# New to the campervan experience and about to take off on a first, MASSIVE JOURNEY!!



## camperineurope (May 7, 2011)

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are all the way from down under in Australia and am about to embark on a journey that starts in Hamburg and loops around through to Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands and then finally back to Hamburg. 

We have been reading this regularly looking for tips and hints and now just only a short 14 days away from heading on our adventure we were wondering if we may get some tips on finding free camping sites, tips on saving money where you can and just any other general tips that may come to mind, including things like where the best place to meet other fellow campers. We would greatly appreciate any help.

We only ask as this is our first time in Europe and our first time using a campervan and doing a road trip for this long.

Thank you all

Take care and drive safe

Sincerely 

Scott


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## MOS (May 8, 2011)

Hi Scott
good on ya mate .
you dont say how long you are taking to do the grand tour .
what you have planned is a mammoth task ,and unless you have a long time to do it most of europe will pass in a blurr.
distances over here are missleading ,the trafic is slow and the roads are (mainly )not good for covering huge miles unless you sit on motorways and miss all the lovely bits .
sorry for sounding negative it will be an adventure whichever way you do it and i hope it makes you lots of good memories 
as for the cost savings .get the Airs books .fill up at supermarkets .and talk to your neighbours whenever you get chance .the cost of a beer will get you more info than you can shake a stick at 
and the best bit of advice i ever got was !!  Learn to greet people in their own language (then ask them if they speak yours .our experience is most country folk like to show off their english )but the fack that you try goes a long way with most nationalities (even if like me you probbably ask it their aunties cat is cooked yet.
Have a great time have fun .eat drink and be merry ,and make lots of fantastic friends ,
and let us know how you get on 
Geoff & H


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## activecampers (May 8, 2011)

Hi
We've done trips covering your loops - see our website - and there are GPS positions of where we wild camped in most of the countries.
Also we have hints & tips and GPS for other aires and bits around.

I'd strongly suggest you take a look - also get a good satnav and maybe autoroute - and download the offline database from CAMPINGCAR-INFOS (cost 7€) as this will detail all the aires in Europe with photos/costs and up to date info.  (This data ties in with our GPS).

Hope our blogs are useful


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## Tbear (May 8, 2011)

Hi Scott,

Mos is very correct about trying to speak to the locals in their own lingo. I used to live in Germany and if you tried to speak German all around would have a laugh at your expense then change to better English than mine. Walk into a shop and ask if anyone speaks English and you will get a blank look. Seems true of many countries but more extreme in Germany.

Tip from my wife, If you go to Rome, park on edge at metro station and use that. DO NOT try to drive into Rome in a Motorhome.

Campings municipaux en France! Retrouvez les campings municipaux sur cartes interactives et comparer is worth a look. It was posted on here yesterday but sorry cannot remember who by.

All the Aires is a great book.

Above all, If you don't feel safe move!! Then I am sure you will remember your wonderful adventure for many years,

Richard


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## Tony Lee (May 8, 2011)

Perfectly doable in three or four months.  Your motorhome or hired?

LPG supplies may be a hassle in some countries because unlike Australia, just about every country here has their own bottles - although there are a couple that are universal. Spain said to be problematic so may pay to get full bottle before you enter. I met one Australian that had been MHing around Europe for nearly 2 years and he had 6 different bottles in his storage locker.

You will need a normal European extension cord - on a reel - and an adaptor cord for each end to mate up with the larger outlets as well.

GPS with western european maps is ESSENTIAL - if for no other reason than the equivalent in local area paper maps will probably cost more than the GPS maps. Tends to insure against severe marital problems as well. Europe is not the sort of place you can get around using nothing more than road signs like you can in most of Australia.

Check the regulations applicable to each country - warning triangles - need two, Safety vests - one per person and must wear on the side of the road, Big reflector if you are carrying bikes on the back, spare bulb set, often different signs and speed limits in each country.

You should get international licenses and make sure your Oz licence is current until at least when you get back home.

Worth joining ADAC provided you can give them a postal address in Germany (where you pick up the motorhome would do) Similar to NRMA but much better and cheaper. Plus plan costs 79 euro and covers you for just about everything including medical emergency, repatriation of your motorhome plus maps for everywhere you go - covers all over Europe, Iceland and all around Mediterranean.

Or you can use reciprocity agreement of your OZ roadside service for three months and get some basic assistance.

Winter in some countries require M+S tyres and or chains.

July and August are pretty frantic in much of Europe and most campgrounds will be packed so expect to have to be creative in finding a camping spot elsewhere.. Start looking after lunch.

MacDonalds in several countries have free internet and while a WiFi booster isn't essential, it does make it easier to get a signal from the other end of the carpark.



With a GPS you can get some extensive POI files off the net so you can find camping spots - free or low cost

You know about Shengen visa limitations I suppose. Qantas in particular may not let you board unless you have a return ticket dated within three months. Other airlines don't seem to worry so much.

Buy your fuel from supermarket fuel outlets and never on expressway service stations.

Camperstops Europe is not a bad book to find aires all over Europe. New edition just out I think.

GET INTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAB IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND DRIVE ON THE RIGHT.

PULL OUT WIDE WHEN YOU ARE TURNING RIGHT  - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Many places encourage this by having cast iron posts every three feet around the corner right on the curb.

LOOK TO THE LEFT FIRST WHEN YOU GET TO AN INTERSECTION.

And stay out of the UK. It is just too hard to sort all the driving out from the wrong side of the car on the right side ie the left side, of the road. And they have nasty hedges that hide nasty stone walls and there is nowhere to pull off that hasn't already got a farmers enormous manure spreader parked in the way, and ... and .... 

have fun


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## Tony Lee (May 8, 2011)

Oh, I forgot.

In aires, get used to being able to touch your neighbors MH by reaching out the window. German and French are particularly insistent that as long as you can open your door half way, you have plenty of clearance.



And in France, almost anywhere, if you need to pee, just do it. Only non-French will notice. (just you. Girls have to be much more decorous).

take a small australian flag to hang on the front when you park. No-one will have a clue where you come from but it will save you having to explain to the Germans and Dutch why you speak funny when they address you in German.


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## camperineurope (May 10, 2011)

Hi guys,

Thank you all for your help and I am going to take it all on board and cant wait to venture out on our 3 month journey.

One more question, what would you suspect a weekly budget would be. Thank you again, we very much appreciate your help.

Thank you again, safe travels.

Scott


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## lebesset (May 10, 2011)

well , you can see the price of diesel so can work that out yourself !you don't say what sort of vehicle you are going to use , so that flavours the answers
food is very similarly priced wherever you go , LIDL always seems to have a parking full of motorhomes , which says it all 

tell us what gas bottles you will have and will advise , how big and how many , it's a critical item for wildcamping presuming the fridge is gas powered  , has the vehicle a shower etc ; to a large extent you can work out your own costs , except camp site costs can double them , so state your intention !!

wild camping / free aires

Commande Cle USB

this is by a large margin the best aires site for europe , demands some schoolboy [girl ? ] french ; presuming you will have a laptop with you , you can download it on to your HD for €8 ; so if you intend to camp for nothing , a must 

btw , if you have a laptop , how will you charge it 
what about a satnav/gps ?

what's your actual route / timing in each country ?


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## Guernsey Donkey (Jul 8, 2011)

Hi Scott and welcome from the Outer Hebrides


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