I purchased a Volkswagen California Coast camper van in Germany. It was a factory order made in August 2017 with a delivery date of about 5 months. The purchase was a carefully made decision – type of motorhome, size and options were all well thought out. As the plan was to travel in Europe for 2 continuous years, having my bed and kitchen was the only economical way to travel. As important, having your vehicle allows maximal mobility to go and see anything. It turned out to be the perfect vehicle and camper for me – I can think of almost nothing I would add. A waste of money was the outside shower and the VW navigation system as Google Maps is so much better.
Gas or Diesel. If planning on driving outside of Europe, purchase a petrol vehicle. The pollution controls required in Europe cannot tolerate low-quality diesel – high sulphur diesel is what is available in Kurdistan Iraq and most of Africa. Ad Blue is also not available.
Make sure you get vehicle manuals in English – the German ones would not have been very useful.
Registration. This and insurance are guaranteed to be the biggest obstacles for any non-EU resident to own their vehicle in Europe. As a non-resident, you are not permitted to register a vehicle under your name. It is necessary to have an address to register a vehicle you need to be viewed as a tax-paying resident.
1. It is possible to buy export license plates that last a variable amount of time (6-12 months) and then the vehicle must be sold or taken off the continent. I have no experience with this. Many European companies (Volvo, BMW) allow you to buy a car and drive it around Europe before taking it home.
2. Private Address. If you have a friend in an EU country who will let you use his address, you must physically go to the local municipal office, be registered and then use this address to make the purchase official and register the vehicle. A bank account is also necessary as road taxes must be paid in each country (€500 in Germany, 250 in Belgium). Buying a vehicle in a country with a foreign language poses its issues (see below).
3. Some businesses carry the registration and insurance under a contract that states you bought, paid for and are the owner of the vehicle. The vehicle is then operated similarly to a lease. Vital to this is that you as owner, maintain physical possession of the Letter of Ownership and the bottom of the registration form – both are required to sell the vehicle.
This poses its problems as your name appears nowhere on either the registration or insurance. My registration was My California Rental Services. Crossing the border into countries that don’t allow rental vehicles (Turkey) was a problem – and I must have crossed this border 15 times. The ownership letter is crucial.
1. www.mycalifornia.eu. This Amsterdam-based company sells very low mileage VW Californias (usually about 1500kms) and a few other types of campers. They have a big list of stock vehicles and highly competitive prices (about €10,000 less than what I paid in Germany at a dealer) for more vehicle. I would avoid using a new VW dealer – it is very expensive and does not deal with registration issues.
Factory orders require 5 or so months and are recommended to get chosen options. Privacy glass (an after-market add-on) and the rear heater are important options. Many options can be added (floor mats, mud flaps, privacy glass, all-season or mud and snow tires, awning, and side window screens). Leather seats are recommended as the cloth material stains very easily – seat covers are mandatory).
Significantly, they also register vehicles and insure them, saving the hassle of needing a friend for an address. They deliver to the Amsterdam airport. With a business like this, all speeding and parking fines cannot be avoided. You will be 100% responsible for any fines throughout the EU – all countries participate in a common system.
However, the insurance they provided was with AG – it could not be worse.
2. www.dutchcampervans.com (Turner Motors) in Utrecht, Netherlands deal in used vehicles purchased in Holland. They can only obtain liability insurance.
3. BW Campers. This rental business has a blanket policy (used by Turner Motors above) but it is very expensive and again only covers liability.
Car Insurance. As a non-EU resident, insurance will be as big a problem as registration. Driving in Europe is an entirely different affair than in North America – speeds, narrow roads, aggressive drivers – and insurance companies recognize our high risk of accidents. As a result, it may be impossible to buy anything more than liability insurance and even that can be very expensive. All risk insurance is not available to non-EU residents.
Before a person can register a car, he or she must have proof of third-party liability coverage for all damage or injury to another person, car or object. While collision or comprehensive insurance isn’t required by law, most institutions financing the purchase of a vehicle do require it. This can raise the insurance bill considerably, and insurance is not cheap in Europe.
There are numerous factors in addition to coverage that influence the insurance price. Beginning drivers pay more than experienced drivers; those driving big, powerful cars pay more than those with more modest vehicles; those living in urban areas pay more than those in rural areas, and those who have been found liable in accidents pay more than those who haven’t. If you have a good driving record in your home country you can get credit for it here. The insurance agent may require a copy of your insurance record.
My experience has been mixed. My first California was insured by Allianz and in retrospect they were excellent. I had two accidents and they were quite efficient in dealing with them. The only confusing part was the money transfers were very slow in coming. The insurance was no-fault and had a €1000 deductible – cost ~€1000 for one year.
My second California was insured with AG Insurance in Belgium where I am registered. Cost ~€2150 for one year. Service could not be worse. I was hit by a drunk driver on New Year’s Day 2021 and as of July 2021, the vehicle is not repaired – AG has blocked the repair at every stage.
My second insurance policy did not cover several countries in Europe so check this out before purchase. Most border checkpoints check your vehicle insurance policy (“Green Card”) to make sure that you have insurance. Generally, they hold your passport while you purchase the insurance and then return it when they are satisfied. Countries not included were Albania, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iraq. But they did cover Turkey and Tunisia. It is generally not possible to buy insurance for at an insurance company for any of these countries. But every border has insurance agents that sell policies that cost a variable amount from €15-49. They generally only take cash. I have no idea as to the quality of the insurance.
During COVID-19, access to vehicles was not possible. Storage insurance is not available and expensive insurance and road tax must still be carried. One way around this is to deregister the vehicle. It must be in the Netherlands and off the street in storage. Because of the pandemic, some owners could deregister their vehicles even though they were outside the NL as long as it was not being driven. This depends on the company.
Payment. I paid for everything by bank transfer including insurance ahead of time. Use xe.com, the cheapest way to transfer money – much less than through your bank that have not only high service fees but also unfavourable exchange rates. Importantly conduct all transfers when in Canada as transfers to businesses when outside the country are more difficult. As I was spending so long away from home, xe refused to transfer money for me after a while.
Motor Vehicle Tax. Owners of motor vehicles must pay an annual Motor Vehicle Tax to the federal government. The amount of the tax is determined by the age of the car, type and size of the car engine, the type of fuel it uses, its emissions rating and country. Click here for more information in English about the Motor Vehicle with a link to a Motor Vehicle Tax Calculator (in German).
Motor Vehicle Registration, Inspection and Taxes. When visiting the local motor vehicle registry (Autozulassungsstelle) a person needs proof of ownership, proof of insurance and, if the car was purchased in Germany, the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, a document that is supposed to accompany the car through all owners from assembly line to scrap yard. The new or used car dealer from whom the car was purchased will usually handle the registration. The form has 2 halves and both must be present to sell the vehicle – so keep them separate.
Road taxes vary from country to country. Germany’s rates were twice those in Belgium. But Belgian insurance was twice that of Germany.
Here are some of the issues about what sort of camper you purchase.
1. Are you going to be in one place for a long time or constantly on the move?
I never stay anywhere long and desire to see something new virtually every day. As a result a vehicle that was easy to drive, handle and park and cheap on fuel was important. Besides the meals and sleeping, most of my time is spent outside the van. I don’t need much living space.
However, if you are going to stay for weeks at a time in a few locations, more luxury would be recommended and a large motorhome would be a better option. More headroom would be welcome. I never used the popup roof in my camper as it did not bother me to sit while cooking.
2. Ease of driving and parking?
In my first few months, there would have been hundreds of places I drove in Italy that would have been impossible with a larger vehicle than my van. Pulling a caravan (trailer in North America) would have been impossible in all these situations. A smaller van has much better handling than motorhomes. Pulling a trailer (caravan) has the worst handling and longest turning radius.
Length. A small turning radius and ease of parking is important. The California is 4.9m long.
Width. Many European streets are extremely narrow, one-lane roads. Even though my van is wider than many small cars, I was able to negotiate almost anywhere.
Height. Many parking areas are restricted to vehicles less the two metres high. My van is just under 1.9m. Some overpasses and tunnels have height restrictions.
Parking. Being able to park and sleep anywhere is key to the economy necessary to travel for long periods. Even this vehicle presents some parking problems.
3. Toilet. Some travellers demand a toilet and this explains why camper vans are uncommon compared to large motorhomes. My opinion is that they smell, take up a lot of space, and the sewage canisters must be emptied. They can be avoided by women learning how to use a peeing device like a She Wee or Go Girl (and many others).
4. Budget for Purchase? VW California’s depreciate very little and even old ones are expensive. I wanted full control of the options, so I elected to factory order my van and got exactly what I wanted. But the California is a very expensive vehicle. I made the mistake of purchasing my first one at a dealer – €63,000. My second one bought through MyCalifornia was €53,000 and had better options. I expect to sell it after using it for 4 years and not lose much.
For many, budget is relevant. Other camper vans are probably much cheaper and many second-hand motorhomes may be quite inexpensive.
An SUV with a tent on the roof is the option used by many overlanders. They have been customized by their owners with storage and kitchens. Having 4WD and high clearance would be important in Africa.
5. Cost of Fuel. Almost everywhere but in the British Isles, Sweden and a few others, diesel is cheaper than gasoline. I paid anywhere from €.33 in Azerbaijan, €.70 in Belarus, Armenia and Georgia, €.82 in Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine to €1.65 in Norway.
Diesel vehicles get better mileage. Smaller vans use less fuel than a large motorhome. A manual transmission is more fuel efficient.
Driving in a fuel-efficient manner is important. Don’t accelerate heavily. Use optimal gearing. The basic idea is to use your brakes as little as possible.
6. Kitchen. My California has a small sink (30l fresh water + a holding tank for grey water), a two-burner gas stove and a small refrigerator. The only draw of the fuel bottle is the stove and almost the only draw on the auxiliary battery is the refrigerator. Using the gas wisely (turning off as soon as the food is warm enough to eat and using a smaller flame most of the time) will make one small 5kg bottle last over 3 months. The refrigerator opens from the top so it is very efficient. There is a basket to improve storage. A solar system would be entirely unnecessary (and very expensive).
The table folds down to lie in front of the refrigerator cabinet. There are two cupboards with 2 shelves each and a utensil drawer – enough room to store all my dishes, cooking material and food.
I brought most of the pots, dishes and utensils with me from Canada using all the items I normally kayak or backpack with. Two bowls nest in 2 pots with a lid that sits on two plastic plates. I also brought an Outback oven that works over an MSR Dragonfly white gas stove, so can make pizza and bake.
7. Storage. The California has lots of storage space: 1. 2 glove boxes 2. Storage compartment (small) on top of the dash that holds the magnetic front side window covers 3. Closet with room for about 10 items on hangers. This cabinet also has a light, mirror and a small storage area for toothpaste etc. 3. Three small shelves in the left rear corner for clothes 4. Large drawer under the seats 5. The large overhead compartment on the inside rear roof. 6. Large area under the bed at the back that holds a filler hose, electrical cables, two backpacks, hiking shoes, a small storage box, and hiking poles and has room to spare.
I plan on adding a roof rack when I go to Africa (store Jerry cans of fuel, a 6th tire).
8. Heater. The California has a wonderful heater for the rear that runs off the diesel in the vehicle. It keeps the interior toasty warm. The small size of the van makes the heater very efficient. This makes the California a comfortable livable space and this a mandatory option.
9. Awning and camp chairs/table. Both will make spending time outside more enjoyable. The movable table and chairs in the California work very well. My second van didn’t come with an awning and I didn’t use it anyway.
10. Two side windows with screens. In warm weather, being able to sleep with open windows will make life more comfortable. My second van didn’t have a window in the sliding door. Ventilation is less. Bugs were surprisingly few throughout Europe but having a screen was essential in several places.
11. Privacy covers. The window coverings are well-designed. It takes about a minute to make the interior completely private. Magnetic curtains fit over the front side windows.
12. Tolls and Ferry costs. Tolls on highways in Europe are very expensive averaging about €1/10 kilometres. France, Italy and Norway charge tolls but it is variable elsewhere. The California is charged like a normal car whereas motorhomes pay double. Some toll booth agents want to charge it like a minibus, but it isn’t (explain that you only have seating for 4).
Likewise, on ferries, the charges for a motorhome will be considerably more
Diesel or Petrol?
At the time of the initial purchase, diesel was my only choice for its many advantages. But diesel vehicles in Europe have many pollution controls that make them more complicated. Ad Blue is a necessary additive – when you run out, the vehicle does not run. It is much more expensive when bought by the 10l jugs rather than at the pump. Ad Blue is not available in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia or Iraq in Europe/Asia and only in South Africa in Africa. To drive a diesel vehicle from Cairo to Cape Town would mean carrying at least 100 litres of Ad Blue and would fill up most of the cargo space in my California.
Not all Ad Blue is created equal. Buy at Shell stations.
Diesel Particulate Filter. This filter sits in the exhaust pipe and traps soot. Soot is not normally produced using high-quality gas (Shell or BP high-end diesel) and driving at high speeds on highways regularly. No taxi in Europe is diesel due to all the city driving and resulting problems with the DPF. A highway drive at speed once per week is necessary. High sulphur diesel plugs up the DPF almost instantly. A DPF for my California costs about €3500. It may be possible to clean the soot out.
Driving outside Europe. I drove into Iraq and filled up with diesel there. It was high sulphur. Cleaning up the mess took 4 days camped in a VW garage in Turkey and €800.
Most of Africa serves as a dumping ground for high-sulphur diesel from Europe. It would be impossible to drive a modern diesel vehicle with European pollution controls in Africa. As most of my future travels will be in Africa, my VW California is for sale.
TIPS ON CAMPING & TRAVEL
1. Sleuth (or Wild) Camping? After 24 months travelling everywhere in Europe but Russia and a lot of western Asia – as far as Baku, Azerbaijan, I think it is unnecessary to ever stay in a campground. I did for 1 week when in London, but this was poor value for money. The electricity hookup was unnecessary as a VW California uses power only for the LCD lights and the refrigerator which has a very low draw. The shower, toilets and dishwashing facilities were all useful, but at over 35£ per night (the minimum cost of camping around London), these were not worth the expense.
In some countries (Netherlands, Iceland and the Faroe Islands) staying outside of commercial campsites is illegal. Even though I was led to believe that you can’t just stay anywhere, I was not kicked out of my chosen sleeping spot, nor fined in any of these countries. Sometimes the locations were nice on the ocean with views but more often I stayed in McDonald’s and other American fast food stores, parking lots, shopping centres and lay-bys on highways. Staying anywhere on the street worked just fine. If I don’t raise the pop-up roof, the van does not look as if it is being slept in. I have blacked out rear windows so it is not obvious that anyone is inside even when the window blinds are not pulled down completely.
As a result, I never paid for camping. Campsites offer me little that I need but a shower and thus are poor value for money spent.
After 19 months, I was asked to move twice – to a Catholic church lot in the Outer Hebrides and in front of a restaurant in Serbia.
2. WI-FI. I need wi-fi at least every 2-3 days. McDonalds, KFC and Burger King have been my main sources and they are everywhere. I stay in McDonald’s lots more than anywhere else especially in Italy and France where wifi is not common in coffee shops – primarily for the wifi I need for this website (I spend an average of 3 hours a day working on my posts and doing the research for the next day). This is the only place I have found dependable and free wifi (although on my second time in Italy, when driving the large tolled expressways, there was good free wi-fi at the service areas provided by both Autostrada and Autogrill, the common restaurant). Fast food restaurants also provide a warm and comfortable place to sit on cold evenings. I use them for water, garbage disposal, power to keep my computer going and a bathroom.
At home, I never eat at McDonald’s as I don’t like their food. Except for a few deals that depend on the country you are in (€1 coffee and sundaes in Germany, £1 McFlurries in the UK) the food is much more expensive than in North America.
For those of you who sneer at staying in a McDonald’s lot, I will challenge to find that ideal camping spot that you visualize and can often find in Canada (especially BC): on a beach, on a lake, in beautiful trees in a park, a place with wonderful views…. well they don’t exist as every nice place has a house on it. If it is not private and is nice, it will have no camping signs and it would be common to be kicked out in the middle of the night. In campgrounds, you are cheek-to-jowl with other vehicles.
I have only been asked to buy something at one McDonald’s (in Luxembourg City, also one of the busiest I have been to, still packed at 3 am). In Europe, they are a popular hang-out spot for teenagers and young adults and I am amazed at how popular they are – even in France and Italy, supposedly the gourmet capitals of the world. It is not uncommon to see packed parking lots, 20 cars in the drive-through and standing room only in McDonalds.
But the more I travel, I can get wi-fi at a wide variety of places – most restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, gas stations, a wide range of businesses and many cities have free wi-fi that is not password encrypted. If it is, simply buy something cheap or even go in and ask for their password and they will usually give it to you.
3. Toilet. I would prefer a vehicle without a toilet – the camper can be much smaller and I don’t like the odours. As a man, it is easy to pee almost anywhere. I often use gas stations, museums, palaces and restaurant toilets.
4. Pee bottle. This is a must. A toilet is not always available. It is not convenient to get up and get dressed to use the bathroom at night. For women, urinary aids like the “She Wee” or “Go Girl” (and countless others) allow women to urinate in a van.
Being able to have convenient bowel movements can be an issue. One has to take advantage of public washrooms, restaurants, coffee shops, service stations, highway layovers and museums. Toilet paper has always been available. Squat toilets are not uncommon in Sicily, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
5. Showers. This is possibly the biggest issue when travelling in a camper without a shower or bathroom. Using a powerful antiperspirant like Drysol makes showering daily unnecessary.
The most common showers have been in the following locations.
Swimming Pools. Virtually any larger town has one, they are clean and have unlimited hot water. Plus there is nothing clandestine about using them – you pay your money and have your shower +/- a swim. These are your best bet but tend to be one of the more expensive options.
Highway Service Centres. On the large freeways in France, Germany and Great Britain (and much less often in Italy, nonexistent in Greece, Turkey and most Balkan countries), there are large service centres with gas, convenience stores, restaurants, and virtually always showers. The charge is free to up to 3€. Leave your car key as a deposit on the key to the shower and there is virtually unlimited hot water. Some are new, spotless and large, others not so great, but they are a great option in some countries.
Sports Complexes. These are common, clean and very dependable – just walk in and use the facilities.
Marinas. Many have visiting sailors docking at them and have shower facilities. Some require a password and charge.
Campgrounds. All will have shower facilities and some require coins to operate. But again this makes for very expensive showers. It would be easy to park outside most campgrounds and have ‘stealth’ showers – this just takes a little nerve.
Solar Showers. I have a 10-litre MSR Dromedary bag with a shower attachment – a good option in warm weather.
Outside Shower in my van. My VW California has an outside shower (a very expensive option in retrospect) and I don’t expect to use it much. It comes with a shower curtain for privacy but am not sure where I would use it. This is another warm-weather option.
6. Diesel. Europe has many emission control laws. All new vehicles must have Ad Blue (a urea compound with its tank) and they have a DPF, a diesel particulate filter (basically a soot trap that is in the exhaust pipe) that is very expensive to replace (€35000-4000). Because the DPF gets clogged if only city driving, diesel is not used by taxis in Europe unless they drive at high speeds regularly.
Things that are bad for a DPF: 1. poor diesel, either contaminated or of lower quality (Iraq). 2. low quality oil especially with mineral or semi-synthetic components. 3. overfilling oil. 4. low-quality Ad Blue. 5. City driving only.
If the DPF gets clogged, your vehicle will stop running and needs to be regenerated – either by driving at high speeds with good fuel or getting it cleaned at a VW dealer which is expensive.
The best gas is Shell V-Power or BP Ultimate, the best oil is Castrol Edge Professional and buy Ad Blue only at reputable places.
Ad Blue
7. Gas (Propane or Butane). As I travelled throughout Europe and Western Asia, this became one of the big negatives for buying a VW California. The California uses only Campingaz (Coleman fuel or butane) available in 2.5kg non-refillable blue tanks (B 907). They are widely available in Western Europe (but not elsewhere – see below) at “camping gas” stores that may also sell barbecues or at camping stores. Simply exchange your tank for a new one for €24-36. Buy new tanks at J Leclerc in France and Italy for €50 as they are €95 elsewhere. As they are not refillable, it is not possible to refill them at large gas suppliers (like BOC) and no propane dealers have these tanks. It is considerably more expensive than propane where €20-25 will purchase about four times the amount of propane.
The Campgaz.com website is of variable success in finding distributors. You must put in the filter for the B907 tanks as most places in Southern and Eastern Europe show they have CampingGaz but not the B907 tank and only the small containers suitable for backpacking.
It is necessary to have two tanks at a minimum. You don’t know when the tank is low and about to run out. You may be in countries where it is not available. When I go to Africa, I will buy a third tank and also use normal propane for cooking outside.
As I travelled throughout Europe, getting gas became a real issue. Countries that do not have the B 907 tanks include all of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland), Eastern Europe except Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia (available at Matkasport, a camping/hiking store and Espak, a building supply store), Greece, Hungary, Balkans, Romania and none of the Middle East. I ate salads for a long time saving my gas for coffee. In Turkey, I bought a normal propane cylinder and used that.
My tank lasts almost about 10 weeks when cooking 95% of my food in the van. And that includes a lot of coffee. It is important to use the stove efficiently: only heat the amount of water you need (often one cup of coffee), turn the stove off immediately after the food is at the right temperature, and use lower flames.
A real issue is the connection can jiggle loose, especially on rough roads. It is very important to use the foam wedge between the tank and container wall inserted firmly. Tighten the connection as firmly as possible and check every few days that it is not getting loose. When the connection is only partly loose, the gas leaks out and will empty your tank quickly. This creates not only a dangerous situation but you lose your expensive gas. I was back to eating salad and the worst was that I had no coffee until I bought normal propane in a separate tank.
7. Mapping Aids
These are essential to navigate foreign countries, especially in cities. Travelling alone with no human navigator makes them doubly essential. Road signs seem to disappear at many intersections.
Google Maps. This has become my favourite (and I’m sure many others) as it lists businesses and has generally good routing. But it occasionally has a blind spot for some attractions that I could find on my VW maps. Maps must be downloaded to operate offline. If you don’t have the proper offline map, it searches and then says “Can’t find a way there”. This can be frustrating as it always updates all the maps on file thus taking a long time and using a lot of data. Delete any maps you may not be using before starting a download. Each map lasts 30 days and then must be updated.
The best holder attaches to the vent wings of the ventilation system – it is more out of the sun so you get less overheating and glare and is more accessible. Plug in the USB and it shows on your vehicle screen, but I prefer to have it on my phone. Use Bluetooth to connect.
Google Maps has many quirky ways of doing things. It is often worthwhile to check the immediate route as there may be more efficient ways to go. The main routing issue is that it quickly reroutes you if you deviate – sometimes so quickly that you may not have noticed. This is helpful in one-way situations like expressways or in cities but it never says “You have gone the wrong way, make a U-turn”. Instead, it reroutes you using roads, sometimes several kilometres (once 40 km) to return you to the same spot rather than simply turning around when convenient.
It has taken me on some impassable roads including bicycle paths. walking paths through woods, impossible 4WD roads and often through towns on slow roads to save a few yards of driving. You must be online to get walking routes.
Find your destinations, save and bookmark them, then plan your itinerary. I once used the three types of bookmarks to show different destinations. The “favourite” bookmark with a red heart symbol listed all the destinations that had a specific address. However several times this “favourite” bookmark disappeared losing all your bookmarks except the “want to go” green flag and the “starred places” yellow star. Use favourites sparingly as this seems to be the one that disappears.
In Kosovo, Iraq and Turkey near the Iraq border, navigation using a mapping system is not available. You then must drive on Preview to find the destination and route but doesn’t reroute, scale down or indicate turns. The map must be moved manually and doesn’t refresh so the screen needs to be touched to “reactivate”.
A few times (in new road construction) there is no route and you drive through a “blank” country. This happened in Albania and Nagrono.
Maps Me. I have this on my phone and it is free. It is an alternative if Google Maps doesn’t work, but the maps are small and get to be a pain to download so many. Pay €4 and all the ads are removed.
Volkswagen Maps. My California has this for Western & Eastern Europe, but I wish I had not wasted the money. It has businesses in its data but they are not convenient to use. Most attractions are there and navigating by postal code is very efficient. An advantage is that the directions appear on the info screen in the centre of the dash.
Garmin. I initially started my journey with a Garmin dash-mounted GPS. It was easy to operate and found businesses well. But it had a strong preference for large motorways and took me on some very roundabout routes to miss secondary roads. It also occasionally took me on wild goose chases on very steep, narrow lanes in Italy where there is a high danger of damaging your vehicle (which I did once scraping the paint around the right rear wheel).
8. Grocery Stores – The German stores, Aldi and Lidl are in most countries of most of Europe and offer the best savings, although they do not have as complete a selection as larger supermarkets. There is a significant difference in the prices charged. In the UK, in order of price, all with a good selection of everything is Tesco, Supervalue and Sainsbury’s (not common in Ireland). Spar is also expensive but functions more as fast food with a poor selection.
9. Inverter. It is necessary to change the vehicle’s 12-volt electricity to 110 or 220 to charge electronics. Most small devices (phones, Kindle, electric toothbrush) charge with USB available in all modern vehicles but my computer needs a higher amperage plug. I brought a 300-watt inverter with me from home and it does the job admirably. It also gives me another USB source.
I would like to be able to use other small household tools like a hand blender but it would exceed the 150-watt draw recommended for the vehicle.
10. Telephone. Find a network that operates in most places in Europe giving you free roaming. I purchased a Vodafone plan. But there are many countries without Vodafone (the Balkans). There you need to register on a local network. Unfortunately, you don’t have access to data on the networks in most Balkan countries. There are also places (sometimes with a Vodafone network like Ukraine and Turkey) where roaming is not free and these get very expensive. Once registered Vodafone gives you a message with the rates for phone and data use and these can be very expensive. Make sure to turn off you data when not needed.
11. Language. I couldn’t have realized what a significant issue not being language would be. By starting out in Germany, my car insurance is in German. When I had an accident, I couldn’t figure out even what my policy was, what it covered and contact details. It was impossible to renew my Vodafone subscription – Google Translate does ok on the first page, but then everything reverts to German. Eventually, I purchased with Vodafone Ireland and have kept that number now for over a year. For €20/month, I get more than enough data, unlimited texts and 100 minutes of phone calls. My car salesman didn’t speak a word of English but he is such a good guy and makes such an effort, that we do fine in the long haul. But it would still be easier if he spoke English. Thank god I had the foresight to get English manuals for my VW California.
So in the end, I would suggest buying a camper and registering it in a country with better fluency in English than Germany – Netherlands or Scandinavia might be better – but then most documents would still be in the native language. The British Isles would not be a good choice as the steering wheel would be on the “wrong side”.
PARKING CLOCK. In most European countries it is required to have this small “clock” affixed to the lower right inside of your vehicle’s windscreen. When you leave your vehicle, set the time to when you departed.
Many parking zones have time limits when parking is free and this tells the parking attendant when you park. Without it, you will ALWAYS get a parking ticket. With one, you lessen the chances, depending on the time allowed to park, when the attendant checks and if payment is required.
DRIVING
The highway systems in Italy and France are over-the-top – big expensive to build freeways that are all tolled. In Italy, elevation change on the large freeways is minimal with tunnels through any mountain and long bridges over any valley. Overpasses are everywhere. Spain is similar – it is no wonder these countries have large deficits. But I think the best highways in the world are in Turkey – 4-lane divided almost everywhere and if not, in construction – and almost no tolls.
Tolls get very expensive, but in most areas, are the only way to get anywhere. If you make a wrong turn, they can take you up to 100 km to get back on track (the need for toll booths makes access limited).
The service centres (gas, convenience stores, restaurants) on these roads are also very expensive – gas is much more and food exorbitant. But these centres often have inexpensive showers.
Speed limits in Germany (autobahns) and Italy (autostradas) are meaningless and the fast lane is to be avoided as they can be very dangerous with vehicles going 200km/hour.
Besides the crazy drivers in Italy, those in Romania, most of Eastern Europe and The Middle East were worse. On the other extreme, drives in Scandinavia are so cautious they are frustrating the other way.
But driving on secondary and tertiary roads gets extremely frustrating. Want to drive next to the ocean for those great views of rolling surf? Don’t bother – the roads rarely are right on the water (they are also rarely continuous here as they get broken up by rivers and rocky headlands) but more likely a few blocks inland. Towns are almost continuous on the water and local traffic, lights, pedestrians and cyclists make for very slow travel. Where there are fewer towns, traffic circles control every intersection and make for slow travel. Speed bumps (especially in France) also slow you down significantly.
The British Isles, Germany and many others have no tolls. Countries with tolls include Belarus and Norway. Norway has no toll booths and uses overhead gantries loaded with cameras to automatically bill you. You should register online and submit your credit card number. Bulgaria has a road tax purchased at gas stations (fines were €35 for not having it; locals get a vignette for their windshield but short-term purchases get a simple receipt)
Secondary roads all over Europe (but especially in Britain) usually have no shoulders and are narrow and also don’t have bicycle lanes or separate paths. Cyclists are common on the road and thus take up the lane – I found them very frustrating – cyclists must all have a death wish. Access to secondary roads is easy though. In Britain, one-lane roads are common in rural areas and require small passing places to pass another vehicle.
Drivers. All are much more impatient than in North America. The Italians must be the worst drivers I have ever seen – they all drive well over the speed limit, cut corners, don’t stay in their lane and worst of all follow too close. They are also very impatient and rude. Romanians and the Middle East may be the most difficult as they drive fast everywhere and end up blocking lane changes. The English come next – this causes problems as the roundabouts pose many problems – some are three lanes across and you need to be in the correct lane on entering and exiting. Romanians drive very fast.
Gas prices. Diesel is cheaper everywhere except in the British Isles and Sweden where it averages 3p more. The following prices are for diesel (gasohol in France) in price per litre: Azerbaijan .33, Iraq .50 (but very low-quality diesel), Georgia, Armenia and Belarus €.70, Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine €.82. Luxembourg and San Marino €1.06.6, Latvia and Lithuania €1.12, Germany 1.14€ but prices are based on some algorithm and vary throughout the day and the week. France €1.23 is not uncommon. Italy averages in the 1.38 – 1.41 range. And the British Isles is over the top with prices ranging from 1.26£. – 1.36£ on the major highways (2018 prices), Finland €1.33, Sweden €1.46 and Norway €1.61 and more.
Never buy gas on major highways at the service centres as the prices average 10% more, so plan on buying gas in towns. Gas stations associated with grocery stores is the cheapest.
Speed Limits. Much of Europe is a big speed trap with cameras everywhere. It is deceiving after driving at autobahn speeds on the expressways, especially in Germany and Italy – and then you enter towns with speed limits of 50-60km/hour, often with no warning that the speed has changed.
The basic rule is to slow to 50 at every town as the only indication of the limit is often the sign indicating the town. This is where you must be careful. Some countries like Switzerland are very strict and give tickets if as little as 1km over the speed limit but everywhere varies. Fines in Italy are very high.
Sweden and Latvia warn you that a camera is coming up. Finland has the most difficult speed traps – many signs that there is a camera but you don’t know where – the only way to drive here is to obey all speed signs.
The European Union has a system allowing prosecution and collection across all countries so the message is: DON’T SPEED. Watch the signs carefully as speed limits can change very fast and be as slow as 30km/hour in urban areas.
The only defence is to use cruise control even for very slow speeds. My original van did not have this but my new one does.
Some countries don’t have radar cameras but police have speed “traps” – most of the Balkans, and Eastern Europe.
TRAVEL DISCOUNT PASSES. Students, senior citizens and handicapped people pay less, especially in Britain. Always ask as it may not be evident that a ‘concession’ is applied. In continental Europe, age concessions generally apply only if 67 or older, but age concessions are variably available.
Especially if you are travelling over large distances and not taking days off, travel passes can be very good deals. The Overseas Visitors Pass (England only) is especially good value – I may have used it for 3 times its purchase price. Explore Pass for Scotland is more expensive and usable for only 7 days out of the 14 it is valid for. Not nearly as many good places are covered but I found it great value in the Orkney Islands where I used it in 5 places in one day. The Museum Card in the Netherlands was an incredible deal, giving free access to over 400 museums for 31 days for €56 (I used over 4x its value). Many cities have museum passes also offering free public transport and savings on other attractions but look to see if they are still cost-effective.
Almost all cities have museum cards that are great deals. They usually include transportation. For example, the Copenhagen Card was also a great deal – the 120-hour card cost DK899 and I used it for DK2245.
