Travel facts:
- 6 months travel time
- 14.000 kilometers driven
- 5,9 t CO2 (balanced via MyClimate)
- 7 countries in south-western Europe visited (D, A, CH, F, ES, P, AD)
- Our favorite travel song: Let’s go surfing (The Drums)
Which experiences did we make and which tips can we give you on your way?
Our advices
- Please stick to the official and unofficial camper-rules in every situation unconditionally. Leave the places clean and tied up so that others will be welcomed in the future, too. Take your garbage with you, don’t clog public bins with it and respect that overnight places are for staying overnight only (which means spreading your camping stuff around the car is not allowed).
- Plan some money for unforeseen events (e.g. a workshop visit).
- It helps to be able to speak a few words in the local language (e.g. „Do you speak English?“ is a big door opener when you are able to ask it in French, Spanish or Portuguese). Vocabulary can be easily learnt during a camper-ride towards the country boarder.
- Think of a well-planned packing system for your camper so that you don’t feel like being stuck in a bad tetris game on the way. Less is more!
- A coarse travel route helps for orientation but there should be enough room for flexibility on the way. You’ll surely be happy about it.
- Plan your stays during high season as soon as possible. The camp grounds were booked during this time for a few weeks in advance so a spontaneous stay was impossible.
- Means on board definitely help as rent bikes or something similar is party hard to find. We had our longboards with us but would switch to our bikes the next time instead.
- Think of rainy days before departing and how you would generally like to spend them. This helps to survive them in such a small space.
- If you plan a longer stay abroad and need internet, we can recommend the local data tariff. Around south-western Europe this is the best and cheapest travel internet.
Our experiences
- Camping currently is unfortunately less relaxed and free as it has been. On the one hand, this is due to the rising number of campers but also due to the behavior of bad models among the campers on the other hand. We experienced a restrictive handling of camping.
- The bigger your camper, the more restrictions you have to take into account. For sure every extra meter of vehicle length complicates the search for an appropriate parking space next to a city. 😉
- For us, camp ground were often the first choice with regards to safety and the feeling of being welcomed. Private parking spaces for campers, e.g. on farmland can be also highly recommended and are more quiet.
- The ones with a camper can leave the highway where it is. It’s much more relaxed to take the other routes and even a transporter is capable of crossing the pass streets (this can’t be said for a big camper being much wider than a normal car).
- Europe has many things to offer and it’s definitely not necessary to fly to the other end of the world. There is a lot to discover just around the corner.
- A camper-trip should enable freedom and spontaneity so prevent making a tight schedule. It’s a privilege to just be able to stay where you like it.
- We were a bit disappointed from Portugal personally as it offers only a few camp grounds that enable you to reach the sea by foot. If you don’t like to drive to the ocean with your camper every time, you should be prepared.
Dickie on Tour 