Travelling through Europe in a motorhome: How to plan your European itinerary

Travelling through Europe in a campervan or motorhome

If you are new to the world of campervan hire, however, the details and the pre-planning will be what could ultimately save you from a disaster.  The last thing you need is an administrative issue threatening your plans.

Once we have done all the upfront planning, it’s freedom from then on.  From the moment we pick up the campervan, there are no real plans or rules.  There are just places to go, experiences to be had, and plenty of food and beverages to be consumed.

There is nothing quite like the freedom of slow travel, travelling wherever you like and staying for as long as you like.  If we love a place, we’ll stay longer.  If we don’t, then we simply move on.

You can read all about our campervan and motorhome road trips in Europe here >> Motorhome and Campervan travel

Planning a motorhome travel itinerary for Europe 

The level of detail that goes into planning an itinerary will depend largely on the amount of time you have to spend.  It’s kind of done in reverse.  If you are only spending a short amount of time in the campervan or motorhome, then the level of planning is usually considerably more, so as to ensure that you git in as much as you can, or want.  I will stress though, that on paper, Europe can be ever so enticing. 

It’s easy to get over-excited and want to cram as many of those beautiful cities and areas in as possible.  If you are new to motorhome life, or to driving a motorhome, it might be best to limit the amount of driving.  Big days, day after day, of driving can be incredibly exhausting and opens up room for driving error,  irritability and a general loss of enjoyment. 

It is also worthy to note that distances and times given by apps such a Google Maps should only ever be used as a guide.  Notwithstanding traffic issues or events such as protests that are a constant part of the French landscape, driving always takes longer in a motorhome.

If you are driving on the autoroutes, your trip time will be considerably less, but possibly more expensive where tolls are involved.  If you are on the country roads, the time taken to travel is much longer than the app will ever tell you. 

The mapping apps don’t take into account the size of the vehicle you may be driving or the level of confidence or experience of the driver.  All of these factors will impact the speed at which you can drive.  Add in some mountain ranges and steep roads where you are driving close to the edge and I can guarantee you that you won’t be driving fast.

Tip: Always add additional time to your driving route to ensure you don’t become stressed or frustrated at the driving time.

Europe is an amazing place to road trip in a motorhome and it’s quite simply why we keep coming back over and over again.  The (current) ease of crossing many of the country’s borders without any regulation makes it easy to pop in and out of countries.  Do note however that you need to be aware of where and how you might cross a border and ensure that you do have the appropriate paperwork if necessary.

Some travellers have very clear ideas about where they want to start and end their trip, others less so.  As a starting point consider the following when thinking about your itinerary.  If you own your own motorhome and time isn’t an issue then planning will be more flexible.  However, if you are hiring, these kinds of questions should be considered before you actually hire, and pay for, a motorhome.

Before you make a hiring decision, read our Ultimate guide to hiring a motorhome in Europe.  It’s a comprehensive guide to all the questions you need to think about prior to making the decision to hire.

If you aren’t sure what size motorhome you might need, take a peek inside a campervan to get a feel for the amenities and space.

There are even more tips here in our article on how to ensure you have a successful campervan pickup.  Most people don’t even think about what might be required until they arrive at the depot.  Depending on who you hire with and the time of year, this process can be chaotic and the end result will be you getting rushed out the door without having checked over the vehicle properly.  That’s why it is important you have a checklist in your head before you arrive.

How much does it cost to drive a motorhome around Europe?

I get many questions about the cost of running campervans and motorhomes, particularly as it relates to fuel and camping costs.

Of course, everything is relative, and everyone has a very personal opinion on what represents good value and what is expensive/inexpensive.  Ultimately, it all comes down to personal circumstance and where you see the value.

What I constantly remind myself of is that I can’t expect everything to be the same as it is at home, and that goes for cost.  Things are going to cost more or less wherever I travel.  Often my own currency is not strong against the Euro or the US dollar either.  What I use as a comparison however is the cost of alternatives.

So, in this case, the alternatives are the cost of hotels and other accommodation, car hire or other transport.  I have mentioned before that a campervan is our accommodation, our transport and often our restaurant, so I am sure to benchmark accordingly.

One of our motorhome trips, lasting 42 days, cost us on average, €133 per day.  This is inclusive of our campervan hire, fuel and camp fees.  I have not included food as this is highly variable, and we eat and drink very well when we are travelling.  On average, we would spend a lot more on food, wine and beer than a lot of people would.

We are not budget travellers so I can honestly say that we have certainly paid this amount (and more) for a hotel room before, and then had to add everything else on top.

For those that love the detail (and I know there are plenty of you), the following provides you with a snapshot of where we drove showing how easy it is to get to some really great places without having to drive all day.

Campervan running costs

There’s no getting around this cost.  If you hire a campervan and drive it, you will eventually need to refuel.  But, surprisingly, it never feels as though this is a constant activity.  Given the size of the vehicles, they are very efficient.

It is important to note that the price of fuel can differ broadly from country to country, area to area.  Fuel costs have also seen increases of about 20% on average over the past four years.  Fuel is also more expensive on motorways than in the small towns.  Always only use these as a guide as prices are always subject to change.

If you are hiring a motorhome, this is the main running cost.  Other costs such as replacement gas or toilet chemicals are usually relatively small in comparison.

Looking to do a road trip in the USA?  Here’s some more detail on how to get yourself ready for your big trip.

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Please note: Beer and Croissants provides accurate information at the time of writing but makes no representations or provides any warranty or coverage of liability for bookings made with France Motorhome Hire or any other hiring company.

In the spirit of full disclosure, any bookings made through Beer and Croissants with France Motorhome Hire will generate a small commission, but will not cost you any more. In fact, by working with this company, we hope to bring you special offers from time to time.  We do, however, always pay the full hire of any of our FMH hires ourselves.