city center, eat the most delicious cheese fondue, and stroll around the lake. Besides its picturesque mountains and lakes, Switzerland offers beautiful cities as well. On this road trip, you will also explore Lucerne and Bern , the country’s capital.

From Bern, you will head south and enjoy some Italian travel experiences . Turin , which lies in the region of Piemont, is well known for its outstanding architecture and cuisine. Besides many other things to do in Turin , the city is the ideal place to slow down in an Italian café and take photos of the aesthetic baroque buildings. Milan , the international center of fashion and design, as well as Bologna , the vivid and historic town, are other stops on your way through Italy. After spending several days strolling through pretty alleys and eating pizza, you will end your road trip to Venice , one of the most popular places to visit in Northern Italy . Even though the city is considered to be rather expensive, there are quite a few tips for visiting Venice on a budget and enjoying your trip to the fullest!

4. Austria and Budapest

Route: Innsbruck – Zell am See – Hallstatt – Graz – Vienna – Budapest

Suggested duration: 2-3 weeks

Overall length: 900 km (11 hours of driving)

Budget: €€€

This Europe campervan route takes you across Austria to the Hungarian capital Budapest. On your way through the mountains, you will experience a city break in Innsbruck , explore the ski region Zell am See, and visit the picturesque town of Hallstatt. On your way to Hallstatt, you can also make a stop in Salzburg, the city which is famous for the great musician Mozart. In both Graz and Vienna, you will find numerous beautiful Renaissance and Baroque-style buildings. Vienna, the vivid capital of Austria, will welcome you with many bars and restaurants as well as a beautiful castle (Schönbrunn Palace). From Vienna, it is only a 2.5-hour drive to the next capital – Budapest. Must-do experiences in Budapest include bathing in the famous thermal pools (Széchenyi Baths), going on a typical Danube river cruise, and walking across the Chain Bridge.

5. French Rivera and Catalonia

Route: Nice – Saint-Tropez – Marseille – Montpellier – Lloret de Mar – Barcelona – Tarragona

During this trip, you will travel alongside the sea the whole time and get plenty of vitamin D. Starting in Nice or Saint-Tropez at the Côte d’Azur, you will begin your trip in one of the sunniest and wealthiest corners of France. I recommend you continue your trip alongside the French Rivera by exploring the cities of Marseille and Montpellier. Once arrive in Spain, you can enjoy the party life in Lloret de Mar before heading to Barcelona, where you have the chance to visit the world-famous Sagrada Familia, try all the Spanish food, relax at the beach, or go shopping in the city center. You will see, there are countless things to do in Barcelona! From here, a trip to Tarragona is worthwhile as well. The city in southern Catalonia offers the perfect combination of ancient culture, lovely beaches, and adventurous amusement parks.

6. Andalusia and Portugal

Route: Málaga – Marbella – Gibraltar – Seville – Faro – Lagos – Lisbon – Porto

Overall length: 1,200 km (13 hours of driving)

This campervan route is perfect for all sun-seeking travelers and city-hoppers out there. The more time you can allow for this itinerary, the better! There are numerous cute places along the route which are all worth a stop. Malaga , the starting point of this itinerary, is one of my favorite European cities and the perfect vacation spot in Andalusia. The next stops are the picturesque city of Marbella as well as the British overseas territory Gibraltar . Make sure to plan enough time to visit all the beautiful historic buildings in Seville.

From Seville in Spain , you will drive across the Portuguese border and straight to the beautiful Algarve , the most southern region of Portugal. Both Faro and Lagos are THE destinations for having an incredible time at the Algarve and there are numerous beautiful beaches in Lagos and Faros. If you are eager to see more of the country, you should continue your trip to Lisbon , the charming capital of Portugal. For good reasons, the city on the Atlantic coast is regularly rated as one of the most beautiful cities worldwide. The last stop of this beautiful route is Porto .

7. Switzerland and France

Route: Bern – Lausanne – Geneva – Lyon – Clemon-Ferrand – Bordeaux – La Rochelle – Nantes – Paris

Overall length: 1,500 km (17 hours of driving)

This route is perfect for travelers who want to explore the different regions of France and seek a good mixture of cities and nature. Starting in Bern , the capital of Switzerland, you will explore the Western region of the country with its glittering lakes, mountain peaks, and picturesque cities of Lausanne and Geneva. From Lyon, you will drive through France’s breathtaking landscape to the Atlantic coast. In Bordeaux, the center of the famous wine-growing region, you will be immersed in French cuisine and culture. Heading further north, the beautiful cities of La Rochelle and Nantes are already waiting for you. Paris , the city of love, marks the end of this stunning route. The metropolis is one of the most visited cities around the world for good reason. As for me, I simply cannot get enough of all the Paris bucket list activities .  

8. Germany and The Netherlands

Route: Munich – Nuremberg – Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Frankfurt – Mainz – Cologne – Rotterdam – The Hague – Amsterdam

Overall length: 1000 km (12 hours of driving)

Located in the middle of Europe, Germany, and the Netherlands are perfect starting points for European campervan routes in any direction. However, they also offer great routes themselves. Especially southern Germany with its beautiful cities Munich, Nuremberg, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber is very attractive to international travelers. The vibrant cities of Frankfurt and Mainz should also be on your Germany Bucket List .

Continuing your trip along the Rhine River, you will not only drive through the country’s main wine regions but also discover historic castles. After you have discovered all the things to do in Cologne, the city with the iconic cathedral, you will cross the border to the harbor city Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In The Hague, you will finally reach the sea. Ending your trip to Amsterdam , the country’s lively capital, you will be amazed by the variety of colorful markets, lovely canals, narrow houses, and art museums.

9. Paris and South England

Route: Paris – Rouen – Brussels – Antwerp – London – Brighton – Bournemouth – Stonehenge – Bristol

Overall length: 1300 km (17 hours of driving, including ferry)

The last one of all European campervan routes promises lively metropolises, sightseeing tours, and the spectacular coast of southern England. Not only will you cover three amazing capitals (Paris, Brussels , and London) and three countries (France, Belgium , and England) during one single vacation, but also have a ferry trip included. If you are willing to explore lively cities such as London on a budget , discover beautiful coastal towns, eat the best English food, and visit a world heritage site ( Stonehenge ) all at once, this campervan route in Europe is perfect for you!

10. Italy Roundtrip

Route: Milan – Genoa – Cinque Terre – Pisa – Florence – Siena – Rome – Naples – Amalfi

Overall length: 1000 km (14 hours of driving)

Italy is one of the best destinations to enjoy the European summer and one of my favorite European campervan routes. During this marvelous Italy road trip , you will get to know the different regions of Italy, explore the picturesque place Cinque Terre , and enjoy all the things to do in Naples . You will learn about history in Rome , go shopping in Milan , drink wine in the Toscana , and take photos at the Leaning Tower of Pisa . On top, you will swim in the sea in Amalfi , marvel at ancient art masterpieces in Florence , and stroll around the harbor front in Genoa . I promise, this road trip, no matter if it’s with your friends or a solo trip to Italy , will not only be a lot of fun but also recharge your batteries completely!

You have finally decided on a route but you don’t know what to pack for the trip? Maybe my ultimate campervan packing list can help you out! Need more road trip inspiration? What about an epic Eastern Canada road trip ?

Which of the European campervan routes do you like most? What are your suggestions for the best campervan routes around Europe? Let me know in the comments down below!

Useful Travel Resources

• 🏨 Find and book accommodation on Booking.com
• 🎡 Fill your journey with unforgettable experiences with tours on GetYourGuide
• 🚘 Need a car for your trip? Hire it with Rentalcars
• ✈️ Buy cheap flight tickets with WayAway
• 🔰 Insure your trip with Insubuy

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We have often thought that a camper van trip around Europe would be a lot of fun. So great to see such a great variety of routes to choose from. We have travelled a few of these routes by car and train. But was really interested in the routes that included Germany or Croatia. Saved this post for when we start real planning!

You’ve done a lot of driving through Europe; I’m so impressed! This is super legit. I’ve heard that road trips through Europe were the way to go but I have been skeptical. This post makes me reconsider driving through Europe. These guides are really helpful; otherwise, I wouldn’t even think about it… but since you’ve done the work for me, maybe we can give it a go after all! 🙂

Slovenia looks like such a wonderful place to visit! You’ve captured the vibe of the place very well – and the maps are perfect!!

Thank you Amy! You should definitely add Slovenia to your Bucket List! 🙂

I really loved this post. I’ve been thinking about doing a campervan trip somewhere, so this came in at the perfect time. I liked that you noted how pricey the trip could be it always helps to plan your budget accordingly.

Thanks a lot. I feel like right now is the best time for a campervan trip! 🙂

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How to travel Europe in a campervan, motorhome or caravan

Travelling Europe in a campervan, motorhome, RV or caravan is really one of the best ways to see and experience the continent, but the idea can be daunting at first! If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start, don’t panic. This article contains everything you need to know to set you in the right direction. We cover everything from organizing your campervan or caravan and finding places to stay, to the practical things like wifi and finding LPG gas. Keep reading and you’ll set out on your trip of Europe in a campervan or caravan with confidence.!

This article contains affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate disclaimer here .

Our story of travelling Europe in a campervan AND caravan

I remember flying to Europe in 2019 to begin our campervanning journey through Europe. We had just had an incredible 5 weeks campervanning around New Zealand and had fallen in love with the freedom and practicality of having our own little home on wheels! I loved the fact that we could pick up and drive off to where ever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We could visit cities, and head to tourist attractions without tours or public transport. We could cook our own meals when we wanted and we didn’t have to lug all our belongings around every where. It was liberating for a long term traveller.

We spent some time with Bens family in the Netherlands while we organised a campervan. He was an old Italian model and we named him Luigi. Luigi was fabulous as we crossed Europe and explored Croatia, Romania and Southern Hungary for the summer with our dog, Whiskey. He felt like home. For us however, there were a couple of key things that Luigi couldn’t offer us, and after a lot of investigation, we decided to try a caravan. This decision was purely based on our circumstances at the time. I’ll explain more in the section on campervans below because don’t worry, your circumstances I’m sure, are quite different.

With our new caravan we headed back to Croatia for the winter, and saw some of Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro before Covid hit and we had to return to the Netherlands. The end of 2020 and 2021 has sure put a damper on our plans but we’ve managed to (safely) take the caravan around the Netherland. You can’t keep a good couple, their dog and a caravan tied down!

Well, lets begin at the beginning, with the campervan or caravan. This is an exciting stage that requires a little forethought. You’ll need to decide

• Campervan, motorhome or caravan? Which should you choose?
• Buy or rent: Do you want to buy or hire your campervan, motorhome or caravan?

Motorhome, campervan or caravan – What’s the differences?

What is the difference between a motorhome or a camper van in Europe , I hear you ask? Truth be told, they are different, but you’ll often hear the words used interchangeably. I wouldn’t get too caught up in the wording, except that you’ll need to be quite clear about whether you want a motorhome or camper van when you begin looking to buy or rent yours.

General features of motorhomes, campervans and caravans

• Sleeping area – this will either be a permanent bed, or it will be a seating area that converts to a bed at night. Sometimes your vehicle will have both depending on the size.
• Kitchen facilities – The kitchen can be anything from a small sink and single burner cook top to a larger area with an oven, bench space and a decent sized fridge
• A dining area – A table and some seating
• Toilet – Unless you have a particularly small campervan, it will usually have a portable toilet as a minimum. Larger campervans, motorhomes and caravans will have a properly fitted toilet
• Shower – Large models will have space for a shower
• Storage areas – Excess space will be used to house storage areas in which to store your belongings.

Let’s quickly break down the differences between motorhomes campers and caravans and how they relate to the features you’ll have.

By definition, a motorhome is a larger vehicle that contains a sleeping area and storage space, built into larger van style bodies, trucks or buses. They look quite a bit bigger than say, the easily recognizable VW camper. There are positives and negatives to having such a larger vehicle.

Advantages to a motorhome are related to the size and comfort level of having so much space. The bed is a permanent fixture so you don’t have to put it together every night like you would a convertible seating area. Kitchens in motorhomes are often larger, containing an oven and fridge and adequate bench space for cooking.

There will be a larger, and probably more comfortable lounge and dining area with a fixed table and most likely a bathroom with a fixed toilet and shower facilities. It is also more common for motorhomes to have heating and air conditioning. Newer models may also have floor heating, which is useful if you’re travelling in winter. Nothing is worse than cold feet!

Disadvantages to campervanning Europe in a motorhome funnily enough are also related to the size. The larger your motorhome the more difficult it can be to maneuver through small streets. This can be avoided by sticking to main roads. You may still, however have some issues with parking at camping spots as some do not have spaces large enough for very big motorhomes. Standard sized motorhomes shouldn’t have a problem though.

The other issue with motorhomes comes if you want to visit cities. Especially some of the old cities of Europe. You’ll have a hard time parking anywhere. This can be negated by taking bicycles with you, or towing motorbikes on a trailer behind you. Of course, if you’re staying out of the cities then that solves that problem all together.

If you’re thinking a motorhome sounds like something you’re interested in, don’t be discouraged by the issues, there are thousands of people who get by just fine. Just know that you’ll need to do a little extra planning.

As mentioned, many people these days use the terms motorhome and campervan interchangeably, however by definition, a campervan, also known as a camper van, or camper, is essentially a van that has been fitted out in a more conventional van size.

Advantages of travelling Europe in a campervan include the fact that it is smaller, so it is easier to drive. They handle and move more like a big car. Of course there are variations in the size of campers. The smaller they are, the more true the above is. Parking is also much easier in a smaller campervan, both in cities, at tourist sites and at camping places in most countries.

Disadvantages depend on the overall size, they may have a permanent bed, or seating that needs to be converted. The kitchen is often smaller, with a smaller fridge and limited bench space. Seating and table space will also shrink as the size of the campervan gets smaller.

These are not necessarily all bad things, just make sure you choose an option that suits your needs. If you cook for example, a kitchen with a larger kitchen but smaller seating area may be preferred to a larger seating area with a smaller kitchen. The campervan layout is the most important thing.

I don’t think it needs to be explained that a caravan doesn’t have an engine. It needs to be pulled by another vehicle. The advantages and disadvantages of a caravan are the same as those for motorhomes and camper vans in relation to size. The bigger the caravan the more space and the larger the facilities and storage. The smaller the caravan, the easier it is to tow and the less space you’ll find inside.

The main advantage to a caravan over a campervan or motorhome is that you now also have a separate vehicle. You don’t have to pack everything up every time you want to go somewhere, you just lock up the caravan and drive away. You’ll also never have a problem with parking, unless of course you’re dealing with normal city traffic.

If you’re trying to decide between buying a motorhome or a caravan, we’ve had both and have written a complete comparison article to help you choose what’s right for you.

Which is better – campervan, motorhome or caravan for travelling Europe?

This is quite a personal question and I would encourage you to think about the following things

• How long do you intend to travel?
• How confident are you driving a large vehicle or towing?
• What is your daily/weekly/monthly budget?
• Do you want to stay at caravan parks or in the middle of the forest?
• How much space do you need?
• Are you able to buy a caravan and a car in Europe?
• What kind of places do you plan on spending most of your time? For example old European cities, or out in nature?

The reason we swapped our campervan for a caravan

Our campervan to caravan journey was actually a three step process. In New Zealand we had a small camper. We then upgraded to a larger campervan for Europe. Then we decided on a caravan. Our reasons were the answers to the above questions.

We intend to travel long term. For us that means that we want to be comfortable as it is an ongoing situation. We personally had two problems with Luigi, our large campervan. The first, was that we love old cities, and we sometimes had a hard time driving around and parking him. Others get around this issue by taking bicycles or motorcycles. They leave the campervan somewhere and they bicycle to the attraction, or to the supermarket even. This wasn’t an option for us as our dog Whiskey was old at the time when we switched to the caravan. He has since passed.

Based on our needs we felt a car would be useful for us.

We also needed more space and obviously getting an even larger motorhome wasn’t on the cards for the reasons above. If however, you’re travelling for a month or two, or without a dog, then less space is perfectly manageable. We had no issue in New Zealand with our smaller camper for 5 weeks.

Many, many people travel Europe in a campervan with no issues at all and we were very sad to see Luigi go. Just know, however, that a caravan is a genuine option.

Campervan layouts – some things to consider

Before you begin looking at campers or motorhomes to hire or purchase, it helps to have a bit of an idea about the layouts and what is best for you.

The sleeping situation

Campervan beds can either be fixed beds, or seating that can be made into beds in the evening. Not only that, they can also be high with a ladder, like a bunk bed. For example the bed may be on top of the drivers compartment, as in the photo below. That window is where the bed is.

If you’re young and agile then climbing the ladder into bed is not so difficult. However if you’re not…

The size of the beds is also important. Ben is a big guy. Not only that, he overheats at night. Our beds in Luigi were too narrow for us both to comfortably sleep. Our campervan had a second ‘bunk style’ bed at the back and I slept in that one. When we decided to sell Luigi, we knew that we wanted a bigger bed that we could share.

Cooking in a campervan

So, I cook. I like cooking, we eat pretty healthily, it’s important to me. When we campervanned around New Zealand, our campervan fridge was so small we had to shop every second day. Luigi had a bigger fridge but it still wasn’t ideal. When we upgraded to the caravan, a big fridge was a must.

Cooking in a big campervan or motorhome is much easier than cooking in a small one. That doesn’t mean though, that cooking in a small campervan is impossible. You find your own tips and tricks and ways of making it work. You will however have to get used to going back to basics, as in a smaller campervan there is not a lot of room for a variety of pots and pans and certainly none for different kitchen equipment and things like blenders or slow cookers. Even if you had the bench space, you won’t have anywhere to store them.

Privacy.. what’s privacy?

The smaller your campervan the less privacy you’ll have. Conversely, the larger your campervan or motorhome, the more privacy you’ll be able to niche out. If you’re travelling with friends, go bigger.

In a very small campervan you won’t have any room division. If you have a toilet, it will most likely be a cassette toilet, which is like a small box that has a hole with a seat around it. With no division of the room, peeing becomes a pretty public act.

The larger you go in size, the more likely it is that you’ll have a separate ‘toilet’ room. So that’s something. You may also have a door or divider that breaks the camper into smaller sections. Our caravan now, for example, has the main living space, then a sliding door that closes off the bedroom and bathroom together.

Heating and air conditioning – yes!

If you’re travelling Europe in the shoulder seasons than maybe you can get away without heating or air conditioning, but in the height of either winter or summer, you’re going to want them, trust me.

We were in Croatia in the height of summer with our air conditioning free campervan. There was literally a night that all 3 of us (including our dog Whiskey) slept outside because it was so, so hot. 2 days later we left Croatia for Romania which is a few degree’s cooler during the day, but much cooler overnight.

Our caravan now has both good heading and good electricity. Having done two winters in the caravan I’m confident saying that you won’t survive a European winter without heating.

After campervanning around New Zealand we wrote an article on things to consider when choosing a campervan , have a read and it’ll help you to think about layouts and facilities that are important to you

Buying or renting a campervan, motorhome or caravan in Europe

Hiring a campervan in europe.

Advantages of hiring or renting a campervan to travel Europe

• Quick and efficient, faster and easier than buying
• Everything is taken care of for you
• Easily available to non EU citizens
• Comes (almost) fully stocked
• A great way to try different models ‘before you buy’
• If you breakdown or have an accident the company will help you
• More convenient for a short trip
• Renting a more luxury model for a shorter time is cheaper than buying a brand new luxury motorhome

Disadvantages of hiring or renting a camper or motorhome

• The primary disadvantage is the price as it will be more expensive in the long term.

Expert tip : We always use Motorhome Republic to hire our campervans. It’s a great platform listing all the companies and their available vehicles so you can compare and find the perfect motorhome for you.

Buying a campervan in Europe

If you’re a European citizen you should have no problem buying a campervan or caravan in Europe. We’d recommend doing your research and possibly hiring a campervan for a smaller trip before you commit to purchasing one, just so you can really test it out. You may find something is important to you, when you hadn’t thought about it previously.

If you’re not an EU or UK citizen, it can be more difficult to buy a camper van as you’ll need a fixed address somewhere in the EU or UK in order to have the vehicle registered and insured. The good news is that there are ways to do it and we’ve met people on the road who successfully managed it.

I have to confess we’ve never had a problem buying our campervan or caravan in Europe as Ben is from the Netherlands. Obviously then, I haven’t had to use any of these services. I’ve done my best to research this section for you and point you in the right direction but I can’t make any personal recommendations as we haven’t done it or dealt with any companies relating to this.

For a complete guide to buying a motorhome in Europe as a non resident , you can check out our complete guide.

3 ways to buy a campervan in Europe for non-EU or UK residents

• Purchase your campervan in the UK using a relative or friends address.

Apparently the UK is the most relaxed country in Europe when it comes to registering vehicles for non-UK residents. You will need a UK address, however this can be a friend or family member. If you buy a camper direct from a dealer, you may be able to use their address for the registration of the vehicle.

Be aware that if you buy a vehicle in the UK it will be a right hand drive. This is different to the rest of Europe who drive on the left hand side. It’s not only the steering wheel that is different. The door to the campervan or motorhome will also be ‘on the wrong side’. If you stop your right-hand drive car on the side of the road in mainland Europe, you’ll likely be stepping straight out into traffic.

2. Buy your camper in the Netherlands or Germany

Campervanning and motorhoming are HUGE in the Netherlands and Germany, as it is in most of Europe. Both countries have businesses that will act as ‘middle people’ in the sale process. Some of the businesses will sell their own campers. Other businesses operate a sort of ‘fixer’ type situation. If you find a campervan online that you like, for a fee, they’ll go and inspect it for you. They’ll help to handle the sale transaction, the registration and insurance. Of course you pay for all of their services.

3. Buying a campervan in France.

Euro Camping Cars in France have established a unique and perfectly legal system for helping non-Europe residents buy a campervan or motorhome in France. Again, I haven’t done it, but it is legal, and many people have had great success. Their website explains everything you need to know about their services.

Consider looking for companies with buy back schemes

You’ve found a way to legally buy your campervan or motorhome in Europe as a non-resident. You’ve travelled around and loved every minute of your road trip. Now what? What do you do with your camper when it’s time to go home?

Firstly, you will need to sell your camper in the same country from which you purchased it. This will save you a lot of hassle. Secondly, how do you sell it quickly and easily so that you’re not sitting for another few months waiting to get your money back?

A buy back scheme is a great option. It simply guarantees that the place where you purchased your campervan, will buy it back from you at the end. They will obviously pay a reduced price. The longer you drove it, the more kilometers you did, the less money you will likely get back.

In which country should you hire or buy your campervan?

If you intend on buying, then obviously you’ll be restricted to the options and countries in the section above.

When you hire a campervan you’ll have plenty of options and can essentially hire a campervan to be picked up in any country. Consider your road trip itinerary before you make any decisions. You’ll want to know where you intent to start your trip. Also be aware that in most instances, you’ll need to return your camper van to the place where you picked it up. This means your trip will need to be a loop, or a general shape with a last minute dash for the starting place.

Insurance is necessary to travel Europe in a campervan

Insurance is mandatory in all European countries, and it’s the best thing you can pay for and not need. When you hire you campervan you can be assured that the company will offer you proper insurance for the vehicle.

One thing to take note of are the countries that are covered under your insurance. If you get your insurance in a Schengen country, the Schengen area is covered. However not all non-Schengen countries are covered under every policy. You’re best to confirm this when you get insurance otherwise your insurance card will tell you. Most western European countries use insurance cards that look like a credit card with your details on it and these will be valid in all countries except the ones that have a little x through them on the card.

If you try to enter a country outside of the Schengen area that is not covered by your insurance, you’ll simply need to ‘buy’ insurance at the border.

Be mindful that a little dent in a campervan, however unlikely, can quickly result in a very high repair bill. Be sure that you either buy the insurance excess, pay the excess upfront or you have coverage through your travel insurance to avoid huge issues in case of an accident.

Road side assistance

If you’re hiring your campervan, your hire company will usually assist you with any issues such as breakdown or accidents. If however, you have purchased your campervan and it’s insurance, you’ll usually deal with the insurer for damage and road side assistance if you break down. And trust me, road side assistance is helpful.

When we hit an enormous pothole in Romania and Luigi (our campervan) totally shut down on the side of the road, we were grateful for the road side assistance who found the nearest garage for us and organised someone to come and help. When they couldn’t fix him, they loaded Luigi onto the back of a flat bed truck, with us and our dog Whiskey still sitting inside! It was a slightly nerve wracking drive as we swayed and bounced our way into the nearest city on the back of the flatbed truck. An hour after that we were on our way again. Everything was handled by road side assistance.

Make sure you have refillable gas bottles, and enough of them, to get you through a decent period of time. Gas can be difficult to find, especially in some countries, so don’t let your bottles get completely empty before refilling them. If you have a lot of your items running on gas it’ll obviously go faster.

In the summer months, we only use gas for cooking and for our fridge while driving. A bottle can easily last us a few months. However our heating in the caravan runs on gas. Last winter, we sat for a week in -14 degrees. We obviously had the heating on the whole time and a gas bottle would last us 3-4 days! We would change it every 3 and run a full one overnight so we knew that it wouldn’t run out while we were sleeping. In the morning we’d reconnect the almost empty one to use the last of the gas when we were awake and could notice the heating was off.

Gadgets and helpful items for Campervanning in Europe

Having a good navigation system is really helpful in getting around. It’ll save you a lot of time and effort in doubling back and getting lost. Not only that, the larger your campervan or motorhome, the more helpful a sat-nav can be. Get one where you can enter the dimensions of your campervan and it will (for the most part) avoid sending you down narrow one way streets.

Of course you’ll still need to use your own judgement and common sense. Look out for sign posts and information and change your direction early if you think you’re heading somewhere where you’re not going to fit!

12V USB Port Adapter

You’ll need to be able to charge your phone and/or sat-nav while driving. This adapter goes in the old cigarette lighter hole and will keep everything charged while you’re navigating. There’s nothing worse than running out of battery half an hour before you’re supposed to arrive at a new destination.

An inverter

If you have electronic devices such as laptops and camera’s you’re going to want an inverter. An inverter takes the energy from the campervans engine and converts it to electricity you can use to power your devices. You’ll especially need this if you want to stay off the grid and wild camp.

Motorhome, campervan or caravan awning

An awning is really useful on a nice day to protect you from the hot sun. Many campervans will come with a built in awning that you roll out. If you hire a campervan it may come as an add on that you’ll need to rent separately. When we bought our caravan there was no awning, so we simply purchased one that slides onto the caravan and can stay there permanently.

A water filter

We had travelled for quite a while without a water filter and it didn’t seem to bother us until we spent a few weeks in Istria, Croatia, and the water tasted horrendous. We have refillable water bottles we take everywhere, rather than buying plastic, and we were really having a hard time drinking the water there. At the time, as a quick solution we bought a cheap small filter which helped… enough.

Bicycles come in handy when you’re campervanning in Europe. It’s much easier to jump on a bicycle and cycle to the shops than it is to pack up the whole camper or motorhome and go. Bicycles are also a great way to get into a city or a green zone. You can park the campervan somewhere safe and easy and ride the bike in. It’s really common to see motorhomes with bicycles on the back for this reason.

The Gross Vehicle Weight of your motorhome or campervan

Aside from the dimensions of your camper, you’ll want to take note of the gross weight of the campervan or motorhome. It will have a maximum weight that you’re allowed to carry. The more ‘stuff’ you load in, the heavier you’ll be. When you’re working out what to pack, try to remember that just because you have some space doesn’t mean you should fill it. Leave some space so you can collect things as you go.

Essential Apps to download to your phone

Apps to find camping places.

Park4Night ( park4night.com ) an app that is fantastic for helping you find free overnight parking near you.

Apps to make life more enjoyable on a road trip

• The Kindle App will allow you to download books so that you’re not having to try and buy them as you travel
• Borrowbox is an app that is used by some libraries, it allows you to borrow E-books for free
• Audible – You pay for books you download on audible but you own them
• Spotify – It’s worth the small monthly investment to have some good road trip music

Connectivity and WIFI throughout Europe

Let’s face it, life is a lot easier if you have internet. Especially when you’re heading into new countries and unknown territory. It’s also helpful if you want to keep in touch with loved ones. I remember solo backpacking in Cambodia and my dad freaking out because I wasn’t replying to his text messages. I was at Angkor Wat at the time and 1000 year old temples don’t often have WIFI. Needless to say, I bought a sim card the next day.

If you stay at camp grounds they will often have internet although how good it is will vary considerably. If you need good internet, I’d recommend getting a dongle and using pay as you go rechargeable data like this. Three is a fantastic company with good reception throughout a lot of Europe.

Campervan and motorhome security – How to keep your belongings safe

Generally speaking, I would say that when you’re travelling in Europe, your at no greater risk for theft or a break in than you are in your home country. That being said, we’ve never had any problems and maybe someone who has experienced a break in might disagree. As everything you presumably want and need is inside the campervan, it’s understandable to be worried.

I was never really worried in camping places, but I was more concerned when we had to park the campervan in an isolated place. This happens say, when you’re going hiking and you drive to a remote car park, or, it happens when you want to see an old city and you can’t get parking so you end up parking down some random backstreet. It’s the only place you’ll fit.

There’s different strategies and tips, and everyone’s opinion differs. Some say leave all your blinds open so everyone can see if someone is in there. Others say leave them closed so the potential robber can’t see whether YOU’RE in there or not.

At the end of the day, I always carry our most valuable items on me. Passports, laptop, camera, phones etc, all go in my day bag if we leave the campervan in a remote place.

The other option is to purchase additional door and window locks.

Driving in Europe

Driving is different in Europe in that you’ll be driving on the right hand side of the road. Other than that, it’s not that dissimilar to driving in countries like America and Australia.

In western Europe in particular, the roads are pretty good and you shouldn’t have any issues, however the further east you move, the worse the roads become, I think I mentioned the pothole in Romania that stopped our camper in it’s tracks.

Do you need an international driving permit?

Anyone who’s drivers license has been issues outside of Europe should get an international driving permit . Although it’s not mandatory in all European countries, some countries do require it, alongside your normal drivers license.

Green Zones

Green zones are environmental zones, usually in cities, that restrict entrance to cars that do not meet emission requirements. Some places ban diesel vehicles all together, others may allow you to drive there provided you have received a green sticker indicating you’ve past an inspection. The reality is that if you’re in a large diesel motorhome, you’re probably not allowed in the green zone, and even if you were, you’d never be able to park in there.

As a general rule, avoid green zones, or park the camper somewhere safe and ride a bicycle or take public transport into the city if you want to go.

Petrol/Gas stations

By far the most expensive place to buy fuel is along the highways. If you need to fill up, go a little further in to a town, away from the motorway and you’ll find it to be a lot cheaper.

I’ve said it a few times already, but trying to park a large motorhome can be stressful. Some tourist sites will have large carparks, catering to the community campervanning Europe, but not all of them will. It is difficult for anyone to park in a city, let along a vehicle that’s twice as long as a normal car.

Reverse parking, or even just reversing a large campervan or motorhome can be difficult and many people find a reversing camera to be of great use.

Other factors to consider when travelling Europe by campervan

Road and safety equipment.

Most European countries have mandatory safety equipment that you’ll need to carry on you at all times. If you hire a vehicle, make sure that they supply you with everything you need such as fleurescent orange vest and safety triangles. Winter tires are a legal requirement in most countries during the cold season. You may also need snow chains if you plan on going into the mountainous areas in winter.

If you buy a campervan you may need to source the safety equipment for yourself if you didn’t receive it.

Vignettes and road taxes

Vignettes are stickers that you add to your windscreen in certain countries to show that you have paid for the privilege of using their roads, mainly highways. The countries that use vignettes are

• Czech Republic
• Switzerland

You can usually buy a vignette at border crossings or at petrol stations close to the borders. You must have one or you can be fined.

Road tolls and a toll pass

Many countries have tolls their motorways. If you’re spending a decent amount of time in a country that has tolls, and offers a toll pass, it can be an easy way to avoid the long lines that sometimes occur at the toll way.

Security, Safety and emergencies

To be perfectly honest, we’ve never felt anything other than safe and secure in Europe. The only concern we ever really had was when we couldn’t find anywhere decent to park the campervan. It was sometimes necessary to park in places that we were unsure about. Other than that, most countries in Europe are safe and other people at the campervan sites are just doing what you’re doing and trying to enjoy life.

If however you have an emergency, the emergency number in Europe is 112.

Winter in mountainous regions of Europe

If you plan on driving in the mountains in winter, you’ll probably require snow chains. Make sure you know how to fit them properly. If you’re hiring a campervan, the hire company should show you how to do this.

Blood Alcohol Concentration

It’s important that you know the legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) for each country that you go through as it varies between them. While some countries have 0.05, others have a legal BAC of 0, meaning you can’t drink at all before driving.

These are really the main things that you’ll need to consider when planning to travel Europe in a campervan but don’t let it stress you out. Make sure you cover the basics and the rest you can deal with as you go. You’ll love the freedom, I promise.

Where to stay with your caravan or campervan in Europe?

Campervan parks.

There are quite a few options for places to stay overnight with your campervan. We stay at campervan parks, also known is holiday or vacation parks. Here you have access to facilities such as showers and toilets, and washing up and laundry rooms. It is possible to find some incredible campervan parks throughout Europe.

Overnight parking places

Many countries have over night parking places where you can stop if you’re just driving through. While some are nicer and designed for tourists, others are essentially truck stops, but will do the job. They’re free if you don’t want to pay. You can find these on the park4night app that I mentioned above.

In France you’ll find Aires de Service, or aire de camping car, which are places that you can stop for the night. They cost anywhere from free to €15. For an extra fee you may be able to dump your grey water and fill up your fresh.

Wild camping

Wild camping, known as freedom camping or free camping in other places, is not so common, but fairly easy to do in Europe. This is where you stop somewhere that is not a designated camp site, for example, in the forest. To do this you’ll need your campervan to be fairly self sufficient. You’ll also need to check the laws of the country you’re in as it is illegal to wild camp in certain countries.

ACSI card for discounted camp grounds

If you’re travelling in Europe in the off season, this card gives motorhomers, campervanners and caravaners great discounts on campsites and is well worth getting. As mentioned, only if you’re travelling in the off season.

Where can I travel with a campervan in Europe?

Everywhere! In reality, you can travel across most of the continent in a campervan, motorhome or caravan. Europe has open borders so you can freely move throughout the region. Once you’ve crossed the border into one country, you’ll need to abide that it’s rules and regulations. I’ll cover that more below.

Europe by campervan: Travel Routes and Itineraries

Where to begin your road trip, or hire your campervan or motorhome.

Where you begin your trip and collect your camper is up to you. It makes sense to fly in to Europe and collect your camper from the same place. The exciting thing is that the best place to begin depends on your itinerary. Where do YOU want to begin your European adventure?

How to plan a European Campervan Route or Itinerary

Planning a route or itinerary for Europe, or for any road trip is quite a personal experience. You can either plan everything out, from where you plan to stop, what you plan to see and how many days you intend to stay. Or, you can leave it fairly open. I prefer to leave it open and really just plan the main stops. With plenty of space to move in between.

Before you leave home you’ll probably want to have at least a general route or itinerary planned.

European seasons

Europe is huge and the climate varies greatly across the continent, but also across the seasons. You’ll definitely want to factor this in during the preparation phase.

Cooler seasons

November to April are the winter months. These can be difficult for campervanning due to snow and ice on the roads. Not to mention that the temperature can get well into the minuses. It is possible, however you’ll need to be prepared.

If you want to travel in the winter, there are a few countries more suitable. For example, the south of Spain and parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania have a milder winter. Whereas central Europe, the Scandenavian Countries and those to the far west have bitterly cold winters. Not ideal for a campervan.

When campervanning in Europe in the winter, you won’t have as many accommodation options as many camp grounds close for the season. Those that remain open will usually have less facilities available.

Warmer seasons

Generally speaking, most people will campervan Europe during the warmer months. May to October are great months, with June, July and August being peak season.

From mid spring to mid autumn, the weather vary’s from balmy to hot, making the summer peak seasons for travellers. The coastline along the bottom of the European continent is buzzing as thousands flock to coastal towns.

Although it’s a great time of year to travel, summer in Europe poses it’s own challenges. The coastal areas of all countries are incredibly busy with both overseas and European travellers alike. Prices are also their highest at this time.

For motorhome or campervan travellers, you’ll need to consider whether you get air conditioning. Our first campervan in Europe did not have air conditioning. At the height of summer, on the Croatian coast, Ben, Whiskey and I all slept outside on the ground. It was just too hot to bare. Two days later we left Croatia for Romania which is a few degree’s cooler over night.

Peak periods

Europe is home to some of the worlds largest events, think Tour De France, the Dutch Keukenhof, or Germany’s Oktoberfest. Thousands of travellers flock to these area’s in the lead up to these events. You’ll need to be prepared if you want to join them. Otherwise you’re probably best to stay away from those areas at those times.

Another issue can be the ‘school holiday’ period, during summer in Europe. Popular campervan parks can book out months in advance.

Using ferries on your European road trip

A great way to get from A to B without driving the long way, or simply to get on and off an island, like England, Ferries are part of most peoples campervanning experience in Europe. Connecting countries like the UK with France, Spain and the Netherlands, and Italy with Greece, Turkey or Croatia, it’s a fast and efficient way to travel.

Depending on the size of your motorhome or campervan and the distance you need to travel, you can pay anywhere from a €200 to €1000 euro per trip.

Using google maps to plan your European Campervan adventure

Get comfortable using google maps route planner when you’re planning your trip. I really like it because it gives me distances and times for travel. For example, I might decide to leave one place and drive to the next, The distance always looks so small on the map but google maps says it’s a 9 hour drive! Then I can try to find a place to stop in between for the night or find something that we might want to see or do for the day.

You can also download offline maps which helps if you think you might be going somewhere with no internet access.

It’s a really useful tool.

Costs and budget for travelling Europe in a campervan

Ultimately your budget will reflect your personal travelling style. It is heavily influenced by how many attractions you visit or how often you eat out compared to cooking in the campervan. Accommodation costs will vary from person to person, for example staying in high end campsites every night will be more expensive than wild camping, which is free. Your campervan hire or purchase price will be your most expensive initial outlay.

Some necessary and regular expenses are

• petrol or diesel for the campervan
• campervan site fee’s
• Admission fee’s to tourist attractions
• Gas for gas operated cook top or heating in the campervan
• Laundry facilities (sometimes you have to pay at the camp sites)
• European road tolls
• European Vignettes (see below)
• Public transport if you leave the campervan at the campsite

Apps for tracking your spending

It’s really helpful to keep track of how much money your spending. It disappears so quickly when you’re paying little bits out here and there. Petrol, gas, the camp ground for the night. Keeping track as you go means you’ll make it comfortably to the end of your trip rather than running out half way through.

Two great apps you can download to your iPhone are Trabee Pocket and Trail Wallet. They are both pretty similar and will help you keep track of your spending in each country. You can also track in that countries currency AND your home currency. This is really useful if your mental conversion is not so good, like mine!

Transferring Money

If you’re needing to transfer money around, make sure that you either have your own wifi device, like a dongle, or you use a VPN to protect your banking data.

What do you mean some countries don’t take Euro’s?

Yep, just to confuse things, some countries in Europe don’t take Euro’s. This is easy enough to deal with as simply going to an ATM or taking a small amount of the other currency with you, will solve the problem.

Countries that don’t accept euros are

You’ll need to organise these things before you leave for Europe

Your passport and any necessary visa’s.

Your passport itself is fairly easy. You just need to have one, and it needs to have more than 6 months validity, and enough pages to be stamped.

Visa’s can be a little bit more tricky depending on what citizenship you have, and how long you intend to travel. Make sure you check your visa requirements and organise your visa in advance.

Read : Passports and Visa requirements for campervan travel in Europe

Drivers licence

It seems only logical that you’d take your drivers to Europe if you intend to drive a campervan, doesn’t it? Make sure to check that your license is sufficient though. You may find that you need to obtain an International Drivers License before you go. And if so, you’ll need to have that on you too.

Travel Insurance for travelling Europe in a campervan

Travel insurance is one of the things that we never, ever leave home without. It’s really easy to have the ‘It won’t happen to me’ attitude, but the reality is that ‘it’ can happen to anyone.

Make sure that you book good travel insurance before you leave. We always use World Nomads. We’ve dealt with them personally, when I fell sick in Vietnam and needed treatment in Cambodia and then also in Thailand (very long story there!).

World Nomads were fabulous and we were really impressed with their service and speed. They called a couple of times just to check up on me and make sure we were ok. They also paid out almost all of my medical expenses, despite the fact that we were really delayed in sending them all the information. I mean, we literally sent the bills months after the event. I was convinced at that point that they wouldn’t pay, but voila. We’re very happy with them.

Paperwork that you’ll need to carry with you

Before you set out, you’ll want to make sure you have copies of all necessary paperwork. This includes

• Campervan or caravan and car insurance paperwork. Make sure you have the original, some countries won’t accept copies or photos from your phone.
• A rental contract or purchase contract proving your right to the vehicle
• Your travel or health insurance information
• your original birth certificates and marriage certificate. These are not so easy to get on the fly if you need them
• your drivers licence
• Your pets health check certificates and proof of rabies vaccination. You’ll need this even if you’re from a country that doesn’t have rabies. If you enter a rabies risk zone your pet won’t be allowed back into the rabies free area without one.
• Details of anything you’ve booked in advance including campervan parks, tours, tourist sites or public transport.

Van life – What’s it really like?

We absolutely love the freedom and sense of adventure that comes from living life in a camper. The idea that you can pick up and go anywhere. That you can see something new and different. We’ve been able to see some incredible places and have wonderful experiences. Not to mention adopting our dogs from Croatia. We wouldn’t have been able to do that if we didn’t have our own home on wheels.

The challenges of van life

That being said it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. There are challenges to van life as much as there are to any other lifestyle. Adjustments need to be made to how you life. The smaller the camper, the more adjustments are required to make van life enjoyable.

It involves some downsizing

You need to get used to public toilets, the occasional cold shower and cooking with minimal equipment. Packing everything away every time you move can be a bit annoying but you do get in a good rhythm with it. Forgetting to lock a cupboard door is fun when stuff flies out while you’re driving. Generally, if you’re a minimalist or can get buy without ‘all the stuff’ then you’ll have no problem.

I love our life in our little home and I have absolutely no problem what so every with living in a smaller space. I have everything that I need and the space doesn’t bother me at all.

It can be tiring constantly moving

We sometimes struggle between moving and staying still. If you find a really good camping place it’s really easy to settle down for a while as opposed to keeping moving.

When things go wrong there’s no escape, your camper is your home AND vehicle

There are times when things go wrong with the camper. Like the time our wheel bent, yes, our wheel bent. We were about to leave Romania and head back to the Netherlands. We decided to make a push for it but the vibration got worse and worse. The first night we stopped in Hungary for the first night, then in Germany, and then made it home, but oh wow did we have headaches.

You may have the odd sleepless night

And, as much as we like to think they are, motorhomes and campervans are not sound proof boxes. There’ll be the occasional night you don’t sleep because the people next to you have music playing, or are sitting at their table outside your window talking. We were at a campground just outside Bucharest. Which, unbeknownst to us, was right beside a large venue which was holding a wedding reception. Hardcore dance music blared inside the campervan, it was so loud we couldn’t have heard our own music if we’d put it on and turned it right up. Everyone was in the same boat because we were packing up our campervan at 6 am, and so were all the others. No one had had a wink of sleep.

The other side to this is thunderstorms. Heavy rain or wind on a campervan or caravan roof can sound thunderous. Sleeping during really big storms can be difficult. And if a huge storm hits during the night and your awning is out, watch out!

How do relationships survive van life?

To be honest I think that depends on what the relationship is like to begin with. Ben and I have travelled together for years so we’re used to always being together. We don’t really have any issues with being together all the time. That being said, sometimes it’s nice to have some privacy, or a moment to yourself.

Our main arguments these days are about the toilet. After all this time he still argues every time I tell him that the toilet needs to be emptied. E-V-E-R-Y time. You know in relationships you have your roles. There are certain things one person always does and certain things the other always does. He always does the toilet, its just the way it is. The thing is, I always have to tell him it’s full. He never just notices and empties it. I notice it and I tell him. This is what we argue about!

Other ways van life can affect relationships

As a little side note, it’s important that you factor your relationship in when you choose a campervan. With our first campervan we had to sleep in separate beds because the beds were too narrow for us. We also had a fairly small table that had two bench style seats opposite each other. The seats were not wide enough for us to sit comfortably side by side. I mean, we could, but we were bumping elbows a lot.

Not only were we sleeping separately, we were always sitting opposite each other. It didn’t really do a lot for the romance.

When we bought our caravan we knew we wanted one with a big bed, as well as a larger seating area where we could sit side by side.

In conclusion

So, that’s a lot, right? While there’s a lot to know and certainly to do before you leave on you camper van or motorhome road trip around Europe, once you set off, it gets a lot easier. After a week or so the day to day basics become routine and you’ll find your rhythm.

I want to hear from you

Don’t be shy. If you’ve made it to the end of this guide on campervanning Europe then you’re ready to go. Drop a comment and tell me your plans. Also feel free to ask any questions you might have. You never know, maybe they’ll help someone else too.

About Christine

Christine and her partner Ben have spent the last few years traveling through New Zealand and then Europe by campervan. They travel with their dog Alisa, who they adopted in Croatia. You'll find them exploring old cities, hiking through National Parks, and taking unforgettable road trips.

2 thoughts on “How to travel Europe in a campervan, motorhome or caravan”

Hi! Can you park for free-boondock with caravan? Im from Croatia and i see motorhomes park in city centar regulary im in Istria,but never see caravan park like that.I see them only in supermarkets parking or shoping centar parking. But can leave caravan somewhere in Forest and leave with you car is this possible? Sorrry abou my English! Thank you!

Hi Daniela, I’ve never tried it in a caravan so I can’t be sure, but I think there would be some problems with boondocking in a caravan. Some of the issues I can think of are – Safety and security – You’d need to make sure that the caravan can’t be stolen – you could use a Hitch lock, which prevents someone else from connecting their car to your caravan and towing it, there are also wheel locks, and then things like extra door locks and alarm systems – Leveling a caravan is more difficult, so if you want to camp in the forest you’d need to find a place that has flatter ground from the start – It will be more difficult to move a caravan if you need to make a quick exit – either for safety reasons or because you’ve been asked to move. – You probably don’t have a waste water tank so you’d need to find a way to collect your waste water so that it doesn’t flow out into the environment.

Those are just a few reasons I can think of. Maybe some of our readers have more experience with boondocking in a caravan?

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I spend months at a time in my RV traveling in Europe. Here are the 6 most important things I've learned about van life.

• I'm a Europe-based travel writer who has lived in and worked in an RV for nearly 30 years.
• Through van life, I've visited Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Montenegro, and Greece for months at a time.
• I've learned key lessons anyone considering van life should know, such as how to find good Wi-Fi.

I'm a Europe-based travel writer who has lived in and worked in an RV for nearly 30 years.

As a lover of highways, byways, and slow travel, I've always been a huge fan of RVs and van life. I bought my first van 27 years ago so that I may go where I want, when I want, while working on the road.

Even before I bought my van, I used to travel far and wide in my old 2CV car, parking in truck stops and curling up for the night in my well-worn sleeping bag, before working in roadside cafes during the day. 

Since purchasing my first van, I've visited dozens of countries, including Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Montenegro, Greece, and many others. I'm currently based between France and Greece and travel in a larger RV. 

I typically spend three to four months at a time living out of my RV in every country I visit to get a real deep dive into each place's culture and meet lots of locals. 

In doing so, I've learned some important lessons that have helped make my life as a digital nomad and travel writer easier, such as choosing to travel out of season to avoid crowds. I've also made costly mistakes such as not installing reliable Wi-Fi. 

Here's what I think anyone considering van life should know before they hit the road.

Van life has allowed me to have some truly unique experiences I would never have had otherwise.

One of the best things I've learned about van life is how much freedom this lifestyle allows for exploration.

In Turkey, I traveled along the Turquoise Coast, and also visited spectacular cultural sites such as Aspendos and Cappadocia, and wallowed in mineral-rich hot springs near Koycegiz Lake.

In Spain, I spent the night near Salvador Dali's home in Portlligat, danced in Granada, and crossed over to explore Gibraltar.

While in Croatia, I parked near Dubrovnik, visiting the marble-lined city's hip shops and wall-top bars after work, and then traveled the entire coastline, hopping on and off ferries to visit Split and other glorious islands. 

None of this would have been possible, or affordable, had I not been living and traveling out of my van.

As a travel writer on deadline, I can't live without Wi-Fi. After a few years and plenty of trial and error, I found the best way to get online while working and traveling in my van.

Since my first van all those years ago, I've upgraded several times and now have a larger RV with bathroom, bedroom, and cooking facilities.

But, as a freelance travel writer and podcaster, my biggest essential has always been a decent working space and really good Wi-Fi. If you only work occasionally in your van, you probably won't worry much about these things but if, like me, you spend months at a time working on the road, you'll need to invest in a few essentials. 

Getting online is one of the most important things to sort out. While many countries have internet cafes, I work too often to rely on them and prefer to be in my own space on the road without having to wait to find a cafe. 

I used to rely on hotspots and new sim cards when I changed countries. But I often found myself without a signal, even though I always used the speed test app to check if the connection would be good enough before deciding to stay somewhere.

Recently, I've found it's much easier to use a SolisWiFi hotspot , which is a Wi-Fi hub shaped like a large orange disc that provides internet access. It's slightly more expensive than a sim card. I bought the hotspot for €142,95 and then I purchase day or month passes. The unlimited global monthly pass I use costs €100,95 per month, but it's half the price if you buy the Europe pass.

I find that this option provides an advantage over sim cards in that it works 24/7 via satellite rather than a phone signal. I've experienced a better, faster, more stable connection in most countries around the world with it.

Although I'm a hard worker, it can be very tough to stay disciplined when all I want to do is go explore. Creating a set schedule for days to sight see and days to work has proven very helpful, as has investing in a comfortable workspace.

For me, the hardest thing about traveling to amazing places in my RV is to stay disciplined and keep up my workload while I'm on the road. 

When I first started travelling, I spent four months in Greece where taverns often let me park my van for free if I ate in their establishment. It was an amazing and immersive way to travel to isolated beaches, tiny villages, or anywhere else that I wanted.

The problem was that it was so exciting to arrive in so many new places that I forgot I needed to work to pay my bills.

As I got used to life on the road, it was sometimes a struggle to stay focused when I wanted to be out exploring instead of hunkered down in my van.

For me, what works best is balance. I discovered that if I left the first day that I arrived somewhere new for exploration, that it made it easier to stay inside the van on the following days to get work done. This is how I now structure all of my travel.

And once I'm online and ready to work, I've learned I need a proper space to get it done. I used to work at my RV's built in dining table but found it was too low and I'd get a stiff neck. Now, I use a folding desk that I can set up wherever I like. It's kind of like a breakfast tray, and it's made my working life much easier.

An RV can often be smaller than most bedrooms. At times, I've found it challenging to travel, work, and share my van with my partner. I learned that honest communication is incredibly important when sharing such a small space.

There are times when it can be especially difficult to share and work in the same small space as another person. I live in my RV with my partner and our cat, and if the weather's bad, it can be a problem as I can't expect my pet or partner to sit outside in the rain so I can concentrate in silence.

When I'm only working occasionally in the van, noise doesn't bug me too much, but when I'm working long hours, which I often do, I can easily become irritated by the cat howling to be let out, or my partner breezing in and out of my tiny office area.

I quickly learned how important communication is so I can let my co-travelers know when I need the van to be out of bounds so I can complete my work, before it becomes a miscommunication. 

I also invested in a pair of QuietOn 3 earbuds, which are the world's smallest noise canceling earplugs, so that I can work if there is no way in avoiding a full house.

Living off grid in an RV is sometimes free, which is good for my budget. But I've learned to factor in the cost of a proper campsite at least once a week.

One of the things that I love most about traveling and working in an RV is that I can stop and park more or less whenever and wherever I want.

I've watched the snow fall over the mountains of Kosovo from a cute cafe's parking lot. I've seen Santorini's famous sunsets for free from the remote seaside resort of Vlychada, and I've spent nights under the stars with my RV in Spain's wild and wonderful Cabo de Gata nature reserve.

I've done this by looking for places that are truly off grid and choosing free or very cheap campsites.

The free ones are bare bones and come with no amenities, which can work for a few days since I have solar panels for electricity and gas bottles for cooking.

However, there's always a point, usually once a week, when I'll need to stay in a proper campsite to wash clothes, empty and refill my water, and charge the solar batteries.

Luckily, in my experience, many of the countries I visit including Morocco and Turkey have plenty of cheap campsites from 5 euros a night. I also use apps like park4night to find places where I can fill my water tank or get an electric hook up for the night within my budget and route. 

One of the best things I've invested in for van life is a generator.

Even though I have solar panels, there have been plenty of times where I needed additional or replacement power, and wasn't able to hook-up to a power source at a proper campsite.

In those instances, I'm glad I invested in a small generator. The best ones tend to be fairly noisy, so I've learned to make sure to place mine away from other people when I need it, and use a long extension cord so that the noise won't disturb me when I'm working, either. 

It was one of the bigger expenses of van life, but one I'm always grateful to have that I think is totally worth it for anyone considering this lifestyle.

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Home » Budget Travel » How to Live in a Van and Travel: Freedom, Vanlife, and the 21st Century Nomad

How to Live in a Van and Travel: Freedom, Vanlife, and the 21st Century Nomad

Excuse me, sir, ma’am, do you have a second to talk about freedom?

That’s why we travel, right? Sure, maybe it starts as an escape. Maybe your ex trashed you so you ran away from all those delicious problems (don’t feel bad; it’s a common story).

Maybe the looming threat of your tertiary education commitments was rearing its ugly head so you decided to delay.

Maybe you wanted to  ‘find yourself’ .

Whatever your reasons, the outcome was the same. You left… And then you caught the bug.

Now that I know how to be free, how can I choose to put myself back in the cage?

Excuse me, sir, ma’am do you have a second to talk about van life?

There’s something pure about van travel. You’ll have to peel back the layers first: the trashy Instagram hashtags. The ‘polyamorous’ douchebags competing for level-10 gipsy status to sleep with cute hippy chicks at psytrance festivals.

Peel that shit back first and what do you find? Freedom: a sincere desire to simply live freely. Travelling in a van, or any form of motorhome for that matter, is not a lifestyle: it’s an answer.

Less is more.

So let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about why you should live AND travel in a van.

Let’s talks about the ins and outs of travelling in a motorhome: a beginner’s tips and hacks guide for campervan travel. And let’s talk about travelling the world in a campervan: the best countries to go and how to acquire your new roots-less home.

We’re talking van life.

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Vanlife: Let’s Paint a Picture of the Van Travel Lifestyle

How to live in a van and travel, the best countries for rv and campervan travel, vanlife tips 101: your beginner’s rv and campervan travel guide, freedom, vanlife and the 21st century nomad.

Right, so that was soppy – sorry, folks! Here’s the deal: it’s a house on wheels. Let me reiterate that for you.

It’s a house on wheels.

Yeah sure, it may not be a very big house. But, look, if your biggest concern is not being able to take much stuff, then, mate… the traveller lifestyle might not be for you.

Let’s call it nomadic van living (just to separate it from actual nomadic living in which if you didn’t move, then winter came and you died). Living out of a van means living out of a home with wheels. Think about that for a sec.

If you run out of milk, you don’t have to leave the house to buy milk. You take the house WITH YOU to buy milk.

That’s fucking sick.

There’s a new level of freedom that comes from travelling the country in an RV , campervan, or even one of the cars with the fold-out tents on the roof (they’re awesome; I’ve seen JUCY rentals in New Zealand and Australia do them). Do you know what a common thought for me is while staring out the window on a bus ride? “That’s a nice mountain; I wish I could go climb it.” 

Ta-dah! Traveller vans to the rescue.

And, to be a little bit real for a second, I do think it’s an answer. We’re in a time where we are – possibly, hopefully, maybe – starting to look at the traditional model of ‘How to Adult – 101’ and saying…

Maybe, there’s another way. Maybe we don’t need all the things we thought we did.

I’d say it’s an experiment. You travel in a van, living in a motorhome, and you have an adventure. One way or another, you come away with a new perspective. And, if you’re built for it, maybe you come away with a whole new model for life.

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Why Travel and Live in a Van or RV

Let’s talk specifics, not quasi-philosophical ramblings. What are the benefits of travelling in a van or RV?

I mean, there’s the ease of buying groceries, obviously, but there’s more to motorhome travel than just that:

• There’s the obvious financial benefit. Your mileage (hah) will vary depending on your style. A family of four living and travelling in a full-power RV and staying at powered holiday parks are going to have a very different cost-footprint than two dirtbags travelling in a van and staying in the driveway of someone called Possum Joe. But, you can’t say rolling your transport and accommodation costs into one while cooking for yourself doesn’t help!
• You can go anywhere! Unless the road ends in which case you get out and walk. Campervan travel changes the landscape of your adventure, but I’ll save that for when I talk about the best countries to campervan in further down.
• You can pick up hitchhikers! Ahh, thank you, much appreciated! My people thank you in advance.
• There is, of course, the art of minimalism. How low you go is up to you: packing for living in an RV vs. a van vs. a hatchback Prius all offer different lifestyles. But it’s a middle-point between having what fits in your house and having what fits on your back.
• It offers freedom of movement. That’s why I call it nomadic van living. It’s like the next evolution up from nomadic horse living on the tech-tree-of-life. Stay, go, settle, cross the country; it’s all your choice. The only difference is that motorhomes break down. But, then, horses die…
• And, of course, it allows you to shift to a more nomadic lifestyle . At a certain point, travelling in a van becomes synonymous with living in a van…

Living in a Van: From Part-Time to Full-Time

This is what I’m talking about: what starts as toes dipped in the water of motorhome travel turns into the full immersion of motorhome living. You start off travelling in an RV or campervan around Australia or New Zealand and suddenly you’re reexamining your whole model of life. Suddenly, living out of a van doesn’t seem like such an alien concept.

You start looking at your life. Maybe I don’t need so many possessions. Maybe I don’t need the weekly depression of rent day.

Suddenly, yes, van life is worth it.

Your career aspirations change; you’ve realised just how many jobs can be done while travelling and living in a campervan. How much freedom is open to you when your cost of living has drastically reduced and your office can be any old breathtaking view.

And, suddenly, you’ve become a digital nomad .

Now, a deep-dive into the digital nomad lifestyle is a whole other can of worms and it’s not really my point either. My point is simply that these things tend to go way further and way deeper than we can often imagine. And that many people have created a sustainable (and fulfilling) life model around living in a van or RV full-time and earning money as they travel.

But that’s long term! Don’t get ahead of yourself, buddy. The digital nomad path changes your travel game , so take your time! Patience is good!

First, you need to get out there and experiment with motorhome travel! You need to see if it’s your holy grail. You need to dip your toes in and that means choosing and acquiring your traveller van.

Ok, so I’ve convinced you, yeah? On the awesomeness of van life? Not pressured, mind you; you’re still in control here. I don’t want to talk you into doing anything you don’t want to do…

But, you’re ready: ready for the adventure of travelling the world in a campervan – the full-time RV lifestyle! You’re ready to start thinking about buying your first campervan.

Whoa, Nelly! Slow down there, sexy-legs! I know you’re excited but even buying the cheapest of campervans is a big and expensive commitment for a lifestyle you don’t know if you’re ready for yet. Jumping in feet-first is commendable but jumping in head-first into an unknown body of water is just bloody stupid!

Let’s start small with finding the right van to travel in so you can decide if van life is worth it for you. Then, if it’s everything you’ve dreamed of (psst, it will be) , you can make the shift to living in a campervan permanently.

So, step 1: finding the right type of motorhome for you. I stress the word motorhome because, as you may have noticed, you have a wide range of options and the different terms get thrown around somewhat interchangeably.

Types of Motorhomes

Think of choosing your motorhome like choosing a travel buddy . If you choose well, the vibe is good and you’ll have a long grand adventure together with lifelong cherished memories. But choose poorly and you’ll end up ditching them on the side of the road and hitchhiking in the opposite direction.

Choosing a Van for Travel: How to Find the Best Motorhome for You

Well, what are your needs? What are your likes and dislikes? How good are you at reversing?

These are the important questions you must ask yourself! (Especially that last one.) The number one tip for van living is that it’s gotta feel like home.

• Travel camper trailers, for a start, have no appeal to me. Lugging a trailer around everywhere in my journeys is unwieldy. But for someone who doesn’t want to make a full-time lifestyle commitment to RV or campervan travel, a camper trailer means you get to still have a car and a home and you can just park the thing in your yard when you’re not off adventuring.
• A converted travel van is the DIY option for the DIY mindset. Seriously, I’ve watched friends go to town on their DIY van conversion and it’s a marvel to behold – a power tool in one hand and WikiHow in the other. If full-time van life is something you ultimately commit to, I feel this the best option because you’re in control; who needs a loving committed relationship and a beautiful family to raise when you have a van! Backpackers in Australia and New Zealand often invest in buying a cheap van at the beginning of a year-long work visa, but for shorter trips, budget campervan hire tends to be a much smarter route.
• Class C Motorhomes (RVs) provide more luxury; let’s call it the family meal deal. RV travel offers more creature comforts at the cost of higher living expenses making it the top choice with families and grey nomads. But, if your travelling with a big group or just have a soft spot for the luxury road trip experience, an RV rental might just be right up your alley.
• Class B Motorhomes (campervans) are the bang-on choice for travellers fresh to the van travel game. Not too big; not too small: just right (just like a certain narcissistic little blonde girl’s porridge). For someone looking to dip their toes into van camping and see if this whole vanlife thing stacks up to the hype, this is the sweet spot!
• Class A Motorhome (monstrosities) are reserved for when you’re 70-years-old, greying, and have nothing but time, disposable income, and a loving life partner you want to bang all over the continent.

But, that leaves one last question: how do you acquire your new transient home?

Rent or Buy – Travel Van Rental: The Advantages of Campervan Hire

Ok, so let’s level with each other: buying a motorhome is expensive! The outright cost is enough to make any broke backpacker curl into the foetal position on the floor and that’s before you add in the insurance and registration costs plus the rising fuel prices in an ever-increasingly unstable global community. 

You’d be better of buying a station wagon and crashing at your mum’s house on laundry/shower day, though, I feel that sorta defeats the purpose of the fully independent, ‘fuck the man’ nomadic van-living lifestyle.

Here’s van living tip number two: don’t buy a motorhome until you know that it’s right for you. I’m talking about using campervan hire as your jumping-off point.

There are a lot of ways to travel a country, but I’d imagine we all have a soft spot for having our own vehicle. And, truthfully, a campervan is simply a better way to travel some countries (looking at you, New Zealand) .

Sometimes, public transport sucks; sometimes we want to go far out. And, sometimes, we don’t want to pay 50 bucks for what amounts to 12-hour bag storage and mattress rental (with complimentary white bread for breakfast).

The Great Australian Road Trip is a dream journey of many travellers I meet (I’m not sure why; I don’t think you realise how boring our roads are – long, straight, and filled with dead things). Plus, road trips are SICK! Talking shit with your mates, good tunes, smoking – ahem – “ciggies” at isolated lookouts (wink-wink): road trips are the best!

It doesn’t mean that one day you won’t have the holy grail converted traveller van, but the best way to start that big journey is with a little step. Hire a motorhome, have an adventure in any of the best countries to campervan in, and once you know how to actually live in a van and travel, you’ll know if the vanlife is right for you.

If you’re after my recommendation, for New Zealand and Australia road trips, JUCY rentals are the best. These iconic whips are the perfect home on the road to explore the roads of down under.

Wanna know how to pack like a pro? Well for a start you need the right gear….

These are packing cubes for the globetrotters and compression sacks for the  real adventurers – these babies are a traveller’s best kept secret. They organise yo’ packing and minimise volume too so you can pack MORE.

Or, y’know… you can stick to just chucking it all in your backpack…

You’re going to notice a common theme with most of the countries on this van travel bucket list: they’re costly to travel with plenty of ground to cover.  

That’s why by choosing to travel in a cheap van or RV rental, you’re going to please the tight-fisted pantheon deities of Backpakistan. Now, don’t misunderstand – you’re not going to cut your travel expenses in Europe down to the level of Southeast Asia. But taking all our usual tricks-of-the-trade backpacker secrets and applying them while living out of a van certainly helps.

The other recurring theme? They have wicked roads to drive on! Picturesque and long and fast (and sometimes windy too).

You’re still on an adventure. Spend some money, live a little! You know that 2000-year-old tree in the middle of buttfuck-nowhere… you have a house with wheels now! Go see it!

Again, you’re driving a campervan. You’re in control.

We are freedom.

Australia RV and Campervan Travel: Whole Lotta Nothin’

Ok, so there is actually a lot to see in Australia. From travelling Australia’s east coast – tropics, beaches, and seagulls – to the rugged solitude of the west, it’s fair to say that you’ll find something you vibe with amongst Australia’s massive scope.

And if you get down to Tassie, that shit will blow your mind right open. Seriously – backpacking in Tasmania is an experience simply built for van travel.

Only, Australia is big. And the roads are really long and really straight (and really empty). Notice how you never meet anyone who says they circumnavigated Australia twice?

Australia is so big, and there’s such a campervan culture Down Under with backpackers and locals, that vans are being bought, sold, and traded for weed all the time; buying a van outright is perfectly a viable option. Of course, the thing about buying a backpacker van is that one minute everything is hunky-dory, and then the next your broken down in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain with black smoke spewing from both ends (of the van… not you… if you are too, see a doctor).

Travelling around Australia in a motorhome is THE way to go. Travelling and living in a campervan is a good antidote to the high prices of… everything… and, given the country’s lacklustre public transport services, is also the best way to see everything . 

Of course, you can – and should for trips on a shorter itinerary – go for a budget campervan hire in Australia. Skip the bureaucracy, skip the queue, and, best of all, skip stamp duty <groans internally>. (Our insurance and rego costs are daylight robbery too – fair warning.) All this leaves a rental as the smoothest option for entry into Oz’s untold vastness.

So… what’s the best campervan hire in Australia? Easy, JUCY Campers .

JUCY Campers Australia have been around serving backpackers for a long-long time, so they know their clientele and they know them well . Even while growing up in Byron Bay almost twenty years ago, I remember seeing scores of JUCY campervans parked at the beach. Usually, with some happy-go-lucky, not-a-care-in-the-world bangin’ their lack-of-woes away in the backseat.

They do cheap campervan hire in Australia, and they’ve been around for more than two decades. They gotta be doing something right!

New Zealand RV and Campervan Travel: The Real Aotearoa

It’s fairly comparable to campervan travel in Australia but with less roadside drug testing. And you can cross the country in about eight fewer days. Oh, and petrol is more expensive!

Everything aside, road tripping in New Zealand – and road tripping on South Island in particular – is FUCKING MINDBLOWING. Like, ‘I’m having a transcendental moment just from watching a sunset’ mindblowing. There’s so much to explore in every tucked-away corner, and then you cross the ferry to South Island and New Zealand is all like:  Welcome to New Game Plus, Bi-yatch. 😉

Public transport is meh and hitchhiking is traditionally the gold standard for getting around, but to truly get lost in Aotearoa (The Land of the Long White Cloud), driving a campervan is the way to go. It’s kind of hard to put into words the true majesty of traversing New Zealand’s natural landscape. Can we just say that it did things to my soul and leave it at that?

So, what about cheap campervan hire in New Zealand? Well, you’ve got JUCY Campers New Zealand (yes, same guys obviously) who are also probably the best campervan hire in New Zealand. Seriously, I can’t stress JUCY Campers enough for budget campervans in New Zealand and Australia. RVs, mini-campers, minibuses too – they know they’re way around!

Be careful, though: if you start living in a campervan in New Zealand, you may just decide that it’s finally time to hang up your boots. New Zealand is where people stop travelling.

Things go wrong on the road ALL THE TIME. Be prepared for what life throws at you.

Buy an AMK Travel Medical Kit before you head out on your next adventure – don’t be daft!

Japan RV and Campervan Travel: Ore No Daibouken!

Once upon a time, this may have been considered a weird entry on this list. Maybe, it still surprises you.

It’s not that your transport options for travelling around Japan aren’t excellent (because they are, albeit expensive), but a road trip in Japan by campervan is still an amazing way to see the country, and there’s loads to see! Once you’ve broken off the main roads into the mountains, forests, and villages, you’ll see why.

The downside to campervan travel in Japan is that petrol is pricey and the tolls on expressways (the country’s primary road infrastructure) are a nightmare. The upshot is living off home-cooked tofu stirfry is ridiculously cheap and the Japanese are some of the most patient and courteous drivers you will ever encounter.

So what about campervan hire in Japan? I mean, you could buy one outright but somehow I imagine that could get confusing…

Well, guess what? For campervan rental in Japan, you’ve got Japan Campers . Easy name, easy game!

If you’re thinking you’d like to partake in a road trip somewhere other than the standard destinations, I would highly suggest going for a Japanese campervan journey. Japan is still fairly unused to nomadic van living so you can get away with a few more sneaky overnight parks than you would elsewhere and if you want to travel off the beaten track – Shikoku or most definitely Hokkaido is the place to go for vanning – then you’ll be a fan of a van in Japan… man.

USA RV and Campervan Travel: The Good, the Bad, and the Not-So-Ugly

I mean, there are fifty states all up so road tripping the USA by campervan is a pretty damn good way of seeing them all! (Although Alaska and Hawaii may take some tricky planning to reach.)

Look, here’s a picture of the American wilderness:

Now does a campervan road trip in the USA make sense? The American landscape is so majestic that even just seeing an old Spaghetti Western gives me them wanderlust vibes – and that is a term that I loathe and do not use lightly!

So, let’s talk campervan hire in the USA! I mean… you could buy one off of Craigslist, but you might get shot.

For cheap campervan and RV rental in the USA, check out Outdoorsy . It’s another takeoff in the sharing economy; you’re renting motorhomes of actual humans with actual thoughts and feelings and lives.

I gotta be honest: that’s seriously dope. Think Airbnb for the vanlife.

For budget campervan rental in the USA, Outdoorsy is the go. Then you can go and have your own 21st-century Spaghetti Western!

Oh, plus there’s all that legendary rock climbing in the States. You want a van for that shit.

• Driving the West Coast (Road Trip Planner)
• RV Renter’s Guide: Las Vegas
• Driving the East Coast (Road Trip Planner)
• RV Renter’s Guide: California

Canada RV and Campervan Travel: A Little Drive Aboot

To the north of the States is another big-ass country filled with gorgeous nature and lovely people who get weirdly offended whenever I drop the C-bomb. Cultural differences aside, Canada makes the list of the essential ‘Great Roadtrip’ countries.

The RV and campervan game in Canada is strong . It might have something to do with the expansive wilderness simply built for vanlife. Well, it would be fairer to say that vanlife was built for the expansive Canadian wilderness.

Anyway, forget the split hairs! A backpacking adventure in Canadian is supreme and by way of campervan is the best way to truly get lost there. But you’re getting quite far north. By which I mean, it’s getting cold. You’ll want to get the best travel van you can (with some damn proper insulation).

Outdoorsy , once again, is the top pick for cheap campervan and RV rental in Canada. It’s all about that sharing economy! Cheap, good services, and you’re dealing with REAL people rather than a dealership with a salesperson with a 5-syllable last name that has way too many ‘K’s in it.

Find yourself a budget campervan to hire in Canada (ideally with good insulation) and go find a moose! Why a moose? I dunno, I’ve just always wanted to see a wild moose!

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan RV and Campervan Travel: Meet Stan

See, told you I’d give you some interesting choices! Have you heard of the Pamir Highway? Probably not… I hadn’t either until one of my fellow Broke Backpacker Adventure Experts told me it was the perfect place for a non-standard campervan road trip.

And he’s right! The Pamir Highway is gorgeous! Officially it’s called the M41 Highway (but nobody calls it that) and it runs from the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan down into and through Tajikistan . Hell, if you’re feeling super adventurous, you can keep driving it into Uzbekistan and Afghanistan !

In all honesty, the scope of Central Asia is breathtaking. Exploring Kyrgyzstan alone is something out of a dream, and that’s just one of the Stans! It’s huge, there is so much space, and it is still vastly untouched by the hand of western tourism. If you’re looking for a van life adventure that really is ‘off the beaten track’, it’s the way to go.

How do you acquire a campervan over that way? Well, you’re outside the scope of most of the standard budget campervan hire services but you still have options. One of the highly recommended options is Iron Horse Nomads in Kyrgyzstan. Owned and run by a couple of ex-pats, these guys can get you sorted for transport around the Stans.

Or you could just charge it: catch a flight over and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, you just buy a horse!

Europe RV and Campervan Travel: Home of the Autobahn

“Europe isn’t a country!”   Shut-up, dude; nobody cares. It still counts.

An RV or campervan in Europe goes a long way towards getting you around; there is a lot to see there. Backpacking around Europe is also expensive as all hell (on the west side), so travelling in a motorhome is also going to go a long way towards keeping your budget in check.

The cool thing about a campervan road trip in Europe is all the countries you’ll visit! By the time you’re done, you’re reasonably looking at 5 to 10 different countries (at least).

That’s a lot of unique cultures, languages, landscapes, and… food! All those accommodation cost savings? Yeah, just put them towards eating your way across Europe!

So, what are your options for cheap campervan and RV hire in Europe? Well, there’s CamperTravel Bookings . They have great coverage right across Europe (in case you forgot, there are a lot of different places in Europe) and they’re cheap with lots of different rental options.

Europe is a bit of a funny one for van travel. When it comes to the idealised road trip, it often gets left behind. But with such great options for budget campervan and RV rental in Europe, it’s becoming a more sought-after destination.

Plus, the roads, man! So big, so fast, so furious, and so damn pretty! Arrgghh, vanlife, YES!

Sort out your rental before you’re living the vanlife DREAM. To get the best price, rentalcars.com simplifies the process at a lower cost and can match you with the right vehicle for your adventure.

So, it’s as simple as finding the best van for your new van life and you’re away, right? With that sort of simplicity, you could be living and sleeping in a campervan within a week. Nay, good sir! Campervan life requires more finesse than that.

Do you remember how the first time you left on a backpacking adventure you packed like a dickhead? But then, you repeated the process and, every time, you got better. The question of what to take on a road trip and even how to live and travel in a van is the same.

It’s all about practice.

You’re starting out – be it your first budget RV rental or your first converted traveller van purchase – and that makes you a beginner. That’s fine though, that means you’re only going to get better: it’s all practice!

And besides, you’ve nabbed yourself a campervan and RV travel guide 101 filled with tips for beginners. Let’s talk finesse!

The RV Travel Lifestyle: What to Expect from Travelling in a Motorhome

Before I give you the bullet point list of deliciously digestible tips, let’s talk about the actual ins and outs of the campervan and RV lifestyle. Whether you’re going on your first great campervan road trip or experimenting with living in an RV full-time, it’s not all just about freedom and good shots for your socials.

First up, there’s adulting. There’s always adulting. Just because you’re living out of a van doesn’t mean you’re not an adult!

Chores are a big part of van life. You know how when you live in a really small flat even not washing the dishes kills those rocking feng-shui vibes? Well, it’s the same deal in a van only multiplied by fifty: it’s a small space.

Kitchen cleanup, sweeping out the dirt, changing the greywater, making your bed… don’t forget to brush your teeth too! Living in a campervan permanently still means being a good homemaker. And if it’s travelling and living in an RV, you’ve just doubled up on your chores and maintenance schedule.

That’s another important point to touch on – maintenance and breakdowns. If you’re not a gear-headed person, prepare to learn. Rolling into the mechanic’s every time you hear an odd noise is going to severely hurt your budget. I’ve watched mates brand new to the van living game teach themselves welding, change windows, and play with their vehicle’s electronics all with the assistance of our benevolent overseer Google: that shows a good mind for it.

It’s also worth mentioning cops. Mileage varies depending on how many laws you’re breaking (aim for less than five) but you will always be in closer proximity to the coppers. And – I think it goes without saying – losing your licence is a death sentence to the lifestyle of a vanner.

The idea of pulling over anywhere anytime is super appealing, but it’s also far from always being that easy, especially in urban environments. Overnight parking and sleeping in a campervan is something cracked-down on, especially in our good ol’ friend, the affluent West, though the ferocity of revenue-raising tactics varies by area. It’s sorta case by case and depends on where you are in the world, your type of van, and how smartly you’ve chosen your park-up.

Stealth van living is an acquired art form and something you will gradually get better at over time. Again, it’s about finesse: a bountiful boondock takes a deft approach.

RV and Campervan Hacks for Travelling

Everyone likes a good hack! Here are some practical tips for beginner RV and campervan travel. A few bits to keep you travelling smooth until you’re a vanlife pro!

• Bring tools – Have a solid supply of tools to work with stored somewhere inside your campervan – everything that’s good for an emergency. A well-stocked toolbox , duct tape (definitely), spare fuses – put some effort into your motorhome inventory checklist!
• Van and RV camping apps – There are actually tonnes of these and many that are region-specific. They’ll help you suss out good camping spots to set up your van at from the free park-ups to the ‘ Why am I paying $35 for cold shower and shit-pit usage?’ variety. There are also some wicked RV trip planner apps out there and even apps for budgeting on gas. App up! It helps.
• Utilise 24-hour stores and petrol stations – They can be a really good place for staying overnight in a campervan. Buy some supplies and then ask the attendant if they mind if you hang around until the sun is up. Or don’t ask and just look scary and unapproachable and they’ll probably leave you alone. Face tats help with that.
• And boondock beautifully – Like I said, sneaky parking takes a bit of practice. However, generally, if you’re rocking up somewhere after dark and not planning a lengthy loiter the following morning, she’ll be right. Worst case scenario, just play the “I was falling asleep at the wheel and really needed to pull over for the night,” card: it’s bulletproof
• For the ladies – Get yourself a GoGirl – it makes girls pee like boys! I won’t give you a how-to, but I reckon you can figure it out. Jokes aside, it’s honestly a really important safety tip. The reason animals are so cautious when and where they do their thang is because they’re vulnerable while they do, and it’s the same for people… unless you have face tats.
• Clear storage bins – And for any other containers you use for storage, clear plastic is the way to go. Not having to unpack everything to find what you’re looking for goes a long way when you’re van living.
• Anti-moisture packs – The desiccant ones (of the ‘DO NOT EAT’ variety) that come in just about any sorta packaging and fresh packets of burrito wraps. Use them for keeping away the damp in your campervan’s storage. But, yeah, don’t eat them.
• Grippy rubber mats – Yeah, look, I have no idea what these are called. These ones! Stick them under your plates, cups, condiments, and whatever else so they don’t slide around on the road.
• Always have a headtorch on hand – Hell, have two. Why stop there? Have six! Every traveller needs a headtorch.

Drink water from ANYWHERE. The Grayl Geopress is the worlds leading filtered water bottle protecting you from all manner of waterborne nasties.

Single-use plastic bottles are a MASSIVE threat to marine life. Be a part of the solution and travel with a filter water bottle. Save money and the environment!

We’ve tested the Geopress  rigorously  from the icy heights of Pakistan to the tropical jungles of Bali, and can confirm: it’s the best water bottle you’ll ever buy!

RV and Campervan Travel Tips for Staying Sane and Not Killing Each Other

Practical tips are good but what about mindset tips for van life? If you’re travelling with someone, there’s always the off-chance that you’ll get sick of them off and drive off the next time they’re using a petrol station toilet.

If you’re travelling alone, well, sometimes the hermit’s path can send us a bit loopy:

• Keep structure – The most important part about freedom is not having too much of it; constraints are good. Set an alarm, have a morning routine, write a to-do list; these things go a long way for keeping you focused.
• And don’t sweat the mistakes – You’ll make them, and you’ll make a lot of them. Getting lost, puncturing a tyre, nearly bogging yourself in an ancient forest deep in the primordial wilderness of Tasmania: these things happen.
• Exercise – Similarly, keeping a routine of steady exercise is equally important. Many people like to join a 24-hour gym chain which has the added bonus of shower usage (that’s a van life hack!). That said, if you’ve ever watched a Youtube video on callisthenics, you know that any old park or tree can be a gym!
• Keep a tight ship – A more-or-less no-brainer but take control of your space, keep it clean, and keep the feng shui on-point. I cannot stress JUST HOW MUCH keeping your space organised is necessary. And when you lose things in a van, just assume it’ll show up by itself in six hours times.
• Meet ‘n’ greet – Use the nights you stay at campsites, backpackers, or wherever else to make friends. Socialising is good! It can’t all be a stoic monk-living in a van.
• Take space – For travel buddies and partners, take some damn space from each other sometimes. It’s basic relationshipping 101. It’s totally ok to have days where everything they say and do makes you want to kick them in the shins, but the healthy response is to go for a long walk (up a mountain).
• Bang it out – For every great fight, there must be a great catharsis. For couples on the road , I’m not the best person to give advice. But if we’re talking a platonic travel buddy, maybe just roll a joint on it instead.
• Take the traveller mindset – Always remember to don your traveller hat. “What’s a ‘problem’ ? I only know of  ‘fun challenges’ . That person looks friendly, I’ll ask for help .”

Get Insured Before Embarking on Your Van Travelling Adventure

Oh, so you got some legally mandated vehicular insurance? Well, that’s a good start, but what about some optional insurance for your anatomical features? Your face, your spine, your favourite bits…

You’re going travelling in a van and that means getting travel insurance before you do because, like it or not, things go wrong. And when they do, someone has to pick up the tab. Personally, I’d prefer that someone be a faceless insurance corporation with the cash to spare rather than my mum.

Make sure to get your backpacker insurance sorted before you head off on an adventure! I highly recommend World Nomads, as they’re one of the best travel insurance providers out there.

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing .

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

History is a funny thing: it works in cycles. Once upon a time, our ancestors walked great distances shepherding their livestock and foraging for food. They followed the sun.

And then, we discovered how nice it is to have a home. You mean I can have a mattress, a flushing toilet, and a kitty-cat? Sign me up!

And now, reality is settling in. Faced with the reality of crushing debt, overwhelming mortgage payments, and storage spaces full of stuff we never use, we once again yearn for the romance of the nomadic life. But things are different now.

Our horses have been replaced with vans, our cooking fires with gas stoves, and our deep-seated fear of the night’s terrors with deep-cycle solar-powered batteries. It’s a new kind of romance, but it’s still an adventure.

To live the minimalist lifestyle and see the world with no roots save the one you’re driving. To do something kick-ass! That’s an adventure.

You know that feeling you get when you’re doing something awesome and ballsy and you’re going your own way? That’s van travel.

Give it a shot. Hire a campervan, or an RV, or a converted ice-cream truck… Hell, build one from scratch! But just give it a damn shot.

Take that first little dip in the water of van life. Then, see if you can go back in the cage.

Ziggy Samuels

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I had been traveling around America with my husband for over 10 years, but now it seems impossible, not just because of the pandemic but because we bought a horse farm in Irvine, CA, and have been spending most of our time here ever since. I literally can’t wait to start traveling again!

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How to Campervan around Europe: Choosing the Right Van

The vanlife dream..

It has long been a dream of ours to adopt a nomadic lifestyle and live in a home on wheels. After passively following the vanlife movement online for years, we finally did it ! We quit our jobs , sold our possessions and booked a one-way ticket to Berlin to start our 6 month journey through Europe by van . 

The risky business of buying a van from overseas. 

The most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience, was not knowing what was in store for us. Not only in the sense of what adventures we would go on and what journey we would take ....but the fact that we bought a van in the Netherlands while we were still living in Australia . Sending all of your savings to a middleman to buy a vehicle that you have not seen in person is a risky business. So it was with butterflies in our stomachs and awkward grins, that we made our way to the storage yard in Utrecht and first laid our eyes on our "Aramoana" .

The gamble pays off. 

Fast forward to the happy ending. We couldn't have been more pleased with our purchase . "Aramoana" was everything we were looking for in a rolling home. But that shouldn't come as any surprise to us. After all, we scoured ads online in the Netherlands and Germany looking specifically for her. We'd done all of our research and narrowed it down to exactly what we wanted...

Choosing the right van for the job.

The van you choose is not just any other vehicle, it's your home . Not only will it transport you to sweet spots all around Europe, but at the end of the day it's where you will eat, sleep and hang out. Like most things in life, the key to finding the right van for you is figuring out what is most important. This calls for research. After hours and hours poring over blogs, forums, pictures and videos we identified a few key features that we wanted in our van. Lucky we were able to tick all of the boxes!

Features we love (and searched for) in our van...

1.) internal kitchen.

As someone who loves to cook it was a must that I have a fully operational kitchen inside the van with running water and a gas stove. With plans to travel for such a long period of time, the easiest way to meet our budget is by preparing our own meals. As a vegetarian who is very mindful of what I eat, a kitchen was my number one priority. It also has really helped transform our van from a vehicle into our home. It is so comforting to be able to cook a warm meal after we have had a long, tiring day. Having camped a lot over the years, we decided that using portable gas burners would not be sufficient. An internal purpose built kitchen also means that we are able to wild camp very easily. We have found that most countries who have a "no camping" policy, generally turn a blind eye to wild-camping if you are self contained and not disruptive. Our beloved camper comes with a fridge, an adjustable tap and sink and two gas burners. 

2.) High-top roof

We really debated over this one for a long time. While we initially had concerns that a high-top roof would limit our parking options, it has never been an issue. Only once have we had to do a u-turn as we did not meet the height restrictions of a small bridge. There are always plenty of signs to to advise you of any upcoming limitations and I really could not be happier with our choice. It makes all the difference in the world to be able to stand up while I cook. The permanently high roof also provides the perfect home to line up all of our jars, cans and kitchen utensils. The extra room and freedom of movement is an easy trade-off for having one less bed. We figure a pop-top roof is also a dead giveaway if you are trying to be stealth for wild-camping . Our van is 2.3 metres tall and we are both average height, so it's perfect 

3.) Compact size

Getting rid of our possessions and deciding to live minimally, it was an easy choice to buy a smaller vehicle. We have navigated some very tight roads (especially in the old towns of Sarajevo and Mostar ), which we could not have done in a larger camper. With our bikes on the back we are a total of 6m in length. We figure the more room you have, the more you are inclined to fill it up with things. Having a smaller fridge and pantry encourages us to buy fresh only what we need. This makes us more thoughtful about our purchases and easier to focus on generating less wastage. I can say without a doubt that we do not want for more space. It is absolutely perfect for the two of us. We are the right fit and everything has it's own allocated space. We did take a while getting there, figuring out how all of the jars, bags and containers would fit in but we have utilised the space as much as we can . I enjoy a spring clean and a rearrange every couple of weeks so we make continuous improvements all the time. Although we don't have the convenience of a toilet, we make do and don't have to worry about dealing with the waste it generates. We also realised that by pulling our kitchen tap through the window and adjusting the nozzle to spray, we are able to enjoy our own outdoor shower. It has an extendable hose and the water pump is powered by the second battery. While we tried a few different ways to rig it up, we find it easiest to just get assistance from your other half. Vanlife is not without its challenges but you just have to go with it and step outside your comfort zone . 

4.) Swivelling captain-seats

Spending all of our time together without the distraction of jobs, it is so important that we each have our own separate space in the van. Swivelling the front seats to face the rear opens up the van and gives us much more space. This way we can not only seat two extra guests at our dinner table but we each have our own allocated half of the van to work in.

5.) Purpose-built camper

Go the Westfalia route for quality. In the end the VW Westfalia T4 California met all of our needs . It was really important for us to have a purpose-built van. While it has a lot of kilometres (308,000) under it's belt, you can not fault the superior design. Pre-dating the "bigger is better" mentality, they really don't make them like this anymore. The storage space has been so well thought out and utilised. The engine is diesel which makes it cheaper to run and while it may not be extremely oil efficient it was built to last. We were advised that the optimum speed for driving is 80kms which is perfect for us as we like to take the scenic route and generally avoid the autobahn. 

Meet our beloved "Aramoana; pathway to the ocean". She has taken us there and beyond ...

Was it an easy process for you to find your own dream van? We'd love to hear your experiences purchasing in other countries in Europe!

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• Nov 6, 2017 Skydiving the Algarve, Portugal
• Dec 27, 2017 Our Italy Favourite: Canyoning in Bodenga 3
• May 8, 2016 How to Live Your Travel Dreams
• Jul 22, 2016 8 Tips for Packing Light
• Aug 2, 2016 6 Ways to Book a Better Holiday
• Oct 27, 2016 14 Must Have Travel Apps
• Jan 24, 2017 A Perfect Day Trip: The Bahamas
• Sep 1, 2017 Cycling Across the USA: From NYC to Seattle
• Sep 1, 2017 Cycling Across the USA: What to Pack
• Dec 27, 2017 The Kiwi-Aussie Guide to Moving to Canada
• May 20, 2016 3 Must See Places in Southern Thailand
• Jul 12, 2015 Searching for Whales
• Oct 28, 2015 Figure 8 Pools
• Dec 27, 2017 A Perfect Day Trip: Hiking Abel Tasman
• May 27, 2015 When in London
• May 30, 2015 A Few Days With the Swiss
• Jun 10, 2015 9 Reasons to Get Yourself to Turkey
• Jun 19, 2015 3 Greek Islands to Add to Your Bucket List
• Jun 24, 2015 Roman Holiday
• Jun 30, 2015 How to plan a week in France
• Oct 7, 2015 Hipsters in Berlin
• Oct 10, 2015 Get yourself to Beautiful Barcelona
• Jul 13, 2016 Our Berlin Favourite: Tempelhof
• Jul 23, 2016 Why Choose Rhodes?
• Jul 30, 2016 Why You Should Sail Turkey
• Feb 6, 2017 Vanlife Diaries Feature- Six Months of European Van Life
• Mar 15, 2017 Our Switzerland Favourite: Interlaken
• Mar 15, 2017 Our Slovenian Favourite: Lake Bled
• Mar 15, 2017 Our Croatian Favourite: The Island of Brac
• Mar 15, 2017 Our Bosnian Favourite: Kravice Falls
• Sep 11, 2017 One Day in Prague
• Dec 27, 2017 Vanlife: Our Favourite Van-Friendly Towns in Europe
• Dec 27, 2017 Vanlife: 6 Tips For Wild-Camping
• Dec 27, 2017 The World is Good: Kindness of Strangers
• Dec 27, 2017 Hiking in The Swiss Alps: Säntis
• Jan 4, 2018 Vanlife: Places You Must Visit (and Avoid) in Italy
• Jan 9, 2018 Vanlife: 8 Places to visit in the Netherlands
• Jan 19, 2018 Vanlife: 3 Off-The-Beaten-Path Gems in Montenegro
• Dec 15, 2015 Hiking Tasmania: Wineglass Bay & Hazards Beach Circuit
• Jan 11, 2018 Camping Gear You Need in Your Life.
• Dec 5, 2016 Our Vanlife Story: Yala Families Feature
• Dec 24, 2017 8 Easy Zero-Waste Solutions to Single-Use Plastics
• Dec 27, 2017 "Vanlifers" Movie: The Power of The Vanlife Community
• Jan 20, 2018 Can You Maintain a Vegetarian Diet While Travelling?
• Jun 3, 2014 Long Weekender: Tropical North Queensland
• Jan 6, 2015 Roadie to Noosa
• Apr 29, 2015 Long Weekender: Whitsunday Paradise
• Aug 28, 2015 Long Weekender: Wollombi Retreat
• Nov 6, 2015 Long Weekender: Exploring Jervis Bay
• Dec 10, 2015 How to Spend a Long Weekend in Tasmania
• Aug 31, 2017 Grief & the Healing Power of Nature
• Sep 27, 2016 How to Campervan around Europe: Choosing the Right Van
• Oct 26, 2016 How to Campervan around Europe: Purchasing Your Van
• Oct 26, 2016 How to Campervan around Europe: Setting Up Your Van
• Oct 27, 2016 How to Campervan around Europe: Planning Your Route
• Oct 27, 2016 Vanlife: Adding Vibe to Your Van Home
• Feb 5, 2017 Vanlife: Top 5 Places to Find Free Water
• Mar 14, 2017 Vanlife: The Top 6 Challenges
• Jan 21, 2018 The Cost of Vanlife: Fuel & Mileage Travelling Europe by Van for 6 Months
• Jan 21, 2018 The Cost of Vanlife: How Much Does it Cost to Travel Europe by Van for 6 Months?

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Roaming Roads: The Ultimate Guide to Van Travel in Europe’s Breathtaking Landscapes

While many choose to explore Europe through traditional means, such as car rental in Europe, there’s a unique and increasingly popular way to experience the continent’s beauty: van travel. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the world of van travel in Europe, focusing on the stunning landscapes and practical aspects of planning your adventure.

So, if you’re ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime, where every bend in the road reveals a new and awe-inspiring vista, read on. Europe’s breathtaking landscapes are waiting to be explored, and van travel is the ultimate way to roam its roads and savor the adventure of a lifetime.

Table of Contents

Why Choose Van Travel?

Embrace freedom.

Van travel offers a level of freedom and flexibility that’s hard to match with other modes of transportation. You’re not bound by hotel reservations or train schedules. Instead, you have the freedom to follow your own path, discovering hidden gems and beautiful landscapes along the way.

Immerse in Nature

Europe boasts a wide range of breathtaking natural landscapes, from the rugged fjords of Norway to the sun-drenched beaches of Greece. With a van, you can immerse yourself in these natural wonders, waking up to stunning views right outside your window.

Cost-Effective Travel

Van Rental in Europe. Photo/Wheeling it

Compared to traditional hotel stays and dining out every day, van travel can be a cost-effective option. With a well-equipped van, you have the flexibility to cook your own meals and save on accommodation costs.

Choosing the Right Van

Consider your budget.

The first step in planning your van adventure is choosing the right vehicle. While some travelers opt for luxury camper vans, there are budget-friendly options available as well. Decide on your budget and research van rental options in Europe, including van rental Germany if it’s part of your itinerary.

Size Matters

Consider the size of the van based on the number of travelers and the amount of gear you plan to carry. Smaller vans are easier to maneuver but may offer less space, while larger ones provide more comfort but can be challenging to navigate on narrow European roads.

Amenities and Features

Van rental companies in Europe offer a variety of amenities, such as sleeping arrangements, kitchen facilities, and even bathroom options. Choose a van that suits your needs and preferences, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable journey.

Planning Your Route

Van rental in Europe. Photo/Sprinter Rentals

Europe Vans rental. Photo/CAR Magazine

Research Destinations

Europe offers a plethora of destinations, each with its own unique charm. Research the regions and countries you want to explore and create a rough itinerary. Don’t forget to include popular natural attractions, historical sites, and cultural experiences along the way.

Navigating Europe’s Roads

Europe’s road network is extensive and well-maintained, making it ideal for van travel. Invest in a reliable GPS or navigation app to help you navigate unfamiliar territories. Additionally, familiarize yourself with local traffic rules and road signs to ensure a safe journey.

Accommodation and Campsites

Wild camping vs. campsites.

Europe offers various accommodation options for van travelers. You can choose to wild camp in remote and scenic locations, but be sure to research local laws and regulations regarding camping. Alternatively, you can stay at established campsites, which often provide essential amenities like showers and electricity.

Booking in Advance

During peak travel seasons, campsites can fill up quickly. If you have specific destinations in mind, consider booking your campsite in advance to secure your spot.

Packing Essentials

Cooking equipment.

A portable stove, cookware, and utensils will allow you to prepare meals on the go, saving you money and providing a more authentic travel experience.

Outdoor Gear

Vans rental in Europe. Photo/Automotive Sales Figures

Depending on your interests, pack outdoor gear such as hiking boots, bicycles, or water sports equipment to fully enjoy Europe’s natural beauty.

Travel Documents

Ensure you have all necessary travel documents, including passports, visas, and any required permits for certain activities or countries you plan to visit.

Safety and Sustainability

Safety first.

Prioritize safety during your van travel adventure. Carry a well-stocked first-aid kit, emergency tools, and communication devices like a mobile phone and a portable charger.

Leave No Trace

Respect the environment and follow the Leave No Trace principles. Dispose of waste responsibly, recycle when possible, and be mindful of your impact on natural areas.

Van travel in Europe is an incredible way to explore the continent’s diverse landscapes, cultures, and traditions. Whether you choose to embark on a solo adventure or hit the road with friends and family, the freedom and flexibility of van travel make it a unique and rewarding experience. From the picturesque fjords of Norway to the sun-soaked beaches of Greece, Europe’s beauty awaits you. So, take the plunge, plan your adventure, and discover the wonders of Europe from the comfort of your own van. Remember to research options like car rental in Europe and van rental Germany to find the perfect vehicle for your journey. Happy travels!

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About the author.

See Africa Today

Pharis Kinyua is the editor of See Africa Today. With over seven years of experience in digital media, he has a soft spot for African tours and travel. His drive is to tell the rest of the world what Africa offers, the best accommodation facilities, national parks, culture, shopping malls and best airline deals to travel to Africa

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build you own campervan and live the van life

Advice for first time visitors to Europe

The CamperVanLife.com team love to travel around Europe. We have put together some useful tips that we hope will improve your experience.

• Do It – if you are thinking about visiting Europe… then do it! It is one of the best places in the world to explore with a leisure vehicle. Few places in the world offer the diversity of culture, history, food, drink and language that Europe offers. You will no doubt hear horror stories, but don’t be put off. Almost everyone camping in Europe would recommend the experience to your personally.
• Avoid July and August – if you can avoid these months, then do. The majority of Europe holiday makers take their holidays during these months. You will find everywhere busy. If you have to holiday during this period then it is worth booking at least the first few nights at campsites, to ensure you have somewhere to stay.
• Learn a little of the local language – Europe has so many languages. Learning a little of the language you are visiting will make a big difference to the way people treat you. Most people can learn the basics in an afternoon with a good guide book. In Spain and Italy English is spoken very little, whereas in The Netherlands, Germany and Portugal English is widely understood and spoken. France, more than any other country, will appreciate you speaking the local language. Whilst many French can speak English they do not like to do so. Use any French you have. If you are keen to learn get started as soon as possible. The French will appreciate your efforts so much that you are likely to be invited for drinks and nibbles. See the guide to language phrase books .
• Get Road maps or GPS – Having good road maps or a GPS unit is essential. If you are buying a GPS unit make sure it contains maps for all of the counties you intend to visit. Or at least ensure you can buy the maps for a reasonable price. If you are going to use traditional maps invest in a good road atlas. See the GPS section or the guide to maps .
• Do research – Do at least some research about the regions you want to visit. The internet has made this so much easier now. Find out about the weather, water, festivals, or anything about your destination that might effect your visit.
• Buy guide books – If you intend to visit towns, monuments, beaches, etc then invest in good guide books. A good guide book can instantly inform you of the best places to visit, opening times, history, language, and more. See the guide book section .
• Know your vehicles dimensions – measure the height and length of your vehicle. Keep this information at hand in the cab, as you will at some point be presented with a narrow gap or low bridge. Knowing the dimensions can save a lot of hassle and embarrassment. Actually measure your vehicle., don’t reply on manufacturer details, as they can be wrong, and you may have additions which change the original dimensions.
• Don’t stop overnight on French Auto Route aires – the French roadside rest areas are great, and a wonderful place to stop during the day to break up your journey. However we have experienced, and heard of many problems from many campers who have stopped at these aires overnight. The main problems being theft. Don’t stop at them overnight. In particularly the A7 and A9 seem to be the worst.
• Don’t be scared of free camping – with the above point in mind, don’t be put off free camping . Free camping is one of the best parts of camping in Europe, and people very rarely experience any trouble. Stopping at a beautiful beach, lakeside or mountain rest area, and then stopping for the night, week, or even a month, is a fantastic experience. Thefts are almost entirely occur at busy roadside stops in urban areas. Be careful and be alert and you should have no problems.
• Double check your insurance – check your insurance to ensure everything you think is cover is actually covered. You do not want to find out something is not covered once on the road or after an incident. Ensure you have insurance for the vehicle and travel insurance for the people in it.
• Take your E117 health care cards (for EU citizens only) – EU citizens should apply for and take a free E117 health care card with them to Europe. The card entitles you to free or reduced cost health care in most European countries. Don’t think you won’t need it. I needed mine, when travelling alone in Spain. I was very glad to have had mine on me, it made the whole experience much easier. In the UK you can apply online at http://www.ehic.org.uk/ . Alternatively, you can apply by calling 0845 606 2030, or by picking up an application form from the Post Office.
• Choose ferries carefully – If you have to take a ferry do plenty of research. If you are coming from the UK you pretty much have to take a ferry. If anyone in the party doesn’t like being on water take the shortest crossing you can, to avoid unnecessary illness, and drive the rest of the way. Dover to Calais is still the shortest and quickest crossing.
• Check your passports – ensure all are in date. Some countries demand that the expiry date on the passport must be at least 6 months beyond your estimated day of return. Take photocopies of all of the passports. At campsites you will have to leave a passport until you have paid. Many accept photocopies.
• Use a bank that doesn’t charge for oversees transactions – most banks will charge you for taking money out when abroad There are several banks that do not. Nationwide is one. You don’t need to change banks, just open an extra account for travel money. You can save a good deal of money this way.
• Check your home insurance – check that your home insurance is still valid if you are away from home for a long period of time.
• Always be respectful to the police – when you are stopped by the police always be respectful and cooperative. I have been stopped several times, always as a routine check. The police are not trying to catch out foreigners. In fact in most European countries the police will not stop foreigners.
• Always keep a quarter tank of fuel – don’t let you fuel drop below a quarter of a tank. Many places close on a Sunday, and finding fuel can be hard. If you are twisting around hills for a long period of time only half fill the fuel tank. This will save weight and make the vehicle easier to drive.
• Know the law – the road laws vary between each country, and some require you to carry equipment you might not already have. Under French law, vehicles must carry one reflective jacket for the driver, although many French families store one for each passenger in case there is a breakdown and they have to wait beside the car.

Important Information

• If you breakdown, or are stopped by the police, put the jacket on, or else you may find yourself with a fine

In Spain you require a jacket for each person.

• In France, Spain and Germany you are required to carry a red warning triangle.  Should you breakdown the triangle must be erected 30 meters behind the car.
• In Spain you require 2 red warning triangles per car.

Here’s a quick kit list:

Greece – First aid kit – Fire extinguisher – Warning triangle

Italy – Warning triangle – Reflective jacket

France – Warning triangle – Reflective jacket – Headlamp adjustment

My girlfriend and i want to do exactly what you are doing! i have a few questions. Where did you buy and register your campervan? Im assuming UK? Also what insurance did you end up getting for your campervan? Did you have an address to register all of this or did you use a friend/family address?

Do you have to return to the country of the insurance once per year to renew your insurance? I was told that you need to go back each year to renew and get any additional paper work done such as the MOT in the UK.

If you can share this information it would alleviate TONS of stress for myself as for the last few weeks i’ve been tirelessly research this exact information and it’s hard to find. Your experience could change my life.

Thank you for anything you can help with!

I bought and sold all of my vehicles in the UK. I am from there, and so it’s much easier for me to that all of that in the UK. It’s more difficult in most European countries to buy and sell vehicles. The UK is very straightforward. Although UK vehicles are right-hand-drive, which is not perfect for the rest of Europe, but still doable. UK vehicles are fairly cheap. From what I know, France and German are also options.

I got 365 day, live aboard campervan insurance by using a broker. I use my parents address.

Insurance can be renewed whilst on the road, to return home needed. UK vehicles need to pass a annual inspection, commonly called the MOT test. The vehicle has to be in the UK and presented to a station each year, so yes, it has to come back.

Camper van companies Hi My husband and I want to travel by camper van round Europe. (Germany – Scandinavia) Could you recommend any companies that we can hire a van from in Europe. was going to fly out and then travel the rest by camper van and fly back home.

many thanks Maria

Motorhome Hi there I am thinking of travelling round a few European countries for 2 weeks in the summer with my husband and 4 kids but haven’t done anything like this before and don’t know where to start!!! Any help/advice greatly appreciated!xxx

1. Make a list of the places you want to visit 2. Check the tips above 3. Get your vehicle ready 4. Enjoy yourself!

Hi, Hi, we travelling to Slovakia in motorhome in couple of weeks time. Making a first stop at Cologne and second in Poland Wroclaw. We were trying to find a campsite for overnight stay but not very successful. Where would you recommend us to make that stop and be safe?

travelling with a Van (not a motorhome) We are a couple planning to do an Euro trip in a campervan and wondering if the car has to be a self-contained vehicle in order to be able to stay in all these free-parks? What country do you think is the best to buy a campervan? Thanks for your help and all the information mentioned in your article, is very helpful.

To wild-camp in a campervan To wild-camp in a campervan your vehicle does need to be self-contained. You really should just be “parked”, and ready to move on at any time. The police often don’t like people setting up camp in the car parks.

France probably has the cheapest range of used vehicles. But, Germany probably has the best quality of selection, as they have so many VW and Mercedes vehicles.

motorhome travel questions We are a family of 3 + dog & cat planning to travel with a med sized motorhome through Europe for 6-12 months. Our question is how do you incorporate large cities into the itinerary? Do you camp outside the city and use public transport or are there places to park in the city? Also, is there any free-camping in Switzerland? or year-round campsites? Thank you very much for all the helpful information!

Yes, park outside of the city Yes, park outside of the city and use public transport to get in. Quite often campsites on the edge of cities will have a public bus route. Some cities have parking areas for motorhomes, but this is rare. France have the motorhome Aires, which are often well places in cities. I would recommend researching each city you want to visit, and plan accordingly.

Switzerland has some aires, which are typically free camping. There might be some year-round campsites, with hard standings, as the weather will be severe in winter.

Hi Darren can I just stop at Hi Darren can I just stop at any aire or does it have too be designated Motorhome too ..

You can normally stop at any You can normally stop at any Aire. Some will say no motorhomes, normally in the busy months (summer). To park overnight, you typically need a motorhome aire, in the busy months. In the quite months, you can normally park anywhere.

Advice for renting a camper in Iceland Here are some very sound advice from our clients on what to have in mind when renting a camper and driving around Iceland! http://www.rent.is/camperstories Happy Camping!

motor home travel England and Spain March/April2017 Hi Madam/Sir,

About 6 gents from South Africa, average age, 50, are planning to travel through England visiting the football stadiums during the Easter period plus another week. Planning to hire a six sleeper motor home and do the tour in about 14 days, traveling from London to end up In Spain. Hoping to watch two games in England and one in Spain. Concerns: 1. Where do you park, 2. Licenses 3. Permits required 4. Average costs of camping sites, and are you allowed to park anywhere , where legal parking are allowed.

5. Any traveling tips and guidance for some time travelers.

Hi guys Hi guys

The UK is not friendly to wild camping, so you are pretty much going to have to use campsites. You can try and wild camp, but with such a big vehicle, you will draw attention from the police, and they will probably move you on. Campsites are around £20 per night.

France has a great motorhome scene, and you will be very welcome. France has Aires, where only motorhomes are allowed to park. Also lots of campsites, some cheap.

Spain is a mixture. Some areas are happy with motorhomes, some are not. Campsites are pretty good, some are cheap. Vehicle crime is high in many places.

Have a great time.

Hi! Me, my husband and our Hi! Me, my husband and our dog are about to set off travelling Europe in our campervan. We don’t have an end date but anticipate being on the road for about 6 -12 months. We’re struggling to find both pet insurance and breakdown cover that will cover us for more than 3 months away. Can anyone recommend any companies please?

AA was only company that could insure us for breakdown cover longer than 90 days. They do 365 days

Hello Claire, my wife and I are taking our putting a plan in motion to travel Europe in a campervan (yet to be purchased) with our dog. We haven’t had much luck finding pet insurance. Do you have any recommendations or information you’d be willing to share? Thanks!

Darren – thank you for the article, appreciate the information. In my research so far, this is the only mention of the required reflective jackets and other such safety gear required by countries that may save us fines. Thanks again!

Right or left hand drive I am going to tour Europe for 12 months is it advisable to get a Lhd vehicle?

It’s not necessary. It takes It’s not necessary. It takes a week or two to adjust, and then a RHD is fine.

One-way Campervan Rental We will be venturing to Europe for a 2 week trip and would like to rent a camper van type vehicle to tour the countryside of Switzerland, possibly upper northern Italy, Austria, Germany, and The Netherlands. We fly into Geneva on September 13, but can take the train to a pick up destination in another city if necessary – hopefully not too far – and we could also pick up on Monday, September 14 if that makes it easier. We fly out of Amsterdam early a.m. on September 26 and would love to drop off there if possible; again, we could drop off on Friday, September 25 if works better.

Does anyone have any recommended companies that provide the one-way rental experience? If not, we have considered renting out of Geneva or Zurich and travelling in a loop to check it back in and then train to Amsterdam. We are having trouble finding an outfitter and would greatly appreciate any and all advice. Thank you!

Hi there, this is a great Hi there, this is a great article for information thanks. Myself and my husband are off to Europe for a month in the campervan at the beginning of August. I was just wondering if anyone knew if it is possible to only stay for a couple of nights at campsites as the ones I have found so far only take bookings for a full week. Any advice/info greatly received. Thanks Megan

So Much Fun I am in complete agreement with this article, traveling to Europe is wonderful. I went to the UK and France, and found that in France if you attempt at speaking French, they will appreciate it and help you out. If you are used to Camping in North America, you might find European camping different though as you are not very far from a town or city.

TRAVEL I am going traveling around Europe at the end of May, hopefully for a month, I would like to catch up will like minded people. Its my first trip of traveling alone, with my trusty dog!! Please can anyone give me some info regarding my travels. I hope to go through France, Spain, and wherever lol..

Non UK residents motorhome insurance Hi, We bought a van in April 2014 and had a great trip Spain, France and Portugal for 4 months. The only insurance we could get was cover by Down Under Insurance because we were Non UK residents. We wish to go back again this year and our Son wants to borrow our van but the insurance company will NOT let us have any other drivers even if they are family. Does anyone know any other companies? Ken

taking 2 pet dogs Hi would very much like to hear from anyone who has toured Europe with dogs? My self husband and 2 kids and 2dogs would be going. But am thinking would it be a nightmare with pets. I.e going into citys for the day. This is worrying me so would love to hear from anyone who has first hand experience. Thank you. Isabel

Travelling with dogs Hi Isabel Just came across your post while researching. Have you started your Europe tour yet and have you got your dogs with you? My husband and I are contemplating doing this probably 2017 BUT I have 2 very loved cocker spaniels and this would probably be what stops us doing this, As much as we would both love to get more travelling done before we are too old I could never leave me beloved 4 legged furry kids 🙂 We will be setting off from Cyprus or might fly back to the UK and start from there. Still lots to plan but have loads of time to make sure all goes well. Regards Carol

Advice please I will be spending 10 months of year I Spain/ Portugal, can I buy a portugese registered motorhome up from port of exit to savethe palava I need to go through with DVla. ?

Hi, has anyone tried Hi, has anyone tried travelling though France and Italy in a campervan through December/ January with young children??? And if so, should we do it?? From Australia

Sundance Vacations Sundance vacation is mostly a professional Sundance Annual vacations Sundance Holidays is really an around the country local store outlet shop stash shop store retailer journey firm.

Hi, I am planning on hiring a Hi, I am planning on hiring a campervan for 2 weeks during august and doing some travelling in france and spain with 2 children (age 6 and 10). As a single female with children I am very daunted about the prospect as well as very excited, can anyone give any tips ablout staying safe or even if it is a safe thing to do with children????

France is a country that France is a country that loves to campervan and is perfectly setup for it. You’ll have an amazing time, There are Aires, which are designated camping spots for campervans, which are often €5 – €10 in the summer. Campsites are plentiful and good value in France. Great for children. August is a very busy holiday month im France.

Reliable Campers? Hey mate, So my lady and I are coming to the UK from OZ next year and plan on buying a campercan.. Then driving it around Europe for the year!!! I’ve got no idea what make/model to buy though! I was hoping to spend (max) around £6,000 on one. Only thing my GF is insisting on is that it needs to have a toilet. Any suggestions you can give me mate would be well appreciated! Cheers bra, Chip

Hey Chip Sounds like a great Hey Chip

Sounds like a great plan. There is no one make to recommend over another. For a whole year of travelling I would recommend a motorhome or big campervan. That will allow you to wild camp, which saves money and allows you to stay in the best places.

Here are some good vehicle from eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-TRANSIT-Herald-Aragon-2-5-Turbo-Diesel-/170941289532?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item27cce5143c

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PILOTE-A-CLASS-MOTORHOME-/150949943028?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item23255156f4

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IVECO-XLWB-MOTORHOME-RECENT-CONVERSION-STUNNING-MODERN-INTERIOR-EXCELLENT-COND-/150937150039?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item23248e2257

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-FORD-TRANSIT-CAMPER-VAN-/281027584865?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item416e8ca361

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Iveco-Daily-35-S-12-Camper-2003-Full-conversion-2-berth-/261126462249?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item3ccc599b29

Thanks! Hey dude, thank you for your help! Ended up getting a Mercedes 208D 2 berth Elddis, she’s freaking sweet! We land in London on Monday… Then it all begins!!!! Cheers,

Sorry my grandad lives in Sorry my grandad lives in Italy where the camper will be stored

Hi, I live in England and my Hi, I live in England and my grandad who lives in England has given me his camper. How will I go on with a few week insurance at a time and tax and mot. Any info appreciated

South of France for 3 weeks My friend and I arrive into Cherbourg in August and plan to head to the South of France for 3 weeks to do and see as much as we can! We hope to camp in most places. Any recommendations regarding accommodation, the MUST SEE places and events, festivals etc would be really appreciated. I have googled and googled so have some basic info but it would be great to hear from people who have done something similar! Thanks

Free campervan guide Hello!

I’ve written a free guide for those thinking of a campervan – you can download it from our site if you wish

W’re just about to go on a French campervan holiday too….

UK to Italy Hello. My husband, myself and two boys (5 and 6) are planning on taking our motorhome to Lake Garda in August (unfortunately we have to go in school holidays!) Could you possibly recommend a good route for us please? As we are only away for two and a half weeks in total, I guess it would have to be a reasonably quick route to enable us to enjoy Italy. Thanks so much.

We do the trek to Italy by We do the trek to Italy by motorhome each July from Scotland. Generally we will cross Dover – Calais and then head through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and then the Gottard Tunnel into italy. This skips all the toll roads etc of France. depending on the weather we may stop in Luxembourg (diesel is cheap!) or may just keep driving – but we have no kids! There is a campsite just off the Autobahn near Frieburg (Camping Tunisee) on the A5 where we tend to break for the night, then straight through Switzerland into Italy the next day – we like to maximise our time in Italy! Garda can be very busy in peak season so Lake Como is also well worth a visit and is pretty much just as you arrive in Italy on this route.

Thanks for the information Thank you very much for all the information. We are planning a 3 week trip.. 4 adults and 2 kids/grandkids. We plan to visit Prague, Vienna, Italy Swiss and paris… looking forward to it and now loaded with all teh good advice from the site… Thanks…

Hi Darren, Im travelling to Hi Darren, Im travelling to europe this august. Im looking into camper vans for hire…Now im torn between a camper type van or a motor home? They only thing im concerned about is the size of them, will it hinder me in any parts of europe? I plan to go through france italy germany austria….. whats do you suggest? It just seems price wise to hire for 2 weeks theres not much difference.

Where do you intend to go Where do you intend to go with the vehicle?

Will you go from campsite to campsite? If so then get a motorhome, as you extra internal size is great. If you will be parking in cities a lot, then get a campervan as it’s much easier to park in car parks. If you will be wild camping, a Motorhome is probably better, as you’ll enjoy the extra space. Unless you are going down very old and tight lanes, a motorhome shouldn’t be a problem.

its my first time. ill be its my first time. ill be staying in campsites but will still want to explore the cities…i guess the campsites will be a short distance from the cities? will campsites be near enough to get there by bikes? Thanks for ur advice

The distance of campsites The distance of campsites from cities varies a lot. Generally, the bigger the city, the further the campsite. Paris, Lisbon and Barcelona have campsites quite a way from the city. But they have great public transport links. Normally 1 well priced bus ride. Cycling from campsites in these big cities is only for the dedicated.

Small cities and towns have the campsites much closer. So for the smaller cities you can cycle in, and sometimes park in the town itself. Most have public transport too.

I avoid taking my campervan into cities completely. It’s never a nice experience.

As you are hiring you don’t have much to lose. I would go for the motorhome. If you find it too big, you’ll know for next time. But a motorhome is not much more difficult than a campervan to drive. Modern vehicles are much easier to drive.

Sounds like you will have lots of fun 🙂

We are heading off to France, We are heading off to France, Spain and Portugal in July for 6 weeks, with a week in a villa at Alicante. We are travelling in a Mitsubishi Delica campervan which we’ve owned for a year. The only problem is it doesn’t have a fridge, can you recommend one? We are taking our two children who are very excited at the prospect. My main concern has got to be the thefts in the stopping areas as I know we will be using these. Any advice you can give would be much appreciated.

Hi Are you looking for a Hi

Are you looking for a fridge you can remove from the vehicle? This one runs on gas http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/dometic_waeco_combicool_rc_1200_egp_3_way_absorption_camping_fridge__BP1006_3407

This one runs on electricity from your leisure battery http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/waeco_cf_18_coolfreeze_compressor_fridge_freezer__BP1006_1921

The later is good if you drive regularly and have good leisure batteries. Otherwise it will flatten the battery, and so the gas is the best option.

The thefts can certainly be a problem in some areas of Spain, especially Barcelona. I’ve travelled these areas a lot and have never had a problem. Leave your vehicle in secure paid parking areas where possible. Or if you are staying in campsites, take the bus into town. Never leave your vehicle alone in a city like Barcelona.

Thanks for the advice Thanks for the advice regarding fridge. We have now got one that will also act as a freezer and runs off a leisure battery. The battery is very reliable when travelling and we can plug it into the mains.

Glad to have helped. Enjoy Glad to have helped. Enjoy your chilled beer/wine/milk!

A year around Europe? Hi. This website is fantastic. I’ve decided to give up my (teaching) job and travel around Europe from September until whenever…I’ll be free to continue travelling until the following September. I have a few questions and appreciate any answers or advice: 1. I have yet to buy an actual campervan. I’ve been looking but if you who already have bought could choose a reliable economical van what would it be? There will be no more than two of us in the van. 2. Have any of you travelled and worked? I’m hoping to stop along the route when possible and do a bit of work (either teaching English or bar work). Is this easy? 3. Suggested routes? Considering the time I’m leaving (Sept) I’m planning on starting with the Southern part of Europe to catch the end of the summer heat but is this the best idea?

Basically, I’m pretty clueless but for a variety of personal reasons this is the year for me to do this so clueless or not I’m going for it….but really would appreciate any advice!!!!!!!!!!

Hi 1..Any type od van can be Hi

1..Any type od van can be reliable. I live VW and Mercedes, but I would consider any type. As long as it is looked after, and serviced, any van can be good. Most vans are economical if you drive them slowly. Not much in them otherwise. Its the speed that matters.

2.I work and travel, but I have an online business. I know others who have got work on the go. From September to April Europe is quiet. It is winter with few visitors. Not much bar work. Span and Italy are always looking for English teachers, mainly as second language. Otherwise it’s the worse time of year to look for work, but don’t be put off. You can find it if you look. Check the language schools in Andalucia, Spain. Warmest place in winter, and they need English teachers.

3. Yes, stay south. September France starts to cool. I would start in France, and then drive south then it gets too cold for you. You can either head to Portugal or Southern Spain for the winter, or Greece, and even Italy, but not quite as warm there.

You don’t need to know a lot to do these trips. Just do it! It’s easier than you think

All the best

Thanks Darren! Appreciate the Thanks Darren! Appreciate the advice.

How’s the Europe travelling going? Hi,

Just wondered how your decision to go travelling worked out?

We are in a similar position (teaching) and thinking about hitting the open road.

Did you manage to find work ok?

What route did you take?

Any advice for first timers (campsites?)

Hope it’s going well and you’re still enjoying it.

Hi im going travelling in Hi im going travelling in july. not properly planned yet but i do intend on having somekind of route through france,italy and germany. Im going for 2 weeks. My question is how much is fuel going to cost me? how much should i keep for camp sites/ food?

Fuel in Europe is about €1.30 Fuel in Europe is about €1.30 – €1.40 for diesel. This website is good for calculating costs: http://en.mappy.com/#p=itinerary_homepage

Be sure to fill in all of the details to calculator the cost properly.

Campsites cost from €10 per day in summer. Some campsites are a lot more, so get a campsite book, or use websites to find cheaper ones if you want to. Food costs the same as the UK. Although we find we spend less when in the campervan, as meals are simpler, and we don’t stock up on anything.

First time hi there,i am just after a little advice.me and my wife are hiring a campervan for 5 weeks for our first trip in Europe,i was just wondering is 5 weeks long enough ?because lots of people on here seem to be taking months to travel rather than weeks.We just want to have a tester to see how we enjoy it, because if we do we would like to travel furtherfor longer in the future. Thanks,jonny.

Hi Jonny 5 weeks is plenty of Hi Jonny

5 weeks is plenty of time, especially for a taster. The people spending months traveling have had their taster, and have committed to longer term traveling. Even a week away is fantastic fun. You can do a lot in a day in a campervan.

I hope you have a great trip.

Europe Hi, My wife, 7 yr old daughter and I are looking at travelling troughout Europe next april time. We are looking at starting in germany, heading in a clockwise direction taking in Prague, Austria, Itly, Switzerland ( I want to do mont blanc tunnel !!), France then onto Denmark and Norway if we have time, do you have any advice ? This will be our 1st real camper adventure, but we are seasoned campers and outdoor lovers. Thanks Morph

Sounds like an amazing Sounds like an amazing trip. My only advice would be to perhaps get breakdown cover. That is a long way with some mountainous roads. You’ll have mixed weather in April, so take a good selection of clothes. Maybe a heater is a good idea in your camper?

meet you all nordcamp meet you all nordcamp 2012 have fun

Does anyone know the Does anyone know the procedure involved in wanting to take my dog travelling with me? I will be starting from Dover/Calais then who knows? Is 3k a reasonable amount to get me going? Is anyone aware of any working farms etc where its possible to park up and camp while maybe working for a few weeks? Great site, thanks. K

camper hi, my girlfriend and i are going to the south of spain via west coast of france so i can do some surfing. have no set route other than west coast down, over the pirinese, then hug the portugal border to grandada, back up east coast spain, alicante, valencia barcelona then back through central france.

anyone recomend any must see landscape, art museums, great surf beaches and campsites along this ‘route’. also want to avoid motorways

thanks, awsome site

Hi. Sounds like a great Hi. Sounds like a great trip. West coast of France has lots of great surf spots. Maybe check out Dune de Pyla, Europes biggest. Check out the Aires, wild camping/ almost free car parks where you can stop in a camper van. Some charge a few Euros. You need to know where they are though, this book is good: https://www.vicarious-shop.com/All-the-Aires-France-3rd-edition.html

The Basque Country in France and Spain is great for surfing, little towns, great beaches, good food, great views. Northern Spain has loads of places to surf and little towns to hang out. Portugal is great throughout. If you stay away from the biggest surf breaks you can have the place to yourself. Peniche in Portugal is great for surfing, beaches in every direction.

Barcelona is a great city to visit.

Motorways are annoying as they are paid, and they can be expensive. I generally try and find a almost-as-good free road, but switch to the pay road if the free road is too windy.

Try these pages which are my notes from a few years ago. https://www.campervanlife.com/camping

europe and morocco hi my wife and i travelled around europe and over to morroco in 5 months we went to france ,belguim,holand,denmark,norway, sweeden,estonia,latvia, lithuania,poland,germany,chec republic, switzerland,austria,italy,san marino,monnaco,spain,gibralter,and portugal,drove all the way in a 1975 vwt2 camper van had loads of free camping and wouldent change a thing glad we did no research and never made our trip into months of research before hand as it was excellent the not knowing mafe it a great adventure,only downside was seeing the old people staying for months in 1 nite stay aires in most of europe,and being proud of it,THE OLD PEOPLE DOING THIS ARE GOING TO DESTROY THE FUTURE OF FREE CAMPS .some are now charging for water as a result!

Great to here you had a great Great to here you had a great trip. It is a shame to see so many white plastic motorhomes taking up all of the room at great wild campsites. Some places are creating new wild camping spots to allow people to camp, so this is a good thing. Lets hope wild camping continues in the future.

Hi there, I see that you did Hi there, I see that you did a van tour through for europe for 5 months. My parnter and I are going to do the same, was just wondering how much it cost you in the end? Have no idea how much money we need to allow!!!

aprox £4.500 aprox £4.500

ps it would cost alot less ps it would cost alot less with a more economical vehicle and a more modern camper fuel alone was over £2500 the rest was tolls, ferrys, and food …not eating out and staying on very few sites only for showers to keep the cost down ,but depends on how much you want to see and do,weve seen places we will probably never see again but well worth it….we talked about doing it and a month later we left our jobs and did it ,the more you think about it the less likley you will do it,my thoughts anyway ….just do it!

Alone traveller any suggestions? Hi all, firstly I’d like to say thankyou for all the great info, I am currently planning a trip on my own through France and Spain in a van conversion – Do you think it is safe for me to be alone? I am a 30 yr old woman but I do look alot younger and am slighly built. I am used to camping and festivals and am a bit of a hippy so does anyone also know of any ‘new age’ type sites also? Thanks 😉 x

You should be fine. Lots of You should be fine. Lots of women travel on their own. If you camp near other people, and away from shady areas you should have no troubles.

My wife and I are new to My wife and I are new to campervanning but are keen to travel to Italy via France. We are not sure yet about the route but keen to take advice. We are looking for breathtaking scenery and as much of the quaint aspects of French and Italian life as possible. Is there a well known route over the Alps or any must sees along the way that anyone could recommend. Amazing road, spectacular views are the priorities for us.

I guess it depends on your I guess it depends on your schedule and where you want to visit. Try some of these websites for ideas

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scenic+routes+to+italy

campsites November to feburary Firstly great website Darren. Myself and my girlfriend are trying to plan a 4 month trip covering most of mainland europe from november to feburary. We had planned a mixture of free camping along with staying in some proper campsites to charge the batteries, clean up etc. We know this isnt peak time for sites etc but so far we are finding through are planning most of the sites close for the winter?? from your experience are most of the sites closed or have you any other tips of where to camp and charge up safely?? thanks

Hi Kieran Glad you like the Hi Kieran

Glad you like the website 🙂

In warmer areas at the time of year, such as Portugal and southern Spain you’ll find plenty of campsites open. These places get camping visitors all year around. Colder places such as Germany will have less campsites open, as they don’t get many visitors in the snow.

I’m assuming you’ll be sticking with the warmer weather. Therefore you’ll have no problem finding campsites that are open.

In France you’ll find Aire de Service. These are service areas designed for motorhomes and campervans. They are normally tarmaced or concrete areas, sometimes in woodlands, with parking spaces. Many have electricity, fresh water and water disposal sites.

The French take camping very seriously, and these Aires are great places to stop and refresh your vehicle. They are generally free outside of the summer. Charging about €5 in the summer.

You’ll find similar things in Italy, and a few other countries are starting to make such things.

You can find out about them if you search

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=aire+de+service

female traveller security I m thinking of buying a WV or converting a small ‘stealth van’ and just taking off for a while. Starting from the UK and going for as long and as far as suits me. Any comments welcome but especially: How safe it it to free camp as a single female (all of 5ft2′!)?

I have done a lot of wild I have done a lot of wild camping in both a rascal van camper with windows, and a transit stealth van. You will find people will worry about you far less if your vehicle looks like a camper van.

france trip im looking to drive from bilbao,through france and back to england in a t4 campervan,do you know any way that i can plan a route with campsites on route or routes that are pre planned as to make it as stress free as possible as me and my gf are not looking to have our heads in a map all day.many thanks

I think you definitely need I think you definitely need to plan your route in advance. Be conservative with your estimated daily mileage and plan your stops accordingly. See Darren’s advice (against) the Aires de Repos on French Routes Nationales (N roads). I’ve done many trips over the whole of France, it makes a big difference to your route plan if you will both be driving or just one of you. Maybe a couple of days with Google Maps &/or Google Earth before you go, there’s a “business” search option where you could type “campsite” or “camping”. You can print out the google maps and details of the campsites. http://www.campingfrance.com/ (also in English) Buy a french (ring bound) road atlas. Along the coast through France are loads of campsites, school will be starting soon so maybe not so crowded. Check the date of ‘rentrée à l’école’ in France, looks like 1-2 September ( http://www.education.gouv.fr/pid184/le-calendrier-scolaire.html ). Bon Voyage!

two weeks in october four of us with one child would like to travel around Europe in a campervan we have never done this before could anyone give any advise????

Are you all going to travel Are you all going to travel in the same vehicle? if so you’ll need something big. Probably a motorhome, but you may be able to find a van conversion that will accomodate you all.

europe for 6 weeks my partner and I are planning on travelling around europe for 6 weeks in a vw T4, Ive managed to plan a bit of a route but dont know if there are any well followed routes out there that let you take in spain, france, italy, germany, scandinavia?

It all depends on what you It all depends on what you want to see (cities, country side, beaches), how much time you have, and your budget, as toll roads are quicker but cost more.

I would recommend highlighting the places on the map you definitely want to visit, and other places you might want to visit. Then make a route that takes these in. As you travel your route is likely to change based on your remaining time, and how you feel about the things you visit. It’s always good to be flexible about your route. Don’t make it too fixed.

Obviously main toll roads/motorways are quickest, but are generally the least interesting roads and often the most expensive. The country roads are more interesting but slow.

my vw campervan and 2 kids just planning a 6 month trip with my 6year old girl and my 2 year old boy around france, italy spain and portugal everthing seems positive but can anyone tell me is there places to shower in service station its my first trip pleeese help.

Hi Diane Some service Hi Diane

Some service stations on the main roads have showers. But there are not lots. Campsites obviously offer showers, but I guess you are looking to free camp? Have you considered a solar shower? They work OK in hot weather. Fill with water and leave on the roof of the van for a few hours. Or even part boil the kettle and fill the shower with your own water.

shower Hi . You say here that one could use a solar shower. myself and my girlfriend are planning a trip starting in march that will last for 8 months. we have 2 brand new solar showers bought. we havent got a camper yet, still looking. my question is – if we get a camper with no shower room, how can we use the solar shower? i presume outside the motorhome. any ideas from you? thanks.

The easiest way is to use the The easiest way is to use the solar shower outside. Fill the solar shower in the morning, and let it warm all day. Then shower in the afternoon.

Another way, although it can cause splash, is to stand in a large bowl inside the van, then use the solar shower inside. Be careful not to splash too much though.

solar shower U can easily hook up a solar shower to the outside of ur vehicle. If you want some privacy (not all of us do :-)) you could look at purchasing a small toilet/change tent from numerous camping stores or caravan.camping outlets around the country. They are easy to erect, light weight and pacl down very small.

Van Insurance??? Hi, my partner and I are planning to travel Europe for 6-8 weeks this August. Can anybody please give me a rough idea of what van insurance would be and the best place to get it? I know it varies with what vehicle you have but just after a rough idea of price before we plan to much. Thanks heaps.

For a professional conversion For a professional conversion expect to pay from £50 per month. But things vary greatly. Try the insurance page for more information https://www.campervanlife.com/insurance

Hi there. Try Sureterm Hi there. Try Sureterm Insurance, they specialise in campervan isurance and convertions They seem quite reasonable, friendly and can offer european breakdown cover as part of a package (pretty essential I would say). Very friendly and extra discounts to be had by joining a caravan club – they will recommend one that costs nothing. good luck and enjoy.

First timer – planning a trip from UK to Spain Having read through the above comments, am a bit worried about HAVING to travel at the end of July because of school holidays. There will be 2 adults and 2 children (almost 6 & 9) and will have 4-5 weeks to do our trip. Would love any hints, tips and/or recommendations from those who have already done this sort of thing.

You need to avoid the peak You need to avoid the peak problems. Try to always fuel your vehicle during quiet times (evenings). Try to travel during quiet times – very early and very late in the day. Try and book places on campsites, or choose very quiet spots for free camping. Essentially you need to avoid busy areas, and especially avoid getting stuck in traffic jams.

You will have a great time, you just need to plan a little more.

Under French law, vehicles Under French law, vehicles must carry one reflective jacket for the driver, although many French families store one for each passenger in case there is a breakdown and they have to wait beside the car.

If you breakdown, or are stopped by the police, put the jacket on, or else you may find yourself with a fine.

In France, Spain and Germany you are required to carry a red warning triangle. Should you breakdown the triangle must be errected 30 meters behind the car.

In Spain you require 2 red warning teiangle per car.

In Spain you are also required to carry a set of spare lamps/bulbs for your car and the tools to change them

Spain – Warning triangle x 2 – Spare bulbs – Headlamp adjustment – Reflective jacket

legal stuff sounds like good advise ,we are off to spend the next few months in europe in our van mainly in Italy looking for a new home (hopfully)is there any things that you legally have to have ie warning triangles etc?

Sometimes… I have parked in gas station car parks, and truck stops, in Spain and Portugal. It is worth asking if it’s OK first, before you park. Truck stops are almost always OK, but its worth asking as you need to park in the right place.

Some supermarkets also allow it, but again, ask first. There is nothing worse than a knock on the window once you are settled for the night, especially from the police.

Very usefull text, do you Very usefull text, do you people usually park in gas stations ? Mainly those with restaurants and sometime with hotels.

Thanks, and great site.

Camper van trip alone. Thank you for the encouraging words on this article. I am in the very early stages of plannikng to take a camper van – alone except for a dog maybe – into France. It was encouraging to learn it has been done, safely, and enjoyably. x

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16 Best Campervan Journeys In Europe

Renting a campervan and hitting the road is one of the best ways to explore Europe on a budget. These routes leave lasting memories.

Read update

Best Routes For A European Campervan Journey

• Campervan journeys in Europe offer a low-cost way to explore scenic destinations and beautiful landscapes, away from the city streets.
• Routes like Slovenia & Croatia, Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania, and the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland are worth adding to your European itinerary.
• From the French Riviera to the North Coast 500 in Scotland, there are plenty of options for campervan road trips that provide flexibility, affordability, and unforgettable experiences.

While the “Vanlife” craze is taking off in North America, campervan journeys around Europe have been a popular way to see the continent at a low cost for years. Spend 1-2 weeks or a couple of months roaming Europe in a cozy campervan while taking in the beautiful landscapes travelers often miss when sticking to the city streets.

UPDATE: 2023/08/22 12:29 EST BY NICHOLAS MAYAMBA

Europe is home to numerous scenic destinations worth checking out, and campervan journeys present an exciting option to explore them without breaking the bank. In this updated list, find out more road trips worth adding to an adventurer's to-do list during a European itinerary.

Related: Road Trip Enthusiasts: Here Are The 10 Countries With The Best Road Trips In The World

16 Slovenia & Croatia

Slovenia is overlooked by many travelers in Europe in favor of nearby Croatia or Austria. However, Slovenia and Croatia together are the perfect route for a European road trip with beautiful historic cities and beaches on the Adriatic Sea. For a 10-14 campervan journey, pick up a vehicle in Dubrovnik and spend three days on the coast , appreciating the scenery and exploring filming locations for Game of Thrones . Then, drive north to Split and Zadar before continuing to the scenic Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Cross the border into Slovenia and explore the Julian Alps and scenic Lake Bled. Rent a canoe in the early morning and paddle out to the center of the lake for the best views. Finally, explore the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana.

15 Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania

Romania doesn’t get much attention from international travelers, but it should. This vast Eastern European country has a beautiful capital city but also expansive, lush green landscapes and highways that are easy to travel to. Rent a campervan for pickup at the Bucharest airport before embarking on the epic Transfăgărășan highway drive. This road takes travelers through the Carpathian Mountains. The road is nearly 100 km long and is one of the most iconic in Europe, twisting and turning through the rolling terrain of Romania. Plan to make stops at Balea Lake, Capra Tunnel, Vidraru Dam, and Poenari Citadel along the way.

14 Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s most famous driving route and can easily be driven in 5 days to 1 week, starting from Dublin. However, for travelers who want to take their time and spend more than one night at a destination along the way, turning this into a 2-week adventure is a more relaxing choice. The route is 2500 km from County Donegal to County Cork and takes travelers along the best sights of Ireland’s West Coast, including the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, and Slea Head.

Related: 10 Places You Should See In Ireland During A 7-Day Trip

13 The Fairy Tale Road, Germany

Germany is one of the largest countries by area in Western Europe, so exploring it in a campervan is a great way to see the natural beauty usually missed when sticking to cities like Berlin or Munich. Rent a campervan and drive the Fairy Tale Road in Germany, which starts in Frankfurt. The quiet road runs through the countryside and charming German towns like Steinau, Marburg, Kassel, Gottingen, Hamelin, and Bremen. From Bremen, travelers can easily continue onto Hamburg and venture north to Denmark.

12 The Ring Road, Iceland

Iceland’s Ring Road is the best drive in the country, taking travelers around the island’s perimeter in just 7-10 days. While it’s possible to do this trip in a rental car and book Airbnbs or hotels, choosing to do the journey in a campervan offers the flexibility to stop at any campsite and stay immersed in the otherworldly landscapes of the Land of Fire and Ice. Top sights to see along the way include Skogafoss, Jökulsárlón Lagoon , and Diamond Beach.

Related: The 10 Most Beautiful Stops Along Iceland's Ring Road

11 The French Riviera, France

Get away from the busyness of Paris and embark on a romantic campervan journey through the South of France on the French Riviera. In just one week, travelers can easily stop at beautiful cities like Nice, Eze, Cannes, Cote d'Azur, Monaco, and Antibes while spending the night in their campervans to save money on accommodation. This is a fantastic way to see the South of France on a budget and with the freedom to wake up in a new spot every morning.

10 The North Coast 500, Scotland

The North Coast 500 is named for the 516-mile route around the Northern coast of Scotland. It’s possible to drive this route in just five days but lengthening the trip permits travelers to make more stops and appreciate the scenery in various parts of the country. Some top spots to pause along the way are Falls of Shin, Coldbackie Sands, Smoo Cave, and Handa Island. The route is so popular it has attracted more than 29,000 visitors since its inception, but there’s still plenty of room for everyone on the road.

9 Algarve Coast, Portugal

Travelers looking for a budget-friendly campervan trip in Western Europe can skip Italy’s coast and head to the South of Portugal instead. Most international travelers will arrive in Lisbon, where it’s easy to pick up a rental van from the airport. Then, drive south on the E1 to Lagos, which takes between 2.5 and 3 hours . From Lagos, travelers can choose to spend time camping and swimming along the Algarve Coast for a few days before continuing the drive to Faro. If time permits, cross into Spain and spend a few days in Seville before returning to the campervan and heading home.

8 La Route Des Grande Alpes, Switzerland

This route takes travelers through the French Alps between the French Riviera and Lake Geneva. Visitors will drive their campervan through the Alps from North to South or South to North, depending on which side they start the route from. The road has 16 passes, some of the highest in the Alps and spans 684 km from Thonon-Les-Bains to Menton. The journey takes at least 2-3 days by car, but travelers can spend much longer exploring the historical monuments and Alpine villages along the way.

7 Whitehaven To Silloth, The Lake District, United Kingdom

There are plenty of scenic road trip routes through The Lake District in the UK, but travelers who want to drive their campervan along the coast will love the journey from Whitehaven to Silloth. The drive is 26.7 miles long and follows the A595 and A596 along the Solway Coast from Whitehaven. Travelers will pass through the quaint town of Maryport and can stop off at the picturesque Allonby's Beach before arriving in Silloth.

6 Finland Up To Nordkapp

One of Europe's most scenic caravan journeys is arguably traveling up through Finland to Norway. This route takes one through the boreal forests of Northern Europe and even through Santa's North Pole Village in Lapland . Along the way, visitors see sprawling forests where the roadsides are populated by reindeer as one penetrates north into Lapland. Mountains don't appear until one approaches the northern border with Norway, and from there, one can keep on going to Nordkapp - the northernmost point of Europe .

5 Travel Down The Coast Of Norway

Norway is arguably the most stunning road trip possible in Europe. Travel down Norway's pristine and stunning coastline and explore many of the world's most picturesque and dramatic fjords. Keep in mind that Norway is expensive, but it is also legal to camp almost wherever one likes (if one would like to save on camping fees). Be sure to detour to see Troll's Tongue while traveling in Norway .

4 Andorra & The Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are one of the great mountain ranges of Europe, and they form the border between Spain and France. One of the fun things to discover while exploring the Pyrenees is the tiny alpine country of Andorra (it is basically a country that is a collection of ski resorts). The Pyrenees are not as dramatic as the Alps of Switzerland, France, Italy, and Austria, but they are stunning and should be on anyone's bucket list.

Turkey is sometimes counted in Europe, and it is a top destination to go for a campervan journey. The country is just bursting with attractions to see and explore (think about endless Roman ruins, ancient Greek ruins, Pamukkale, crusader castles, some of the Mediterranean's best beaches, and some of the oldest manmade settlements known. Turkey has a great highway network and is a very rewarding place to explore.

2 Switzerland & Northern Italy

Starting in the mountains and ending at sea, this lovely European campervan journey takes travelers through exciting destinations. From Switzerland's biggest city, Zurich, drive through the country to the towns of Lucerne and later Bern before crossing to the Italian city of Turin. Admire the impressive architecture in the city and sample its eclectic cuisine, then continue with the journey to the fashion capital of Milan . Find something cute to buy and drive off to Bologna's historic town before wrapping up the trip in Venice, where so many attractions await .

Related: 10 London To Rome Road Trip Stops That Reveal Ancient History And Breathtaking Scenery

1 Italy Roundtrip

Italy's is among Europe's top destinations, and going around the country explores campers to beautiful cities with a rich history, unique culture, and exotic destinations. Starting in Milan, this exciting road trip will last 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how much there is to see and do along the way. Drive the van to Genoa, check out the beautiful harbors, then head to Pisa through Cinque Terre. Continue towards Florence to admire its majestic art pieces, continuing to Siena and Rome. Afterward, he's to Naples and cap off the Italian itinerary on the Almafi Coast.

What Is the True Cost of Touring Europe in a Motorhome?

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What is the Cost of Living in a Motorhome in Europe?

Are you planning a tour of Europe in your motorhome or camper van? Find out about the cost of travelling Europe in a motorhome or campervan and whether you need a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to finance your trip.

Lots of people contact us and ask about the costs of taking a road trip in Europe in a motorhome – it’s one of the top motorhoming questions we get asked. Costs can vary dramatically – when planning a two week motorhome or campervan trip your objectives will be different to those you might have for a three month trip or a year away.

For most of us, money is an important aspect of our lives and when we budget for our motorhome road trips we have many factors to consider. Our motorhome costs and figures come from real life traveling by motorhome – we have now spent over five years living and travelling in Europe in a number of different countries, so can give a balanced and fair breakdown.

Factors That Will Affect the Cost of Travelling Europe in a Campervan

When you are budgeting for living in a campervan in Europe, bear in mind the following;

• The exchange rate may affect you if you are travelling long term and regularly need to change pounds into euros, or other currency.
• The country you are travelling in will have a huge affect on budget. The per day costs of living in Spain for example, are less than half of that for Norway or Ireland .
• Your choice to you use campsites, aires or free overnight wild camping spots will impact your costs significantly. 
• How far you want to travel and what type of roads you use will affect your fuel costs and travel bills.
• Not all motorhomes are created equal. The vehicle age, engine size and the way you drive will affect your fuel consumption. If you are  looking at used motorhomes  for your Europe trip, check the efficiency online first.
• The value, make and model of your motorhome can have a huge impact on insurance costs, especially if you require full-time insurance cover . 
• Sadly, your age will affect the cost of any travel or medical insurance.
• Your  motorhome travel philosophy  will probably have the biggest impact of all. How often you like to eat out, whether you’re a culture vulture and want to visit every museum or prefer a free hike, the wine you like to drink… all will affect your budget. 

The Ultimate Guide to Motorhoming in Europe

If you’re planning a motorhome trip to Europe for the first time, our guide has tips, advice and information to help you plan your European tour.

Don’t struggle trying to plan your Europe trip, find out everything you need to know before you go + loads of motorhoming tips for when you arrive.

Motorhome Europe Budget & Costs

In this example year, from January to December, we spent three months in France, two months in Portugal, five months in Spain and two months in Norway. We updated these costs in 2022 to reflect the increased cost in fuel and living expenses across Europe.

Cost of Travelling Europe in a Motorhome by Length of Tour

Cost of travelling europe in a motorhome by category.

• All groceries but not meals out
• Diesel to cover 10k non-motorway miles at an average cost of 1.80p per litre and assuming 22mpg
• LPG (refillable) for heating, hot water, cooking & fridge

INSURANCES £1680

• 365 European motorhome insurance including breakdown cover
• True Traveller  annual backpackers insurance
• Life insurance

CAMPING £2007

• 50% wild camping
• 30% aires at an average of £5 per night
• 20% campsites at an average of £20 per night
• UK phone contracts + overseas SIM cards – we use around 500gb a month, so our costs here are high.

VAN STUFF £1360

• Annual service and MOT
• Repairs and replacements including two new tyres and new windscreen wipers

ALCOHOL £730

• Alcohol bought in shops but not drunk in bars or restaurants

TRAVEL £1350

• Toll costs and vignettes
• Ferries (to Norway and UK)
• Flights back to UK

EATING OUT £760

• Alcoholic and soft drinks
• Coffees and ice creams

NON FOOD £430

• Toiletries and medication
• Cleaning chemicals, cloths etc

PERSONAL £410

• Clothes and shoes

SIGHTSEEING £420

• Paid attractions

14 Tips & Tricks for Touring Europe on a Budget

There are lots of things you can do to help manage your budget effectively and save money as you travel Europe by motorhome;

• Wild camp or use free campsites and motorhome aires as much as you can. Across Europe, water and disposing of waste is usually free or only a euro or two.  Find out more about how to free camp in your motorhome here .
• Equip your motorhome with the right accessories.  Solar power will mean you can wild camp for longer and not pay for EHU where its an extra cost on a campsite.  Refillable gas  is much cheaper at the pump than continually replacing bottles and buying new  country specific regulators. 
• It makes sense to get an  ACSI camping card  to help with the cost of campsites out of season – it will pay for itself even if you only use sites occasionally.
• Shop daily or every couple of days if your trip itinerary allows. Motorhome fridges are not always that efficient if you’re traveling Europe in a motorhome in summer – we’ve found ourselves throwing food away. 
• Lidl is a popular budget supermarket across Western Europe. Did you know they source much of their fruit and veg locally? This means you’ll always get what’s in season with a low carbon footprint. Also, Lidl don’t have height barriers to their car parks and often provide motorhome parking spaces …the perfect supermarket!
• Slow travel if you can, and really savour getting to know new places. You’ll use less fuel over a longer period of time, especially if you steer clear of driving on motorways and avoid toll roads.
• Make sure that you use a card provider who doesn’t charge for overseas purchases or ATM withdrawals, or try an international transfer service like Wise , which also comes with a card.
• Try and get breakdown cover (and travel insurance) with your bank if possible. Some motorhome insurers include breakdown cover at a much reduced cost.
• Go dry for your trip…ok, just an idea!
• We use a lot of data to manage our touring Europe in a motorhome blog, so our contract is expensive. Try looking at European data only sims for your time abroad and download when you’re in supermarkets, cafes and other places where wifi is provided free of charge.
• Avoid expensive countries like France and Norway . Some of our favourite European motorhome holiday destinations are in countries just as beautiful, but much cheaper – think campervanning in Italy (the southern half!),  Spain , Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
• Shop around for motorhome insurance and motorbike insurance if you carry one, and remember that if you’re full-timing, it will always be more expensive.
• Take public transport when visiting a city. Camp on the outskirts and catch a train or bus into the centre. It’s safer to see cities in this way too.
• Research what you can do for free when you visit new places. Museums often have days of the week when it’s free to visit, and some have a city pass which covers the cost of transport and attractions.
• If you remain unsure about whether the budget is manageable, hire a motorhome for a few weeks to get a feel for costs.

Find out everything you need to know about SIM cards for long-term travel in Europe , including portable WiFi devices, eSIM cards, local SIM cards and monthly contracts which don’t have a data cap!

Motorhome Touring Guides

See all our touring guides >>

Money saving motorhome accessories.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but spending a little upfront before your European trip can save you money in the long run.

An average wash at a laundry on the continent will cost around €5. Add drying for another €5 and you’ve potentially got an annual cost of €520 just for washing! If you have room, buy a portable washing machine and do it yourself. If space is at a premium, foldable washing machines can manage smaller items and at least save some of the cost.

portable twin tub

mini ultrasonic washer

Scrubba wash bag

Get a SOG toilet system fitted. The SOG system uses negative pressure to take away the smells – when the toilet blade is opened a fan starts up and takes the smell away through a vent. This means that the contents of your cassette break down naturally and no expensive chemicals are required. It’s much better for the environment too.

Get the best data only sim cards for use in Europe.  All data is now capped on the continent, but use the sim cards in the right way and you can have continuous data. If you use a Vodafone sim to stream tv, you may not need a VPN, saving at least £79 per year.  Always check T&C’s carefully regarding activation and roaming conditions.

Three internet with legs 24gb

Voxi sim 45gb

Vodafone preloaded sim

Carry a low wattage electric kettle and hotplate to use when you’re in a campsite where EHU is included and save on your gas costs. You could use a normal kettle and hotplate, but often in Europe the amps provided on sites are less than in the UK and you could end up tripping the system if you use too many high wattage items.

Cordless 600w kettle

portable induction hobb

There will always be costs which can’t be avoided but much of what you spend travelling in your home on wheels can be managed – eating out, alcohol and sightseeing costs are areas where we have really trimmed what we spend.  

Safe and happy travels, wherever you decide to go!

Are you looking for more motorhome tips & tricks? Check out these top posts…

EU Travel Made Easy: The Schengen Advantage of Your Irish Passport for Your British Spouse

Tolls for Heavy Motorhomes >3.5T in Europe: Country by Country Guide

Motorhome Wild Camping Scotland: 2024 Guide

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Brake For It

The Best Travel Vans Make Life On The Road Fun And Easy

Posted: July 4, 2023 | Last updated: July 4, 2023

Embarking on a road trip in a travel van is a magical experience. Since those who choose to go on such a journey will spend hours in their travel van, it's crucial to pick the right vehicle tailored to their needs.

Travel vans come in all shapes and sizes. These are some of the best picks, ranging from timeless classics made by some of the world's most legendary automakers to high-tech motorhomes built by niche companies you may have never heard of before.

Mercedes Benz Sprinter

There's a great reason why nomads flock to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter when picking a van to convert into a camper. This van is both versatile and more luxurious than any of its competitors, also allowing plenty of room for customization.

The possible configurations of the Sprinter are virtually endless, with spacious interiors to accommodate a kitchenette, bathroom, sleeping quarters, and ample storage for all passengers. Its advanced suspension and responsive steering ensure a smooth ride, even for the longest journeys.

Fiat Ducato

Many petrolheads in the US may not be aware of the Fiat Ducato. This European commercial van is known for its reliability and durability, with a robust build quality that withstands the demands of travel. It also offers a range of safety features, such as stability control, traction control, and advanced braking systems to ensure a safe driving experience.

Driving the Fiat Ducato is comfortable and easy, with a well-designed cabin that provides good visibility and ergonomic controls. It offers a smooth and stable ride, making it suitable for various road conditions. Plenty of space makes the Ducato perfect for travel van conversions.

Ford 4x4 Earth Roamer

This may just be the ultimate travel van for anyone who wants to explore the world beyond paved roads. Built on the platform of a Ford F-550 truck, the Earth Roamer combines luxury with exceptional off-roading capabilities.

The EarthRoamer features a spacious interior with sleeping quarters, a fully-equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and ample storage for gear and supplies. Solar power and freshwater tanks makes living off the grid an absolute breeze. The travel van's 4x4 drivetrain, a lifted suspension, and massive tires ensure that the Earth Roamer is able to go anywhere.

Volkswagen Transporter T4

The Volkswagen Transporter series is truly legendary among van and camping enthusiasts alike, and the T4 is no exception. Built throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s, the T4 quickly became known for its durability and versatility.

This generation of the Transporter is also a favorite among self-campervan conversions. A spacious interior allows for endless customization, while the compact size ensures maximum maneuverability. If planned out well, travelers can easily fit a well-equipped kitchenette into this van.

GMC Savana Explorer

The Explorer is one of the most popular camper van conversions on the market today. Built on the chassis of a regular GMC Savana, this upscale travel van features a wide array of features and amenities to provide the most comfortable experience for all occupants.

The interior is designed with comfort in mind, thanks to plush seating, the use of high-quality materials, and ample space for passengers. It often includes captain's chairs, power-reclining seats, and customizable seating configurations. Some of the onboard amenities include a kitchenette area with a refrigerator, microwave, and sink, as well as a bathroom compartment with a toilet and sink.

Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi

The VW Type 2 is another classic automotive icon. This van became an instant hit ever since its debut back in the 1950s. Today, it can serve as a retro alternative that's much more unique than most modern campervans.

The Type 2 Kombi is an excellent pick for a camper van conversion. Similar to the previously mentioned T4, the Kombi provides a perfect mix of a spacious interior and a compact size. What's more, the Type 2 Kombi is powered by a classic air-cooled motor, the same one found in old Beetles and even Porsche 911s.

Toyota ProAce

When it comes to reliability, you simply cannot go wrong with a Toyota. The automaker's renowned quality and durability are some of the main reasons why buyers choose this small van as their base for a self-made travel van conversion.

Inside the Proace, you'll find a spacious interior that can easily be turned into a comfy living space, maximizing comfort and functionality. The Proace offers smart storage solutions, ensuring plenty of space for personal belongings. Driving it is an absolute joy, thanks to its responsive handling and smooth ride.

EarthCruiser EXP

The EarthCruiser EXP is a popular overland RV built on the Isuzu NPS truck chassis. It offers impressive off-road capabilities and a comfortable living space for extended adventures.

One of the standout features of the EarthCruiser EXP is its off-grid capabilities. Equipped with solar panels, ample battery storage, and freshwater tanks, it allows for self-sufficient living in remote locations. It also offers additional features like a diesel-powered heater, air conditioning, and various optional upgrades to tailor the vehicle to individual needs. It really is the ideal pick for buyers looking for an overland travel van that can go anywhere.

Ford Transit Nugget Westfalia

The Transit Nugget Westfalia was developed as a joint venture between Ford and Westfalia, a renowned camper van manufacturer. This compact travel van is built on a Ford Transit, one of the most reliable and practical utility vans in the world.

Some of the key features of the Transit Nugget Westfalia include a pop-top roof for added headroom, a kitchenette, and a dining area that can quickly be converted into a sleeping space.

Volkswagen Crafter

The Volkswagen Crafter is yet another commercial vehicle that is perfect for travel van conversions. It offers a selection of efficient diesel engines to choose from, providing a balance of power and fuel economy.

The Crafter also comes equipped with many modern safety features, including stability control, traction control, and a range of driver assistance systems. The driving experience is comfortable and enjoyable, with a well-designed cabin and ergonomic controls. It offers a smooth ride and good handling, making it suitable for long journeys and various road conditions.

Mercedes-Benz Vito

Mercedes Benz is famous for its luxurious, high-quality products. The same goes even for the automaker's commercial vans, making the Vito a solid pick for travelers looking for an upscale travel van.

The Vito's stylish design and sophisticated features make it stand out against most competitors. After all, who wouldn't want a refined travel experience? This van is also equipped with advanced safety features and innovative technologies to make every journey safe and enjoyable.

Nissan NV300

The Nissan NV300 is a versatile commercial van that offers a solid foundation for customization, particularly for travel van conversions. The NV300 provides a spacious interior that can be transformed into a comfortable living space with endless personalized layouts.

The NV300 is equipped with efficient diesel engines, providing reliable performance and good fuel economy for longer trips. The model is the perfect choice for buyers looking for a smaller van that can easily be maneuvered around busy cities.

Opel Movano

The Opel Movano is a popular commercial van that offers versatility and practicality ideal for campervan conversions. The Movano, also sold as the Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano in different markets, provides a spacious and customizable platform for creating a comfortable living space on the road.

As a campervan conversion, the Opel Movano can feature a range of amenities depending on the customization. This can include a sleeping area, a kitchenette with cooking facilities, storage cabinets, and a seating/dining area. The Movano's generous cargo space allows for flexibility in interior layout design tailored to individual needs.

Chevrolet G30

The Chevrolet G30 is another old-school American van that doubles as a fantastic platform for campervan conversions. Its spacious interior, robust build, engine options, customization potential, availability of parts, and affordability all make the G30 a solid pick for a travel van.

The van easily handles the conversion components' weight with ease, thanks to one of the optional V8 motors under the hood. The G30's flexibility allows for a personalized interior design tailored to specific needs. The wide availability of parts and service centers simplifies maintenance. Furthermore, its affordability makes it an attractive choice for those seeking a cost-effective campervan.

Piaggio Ape Micro Campervan

This may not be the ideal pick for travelers looking for the most spacious travel van on the market. If having plenty of space is not your main concern, this cute Piaggio may be the perfect choice.

The Ape Micro Campervan is a stylish retro travel van built on a little three-wheeler. Its compact size makes it ideal for roaming around cities and narrow roads. However, it's important to note that its limited interior space is certainly not for everyone.

Volkswagen T1

Here is a real blast from the past. The Volkswagen T1 exudes timeless charm, unmatched nostalgia, and a sense of adventure. This iconic van is a symbol of freedom on the open road. Buyers in the market for a classic travel van should look no further.

With its spacious interior, the T1 offers endless possibilities for creative campervan layouts, providing cozy sleeping areas, compact kitchens, and clever storage solutions. Famous for its robust engineering, the T1 delivers reliable performance and enduring reliability, making it an ideal travel companion for epic journeys. Whether embarking on a weekend getaway or a globe-trotting expedition, the Volkswagen T1 captures the hearts of campervan fans, offering a vintage-inspired platform to create unforgettable memories on the road.

Renault Traffic Spacenomad

Even the name of this travel van is cool. The Renault Traffic Spacenomad is a sought-after camper built on the Renault Traffic line, a reliable, compact commercial van. Its modern style, ingenious design, and practicality cause travelers to flock to this model.

This Spacenomad travel van conversion boasts a cleverly utilized interior, making the most of its compact size. The camper offers comfortable sleeping areas, well-equipped kitchenettes, and plenty of spacious storage compartments. The Renault Traffic Spacenomad combines functionality with contemporary aesthetics, showcasing sleek lines and sleek finishes. Thanks to its small size, the Traffic is ideal for navigating busy cities.

Volkswagen Transporter California 6.1

The Volkswagen Transporter California 6.1 offers a harmonious blend of functionality, comfort, and iconic style. With its thoughtfully designed interior, the California 6.1 presents endless possibilities for creative campervan layouts.

This travel van comes with a cozy sleeping area, a well-equipped kitchenette, and smart storage solutions throughout the vehicle. Volkswagen is renowned for its build quality, and this camper van is no exception. The California 6.1 delivers reliable performance and exceptional durability on the road.

Mercedes-Benz Bimobil

This intimidating travel van is ideal for travelers who want to explore the world beyond paved roads. Although it's built on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter commercial van, the Bimobil is anything but your ordinary city van.

The Bimobil combines Mercedes' elegance, versatility, impressive off-roading capabilities, and meticulous craftsmanship. Step inside its thoughtfully designed interior, where comfort and practicality come together seamlessly. High clearance and off-road tires make the Bimobil the perfect pick for road trips off the beaten path.

Winnebago Travato

The Winnebago Travato is the perfect choice for travelers who don't want to spend time carefully designing the layout of their travel van. This exceptional travel van combines compact size with impressive functionality.

Inside the Travato, you'll find a thoughtfully designed interior that maximizes space and comfort. It features clever storage solutions, allowing you to stow all your belongings. The Travato is equipped with modern amenities, including a functional kitchenette, a compact bathroom, and advanced entertainment systems to enhance your journey. Built on a reliable Ram ProMaster chassis, the Travato provides a smooth and responsive driving experience.

Iveco Daily

The Iveco Daily is an exceptional choice when it comes to travel vans, offering a myriad of features that make it a great companion for any adventure. First and foremost, its spacious and well-designed interior provides ample room for both passengers and cargo, allowing you to travel comfortably while still having enough space to store your belongings.

Whether you're embarking on a road trip or a long-term journey, the Daily offers versatility and practicality with its flexible seating configurations and numerous storage compartments. One of the standout features of the Iveco Daily is its powerful and efficient engine options, which provide a smooth and enjoyable driving experience. Whether you're traversing challenging terrains or cruising along the open highway, the Daily's reliable engine ensures reliable performance, allowing you to confidently tackle any journey.

Volkswagen ID Buzz

This futuristic travel van is the polar opposite of the previously mentioned T1. The ID Buzz is a highly anticipated electric vehicle that draws inspiration from the iconic Volkswagen Type 2. It's essentially an homage to the classic VW van in the 21st century!

The ID Buzz represents Volkswagen's vision for the future of mobility. It combines the classic design elements of the Type 2 with modern technologies and sustainable electric power. The ID Buzz promises an emission-free driving experience with a spacious interior, versatile seating arrangements, and advanced connectivity features. With its retro-modern aesthetic and eco-friendly approach, the Volkswagen ID Buzz is easily one of the coolest campervans on the market.

Chevrolet Express

The Chevrolet Express is a versatile and reliable full-size commercial van that is often used as a base for campervan conversions. Its compact size makes it easier to maneuver than full-size RVs without sacrificing comfort.

The Express prioritizes safety, with features such as stability control, traction control, and available rearview cameras. It also offers optional advanced safety technologies to enhance driver awareness and security.

Peugeot Partner

The Partner is a compact van that has been sold by the French automaker ever since the mid-1990s. The tiny size of this van makes it ideal for navigating around busy cities and has enough space for a comfortable travel van conversion.

The latest third generation of the Partner is offered with a selection of petrol and diesel motors. Buyers can also choose between a 6-speed automatic and a 5-speed stick shift for that classic driving experience.

Ford Transit Mark 1

Originally introduced in 1965, the MK1 Ford Transit became a popular choice for campervan conversions due to its solid build quality, practicality, and relatively spacious interior. Its boxy shape and large cargo area provide plenty of room for creative customization.

Travelers are able to include well-equipped kitchenettes in their travel van conversions, as well as plenty of storage compartments. The Mark 1 Ford Transit's reliability and ease of maintenance made it a favorite among DIY campervan builders.

Volkswagen Devon

The Volkswagen Devon holds a special place in the world of campervan enthusiasts, all because of its iconic design. The Devon conversion is typically based on the Volkswagen T2 or T25 models.

The compact size of the Devon makes it easy to maneuver and park, ideal for both urban and countryside explorations. With Volkswagen's reputation for quality and craftsmanship, the Devon conversion ensures a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience. It captures the spirit of adventure and freedom, allowing travelers to embark on memorable journeys in a unique German style.

Opel Vivaro

Built on the same platform as the Renault Trafic and Nissan NV300, the Opel Vivaro provides a solid foundation for campervan conversions. Its spacious interior offers plenty of room for comfortable sleeping areas, kitchenettes, and loads of creative storage solutions.

The Opel Vivaro boasts reliable performance thanks to its range of efficient diesel engines. It is suitable for both urban and long-distance adventures thanks to its compact size. The Vivaro's sturdy construction and advanced safety features ensure a secure and enjoyable travel experience.

Citroen Jumpy

The Citroën Jumpy is a compelling option for those seeking a travel van that excels in practicality and efficiency. With its compact size and nimble handling, the Jumpy offers exceptional maneuverability, making it well-suited for urban explorations and narrow roads. Its fuel-efficient engine options help to minimize costs and extend your adventures on a single tank.

The Jumpy's interior boasts clever storage solutions, allowing you to efficiently organize your gear and essentials for the journey. Its comfortable seating arrangements and ergonomic design contribute to a pleasant travel experience, whether you're embarking on short trips or long-haul expeditions. Plenty of modern safety features make driving the Jumpy a breeze, especially on longer trips.

Renault Kangoo e-Tech

This little van is ideal for travelers looking to build an electric-powered camper van. The Kangoo e-Tech is an electric variant of the French utility vehicle, which is offered either in a commercial or passenger configuration right out of the factory.

Some of the unique features of this electric van include a regenerative braking system that helps to maximize energy efficiency and extend the driving range. Although the van is quite small, there is certainly enough room for a clever campervan conversion that can cozily accommodate two travelers.

Peugeot Expert

The Peugeot Expert is another compact commercial van that is the ideal base for travel van conversions. With its stylish and contemporary design, the Expert stands out on the road while providing excellent maneuverability and easy handling.

Inside the Expert, you'll find a spacious and well-thought-out interior that can be tailored to your needs. The versatile seating configurations allow for easy conversion between seating and cargo space. The Expert comes powered by a fuel-efficient diesel motor, ensuring the highest fuel economy to help cut down the costs of each trip.

Ford Tourneo

The Ford Tourneo is a compact van that makes a great base for campervan conversions for travelers who don't require loads of space. The cozy interior can be customized to comfortably accommodate two people, as well as plenty of cargo space.

One of the engine options available for the Tourneo is the EcoBlue diesel engine. This advanced engine combines high efficiency with impressive torque delivery, providing a smooth and responsive driving experience. The EcoBlue engine is extremely fuel-efficient, too.

Winnebago Outlook

This list certainly could not be complete without at least one proper class C motorhome. The Winnebago Outlook is a giant RV that's big enough for a lengthy road trip with the entire family. Inside, you'll find a spacious interior with a living area that offers comfortable seating. The fully equipped kitchen allows for convenient meal preparation, and the sleeping arrangements cater to various needs, ensuring a restful night's sleep for everyone.

The Outlook is built on a reliable Ford E-Series chassis, providing a smooth and stable ride. With powerful engine options and advanced safety features, you can embark on your journeys with confidence and peace of mind.

Fiat Talento

The Fiat Talento is a reliable option for travel van enthusiasts. Sharing a platform with the Renault Trafic and the previously mentioned Opel Vivaro, the Talento provides a strong foundation for campervan conversions. Its compact interior is big enough to design creative layouts, including sleeping areas and kitchenettes.

Equipped with efficient diesel engines, the Talento delivers a balance of performance and fuel efficiency. Fiat's commitment to quality ensures that the Talento provides a dependable and enjoyable campervan experience.

Citroen e-Berlingo

The e-Berlingo is a compact utility vehicle that can easily be turned into a cozy camper van. This little van is offered either in a commercial or passenger configuration; travelers who wish to convert one into a travel van should opt for the commercial variant.

The e-Berlingo is equipped with an electric motor and a large battery, providing a solid driving range. With convenient charging options, you can recharge the battery at home or at public charging stations.

Renault Master

The Renault Master is a practical commercial van that combines functionality with comfort. With its generous cargo space and clever storage solutions, the Master offers plenty of room for equipment and supplies. Many buyers in Europe choose the Master for a self-made camper van conversion as the van is practical, spacious, and relatively affordable.

Driving the Renault Master is as comfortable as a van can get. The vehicle features a range of efficient engines to pick from, as well as advanced safety features.

Mercedes Benz Marco Polo

If you don't want to go through the hassle of buying a Mercedes Benz Sprinter and having to convert it into a travel van yourself, the German automaker has another solution. The Marco Polo is a travel van that comes in a travel van configuration right out of the factory. It's based on a Mercedes-Benz Vito.

The Marco Polo offers a premium camping experience. Its elegant exterior and high-quality interior materials create a refined and upscale atmosphere. Inside, you'll find a well-designed living area with a fully equipped kitchenette, comfortable sleeping arrangements, and smart storage solutions. Key features include a pop-up roof and a modern entertainment system.

Mercedes Benz Viano

The Mercedes-Benz Viano is a luxurious passenger van that can easily be converted into a motorhome. Like the rest of the Mercedes Benz lineup, this vehicle offers a refined experience complete with maximum comfort and advanced features.

With its elegant design and high-quality craftsmanship, the Viano provides a sophisticated travel experience for those seeking both style and functionality on the road. There's also enough room for endless interior layouts, suited ideally to the buyers' individual needs.

Volkswagen Caddy

The Volkswagen Caddy is a compact van that offers versatility and functionality in a compact package, making it the perfect choice for a travel van conversion. With its stylish design and smart features, the Caddy is a great pick for urban explorations and everyday adventures.

Its spacious interior provides ample room for passengers and cargo, while the configurable seating options allow for easy customization. The Caddy offers a comfortable and smooth ride thanks to its efficient engines and responsive handling. Whether you're running errands or embarking on a road trip, the Volkswagen Caddy is a reliable and compact travel companion that combines practicality and style.

Ford Transit Connect

Much like the previously mentioned Renault Kangoo or the Citroen e-Berlingo, the Ford Transit Connect is ideal for buyers in the market for a small van to convert into a camper. This little utility truck is perfect to drive around busy cities while also being practical enough for longer journeys.

Once the original interior is stripped and ready for the self-made conversion, you'll realize how spacious the Transit Connect really is. There's enough space for two people to sleep and dine in relatively comfortably.

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Put-in tours

Original tour agency in moscow and st petersburg..

Onboard a Soviet van!

Welcome to Russia!

We are Sergey and Simon, a Russian and a Frenchman, both  passionate about Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and classic cars. Together, we have created Put-in tours. Our goal is to help you experience Russian culture off the beaten path. Join us onboard our classic Soviet van and let’s get rolling!

In Moscow we offer you a city tour to discover most of the city in an original way as well as a night tour to admire the lights. Our pubcrawl is ideal to explore Moscow’s night-life and have fun. If you are craving to discover Russian culture, come impress your senses during our monastery diner or join our 100% Russian Banya Excursion . The latest will also bring you to Sergiyev Posad and it’s famous monastery!

For the most extreme travellers, our shooting tour will deliver your daily dose of adrenaline whereas our tank excursion will let you ride a real tank and shoot a bazooka.

We also offer help to receive your visa , safe and multilingual airport transfers , as well as organisation services for team-building events or bachelor parties .

All our excursions (but the monastery diner) happen onboard our Soviet military vans and can be covered by our  professionnal photographer or videographer.

In Saint Petersburg

We welcome you in Saint Petersburg onboard our Soviet van to discover the imperial city with our city tour and night tour .

Continue your discovery in style! The adrenaline lovers will like our shooting tour  which brings 3 Russian weapons to the tip of your trigger finger.

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At Put-in tours, we put you in our classic Soviet vans to go explore Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Russian culture off the beaten path. Discover our Moscow city guided tour, visit Moscow by night, join our banya & Sergiyev Posad excursion, visit and dine in one of Moscow's oldest monastery or even Luzhniki stadium, before you party on our famous pubcrawl! Original and atypical tours : Shoot AK47 and a bazooka after riding on a tank with our tank & bazooka excursion ! Extreme tours: Fly a fighter jet in Moscow onboard a L-29 or L-39 aircraft!

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

After I went sober, I gave it all up to live my dream life in a van

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After ditching the booze , Stefanie Smith 39, from Chorley, Lancashire, decided to spend her money on something different…a vintage campervan.

Stefanie cut back on her drinking in 2021 after she realised that, during the lockdown, she was binge drinking at the weekends. In fact, things had got so bad that she’d started to black out, causing stress and anxiety.

Instead, she decided to save up for a campervan. And, after she amassed £8,000, she swapped the pub for road trips and adventures with her nan’s dog Bertie.

‘I decided I was going to take a month off, so I told everyone I was having a month off and wouldn’t be out,’ Stefanie explained, noting that she named her van ‘Ruby.’

‘That month turned into three because I felt so good from it. It was around three months when I started to notice significant changes, starting in my body shape, this has now escalated into a year.’

On one occasion, when she was travelling back from the lakes in her van after her nan passed away, Stefanie and her pals decided to take her huge flamingo out on the local canal for some sober fun.

She said: ‘We had the whole village out cheering us and ended up in the papers for a great feel-good sobriety write-up. So now we use the flamingo as a sign of sobriety and sober fun.’

Her new sober lifestyle has helped Stefanie notice many positive changes in her life, but she found that there wasn’t much to do in terms of fun sober events in the northwest that were not coffee dates or walks.

While documenting her journey of being an ex-binge drinker on TikTok, Stef made a new friend, 30-year-old Lily Quek from Ormskirk in West Lancashire. Lily was also sharing her own sobriety journey, so they joined forces in setting up an inclusive alcohol-free fun events brand called Flamingo AF.

‘Swapping my binge drinking weekends for adventures in my campervan is inspiring for some people and Flamingo AF is giving people a sense of community, that you don’t have to reach rock bottom to want to quit booze,’ Stefanie explained.

Now, Stefanie attributes her sobriety to having both short and long-term goals.

‘Having a short-term and a long-term goal when trying to stay off the booze is something I really advocate for. My short-term things were things like a daily to-do routine self-praise, and repeat and my long-term was saving for my van,’ she reflected.

Most importantly, she’s felt empowered through her sobriety journey – and increasingly confident.

‘I used to be really embarrassed about saying I wasn’t drinking as thought it was a sign of weakness, but now I feel the total opposite, it’s empowering and powerful to do these things sober and confident,’ she concluded.

Together, Stefanie and Lily now empower other sober people by hosting sober events from parties and raves to mindfulness and workshops. They’ve even collaborated with leading alcohol-free drinks companies.  

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Smith added: ‘When you put down the booze, you realise you were the vibe all along.’

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• ATM 2024: Digitalisation will ease Schengen travel woes, says European travel official

Travel & Tourism

Teodora Marinska says tourism environment is extremely dynamic, evolving very fast

Digitalisation is the key to easing travel to Europe, Teodora Marinska, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Public Affairs at the European Travel Commission, said on Monday. The new bill to render the Schengen visa application fully digital is a positive development that will ease and speed up the process as frequent travellers won’t be required to go in person, she added.

Addressing a session on the Arabian Travel Market titled Strengthening Inter-Regional Travel: Learnings from Europe, Marinska said: “In Europe, we have the world’s largest passport-free travel area, the Schengen area. And it’s the perfect backbone for the development of inter-regional tourism. And the big and fast rebound after the pandemic was mainly due to the internal or inter-regional tourism.”

The Schengen visa, required to visit most European countries, has been fraught with frustrating delays in getting an appointment. Marinska said this was because people tend to apply to certain countries where a Schengen visa is easier to obtain. “You can apply for a Schengen visa in any consulate. But we see that people apply at the same consulate because they know the procedure is more lean and easier. So what the European Union is trying to do is to digitalise the process.”

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She said digitalisation will be a game-changer. “Digitalisation is key here. And I think that we have the tools to have a super seamless travel experience for people very soon with just the digital visa,” Marinska said, adding, “We need to make sure is that at the border, this works properly. So we avoid delays. And it also doesn’t put additional burden on transport operators”.

The Schengen visa has been a huge success and is a model for others to follow, said Marinska, who drives forward the European Travel Commission’s mission to promote Europe as a premier travel destination. “What comes first always [in Schengen policies] is the security component. And this is a pitfall also because it overlooks some of the major European values, such as free movement and the economic benefits of travel.”

The Gulf Cooperation Council has to be aware of this if they wish to use the Schengen learnings, the European Travel Commission official said. “When you design your border policies and checks, make sure you think of the customer first. So think through the eyes of the traveller, make it as easy as possible for the traveller, and then solve all the security issues behind it. So when you consider the traveller perspective, it will also streamline all the processes needed to make it work better.”

Marinska said, “The tourism environment is extremely dynamic; things evolve very fast. So any system we have in place needs to be able to change very quickly.”

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The Rick Steves guide to life

Travel mogul. Philanthropist. Legal weed champion. The real Rick Steves is so much more complex than who you see on TV.

EDMONDS, Wash. — At first glance, it is hard to tell that Rick Steves is protesting.

In the center of his hometown, America’s favorite travel host is perched on the edge of a fountain roundabout engaging in some friendly civil disobedience. As cars circle the intersection, Steves smiles and waves, looking more like an Elf on a Shelf than an angry picketer. This is his way of reminding people he wishes they’d stop driving here.

Steves’s family moved to Edmonds when he was 12, and the 68-year-old is still happy to call it home. Rather than relocate to his beloved Europe, he dreams of bringing some European sensibilities to the edge of the Puget Sound, less than 20 miles north of Seattle.

When he’s not traveling around Europe, writing about Europe or running his multimillion-dollar European tour company, the prolific TV host and author likes to squeeze in some local activism. The roundabout routine is his push to block off Edmonds’s very American Main Street for pedestrians. If you squint at it, you can see what Steves sees: This would be the perfect place for a lively town square.

“I like a lot of things about Europe, but I love the urban energy of Europe. I love the piazza,” Steves said in a wistful tone you might recognize from PBS. “We don’t have a piazza.”

Unfortunately for Steves, the voting majority of the city does not love the idea of parking their SUVs farther away to shop. So despite his Boy Scout enthusiasm, the most famous man in Edmonds must keep up the perch-and-wave. This is not his only crusade.

Spend any amount of time with Steves, and you’ll encounter a total ham who loves a zany bit. But if you ask him about serious issues such as car-free zones, he’ll bring up other causes that are dear to him: affordable housing, supporting the arts, creating senior centers for the elderly to age with dignity.

He’s anti-Trump and pro-cannabis. He does not care if that is bad for business.

The average Rick Steves fan has probably missed this side of him. On TV, they see an always-sunny history lover who makes going abroad feel approachable for the average American. That’s an incomplete picture, like thinking you know Paris because you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower on YouTube.

Meet him in Edmonds, and he’ll fill in the rest.

It may look like a lot of gallivanting, but being Rick Steves takes a lot of work.

He spends three months of the year overseas, researching, writing, recording, refining tours, updating guidebooks. If he’s not planning or producing content, he’s often doing promotional events across the United States. This year, Steves is celebrating the 40th edition of his first book, “Europe Through the Back Door.” Over the course of his career, he has built a privately held company that generates $120 million in revenue a year, published 110 books, filmed 12 seasons of “Rick Steves’ Europe” and produced more than 750 podcast episodes.

“It’s just like coordinating a three-ring circus,” Steves said.

That is: really fun, sort of exhilarating and extremely complicated. To pull this off, Steves does not observe the French 35-hour workweek. He’s a workhorse with a reputation for keeping a frenetic pace year-round.

“It’s more of an American work culture,” Amy Duncan, Steves’s communications director, told me. “He’s an unapologetic capitalist, but he is also a socialist.”

He makes enough money to fly first class, but he sits in only economy, claiming that he doesn’t mind being cramped.

“It never occurred to me that I’m suffering,” he said. “As long as I’ve got an aisle and a seat that reclines, I’m happy.”

Actually, Steves believes airlines should have only one class. It’s part of his egalitarian worldview. He’s also anti-points and anti-miles, refusing to sign up for airline loyalty programs because he believes that they bully us into complicating our lives.

Steves also enforces a self-imposed “ carbon tax ” on his tour company, which takes more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. For every customer, Steves invests $30 to atone for emissions created by their flights between the United States and Europe. Last year, that added up to $1 million donated to a portfolio of organizations, Steves said.

“I don’t need to be a slave to the quarterly profit statement. I want to be around and profitable in 10 years from now in a world that you can travel in that’s stable,” Steves said. “This is a smart investment, and it’s an ethical expense that I should pay for.”

Rick Steves will tell you he’s motivated by making money; the more he can earn, the more good he can do with it.

“Vicarious consumption, that’s one of my things,” Steves said.

After amassing a windfall from the 2001 George W. Bush tax cuts for high earners, Steves donated $1 million to support the local symphony and performing arts center. In 2005, he used retirement savings to buy a 24-unit apartment complex for the local YWCA’s use as transitional housing for women and children. He figured he’d eventually sell the complex and live on the earnings. About a decade later, he changed his mind and donated the complex valued at $4 million.

He also gave more than $4 million to help build the Edmonds Waterfront Center, a vibrant gathering place for seniors where his daughter had her wedding in 2021. And he gave another $2 million for a similar center in the nearby city of Lynnwood, which broke ground in mid-April .

“Rick puts his money where his mouth is,” said Nancy Leson, a former Seattle Times food critic who used to let Steves’s daughter babysit her son. She has appreciated his regular presence in the community, which has entailed hosting events for local politics at his house and shopping at the farmers market .

“He changed travel,” local resident Karen Howe said on her way into the Waterfront Center with a friend. She has used Steves’s guidebooks for years. “He’s introduced us to places that most of us would never think of going.”

Steves hasn’t won his piazza battle, but he has brought European touches to Edmonds. At the Rick Steves’ Europe headquarters, there’s an E.U. flag hanging from the mocha brick facade. And gargoyles that drain rainwater, just like at the Notre Dame cathedral.

“Gargoyles scare away evil spirits,” Steves points out, unable to suppress his inner tour guide.

Here Steves employs more than 100 people: editors, audio producers, tour specialists and cartographers such as Dave Hoerlein, his first employee. That’s excluding the fleet of guides and drivers he contracts across the pond to shepherd tour customers.

Inside, he bounds through a maze of cubicles, his neck craned forward, always at an eager pace. His 6-foot frame appears leaner than in previous seasons of his life, but his signature look is familiar. No, not khakis and a button-down. That’s vintage Rick. These days, he wears dark jeans and a button-down, plus a thin scarf and leather sneakers.

During a day of meetings, Steves’s fjord-blue eyes lit up at the minutia of the business. He went over new maps with Hoerlein. He and longtime co-author Cameron Hewitt addressed problems such as finding a “less glitzy” stop on the Amalfi Coast that’s not Sorrento. They discussed whether a place is worth visiting after it’s gotten too popular, and Steves indulged in some gallows humor.

“It’s going to be like holding the corpse of a loved one who just died,” he said.

His critics argue that the “Rick Steves Effect” can turn a charming village, restaurant or museum into a tourist magnet. Matthew Kepnes, the travel writer behind the blog Nomadic Matt , points to the Swiss town Zermatt, which he says Steves put on the map, and has since dealt with overtourism . You’re bound to bump into groups with Rick Steves guidebooks in Italy’s increasingly crowded Cinque Terre.

Whether Steves is actually to blame for changing a place is up for debate. There are plenty of destinations he’s covered that haven’t been inundated with swarms of Americans (see also: Gdańsk).

Steves says he assesses whether a place wants tourism, if it can handle it gracefully. If it doesn’t or can’t, he may mention it but not promote it.

He has faith — maybe too much — that his clients share his values.

“Does [my work] change the personality of a town? It can. Am I a dramatic impact on Europe? No,” he said.

“There’s a handful of places I really promote aggressively that I’ve had a serious impact on, but otherwise ... my travelers are the kind of people that take only pictures and leave only footprints. ... They’re good travelers.”

You don’t have to spend much time in Edmonds to see why Steves never considered leaving.

The city — population roughly 42,000 — sits on a majestic inlet. You can get to a major international airport in about an hour. The community is so courteous, it has an “umbrella share” program in case people forget their own on a rainy day. As Steves walks around town, he greets people by name. He lives within walking distance to both his favorite diner and a pétanque court, the French answer to Italian bocce. He plays bongos at his church on Sundays.

In 1967, Richard “Dick” Steves moved the family here because he was worried about Rick Junior.

“I was hanging out with dangerous kids and going down the wrong trail,” Steves said. Seriously.

His dad, an Army veteran, got by in the upscale suburb as a piano technician and importer. When Steves was 14, his parents dragged him on a work trip to Europe to visit piano factories; it was a radical experience that sparked his lifelong passion for travel.

Back in Edmonds, Steves started teaching piano, eventually turning his savings into trips abroad of his own — not only to Europe, but also to Turkey, Nepal, Afghanistan. He went to college nearby, earning degrees in European history and business from the University of Washington, where he played in the Husky Marching Band.

After graduating, Steves figured he could keep up his routine: give piano lessons during the school year, then travel during the summer. He started teaching travel classes in the same recital hall where his piano students performed. This was back when there was no internet and there were few guidebooks to consult for trip planning.

The classes were a hit. At 25, Steves turned his lecture materials into a 180-page book, and self-published “Europe Through the Back Door,” in 1980.

Four years later, he hosted his first European minibus tour group, serving as both bus driver and guide.

His businesses have evolved; his bus tours now take up to 28 travelers, a number Steves says is a sweet spot between making the tour more affordable yet enjoyable for customers and profitable for the company. But his mission has remained the same: to be the best resource for European travel and help Americans travel better.

“I just focus on that and I love it,” he said. “It takes my life out of balance — which is not good — but it lets me do a lot of stuff that I believe in and that’s good.”

Steves has been open about the challenges of being a travel mogul. As he built his empire, he was also raising a family. Being “married” to both took a toll. In 2010, Steves and his wife, Anne, divorced after 25 years of marriage.

Up the hill from his junior high, Rick Steves’s modest beige home offers a window into his many lives. There are family photos on the walls, from older relatives to his baby grandson, Atlas. He hosts political fundraisers on the sprawling deck. A painting of Kerala, India, nods to one of his favorite countries. (People forget that Steves did four editions of “Asia Through the Back Door.”)

Next to his grand piano, there’s a stuffed creature that Steves calls his “Silver Fox” baring its teeth and wearing novelty sunglasses with cannabis leaves on the lenses — a nod to two of his interests: taxidermy and marijuana activism.

“It’s the civil liberties. … It’s the racism. … Everything about it is wrong,” he said of keeping weed illegal.

As for the toothy fox, Steves doesn’t do typical souvenirs anymore, but he makes an exception for stuffed animals.

“The wooden shoes and the pewter Viking ships are so obvious,” he said. “I like to do something a little more organic and a little more striking, and it takes me back there — I like it.”

He’s a very good piano player. He can also play the sousaphone and the trumpet — which he did regularly during the pandemic, performing taps for his neighbors at sunset.

The coronavirus was a nightmare for the travel business, but a miracle for Steves’s love life.

After running in the same social circles for years, he and Shelley Bryan Wee, a prominent local bishop, started dating at the end of 2019. They had a lot in common. Both are progressive Lutherans. Both are divorced with adult children. But neither worked a typical 9-to-5, and one of them spent three months of the year in Europe.

Then shutdowns happened. Steves, who couldn’t remember whether he’d ever had dinner in the same place 10 nights in a row, spent 100 nights at the same table with Wee. It solidified their relationship.

“Shelley is a constant,” Steves said. He still struggles with the balancing act between work and love.

When the stars align and they’re both in Edmonds, Wee cooks, and Steves plays sous-chef. They walk Jackson, Wee’s labradoodle, creating their own version of the passeggiata, Italy’s traditional evening stroll. They play table tennis before dinner.

When the world reopened, they started traveling together. They’ve made time for a few big vacations: a trip to Morocco, where they were caught in a windstorm that blew the windows out of their car; a luxury barge cruise through Burgundy, France, “that was embarrassingly expensive,” Steves confessed, followed by a week hiking in the Swiss Alps; and another hiking trip between remote lodges on Mont Blanc.

Before their first trip, Steves edited the contents of Wee’s suitcase, because packing light is part of his philosophy.

“What do you say?” she asked. “You’re talking to Rick Steves.”

Editing by Gabe Hiatt. Additional editing by Amanda Finnegan. Design editing by Christine Ashack. Photo editing by Lauren Bulbin. Videos by Monica Rodman. Senior video producer: Nicki DeMarco. Design by Katty Huertas. Copy editing by Jamie Zega.

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2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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Europe’s best beach holidays: Donoussa, Greece

This quiet island in the Small Cyclades has one small town, several wild sandy bays and a plethora of panoramic walking and running trails More beach holidays | Spain | France | Portugal | Italy

E lias, quiet and unassuming, meets us at the tiny harbour and says he could drive us to the house but it would be quicker on foot. He directs us up a narrow alley past a bustling kafeneio , where people are debating the news of the day over coffee.

One of a little cluster of houses, ours has a pergola of rough-hewn logs and bamboo, and looks out to sea across a garden of rosemary and agave, a vegetable patch and composter, and the pen that is home to a donkey called Yolanda. Inside there is restored wooden furniture and textiles woven on a loom by Elias’s partner, Ploumitsa, who waves as she returns from feeding the chickens. The young couple’s passion for preserving the unspoilt landscape of their island makes Argalios guesthouse an inspiring place.

One of the Small Cyclades, just five square miles in area, diminutive Donoussa feels reassuringly low-key and relaxed. Most of the 150 permanent residents – and visitors like us – are in Stavros, where houses sit among palms and prickly pear and nothing is more than five minutes’ walk from the village beach. There is a bakery, a music bar, and half a dozen places to eat, with traditional dishes such as fava (split pea dip) and goat with potatoes. The shop in the back of the bar is open every day, and the other minimarket sells gloriously misshapen lumps of goat’s cheese, xinotyro , from neighbouring Naxos.

Elias, bringing fresh bread from his grandmother’s wood-fired oven, recommends Kedros beach, south-east across a headland, where his family has a cafe-bar serving organic local produce. After a 20-minute walk we find a gorgeous sweep of pale sand fringing sapphire sea amid gentle hills dotted with low shrub. I swim into the bay and look down through clear water to rippled patterns and wispy sea grass.

Apart from the guesthouse and taverna, Elias’s main occupation is maintaining and promoting the trails for walking and running. Over the following days on these paths we explore the rugged south coast with its old windmills and farmhouses and an ancient settlement.

Bathed in late afternoon light, bright white rock glows and blue sea shimmers. Goatherds call to their goats. From the spring at Mersini, a path of pale ochre stone leads down a valley to Livadi beach, another breathtaking sweep of soft sand, natural and unadulterated, and pale turquoise sea.

Most spectacular is the route to the north of the island, skirting the almost 400-metre peak of Papas. After a hike to the ridge, we look down at Kalotaritissa, a handful of cottages on a deep blue bay encircled by hills. At the end of the zigzagging trail, chickens and goats wander as the priest finishes his weekly call to the oldest resident.

A footpath continues around the edge of the bay to a perfect place for a swim, then we settle on the taverna terrace for a platter of grilled biftekia with a tomato salad, rough-cut slabs of feta drizzled with olive oil and oregano, and dense tzatziki streaked with garlic.

The owners offer a shot of something strong for the walk back. “Come back any time!” As we return to Stavros, the setting sun lights the hillsides like switching on an electric element, and stars pierce the fading blue sky.

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Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Nick Macfie

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Based in Copenhagen, Jacob oversees reporting from Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Specializes in security and geopolitics in the Arctic and Baltic Sea regions, as well as large corporates such as brewer Carlsberg and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk. His most impactful reporting on Arctic issues include a report on how NATO allies are slowly waking up to Russian supremacy in the region, uncovering how Greenland represents a security black hole for Denmark and its allies, and how an abundance of critical minerals has proven a curse for Greenland. Before moving to Copenhagen in 2016, Jacob spent seven years in Moscow covering Russia's oil and gas industry for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal, followed by four years in Singapore covering energy markets for WSJ and Reuters. As a Russian speaker, he has been involved in covering the war in Ukraine. He publishes a newsletter each weekday focused on the most important regional and global news. Contact Jacob via email if you are interested in receiving the newsletter.

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