TRAVEL TIPS FOR EUROPE
ABOUT
A 6 Month Adventure of Curiosity & Intuition ~ Travelling in My Van Though Europe, the Balkans and the Baltics, with a Focus on National Parks and Preserves.
COUNTRIES VISITED: Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany. Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia & Herzgovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania,
Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic.
PURPOSE: Checking out longer term van life in Europe
TYPE: Solo… until I adopted a charming street dog, Bella, in Serbia!
ROUTE: Recorded on Polarsteps - see spreadsheet.
DISTANCE: 13,000 miles
WEATHER: Spring, Summer & Fall - all types of weather were encountered during this extended time period.
COMMENT: Visited 48 National Parks & Preserves - this was an awesome experience!
TO SEE FULL LIST OF STATS CLICK HERE.
TRANSIT
AIRLINES: United
DESTINATION: Brussels, Belgium
TRANSPORT: Train to Antwerp, taxi to port - to pick up the van.
FIRST NIGHT: In my van at a Stellplatz in Germany!
COMMENT: It was a seamless trip from the airport to the port, and easy peazy picking up the van.
ROUTE
APPS USED: Polarsteps to record route. Google Maps, Mapy.com and Gaia GPS provided additional navigation.
NAVIGATION: Starlink Mini (unlimited monthly $160) in the dashboard for WIFI connectivity. This was a game changer - always had service! No sim cards needed!! On hikes I used Gaia GPS with satellite tracking - my phone was always on airplane mode.
ITINERARY: Used Chat GPT for a list of National Parks. Marked the parks with stars on Google maps. Visited 48 National Parks and Preserves.
TRANSPORTATION: 2016 Ford Camper Van
FUEL COST: $28/day for 13,000 miles over 183 days
TIME FRAME: May – October 2025
SHIPPING: Shipped van from Baltimore, Maryland to Antwerp, Belgium with Seabridge Shipping. The cast was 2,700 euro each way + insurance was an additional 300 euro each way.
INSURANCE: European vehicle insurance: Tourinsure ($738 for 3 months). In non EU countries I bought insurance at the border. The minimum was 2 weeks at a price ranging between 15 to 50 euro.
LICENSE: AAA International Drivers License
VIEW ADDITIONAL MAPS IN TRAVEL JOURNAL.
SLEEP
ACCOMODATIONS: In the van!
AVERAGE ONE NIGHT COST: Mostly free camped at parks, trailheads, cemeteries. Also stayed with family and friends.
EAT
FOOD: Food prep in van (big fridge). Shopping at local grocery stores, farmers markets and DM Drogerie for organic staples.
FOOD COST: $22/day
MISC.
ADOPTING BELLA - the Serbian street dog!
An EU passport is required - it documents a dogs chip, rabies shot with follow-up for Distemper and other vaccinations.
Bella also received parasite, flea & tick treatments.
For the flight to the U.S. Bella flew in cargo on KLM - they have temperature control in cargo. Lufthansa offers the same service but was more expensive.
A customs broker is required for U.S. entry, as well as an import form from the CDC (free).
TO SEE FULL LIST OF STATS INCLUDING ADOPTION COSTS CLICK HERE.
PREP & INFO
Contact shipping company - book 2-4 weeks in advance. Seabridge Shipping required the following documents: original title, registration, passport, weight & measurement of vehicle
Vehicle is in transit for 1 month - which includes 2-3 days at the port in Baltimore and 3-4 days at the port in Antwerp for Customs, etc.
EU insurance company: TourInsure for 3 months in the EU.
Download countries in Google maps.
Chat GPT was great for a list of National Parks.
No Visa required for U.S. citizens visiting Europe.
The van can stay 180 days in EU/Schengen countries and a tourist can stay maximum 90 days (not consecutive) within a 180 day period in EU/Schengen countries. My trip was designed as 1 month Schengen, followed by 3 months non-Schengen and then 2 months Schengen.
The Schengen Area consists of 29 member states within the EU that have open borders with each other.
Starlink Mini was an internet availability game changer!
