Campervanning in Europe

Are you dreaming of taking your time exploring Europe your own way in a Camper van ?

It has been a dream - a must do on a bucket list for many people yet so many are scared to take the leap into the unknown and start the planning for an amazing adventure that will bring delightful memories for years to come .

It will bring you funny moments as you drive on the wrong side of the road , order food that you had no idea what it was - go round a roundabout a few times running as you try to work out which exit you should be taking so as to avoid the traffic.

This is about some of our adventures while exploring Europe in a camper van .We have been enjoying exploring a few countries and I really hope we can be of some help to you while giving you a laugh .

I really thought our dream had come to an abrupt end on the Island of Santorini jiust a few days ago after I struggled to get back to the yacht while snorkeling .

At the hospital I was told I had suffered a heart attack and needed to be flown by Air Ambulance to Athens ASAP .

It was so scary being the other side of the world and being ill . Fortunatly I am ok and waiting for travel Insurance to get sorted out .

So do your travels while you still have your health .

Free camping can save you a lot of money which can be used to visit the many interesting tourist sights in Europe.

We bought our campervan for our travels in London and then went shopping for much needed extras to make our trip comfortable. .The campervan had a microwave which is handy if we go into caravan parks on our travels + porta potti which is great as we planned to mainly free camp.

Our Shopping list .

Folding Table & Chairs to suit 2 people.

Sheets- Blanket - Pillows-Towels

Gas stove + Gas containers

Frypan + Saucepan

Plates- Cutlery

Plastic bowl for dishes

Cups etc

Chargers for computers etc.

We decided to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santader Spain as we had heard the weather was bad in France . It was a good trip and on that trip we had a cabin.

When I opened the cabin door I only saw 1 bed which horrified me as I had booked a double room. Unfortunatly it was 2 bunks so nev slept up top. Where possible now we do the Camping on Board in our camper which is much better and more relaxing especially as we were on the side traveling to Greece.

Once in Spain we took our time traveling down to Portugal where we enjoyed a relaxing few days in Lagos+ a small fishing village we loved .

We took our time driving across to Barcelona where we found a caravan park to base ourselves and get public transport into the city .

We were close to the coast which was a bonus and it was a nice park.

It was close to the city so we had an enjoyable day exploring the Main centre of Barcelona .

We both really loved our time in Sorrento staying in a caravan park overlooking the town .

One of the days we walked down the hill to the beach where we were picked up by boat and taken to Capri for the day . There we visited the Blue Cave which entailed climbing aboard a smaller boat and laying back so we could enter the cave thru a small opening .

Experiences like this are like the Icing on a cake are are not to be missed ! We explored Capri and the port before relaxing having a swim at the beach.

Amalfi Coast was another favourite . We took the bus to Amalfi and back so we could both enjoy the view and it was well worth the trip.

While there we enjoyed a boat trip to another cave to explore .

Some of our highlights in Europe have been

The ferry trip to Spain

Visiting a castle in

Exploring caves in a fishermans Boat in Lagos Portugal.

Visiting a seaside market

Waling around the streets of Barcelona

Spending time in Carcassonne France

Visiting Pisa and walking up the Leaning Tower !

Exploring the Colossium in Rome

The coast road in Italy to Sorrento

Exploring Capri and the Blue Cave

The views of Amalfi Coast & another amazing Cave

Ferry from Bari to Patra

Exploring Korinth

Free camping by the ocean

Island hopping in Greece

Relaxing in Mykonos by the beach

Santorini Sunset over dinner

One of the places i have longed to see is Greece and the Greek Islands so we drove across to Bari planning on getting a ferry across to Patros the next day. To my delight we were there in time to board within the next hour !

We were camping on board - a new experience and one we loved especially as we were next to the rails giving us an ocean view from inside our camper. We also had power so could enjoy our early morning tea .l

After docking in patra we set off and found a free camp for the night . After exploring Korinth we set off to a caravan park as a base for a few days so we could enjoy exploring Athens and do some Island hopping without the camper .

We managed to enjoy time on Mykonos and Sanatorini before I had problems .

Always take out Travel Insurance as you never know what is going to happen next.

In Europe as you travel on the main roads there are plenty of places to park for free for the night with toilets provided.

Always keep valuables hidden

Lock doors when you leave the van.

Do not leave anything out overnight.

Throw all rubbish in the bin -never leaver any on the ground.

Be friendly whereever you are and follow rules.

Do not camp where there is a sign No Camping . Never block peoples property eetc.

Keep a sense of humour on your travels.

Watch out for fun places to stay by the ocean etc.

Have a great time !