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In 2016, Heath and I premiered our documentary about touring to fifty states and I shared my subsequent dream with him: RVing the world over.
However we have been utterly broke on the time and paying off scholar debt, in order that dream was indefinitely on maintain. Then in 2019, we spent a number of weeks RVing throughout Italy and now we’re RVing throughout France and Spain. (With a touch of Switzerland and Monaco and Italy in there too!)
As we’ve deliberate these main journeys, we’ve struggled to seek out a lot data on-line from different People making the trek throughout the pond and renting an RV in Europe. RVing (or caravanning or motorhoming) in Europe is simply as well-liked as it’s within the States, so we put collectively this temporary information with all the things we wanted to know earlier than reserving our RV rental and flying the world over.
Rental Firms
There are limitless choices for RV rental firms in Europe. Listed below are a number of firms to contemplate:
And there are peer-to-peer RV rental choices (suppose Airbnb however for RVs) like:
I personally have rented twice with Wherever Campers. I’m fairly positive we selected Wherever throughout our first journey RVing in Italy as a result of they included sheets, dishes, pillows, and so on and most leases don’t. Plus, they provide limitless mileage, so that you don’t have that added stress of a every day mileage restrict like some leases.
The most important consideration when researching for a rental RV (aside from the apparent of if they’ve a rental obtainable throughout your journey dates!) is the car transmissions supplied. Most RVs in Europe are guide/stick-shift. We even have an computerized in France proper now, and it’s one much less factor to consider once you’re driving down tiny, winding roads in another country. In Italy, Heath needed to rapidly study stick shift within the mountains in Italy…and it was irritating to say the least!
If I may impart one piece of recommendation to anybody who needs to hire an RV in Europe, it might be to decide on an organization that enables one-way leases!
Once we RVed in New Zealand and Canada, we needed to drive all the best way again to the place to begin to return the RVs and it felt like we misplaced two days of our journey simply returning to the drop-off metropolis. Theoretically, you’ll take a special route again to the drop-off metropolis than once you left it, however we’ve discovered that we all the time spend a lot time exploring and adventuring that we wait till the final second to make the return journey again and rush by means of it.
In Italy, we road-tripped from Venice to Rome and it was completely excellent!
So whichever rental firm you go together with, I extremely advocate choosing a one-way rental.
Forms of European RVs
European RVs are considerably smaller than American RVs. Whereas the smallest RVs within the States are round 21-24 ft lengthy, the longest RVs in Europe shall be 24-26 ft lengthy.
The smaller the RV, the extra comfy you may be maneuvering it throughout Europe. Roads, campsites, and parking spots are smaller over there! Assist your self out by selecting a smaller RV.
European RVs can have cassette bogs as an alternative of a black tank and possibly received’t have any air con. And so they positively received’t have slideouts! When you’re used to a motorhome within the US, a motorhome or camper in Europe will really feel much more like van life.
Associated: 16 Variations between RVing Overseas versus Rving America
Prices
Renting an RV (campervan, motorhome, tenting automotive, insert country-specific identify right here) will be costly. Common costs vary in every single place from $100-$175/evening. The season you journey in and the international locations you go to will have an effect on your value.
For a month, we’re paying round $4,000 USD, which breaks down to only below $145/evening. This looks like quite a bit (it is quite a bit!) however is considerably cheaper than resorts or Airbnbs, plus it permits us to interrupt away from the cities and see the countryside.
Fuel costs are sometimes larger than within the US (generally twice the worth), however RVs are considerably extra fuel-efficient in Europe attributable to their measurement.
The place you camp shall be one other main price to issue into your journey, however I’ll cowl that in additional element in a minute.
One perk of RVing on the subject of price is that you simply typically find yourself consuming in or cooking meals within the RV. Generally that is merely since you’re in the midst of the wilderness and there’s nothing round, however typically it is a small means to save cash. Needless to say European RVs received’t have an oven or microwave, so that you’ll have the stovetop for cooking or, in case your rental affords it, a grill.
International locations The place You Can RV
The fantastic thing about Europe is which you can simply cross most borders in an RV. Your RV rental might even include the motorway permits required to drive in international locations like Switzerland, Austria, and Czech Republic.
Most European international locations are RV-friendly. You could find a whole listing of nations world wide the place you’ll be able to RV right here.
Finest Occasions to RV in Europe
We all the time—ALWAYS—RV overseas throughout the “shoulder season.” For many international locations world wide, meaning April/Might and September/October. Children are at school, the seasons are altering, and campgrounds aren’t too busy.
With most RVs in Europe not providing air con, I like to recommend skipping a summer season rental for those who can.
Except…
Except you’re planning on renting in a really northern nation, like Iceland or Norway.
One factor to remember is what main points of interest you’d like to go to in your camper. Many locations might shut seasonally. Throughout our final go to to Italy, throughout the first half of our journey seashores have been empty and there have been solely a few eating places open repeatedly. By the tip of Might, the seashores have been packed each day and all the things (eating places, amusement parks, mini golf) was slowly opening. We didn’t really feel like we missed out on something, nevertheless it was a bit logistically troublesome to determine what companies have been open for the season.
The place to Camp in Europe
Identical to within the US, there are an array of tenting choices along with your motorhome—each paid and free.
Paid Tenting
Campgrounds and RV Parks
A campeggio in Italy, a vacation park within the UK, referred to easily by “tenting” in France—these are what you may name an RV park or campground within the States.
(You will get a glimpse of Italian campeggi on this video ⬆️ )
Typically, RV parks in Europe provide smaller websites which can be often electrical solely. There shall be a dump station and water fill station someplace else within the park, in addition to a chemical rest room for dumping your cassette rest room. Your website could also be nothing greater than a stretch of pretty degree grass.
However what the websites lack, the campgrounds make up for with different facilities.
Swimming pools, sizzling tubs, on-site eating places with actual meals (no convenience-store-style pizza is served at these eating places! See the above video for what Italian campground eating places are like), markets, laundry, personal seaside entry, riverfront campsites, playgrounds, loos for teenagers—utterly with a child bathtub and kid-sized showers, youngsters programming…the listing goes on and on. We’ve had all of those at campgrounds and so they’ve blown us away.
We’ve stayed in beachfront campgrounds and household campgrounds within the US…however they’ve all the time price upwards of $100/evening. In Europe they’re a few third of that value.
Free Tenting
Europe has a fame for plentiful free tenting (additionally known as wild tenting) and it’s lived as much as the hype in our ebook. There are a number of choices:
Aires
Aires are motorhome stopovers meets relaxation stops meets fuel stations. You’ll see indicators for aires about each 10 minutes on the freeway in our expertise and so they have various ranges of niceness. Some are like picnic areas within the states—a spot to park and a few tables. Others are full blown fuel station relaxation stops that join the east and west sides of the freeway with a sky bridge, provide a number of eating places, and all of the basic issues campers want like dump stations and showers. It’s fairly the vary.
These are typically first-come, first-served parking spots. Many aires are free, however some might require a small charge (lower than $10 and often provided that they provide providers like electricty). You could find French aires and different free tenting on the Park4Night app.
Aires usually seek advice from free campsites in France, however the time period is usually used throughout Europe. You may even see Space Sosta Campa in Italy or Space para Autocaravana in Spain.
Park4Night
That is our go-to app without cost tenting. We tried a number of apps throughout our first time RVing in Italy, however Park4Night had essentially the most choices, essentially the most correct listings, and was essentially the most dependable.
Not a foul view for a free campsite, eh?
Park4Night consists of extra than simply Aires and free campsites. In addition they listing campgrounds and agritourism campsites. The app is free to obtain and straightforward to make use of.
France Ardour
Regardless of what the identify may recall to mind, this isn’t a French courting app. French Ardour is the equal of Harvest Hosts—a membership program the place you’ll be able to camp without cost at farms and wineries throughout the nation.
Earlier than heading to France, we signed up for a membership on-line. Their on-line search operate is a bit clunky and exhausting to make use of, however they mailed us a ebook with our membership card so we will use it to seek out free locations to camp throughout the nation. France Ardour boasts over 10,000 parking spots and a membership is €30. (So not utterly free, however positively price getting for all of the free tenting choices it affords!)
Driving in a International Nation
Earlier than RVing overseas anyplace in Europe, take a second and google “driving ideas in _________”.
Signage and street legal guidelines will range by nation, so it’s finest to take ideas particularly for the nation the place you intend to RV. For instance, Italy has ZTLs. Zona traffico limitato means motorhomes can not drive in that space. This can be a time period and signal you’ll solely see in Italy and one thing we wouldn’t have recognized if we hadn’t learn a free e-book we discovered on-line sharing driving ideas.
That’s additionally a great way to study if the nation you’re visiting (or international locations) require any car permits. Switzerland, for instance, requires a driving allow on all autos. Throughout our final journey to Italy, we really thought of crossing the border into Switzerland for a fast journey. However we couldn’t work out get the driving allow we wanted! (Wherever Campers supplies one, in order that was one much less factor for us to consider once we go to the French Alps throughout this journey!)
What you save in not needing to buy a driving allow, you’ll rapidly spend on tolls. Toll roads aren’t too frequent within the US (principally within the cities or within the northeast), however many highways in Europe are toll roads. Most of those toll roads will settle for bank cards and have a British flag icon you’ll be able to push in order that the display screen prompts are in English. So whereas the tolls sound like they add a bit further driving hassle, they’ve been very simple to navigate.
One closing factor to notice as you might even see it on rental agreements: You in all probability don’t want a global driver’s license. It relies on what international locations you go to, however most international locations don’t require one.
I Love RVing in Europe—Can I keep without end?
Nope.
You may get pleasure from RVing within the Schengen (listing of Schengen international locations right here) for 90 days inside a 180-day interval earlier than you must:
A) Get a vacationer visa, or
B) Strategically depart for a non-Schengen nation just like the UK or Eire
Last Ideas
To any and each beginner to RV life that I speak to, I give the identical recommendation:
Journey slowly.
When you hit the street, you will have an itinerary, however you can find so many gems off the overwhelmed path once you give your self the time to correctly discover. (We’ve discovered the best choice is giving ourselves not less than a month in every nation if we will!)
Journey slowly and benefit from the journey!