The best way to see Europe depends on several circumstances, primarily what you are comfortable with or consider a possibility. When we sell the idea to friends, they agree that the motorhome is a good option, but just not for them.
This is our attempt to convince you that the best way to tour Europe is definitely in a motorhome.
The Most Freedom
The best way to see Europe is not just about the destination, but also about the journey.
Traveling in a motorhome offers the freedom to explore Europe on your terms, allowing you to change your plans at a moment’s notice and discover hidden gems along the way.The best way to see Europe on your terms is the motorhome experience, giving you total freedom.
Freedom is defined as the quality or state of being free, such as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. When travelling, pursuing freedom wherever possible is always desirable, but our preferences and fears naturally constrain it. We should accommodate our preferences while holding them loosely, but we should work at conquering our fears.
Most people are fearful of attempting the motorhome option. We want to do everything possible to show you that there is nothing to fear by listing the many advantages, starting with the freedom the motorhome offers.
Freedom to satisfy your own particular preferences
One of the main freedoms of motorhome touring is the freedom to plan according to our own preferences without needing to fit into any set structure. With little or no need for advance accommodation bookings, you are not tied to a fixed schedule.
You can decide to travel faster or slower, and although each option has advantages and disadvantages, you have the freedom to decide.
You have the freedom to include or exclude according to your preferences. Plan to visit every museum or avoid all museums. You can focus on any specific theme like architecture, history, culture or art. On one trip, we added a ‘Wall Art’ focus, so we visited some places with no other interesting attractions.
You have the freedom to include some adrenalin activities to vary the trip, or you can focus on adrenalin activities and have everything else as secondary.
You can visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany by hiking up or using a horse-drawn carriage, or for a very different experience and perspective, you can catch the Tegelbergbahn cable car and hike down the mountain to the castle.
You control your time and where you go and have every opportunity to take on extra adventures in the planning or execution phase.
Freedom to go anywhere when you Travel Europe
The best way to see Europe is in a motorhome, there are minimal restrictions. You can literally see anything and everything. Some countries in Eastern Europe are restricted due to conflict, potential conflict, or security risks, but other than that, everything is up for grabs.
You can see amazing places that are very popular, but you can also see amazing places that are not as popular because of their location and without the crowds of tourists.
Many alternative and obscure attractions are difficult to access and would generally not be considered. With a motorhome, they are just part of the experience, such as Etretat, Slovak Paradise, Njegos Mausoleum, Musee Robert Tatin and Passadiços do Paiva.
Freedom to stay longer or leave sooner
Advanced planning can be a hit-and-miss affair when you depend on the internet with only pictures and the opinions of others. You often only know how great or disappointing a place is once you have experienced it yourself. So, knowing that a motorhome gives lots of time flexibility is invaluable.
Depending on your real-world experience, you may want to spend more time in one place than planned or less time in a place that does not meet expectations. After discovering your preferences, you can adjust any aspect of your trip.
When travelling Europe in a motorhome, you will likely find an interesting town, place, market, or festival that you did not find in your initial planning. Changing your schedule to accommodate the additional time needed is as easy as just doing it! You can cut out other attractions, drive into the night, or make an early start to make up time.
Meeting locals and other travellers is part of any European trip, and both like to share their top must-see places. But what if this would mean changing the next sleeping spot? No problem; just adjust your schedule. It’s that simple because, with a motorhome, your accommodation goes wherever you go.
With a motorhome, your choices in the planning phase are not set in stone because you can change and adjust at any time during your trip adding to it being best way to see Europe
Freedom with overnight stops
There are many opportunities for free or low-cost overnight stops all over Europe, particularly in the central regions.
When we plan, one of the last things we worry about is where we will sleep and park. This is added when the route is set because there are many possibilities.
There are numerous opportunities for ‘Wild Camping’, which is camping where you can park for the night without any cost. This includes designated parking provided by towns, places identified by others as good overnight places, and opportunities you find during a trip.
Europe is said to be the home to some of the most picturesque peaks on the planet! Outside of winter months, free overnight parking is abundant near cable cars that will transport you to breathtaking views.
There is also a network of truck stops on most highways, ideal for a free overnight stop. Most truck stops have restaurants and shops.
Motorhome touring is huge in Europe, so there is extensive information on sleepover places all over Europe that are free or low-cost with pictures, ratings and recommendations.
Check out: Caramaps and Park4night
The Most Convenience
The motorhome experience gives you the most convenient package for touring Europe.
Convenience is defined as a quality or situation that makes something easy or useful for someone by reducing the amount of work or time required to do something. Some of the convenience benefits of a motorhome are obvious, but some might not be.
The Convenience of combined accommodation and transport
This is the main benefit of a motorhome: wherever you go, you always have your own kitchen, bed, shower, and toilet close by.
You can nap in your bed at any time during your trip. During a long drive, when you feel weary, you can stop anywhere and sleep. You can also drive while others are sleeping.
You are self-catering, so you can prepare snacks and meals anytime during a journey or in advance for a sightseeing day.
When sightseeing, you can also return for a nap, meal, change of clothes, battery charge, etc.
You can stop for the night any time and almost anywhere because you are totally self-contained and independent.
The Convenience of maximising available time
You unpack your luggage once for the whole trip, so none of that ‘living out of a suitcase’ curse.
There is no luggage to offload or pay to store between accommodations. There is no dragging luggage around and continually moving it between transport and accommodations.
After collecting the motorhome, there is only more booking in or booking out of different accommodations at the end of your trip. Consider just how much time and effort this alone saves!
You can start sightseeing very early before the crowds arrive and stay out as late as you want with the crowds.
You can start driving in the early hours of the morning or drive into the night to reach your next destination.
The Convenience of being independent
You have everything you need close at hand all the time. You are self-contained.
With a motorhome, as long as you drive regularly to charge your living area battery, you can go for long periods without external power.
Servicing the motorhome (fresh water, grey water, and toilet) is a half-hour stop every 2 to 3 days. There are ample servicing places available, and they are mostly free.
During our trips, we pay for a campsite stay, on average, once a week.
The Most Cost Effective
When considering budget travel the motorhome might not be the cheapest option but it is definitely the most cost-effective way and therefore the best way to see Europe.
Cost-effectiveness is defined as good value for the amount of money paid or producing good results without costing a lot of money. So even though there are cheaper ways to tour Europe, they all have limitations, and when all is considered, the motorhome is by far the most cost-effective.
Cost-effective flexibility
You can tailor your experience to your preferences and adjust the trip according to your affordability, fitness levels and the level of budget travel you want to achieve.
You can be selective about sites that have high entry fees because there are enough free or inexpensive places to see, particularly outside of the tourist trap areas, to satisfy anyone. Obviously, with the motorhome, they are easily accessible. We do not pay to go into churches unless they are particularly unique because there are countless free opportunities, and they are often similar.
Getting to out-of-the-way places is much easier and more cost-effective than pricy day trip tours. In addition, with the motorhome, you can spend the night in remote locations, often with amazing views.
Cost-effective food
Food is an unavoidable cost. Restaurants are costly, and takeaways are not particularly cheap. With the motorhome, you can have the best of both worlds by self-catering as much as you want. The full spectrum of eating out all the time or not at all is available for the whole trip or for certain countries.
Shopping at local stores and markets is very cost-effective and fun. You can shop like a local, sample some local cuisine, and experience the culture at the same time. With the motorhome, you have an adequate fridge and generous packing space for groceries.
You can even take over food items from home to reduce the cost of your food bill.
Our first trip was on a tight budget, so we took enough snack bars, pasta, packets of tuna, and other items for most of the trip. We purchased these over several months to spread the cost.
You can have a good meal anywhere, even at home, but you can only experience the sights and scenery that are unique to Europe when you are in Europe. Seeing as many as possible should be a priority.
After all is said and done, you can make your trip as cost-effective as you want to, but even if money is not an issue, the motorhome experience is still your best option.
Cost-effective pricing
When it comes to pricing, there are some things to consider when comparing different options, and we have added our perspective. The cost will vary depending on location, rental company, available deals, extras, etc.
To put the motorhome rental cost into perspective, it would cost much less than renting a mid-range car with unlimited mileage and staying in budget hotels.This is before all the cost savings already mentioned.
With that said, consider:
- Parking day and night with the rental car can be a substantial additional cost, if convenient parking can be found. In contrast, the motorhome can mostly be free or with a minimal cost and were you park is were your accommodation is.
- One of the biggest hindrances, from our experience, is the luggage burden, particularly when backpacking. You are continuously managing luggage storage or lugging it all over the place. With the advent of ride-hailing companies, this is easier but the motorhome is a one time unpack.
- With the train transport option, if you are looking at a Eurail train pass (2nd class) for one month covering the whole of Europe, the cost would be slightly less expensive than the mid-range car above, and where possible, overnight trips will save on accommodation.
- The bus would be the least expensive but with much less comfort, speed and convenience.
- The time and cost of getting from train/bus stations to your accommodation must be factored in with the previous two options.
- The Sharing Economy options sound tremendous but will always come with an element of obligation to fit in with your host. If your idea is to hang out with locals and, in the process, see some sights, this would be ideal. This is the one option we have not experienced, so this is only our opinion.
Our Conclusion
When all the advantages are considered, the motorhome option is not only the best logical, practical and emotional choice but, in our opinion, the only choice.
We hope you are convinced that the motorhome is the best way to see Europe and are eager to start working towards your own trip of a lifetime.
There is one more thing we are desperate to convince you of, something that is an essential addition to a motorhome trip, we call it The Game-Changer.
Talk to us
Have any questions?
We are always open to talk about your planning, trip or challenges and how we can help you!