Help me make my camping eurotrip even better!

April 5, 2009 9:28 AM

I am going on a eurotrip in a camper van this summer. What tricks and tips can you tell me that I wouldn't get from reading the normal internet based guides? Do you have any camping or eurotrip based wisdom you would like to share?

My three friends from university in the UK and I are going to the Fusion Festival in north east Germany at the end of June. We are taking a borrowed Mazda Bongo for the convenience that driving gives as well as a few home comforts in the form of a fridge and shelter. We plan to get the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland and camp outside Amsterdam for a week before heading on to the festival above Berlin.

I am trying to plan this trip as best and as thoroughly as I can, and I wanted the advantage of a few tips from metafilter to ensure we don't get caught out anywhere or even some tips that would make the trip easier and more fun.

So please send me your pearls of wisdom that you have learnt whether you have done a trip similar to this before or not.

Thanks!

posted by tumples to Travel & Transportation (2 answers total)

Spent 4 months in trailer with family (incl. 3 kids) across Canada last spring/summer. Your situation is likely to differ substantially. Decide if you're going to have regular access to electricity or not. Decide what burns you out or frazzles your nerves the most under stress, and take some things specifically to address that.

I found that most of what kept things cheap(er), and with more time to do stuff, and least stress was the ability to easily cook homemade food. We decided we were going to have regular electricity, and so for us, an electric skillet was gold. I had intended on cooking outside on a gas stove, but spring weather was very cold/wet, and so the electric skillet could be used in the trailer (for anything from eggs, to a frozen lasagna) for quick hot eats. Everything went down better with a good breakfast and a good dinner (or at least one of these). Coffee, tea, booze and cookies were also lifesavers.

Agree with your friends how much space you each can have for personal stuff and where they can pack it. Agree in advance whether, for example, the guitar can come or not.

Basic net search will tell you tools, first aid kit etc. Pay attention to internet sources whether they're for short or long term, city or sticks, to adapt the advice. A few cans of something to eat cold in a pinch helps. Obviously, piles of music (with personal and shared use options) is good too.

Take less than you figure you'll need, and if in doubt, leave it home. It's not like you're going to antarctica, so you can buy whatever best fits your needs once you determine what you really really need on the road.

Have fun!
posted by kch at 9:55 AM on April 5, 2009

I spent 6 weeks in a VW campmobile in europe in 1987 [self link]. My parents had done the same thing two times before. First, I will predict you will have a fantastic time. Second, you, being from the UK, will know that the weather will be unpredictable -- so have more bedding that "summer" implies. Your journey/quest seems simple enough. Relax and enjoy!
posted by Dick Paris at 8:09 PM on April 5, 2009