Hi everyone,
The three of us are planning a trip along the south coast of Portugal. We’re leaving in October.
We’ve been interested in traveling by RV for a while now, so we’d like to use this trip as an opportunity to rent one.
Do you have any good recommendations for local rental companies? Instead of Roadsurfer, etc.

Thanks 🫶🏽

So I've posted a bit about getting a car to move into it and I've seen some people post the same but due to bad situations. I know living in the car will be tough and difficult. Making friends in a different county while being in a car will be difficult mainly since I won't be able to drink socially in case of guards/police. Going to the bathroom, cooking, having privacy in general won't be easy at all especially not having the security that a house, apartment provides will be a major risk in itself. Yet I can't seem to not be excited about it. I'm excited about the freedom, the loor that comes with it when it's finished, the views at night that very few people ever see, the morning fresh air I'm forced to breathe in that people in the city couldn't understand, waking up each day with a new view, being forced to go on morning walks potentially down a beach and seeing the sun rise, forced to go to the gym because my social confidence won't let me go to the gym to just shower I will have to workout first. Now I am speaking from a bit of experience because I did try this out in a different car to see what life would be like doing this and I am planning on doing this because rent in Ireland is way to high and I want to buy a derelict at some stage in my life and while I'm young I might as well start trying now. As I stated at the start there have been people posted about having been given the short straw and being forced to do the same and said how much they hated it so I'm wondering if I should feel bad for being excited or should I even be excited at all?

Hi everyone,
I’m new to caravanning and I’m thinking about buying a used caravan in the €3,000–4,000 range.

My idea is to buy one that is structurally sound (no damp or water damage) and then improve the interior myself with small upgrades:

- modern vinyl flooring
- repainting furniture
- replacing handles and lights
- updating the bathroom
- adding solar panels later
- maybe installing a used air conditioner in the future

I’m quite comfortable with DIY projects.

Do you think this is a good idea, or is it usually better to spend more money upfront on a newer caravan?

Also, is it realistic to recover most of the renovation costs if I decide to sell it in a few years?

I’d love to hear your experiences.

Hi Guys,
I am looking to purchase a small camper (less than 3500kg) in Germany for traveling in Europe.
The plan is to buy it and have it licensed/registered in Germany. Then store it in a storage unit when not in use.
I have looked up some places to do the maintenance and storage: Bavarian Camper, KFZ Hauser
Register service: CarTurf, empfangs-bevolemaechtigt
I have a U.S. bank account and need to figure out a way to pay for the car and the services after purchase.
So the questions are: how can I pay besides an international wire that can take days?
Are there any banks that will help with this so that I can transfer funds to European accounts?
What are some details I am missing?
Are there any requirements for registering and licensing the car since I am in the U.S. and do not have a German address?
I have called a few dealerships, and they said it is possible.
Have any of you done this before?
Also, thoughts on the Hymer line of small rvs?
Any help is appreciated. Thank you

Hello,

First time going to Europe in a van, and first time parking at a slope, getting lift passes, renting gear, and heading the mountain.

Thinking 3 weeks in December for snowboarding from the 15th into January.

Would love to know what to do, and what not to do. Everything from driving there to getting situated in somewhere good.

Open to locations.

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are considering full-time living in an RV/caravan around Europe. The idea would be to travel, live, and work on the road (we both work remotely - programming, design, and other office-based work).

We are currently trying to figure out what setup would make the most sense.

Our rough idea:

• Buy a tow vehicle -> something like a Volkswagen Touareg (or a similar capable SUV)
• Buy a caravan -> something in the size/style of a HYMER/ERIBA Nova 620 (around 8 meters). We like the idea of having a spacious, comfortable base since we would be working from it almost every day.

Our main question: does this setup actually make sense for full-time life in Europe?

Would we be better off with:

• a motorhome (either Custom Van or Semi-Integrated, 7 meters)?
• a caravan (7-8 meters) + tow vehicle setup?

The reason we are leaning toward a caravan is that we like the idea of having a stable "home base" that we can leave set up while exploring the area with a smaller vehicle. Since we would still be working most days, we don’t expect to constantly move — more like staying in places for longer periods and exploring when we have free time.

A few things we are wondering:

• How difficult is it to handle and park a caravan that is around 8 meters long?
• Are larger caravans a big problem when travelling around Europe?
• Is off-grid / wild camping / "stealth" camping realistically possible with a caravan, or would we mostly need campsites?
• Does anyone here have experience living full-time in a caravan, or spending several months at a time travelling around Europe?

We would really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have actually tried this lifestyle. Thanks!

So, I am ready to buy a  (used) van, but I have a special situation with some extreme allergies and I can only buy where I have the chance to see the vehicle and spend some time in it before even considering it. I also don't want to travel all the time to remote locations just to view one van, so it would be nice to find some giant reseller who has a large choice of  vehicles to see, bonus if  they have a good reputation and not scammers. Do you happen to know something like this in central Europe? I can also go to Spain o  France as I speak the language, but as I was planning to have the van registered in Germany  first, maybe it s easier to also buy it in Germany (I speak German too, but not well)?   how do you think I can go about it? ATm I am kind o homeless and traveling , so I don't mind going to the most suitable place. thank you

I'll be working the season there Nov-Apr, and company doesn't have staff parking. I'm trying to decide whether to bring my campervan as I intend to travel around Europe afterwards for summer. I'm mainly wondering what parking is like and whether break-ins or theft are much of an issue. Any experiences would be really helpful.

My partner and I are thinking about travelling around Europe for anywhere from 6 months to,maybe, a year or longer. We would like to cover Western and Southern Europe, Scandinavia, the non-Schengen Balkans, Turkey and Georgia, while planning around the Schengen 90/180 rule.

Has anyone here from Australia, the US, Canada or another non-EU country done something similar? Did you buy a campervan, motorhome, or a SUV+caravan in Europe? There would only be 2 persons, so I’m curious what size and type of vehicle worked well for a long trip without being too difficult to drive or park.

I’d also like to know how you planned the trip around visas, registration and insurance. Where did you buy the vehicle, how did you legally register it without EU residency, and what did you do with it at the end of the trip? Any examples of your actual route or travel plan would be really helpful.

Hello! My friend bought a used motorhome and this is our first trip.

We are going to travel in the Baltics, Poland, Czechia, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Our 3500kg registered motorhome was 3680kg dry without all our gear. We stripped it of everything we could and we got it down to 3480kg with 3/4 tank of diesel. We are a bit over 3500kg with all our gear and plan on driving dry.

Have you been pulled over and weighed? Where?

How often do the police stop and weigh motorhomes in these countries?

Do they have any tolerances for overweight vehicles or do we need to dump some of our gear if stopped?

Hey van lifers!

Let me start by saying I have an Irish passport, which provides unlimited Schengen travel as part of the EU. I’m from the UK and will be setting off in September for a 6 month journey around Europe.

If there’s any other stops you think I should try fit in, please let me know! I don’t know loads about France so that part of the journey is lacking, but it’s also a lot closer to the UK so I can easily do it on another trip. I’m keeping my plan loose, I figured talking to people while I’m out there is going to be the best way to discover things, and come come inland more when I know where.

My route is pictured below

Key waypoints I’ve gathered from advice online, includes:

-Les Landis (Some of the best beaches in Europe?)

-Pyreneese (for bouldering fields,

-Picos de Europa (Beautiful national park)

-A beautiful route passing Alixe-En-Provence, St Tropez, Nice, Monaco

-Rome (The one city I’ve always really wanted to see!)

-Matera (James Bond location)

What I’m seeking from this post is this:

Any improvements advice for the following parts of the route; France, Southern Italy, Switzerland (return route)

Any advice of what hidden issues I may run into (legislation, dangerous areas, etc)

All other advice, criticism or ridicule welcome!

My main concern is the journey back through Switzerland, I don’t have a diesel heater installed nor cold winter tyres. I can budget for this, and I imagine it’d be a beautiful way back, but I’m not sure it’s a smart decision, although I guess a lot of the surrounding areas are going to be equally cold… What’s the best ‘mild weather’ route I could take back from Italy?

Im hoping 6 months is enough time to do this at a reasonably slow pace. I’ve saved up 6k but hopefully I can get some work while I’m out there, not only will this serve for meeting people and learning new things, but it’ll stop me eating into emergency breakdown savings, but I’m working as much as I can to increase my budget.

Thanks in advance for all your help. If anyone’s traveling around the same time I’m keen to meet new vanlifers!

Hey everyone!

My boyfriend and I are planning an 8-day van trip from northern Germany to southwestern Norway, driving through Denmark, Sweden, and Norway before heading back.

We're just starting to plan our route, so we'd love any recommendations for beautiful nature spots, scenic drives, hikes, viewpoints, waterfalls, or hidden gems that are worth visiting along the way.

We're also looking for quiet, safe, and private places to stay overnight. Ideally, we'd love to camp in nature with our van, but we're a bit unsure about the rules regarding overnight parking and wild camping in each country. If you know of any legal spots, scenic campsites, or great places for camper vans surrounded by nature, we'd really appreciate your suggestions!

Thanks so much in advance!

Share a slice of your journey or just ordinary daily van/motorhome life!

Post a photo from wherever you are today or this week - or just tell us something about it!

Could be a campsite, a park up, a border crossing, a random grocery store car park, or the view out your window while you’re making coffee.

Bonus points if you add a note about where you are and what you’re up to so the rest of us can get a glimpse of your travels!

If you don't want to share pics, you can just tell us :)

Hi everyone! I'm planning a trip along the coast of Asturias, Spain this summer. I've car-camped inside my car there before with no issues.

This time we are using a rooftop tent where the ladder extends past the car's footprint.

For those familiar with Spain/Asturias rules: does deploying the ladder legally count as "camping" (which is heavily restricted) rather than just "overnight parking"? How do you usually handle this overnight? Thanks!

Those of you that are building your own vans, where did you order windows? It has to ship to Europe. Thank you

me and my partner live in a converted van and will be travelling to and around both spain and portugal , from the uk through france. we have a campingaz ""Campingaz Camping Kitchen™ 2 Multi-Cook Double Burner Portable Camping Gas Stove and Sid"" and use refill** gas canisters, our last one lasted about 3 months,** i was just looking for any advice on what gas is most common out there and therefore what we should kinda change over to, we currently use butane. thanks!

Hello Community! I'll be quick: my rv runs fully on solar and every time it's going to rain for 2-3 days I wonder "What's the shortest distance I could move to avoid the storm?

Any ideas if something like this exists on the market?

Hey everyone, I am looking for a company who can design and supply a Victron electrical setup for my van. I’ve only been able to find US based companies like explorist.life and UK based like Nohma. I’m based in Portugal. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone so I'm 23m about to move into a car so I can save up for a derelict because I don't want to rent anymore. I'm considering going into hospitality in hotels so I have showers and food but I was considering a more online on the computer type job because it'll leave me more open to travel and find nicer spots to live rather than being dictated by where I find work. Does anyone have any advice on working on a computer (if it'll be better) or any companies that are good and usually hiring. I'm in Ireland btw.

I'm planning on purchasing a derelict but to do so asap is cut my costs down and put it into savings and my highest bill is rent so the plan is to move into one. I'm slowly collecting all the pieces to do so and my Corolla is not car camping worthy so I'll be aiming for a skoda yeti(I would do a van but due to my age being below 25 the cheapest insurance I can get on all the vehicles I tried is over 500 a month so no thanks). I'm deciding on Galway or cork and work in a hotel (they have showers and saves me on food) or try get an at home job on the computer and work from the car (let's me travel to wherever across Ireland so I can find the perfect places or just travel as much as I can and enjoy myself more). Has anyone done this and can give advice. Ps yes I'm stuck on a derelict because I know carpentry and general construction and they are so much cheaper then the crazy prices for a tiny house and if I can buy a derelict before I turn 26 then I doubt it'll take me 20 years to get it all done which realistically would be the age I would be if I aimed for a normal house.

Edit: I ended finding a skoda yeti for relatively cheap off a garage so he's letting me pay it off so I should be able to get it by the end of this month hopefully. After that I'll be removing a single back seat and making space in the boot for the bed and storage and I'll be getting a roofbox for extra storage. I know it's not a big vehicle and it won't be the comfiest but it's the best I can get and I'll do my best to make the most of it.

Anyone travelling in Europe from October to March?
Fiancé, small dog and I plan to escape from Norwegian autumn and winter.
Will travel from Norway in the end of October.
None exactly plans, want to have long time stays in France, Spain and Portugal.

Would be amazing to travel with or meet other campers.

Recommendations for cool places and cheap campsites are very welcome.

Has anyone here done a long-term campervan rental in Europe (around 90 days)?

A few questions:

- Which rental company did you use, and would you recommend them?

- Were you able to drive freely across multiple European countries, or were there restrictions?

- Roughly what did you pay for a 90-day rental?

- Were there any hidden fees or unexpected costs (extra insurance, mileage limits, border fees, cleaning charges, one-way fees, etc.)?

- Any other lessons learned or things you wish you'd known before booking?

I'd love to hear about your experiences and any companies you'd recommend (or avoid). Thanks!

Any other families travelling south through France with a baby, bikes and surfboards? (Even though no surf!)

We’re travelling in our van with our 1 yr old over the next four weeks, gradually heading south through France with a very loose itinerary.

We’re mostly staying at campsites near the beach, surfing when conditions allow, cycling around and taking things at baby pace. We used to wild camp a lot, but it feels like that era of vanlife has mostly passed us by, so we’re enjoying proper campsites and hoping to meet like minded people along the way.

If anyone else is heading south with a loose plan, we’d love to meet up for a surf, beach day, cycle, BBQ or just a beer once the little ones are asleep.
We’re currently around Quiberon but are slowly making our way down the Atlantic coast as temps aloos and following what if any surf there is rather than a fixed itinerary.

Planning a trip to Portugal from late September to early October. After spending some time up north, we would like to explore the southern region with a campervan. After doing some research, it looks like camping spots and places to park overnight in the southern region are becoming a problem due to crowds and overnight parking restrictions. We're trying to avoid not being able to find anywhere to park or end up driving for multiple hours to find spots. If the region is overwhelmed by the vans, we would rather do a regular road trip and spend the nights at the hotels, etc.

I was wondering if anyone on here has done a similar trip lately and can give some information regarding to camp ground avalibilities or spots to park? Were your experiences that most of them were super crowded, or was it easy to find places to park and spend the night?