After the stress and confinement of the last few years, it seems almost everyone is looking for the freedom and adventure of a campervan road trip. The idea that you can pick up and drive off into the unknown and explore a new country is liberating, if not a little overwhelming at first! If you’re considering a campervan road trip but feeling unsure about the best ways to plan and organize it, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with lots of tips on renting a van for a road trip.
This is a guest post by Christine from Travellers With Time
How to Plan the Perfect Campervan Road Trip
It is said that failing to plan is like planning to fail, so the first real step here is to actually plan! Now we’ve agreed that planning is key, here are our 7 steps to planning the camper trip you’ve been dreaming of:
Decide When to Travel and for How Long
This might actually be one of the easiest steps to planning a campervan road trip but it’s also one of the most important. Before you do anything else you need to decide when to go, and how long you are able to travel.
When Do You Want to Take Your Road Trip?
Do you need to take time off work? Can you only travel during the school holidays? Do you need to save up a little more money first?
Another important factor before locking in the ‘when and where’ are the seasons. What kind of weather do you want for your road trip?
Drier, warmer weather is no only easier to enjoy while in your campervan, but it is also better for exploring new places. This is especially true if you’re someone who loves the outdoors. If you plan on doing a lot of hiking or visiting any of Europe’s many natural wonders, then spring, summer and autumn are the best seasons for travel.
Travelling during the winter means you have to take extra measures to protect your campervan from the cold, snow and ice – both inside and out, so if this is your first campervan road trip I’d advise against going in winter.
If you think about the ‘when’ in terms of campervan travel in Europe, the summer school holidays are an incredibly busy time to travel. Not only do people from all over the world flock to Europe but Europeans also take advantage of their school holiday times to get out and enjoy the good weather.
Europeans are massive fans of campervan and motorhome and travel. You’ll often find that popular campsites are booked out during this period. Don’t be discouraged. It simply means is that if you plan to road trip Europe during the summer months, you too will want to pre-book your campsites.
If you travel to Europe during the shoulder season you shouldn’t have any problems finding campsites without pre-booking. In winter, however, many campsites close down for the season, so your options become more limited.
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Check out these blog posts for your campervan adventures!How Long Do You Have for Your Campervan Road Trip?
You’ll need to know how many days you have available before you can begin planning your road trip itinerary. If you’re flying into Europe, you should take a day to rest and get a good sleep before you pick up your campervan. You’ll also need a day or so at the end of your trip to drop the campervan off and catch your flight out. The days in between are your available travel days.
The fewer days you have, the better it is to explore a small area well, rather than a large area poorly. The absolute last thing you want to do is be driving the whole time. We have intentionally done a couple of very rushed trips because we had limited time and wanted to see a lot. It’s possible but it can be exhausting.
It’s far better to plan rest days in between driving days, so you can enjoy where you are at a more relaxed pace instead of having to pack up and drive off every single morning.
Where Do You Want to Go?
Once you know when you want to travel and how long you have for your campervan road trip, you can choose your destination. Make sure that the time of year is suitable for the country or location that you want to visit. Think about the size of the area that you want to cover with the time you have available.
If you have time for a one-week road trip, it wouldn’t be possible to cover a huge portion of Germany for example. However, you could certainly explore a region of Germany. You could definitely cover the highlights of the Netherlands, or Belgium in that time frame. The longer you have, the longer distances you can travel including more and more countries in your road trip itinerary.
Consider Your Travel Style and Research Your Destination
An important step in planning your perfect campervan road trip is to really understand what kind of traveller you are and how that applies to your destination. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I really want to see or experience in this country?
- Do I want to spend time in the old cities of Europe? Will I spend more time indoors at museums or outdoors in National Parks?
- What are the things that I’m most excited about seeing on my road trip? Which ones are absolute must-see places for me?
Knowing what your intentions are when you’re in the country will allow you to choose the right campervan for you. It will also help you to plan your itinerary. When you first start reading or googling about a particular place you can end up with a list of 50 things that you’d love to see, which might be a little optimistic!
Having a good idea about your non-negotiables and preferences will allow you to give up on some things that might just be a little too ‘out of the way’, and prioritize the places and activities that you really want to do.
Choose a Campervan for Your Road Trip
Renting a campervan for a road trip is very exciting but choosing your campervan is also a little nerve-wracking. It’ll be one of your largest expenses and there are so many options to choose from. There is a lot to think about but thankfully you’ve already made some decisions that will help you to pick the best campervan for you.
Here are the things you’ll need to consider
- Where do you want to take your campervan?
- What is your travelling style?
- What lifestyle factors come into play?
- How long are you travelling for your campervan road trip?
- Where do you intend to park for the night?
- Round trip or one way?
- What is your budget?
READ MORE: Why I Decided to Buy a Campervan
Where do You Want to Take the Campervan?
You would have thought about this question in the section above for this specific reason. If you are wanting to explore old cities or historical regions you will run into trouble with a large campervan or motorhome.
The fact is that in cities, in particular, driving a large campervan or motorhome is difficult. Parking in cities can be near impossible so, in this case, a smaller campervan would be more suitable.
A smaller campervan is also better suited to rural, off the beaten path locations. Narrow roads are handled much more easily in a smaller camper. As are bad roads! The further into Eastern Europe you go, for example, the worse the roads become.
Combine Eastern European roads with rural areas and you’re in for some fun. No matter what size vehicle you have it’ll be a bumpy ride. A smaller campervan will definitely handle it better than a large motorhome.
However, if you plan on covering large distances across relatively straight roads, for example in the USA or Australia, then a larger motorhome might be better suited to that environment.
Regardless of where you want to go with your campervan or motorhome, remember that larger models may require a different driving license to drive them. If you are hiring a campervan in the UK for example, anything over 3.5 tonnes of weight needs a C1 or category C license for over 7.5 tonnes. Smaller vans are fine to drive on a standard license.
What is your Travelling Style?
There’s nothing wrong with preferring a little comfort or being comfortable in a small confined space. As long as that is what you want. Really think about what you need or don’t need in order to be comfortable for the duration of your campervan road trip. If the thought of peeing in a small cassette toilet on the floor in the middle of your campervan freaks you out, it’s important to know that beforehand.
If that’s the case, you have two options. You can get a campervan or motorhome that has its own enclosed toilet. Alternatively, you can use public toilets at truck stops, restaurants and camp sites. Either way, you’re going to have to go. Think about what you consider acceptable and unacceptable.
One area where everyone seems to differ is with regards to air conditioning and heating in a campervan. If you’re travelling in the height of summer or during the colder months, I’d definitely recommend it.
Many people do without air-conditioning and heating though. But bear in mind that it does get very hot in some places over the summer, and very cold in others over the winter – so don’t end up uncomfortably sweaty or freezing to death!
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How does your Lifestyle Affect your Campervan Choice?
Do you need a decent kitchenette in your campervan or will a single burner stove and small fridge suffice? How often do you intend to cook as opposed to eating out?
If you’re on any sort of special diet the chances are you’ll need to cook at least some of your own meals. If not, you’ll have to forgo the diet for the duration of the trip.
I am always looking for a big fridge, a little bench space and at least 2 burners on the stove. I cook almost all our meals and this is the only way it works for me.
What about the sleeping situation? Do you need one big bed, or two? How many of you are travelling together, and how good friends are you? Even the best of friends or partners find travelling and sleeping together 24/7 a little much so some extra space could come in handy!
How Long is Your Campervan Road Trip?
Realistically, most of the factors mentioned above can be ignored for a week or so. By that, I mean that you could probably put up with more cramped conditions, or forgoing your healthy diet for a week, maybe two. After that, however, it’s going to start annoying you. If you’re travelling for 6 months, don’t assume that you’ll just get used to something. Especially if you already know will really bug you.
The longer your trip the more important it is to try and choose a camper that suits your everyday lifestyle preferences.
Where are you Going to Park Every Night?
If you plan on spending every night parked at campgrounds across Europe, you’ll have access to all the facilities provided by those campsites. The main benefits of this are electricity. You’ll be able to plug in and recharge all your electrical devices.
They will also always have showers and toilets. Most will also have a dishwashing area; a coin-operated laundry and the list goes on depending on the site. You’ll pay for these sites and they vary in price and quality across Europe.
If you want to wild camp or use French Aires, for example, your campervan will need to be self-contained. You’ll need your own toilet and to provide your own electricity. It’s important to know that unlike some other countries you can’t just wild camp all over Europe so your options are more limited. It is certainly easier and accepted in some countries more than in others.
France has what are called Aires, which are rest areas where you can stay the night for a small fee. There is an additional fee to fill up your water and dump waste water. All in all, they’re a lot cheaper than camping grounds. Again, you’ll need to be self-contained.
When choosing a self-contained campervan, look at your power sources. You’ll need a campervan that has either solar power, an inverter and/or a generator. Also look at the shower, toilet and kitchen facilities. You want to have a decent-sized fresh and grey (waste) water tank. Enough to last you 3 days should be sufficient so you can plan your stops to fill up and empty your tanks as needed.
Decide on a Loop or a One-Way Trip
Before you can rent a campervan for your road trip you’ll need to decide where you want to pick it up and drop it off. You won’t have completed your itinerary as yet, but you should have a general idea about whether or not you’re staying within a particular area or making multiple stops in a number of countries.
The shorter your campervan road trip, the more likely it is that a loop will be your best option. For example, if you picked your campervan up in Berlin, Germany, you would return it to the same place in Berlin. If you’re staying in one country it might also be possible to pick up your camper in one city, say Berlin, and return it in another, like Munich for example.
The final option, which is less common in Europe, is a one-way trip. This is where you hire the campervan in one country, say Germany again, and drop it off somewhere else, like Prague in the Czech Republic. This option will depend on the hire company that you choose. Not all companies have offices in multiple countries.
For larger countries such as hiring a campervan in the USA or Australia, there are more options available for one-way trips to cross the country.
What is Your Budget?
Obviously, the campervan is an essential component of your van road trip, and it’s the most expensive one. Most of us would love to travel Europe in a large luxury motorhome that is fully self-contained with all the mod con’s but it’s not always realistic. You can expect to pay anywhere from €80 to €300 per day for a campervan or motorhome.
Naturally, the smaller the campervan the cheaper it is however that is not always the case. A more luxury, self-contained campervan with solar for example may be more expensive than an older larger model that’s decked out with only the basics. And as much as we all love Instagram-ready campervans, you might end up paying a lot more for something that looks pretty but isn’t that practical.
I would suggest that it’s worth paying the extra euros for a little more comfort. If something that you would prefer is only a few euro’s a day extra, take it. You can save money elsewhere. Of course, if it’s a lot more expensive then you’ll need to make the call of whether it’s worth it or not.
Book your Campervan
Once you know your budget, your preferences and what sized campervan you need, you’re ready to book.
Tips for booking a campervan or motorhome
- It is often cheaper to book in advance. It is also quite busy in Europe in the summer. If you leave it until the last minute to book, you’ll have fewer options available.
- Round trips are often cheaper than one-way road trips. This is where you drop your campervan off in the same place that you picked it up
- Look for a reputable hire company with good reviews
- Read the fine print with regards to what is and is not included. Some companies will require that you purchase a bedding package on top of the rental price for example.
- Things like an outside fold-out table and chairs are available for an additional one-off fee. They are worth getting unless you travel in winter. That way you can sit outside in the evenings and when it’s warm.
- You will be required to get insurance and a bond will usually be taken when you collect your vehicle. In most instances, the bond won’t be withdrawn but frozen on your credit card. This means that you’ll need a credit card with the value of the bond available on it. You won’t be able to access this money while you’re travelling so be aware you’ll need it in addition to your spending money.
Plan Your Campervan Road Trip Itinerary
In reality, I suppose you could plan your route and itinerary before you book your campervan, as the order is not that important. I find however that it can take me quite a while to settle on an exact route I’m happy with, so I prefer to lock in my campervan and then worry about the details of my road trip itinerary afterwards.
When it comes to creating a campervan road trip itinerary there are really 3 different kinds of people. There are those the minimal planners who have a general idea about a few things they want to see that are in ‘that direction’ and that’s good enough.
There are the mid-range planners who might have a timeline with dates they want to be somewhere and the main attractions they want to explore. Finally, there is the super planner who has everything organized and outlined including stops, drive times and accommodation options.
I am all three at different times. The longer the road trip, the less I plan because there is more room for flexibility. The shorter the trip, however, the more I plan because I don’t have time to waste.
This section is for super planners because let’s face it, the minimal planners have probably already skipped past this section!
Steps to planning a campervan road trip itinerary and route
- If you haven’t already had a good look at the country or countries you want to visit and the top things that you’d like to do now is definitely the time. Spend some time finding the things you want to see and the places you want to explore.
- I use My Maps, a feature of Google Maps to pin all the places that I want to go. If you have a google account just type ‘Google My Maps’ into the search bar and you can sign in with your Google account.
- Click ‘create a new map’
- In the search bar at the top, begin typing in the places you want to go or the natural wonders you want to see. They will show up on the map and you can simply click ‘add pin’ and it will be marked on the map.
- Once you’ve added all your places of interest, you can begin to use the ‘directions’ function to join them together by adding the driving route.
- You’ll notice some places are really out of the way and you’ll need to decide whether or not they are negotiable. If it’s a place you absolutely have to go then maybe it’s worth it. If not, give it up and save on the driving time. You may also notice that some places seem close together but the drive is huge, for example, due to mountain ranges laying between them. Again, you’ll need to decide whether it’s worth it to take the long drive.
- You can use the ruler to measure distances between two points which will give you a rough idea of travelling time.
- For anything that looks like it might be more than a couple of hours drive, I prefer to use Google Maps on my phone to get a more accurate drive time. If it’s a long drive you may want to stop overnight or break it into smaller trips.
- If I’m really planning, I’ll start researching campgrounds or overnight options for the places that I want to stop. For summer trips I’ll book in advance, at other times I will usually have a couple of options in case the first isn’t available.
- Once I have all the information, I usually create a Google Document which contains all the information of the places that I want to stop, things I want to see, drive times, dates of travel and any other important information.
Make Sure You Have All Your Paperwork
It’s important to make sure that you have all the necessary documentation for your campervan road trip well before you are ready to leave.
- Get your visa if one is required, if you’re planning on travelling in Europe for more than 90 days be sure to understand the rules regarding visas for the Schengen area
- Do you have the appropriate driver’s license for the type of campervan and for the country or countries you’re travelling to? You may need an international driver’s permit if you plan on driving in different countries, so check the rules for each country you plan to visit.
- Organize travel insurance – a must-have whenever you travel abroad anyway!
- Print copies of all important documents and have copies (paper and online) of your campervan booking and anything else that you’ve paid for in advance.
In Conclusion
Your route and itinerary are planned, your campervan booked and you have all the necessary paperwork. All that’s left is to pack and you’re off. No matter how prepared and organized you’ve been, it’s time to let your hair down and enjoy your epic campervan road trip.
About the Author
Christine is the owner of Travellers With Time. She and her partner Ben have spent the last few years travelling 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. You can follow them on Facebook.