RV Camping Europe 
A guide to planning your adventure

RV Camping Europe?  Well, here's what happened.  One day we got the idea in our heads that we wanted to go to Europe, spend as long as possible and see as many countries as possible. 

Once planted, the idea blossomed.  A "what if" moment led to discussion, then to research and weighing options.  And ultimately to a plan for our excellent adventure RV camping in Europe.

We learned a few things along the way.  About how to travel, when to go, where to go.  What you need to know ahead of time.  How to find RV camping in Europe and get discounts.   What to expect. 

Our experiences just might be a starting point for your own dreams.  Certainly we found that the anticipation and planning are all part of the adventure.

Mode of Travel:  Why RV Camping in Europe?

Originally we figured our most economical choice would be train travel and budget accommodations.  So we started our research on various Eurorail passes and similar programs.  It was not as cheap as we thought, and it seemed it might be rather tedious to figure out how to get around, make connections and so on.  Especially given the amount of territory we wanted to cover. 

And since part of our vision was to travel in the countryside in addition to major cities, we soon concluded that train travel would not be as flexible as we would like.  So we put that idea aside and started thinking about driving. 

Sidebar:  We don't mean to suggest that train travel is not a good way to go.  There is a lot to be said for it, not the least of which is the eco-friendliness of mass transportation.  We just decided early on that if we were going to spend the money on an extended European trip, train travel was not our personal preference.

And by the way, we never considered cycling as an option either.  We like to take a leisurely bicycle ride and can manage a 20-30 mile ride, but we just couldn’t see ourselves doing a European tour via our own pedal power.

So next we considered options for driving a rented car vs. a rented motorhome/camper.  We actually ruled out the motorhome a few times, since it seemed way too expensive to pay rental costs plus fuel and campgrounds.  We were back and forth many times on this topic before we ultimately chose to go with RV camping Europe.

The main reasons we chose RV travel for our Europe trip:

• Flexibility to go where we wanted when we wanted.
• Not having to keep moving luggage into and out of vehicles and lodging.
• The experience of RVing in Europe.  As fulltime RVers in the USA, it intrigued us to try out the RV camping in Europe.
• Ability to buy local products and prepare meals.  We hoped we could save a few Euros by eating some meals at home.  We also found it very appealing to go to outdoor markets, local grocers and supermarkets in different countries. 
• Idealistically perhaps, we justified the expense of motorhome travel with a hope that we might find cheap places to overnight as we travelled. 

What you Need to Know:

We had a fantastic trip.  We saw famous and not-so-famous sights, dined on delicious local specialties and experienced the varied European cultures.  We cut our own personal path through fields of flowers, charming villages, idyllic pasturelands, hillside  vineyards, awe-inspiring mountains and along bluer-than-blue seasides. 

At the grocery store we bagged and weighed produce with the locals, and compared labels in languages we could barely decipher.   We camped among neighbors from many lands and age groups.  We appreciated both cosmopolitan cities and rural landscapes off the beaten path.  We totally enjoyed our adventure into the RV lifestyle in Europe.

We hope others can benefit from our shared experiences.  This site covers various aspects of planning and the actual trip itself.  We describe our thinking as we made decisions about timing, destinations, packing, travel insurance, communications and putting together an itinerary.  There are things to consider when renting a motorhome vs. other possible options.  Things  you need to know about campgrounds in Europe and the European RV, or caravan.

There are helpful resources and lessons learned sprinkled throughout the site.  We hope others can benefit from our RV camping Europe experience .

We welcome comments, feedback or updated information from other travelers.   Whether you use this material simply to get travel ideas or to make firm plans, we appreciate your interest and wish you well in your own adventures - great and small.  

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RV Camping Europe Blog

The RV Camping Europe Blog keeps you up to date on travel destinations, planning tips, lessons learned, sights worth seeing. RVing is a great way to travel!

Trip Planning

Trip Planning for our European RV camping adventure. Lots to see, lots to consider. When to go to Europe is a toss up.

Motorhome in Europe: Things to Know

The motorhome in Europe - things you should know. What is a cassette toilet? The motor home in Europe is also known as a campervan, autocaravan, camping car, wohnmobile .

Motorhome Rental Tips

Motorhome Rental tips. What to look for and where to rent your campervan, autocaravan, motorhome, RV in Europe

Europe Campgrounds: Things to Know

Europe Campgrounds - about electricity, sites, bathrooms and more.

Trip Advisor

Our trip advisor tips on RV camping in Europe. Observations and opinions based on personal experience.

Travel Itinerary

Our travel itinerary lists all the places we visited while RVing in Europe.

Caravan Clubs and Camping Cards in Europe

Caravan Clubs, camping cards, France Passion provide discount and directories for camping in Europe.

Boondocking in Europe

Boondocking in Europe can be found in many ways. How to find free camping.

Cell Phone in Europe

Use your Cell Phone in Europe, buy or rent. Data plans are different, understand SIM cards.

Driving in Europe

Driving in Europe is quite doable. Drive defensively, be aware of some differences and pay attention.

Ship your RV to Europe

It is possible to ship your RV to Europe and may make sense for estended travel. But there are considerations.

Helpful Resources

Resources for RV Camping in Europe and other travel ideas and adventures.

Contact Us

Contact us with any comments, questions or suggestions. We appreciate your input.

About Us

Information about us - the authors of RVCampingEurope.com and Your-RV-Lifestyle.com.