For a complete list of rules in each country, here's the AA. Enjoyed this post? This website documents our time taken time off work to spend a year and a half touring Europe in our motorhome. Yes, occasionally it's a slow connection and if you're used to fibre broadband it's going to seem REALLLLLLY slow at first, but for ease, convenience and power we haven't found anything to beat a wifi dongle. Caravan and motorhome owners are turning their thoughts to getting ready for the touring season. Full disclosure- we have never used this as we have done most of our travelling during school holidays and the cards don't work during school holidays! Where to go in Norway. Europe doesn't have an NHS in the way that we do, and without insurance, you will need to pay for any treatment or medical care you receive. 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. 282,278 words in 314 blog posts! We’re thinking that keeping the truck attached will make us a bit more ‘ready to go’ should the need arise on the aires – though as you say, if we’re somewhere remote and out the way we might stay a bit longer , Thank you for sharing this journey with us! Never, ever rely entirely on the sat-nav; keep an eye out for road signs and height restrictions as well. We'd love it if you shared it on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. It's all a bit terrifying and complicated! More on wild camping can be found HERE. Also, we prefer smaller, less “campsite-y” types of overnight parking, so it's not right for us- but if you prefer a proper campsite you might find this useful: ACSI card. Having said that, we bought our first motorhome on a whim- and set straight off travelling around Britain in our motorhome before heading out in Europe. It will also explain how we retired early and gained financial independence so you too could engineer a similar lifestyle. Our final goodbye to the northern hemisphere before emigrating to Australia. We hope we will never need them, but a spare set is going to be completely useless sitting back in the UK. In the UK, you’ll probably need a paid campsite as there aren’t many aires sadly. I'm not sure... can you pour another? Drive to somewhere we want to explore- or a place en-route if we've got a long route planned. First you get the Motorhome and then you go. Recommend reading whole blog for all the details. When you were wild/free camping, did people have much camping stuff out in the off-season? Hi Shon- check out our post on advice to buy a motorhome- you’ll find that helpful. You might need to give the poor hairdryer a break! Here's the BIG secret to touring Europe in a motorhome or campervan. Provides suggested itineraries. You are right that many campsites shut, but if you check out the sites I listed, you’ll be able to find the ones which stay open. Thank you Bella- I’m so pleased to have helped you! daily. We found people tended to move on about 10-11am and most were parked up by 4pm, so try and move within that window for the best chance of finding a space. Discover incredible deals for motorhome/ camper rentals, READ: 10 things you need to check before you rent a motorhome, – I want to find awesome Road Trip Accessories, – I want to learn how to plan a Road Trip, – I want to stop rattles in my Motorhome (or RV or Camper!!). One thing though, what is the ‘approximate’ cost of taking this trip? They are all great, FREE resources and, without them, motorhome road trips in Europe wouldn't be nearly so easy. (If you're planning a 6 month or more trip to Europe, definitely buy a motorhome- MUCH cheaper.) Hi! thanks so much for all this info, we’ve been on the road now for a few weeks and really enjoying it! Have an amazing trip!! Great information – thanks! Also, don't forget that not every country in Europe uses Euros. We've travelled all around Western Europe and it hasn't let us down once. Brilliant every thing you need to know this is my first time , going to France I am 74 so Let me know how it goes!! Namibia ?? Or RV! This blog will not only give you tips, advice and inspiration for travelling Europe and beyond by motorhome, RV or campervan. You can find out all about Aires HERE. In Germany but what an adventure we had. Oh yes. We do this by running the invertor as we drive. For us it is- we have a teenage daughter who might possibly DIE without YouTube (Did you know we have a Youtube channel? of your motorhome, a trip from Northern France to Italy will cost around 70€. Hopefully it provides helpful information to fellow motorhomers and campervanners. Before you can head off to Europe in a motorhome, you need a motorhome or camper van! I won't go into the whole story, but here's the post if you want to read the full extent of our stupidity…. We aren’t the only people who blog about their travels in a motorhome around Europe. If you want to cruise around Europe and pay next to nothing for accommodation, follow … There are many many sanctuaries though, where they have rescued cats and cubs (cheetahs and lions). Approved Motorhome parking places are called Aires in France, Stellplatz in Germany and Sostas if you're campervanning in Italy. It's a joy to travel over there- but that joy gets lost if you need to find a proper campsite with electricity every single night in order to keep everything going. Believe it or not, we actually carry TWO hairdryers onboard. With our extensive knowledge of Europe and the UK, we will guide you to the finest cities, towns and villages. What an exciting adventure you have planned! For us, we prefer to travel around to different places during our trips- especially when we're short on time and want to see a country more fully. About Yescapa – the sponsor of this post. , Great blog… we plan to travel with 4 young kids for a year around Europe but scared we need a biig vehicle and don’t think it would take well to the roads in Europe. Tour Europe By Motorhome. Some places, like Croatia, give you 8 days to pay. Don't forget- all the roads are set up for it- you don't have to remember to go around the roundabout the wrong way- it naturally happens as that's the way the road system works. We charge it using a 12v charger as we drive and it easily lasts a couple of days when we're wild camping. If you’re searching for the most informative, educational and experienced caravan blogs, then you’ve come to the right place. Anything with a motorhome symbol is approved motorhome parking area and we try to head for those to ensure we don't break any local laws. The dashboard heating at the front won’t be enough to heat the back so the kids will freeze- and it will be COLD in December. We do have a solar panel onboard our motorhome- we believe it's an essential if you plan to wild camp. It was a bit of a worrying time and it was entirely our own fault as we'd forgotten to buy gas before we left the UK- doh! ), visit the Start Here page to find out more about me, us and how our experiences can help you! An awesome thing about traveling in Europe on a campervan is that there is no shortage of decent camping areas. However, which ones do you really want to keep up-to-date with? Find out more here. Ideally, get repatriation to the UK- just in case. All rights reserved, Kat | Motorhome Travel blogger | This post may contain affiliate links, You can see why we LOVE this Sat-Nav HERE, ◊ Gift ideas for motorhome & campervanners, plan your own motorhome road trip to Europe, How to Tour Europe in a Motorhome (or camper van. Also, do you know that most hire campers don’t come with bed linen/ towels and sometimes not even pots & pans? Both times it tried to send us down TINY lanes which were way too small for our motorhome. It’s a huge reserve which requires at least a week or two to properly see. Thank you! If you go camper vanning here, and you have the time, I would begin and end in Cape Town. We intend to motorhome around the majority of Western Europe in our new motorhome. Hello and welcome to our blog! We are from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Filling took a little while to figure out- turns out you need to TWIST the nozzle clockwise, but so far, so good! Also take into account toll costs- if you are over 3m in height it increases the toll costs considerably. Here are some final tips to help you make the most of your big adventure!! Bring your original certificate with you, not a photocopy. We live in Australia and have done lots of campervanning in Oz and NZ – but never in Europe / UK! We've got data SIMS with Vodafone, 3 and EE and we find EE and 3 to have the best coverage across Europe. Best of wishes and happy trails for 2019. Where do you park, is it safe to leave at a campsite all day, should you find a campsite near a train station. We have been pretty good at keeping atravel diary, in some cases an entry every day for 6 months! Our working holiday in Sydney, getting ready for our Antipodean adventure. . Club Motorhome : The Social Network Motorhome Club for the motorhome, motorcaravan, camper and campervan enthusiast, with Motorhome Stopovers including over 400 UK Pub-Type Motorhome Stopovers as well as 1000s of CamperStops, European Stopovers and Motorhome Forums! We have put together advice, tips and hints on what to expect when you hire a motorhome in Europe. Search for sites is again similar – it's like the UK version of Park4night (which I believe is French but all the settings have English options). 1. Basic how-to guide to taking an RV through Europe that is more than a listing of campgrounds. This is perfect as you have done all the work for us, so thank you so much for that. Home; Adventures . Reply Delete We would LOVE to tour South Africa- what’s the best time to visit to see big cats (a dream of mine!) Hi Kat , © 2020 Wandering Bird Adventures. Thanks. Why not broaden your horizons a bit further this year? It depends entirely on your rental company of course, but it’s something to check. People happily sit outside and enjoy a campfire and dinner, but don’t get awnings and things out when they’re wild camping. My family (me, wife two kids 11, 9) will be hiring a camper for 20 days in December in Munich and plan to drive the black forest route and down to Rome via Switzerland and back to Munich. Also, Motorhomers in Europe are not treated like a nuisance- most towns make excellent provision for them and you can stay in clean, pretty locations within walking distance of town centres or attractions. In Europe you can probably find an Aire, where the van should be fairly safe (of course, nothing is guaranteed and read the reviews of the Aire first.) Hey- great question! If you want to avoid low bridges and tight roads, a proper sat nav is essential- especially in Italy where roads can be a bit… crazy!! Home; Adventures . My guide for much of the trip. Hope it helps with your upcoming adventures!! , Botswana ?? Welcome to motorhome-travels.co.uk a blog for motorhoming, recreational vehicle and campervan enthusiast. Loved reading this and was hoping to get some help as you guys are pros . We’ve left our motorhome in both campsites and aires all day without any problem whatsoever. What’s your opinion on motorhomes that have a place to store a motorcycle vs pulling a trailer? . For example, wild camping is illegal when campervanning in Italy. Again, it's a really useful site and well worth checking as occasionally there are different places on here than on the other two. Spain has one of the best winter climates in Europe; with welcoming and friendly locals, Spain is a perfect country for a motorhome trip. Essential kit you need while touring Europe in a Motorhome: Motorhome Europe – Travel guide to POWER!!!! 78,328 miles / 126,057 km travelled across 28 countries! According to a lawyer (who reads this blog- thanks for your input), if … Almost every town or village has a paid camping area that’s specifically designed for motorhomes and tents. Want to rent a vehicle for your road trip? Heck, a couple of years ago it was ME who was saying/ thinking/ panicking about all this stuff. I have to say we're really pleased with this one. This site works in a very similar way to Park4night, however, the BIG thing it offers which we love is you can remove all parking spaces which aren't suitable for longer motorhomes. One is a good, powerful but lowish wattage one we use when we have electric hookup, and the other is a 12v one, which plugs into a cigarette lighter socket in the cab. Honestly, it's not the best hairdryer we've ever tried, but it's the best I found- and I've trialled 4 different versions! Those places are more designed to be a one night stop. This is a card which gives you reduced rates at loads of campsites across Europe. Also, be careful where you mount your sat nav. Even better, when wild camping you can save quite a lot of money that can be better spent elsewhere, wine, food and sightseeing - even helicopter rides! On-the-spot fines are common in all countries, although in Ireland the Police are not authorised to collect fines. Just wondering what you think would be best for going into the bigger cities with a Camper, is it best to find a spot outside a city (Rome, Paris etc..) and then train/bus in to sightsee for the day of is it not too difficult to navigate and find parks in the city centres? They're all great, all free, but work in slightly different ways. You can see why we LOVE this Sat-Nav HERE. We have motorhomed around Australia & New Zealand, United States and Europe in various different vehicles and have enjoyed every minute of it. If you've found it useful, please consider buying us a coffee to show your support. You are a star x. then we have other options we can fall back on and we can head to those next. We drive on the lefthand side (previously a British colony). If the bat happens to be the “closest thing to hand in the heat of the moment” and you were carrying it on board because you like to play the game, then it's not bad. If you're in the UK, we highly recommend Brit Stops as a great source of free overnight parking stops for motorhomes. The scenery, the people, the culture, the towns and the quality of the campsites all stand out to make Norway our destination of choice, especially when touring with a motorhome. Here's our guide to buying the best motorhome or campervan for you. Regarding activities for kids, it depends what kind of things they like. To the left as you search is a ‘minimum length' setting, which you can use to filter out all the smaller spaces. Motorhome logbook (the REAL one- not a copy). Picks best campgrounds in popular spots. You can get money out of cash machines abroad- but, of course, there are charges for that. I hope you have a wonderful time! Using a phone whilst driving is illegal in many countries. We’re about to embark on our first campervan trip in March driving from Tuscany through Italy and France to England. 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