RVing in Europe

Looks like Walmart camping.

The only positive way to look at that is to think of it as a motel room on wheels while you tour Europe.

Like the post about Walmart camping is being a pretty accurate description in general of most European type RV camping. In England, the caravan parks mostly look like an RV dealership lot here. Most are very jammed together places as we've been to and seen so many in the recent past. Our son owned a manufacturing company in the Midlands of England and we've toured by auto about 75% of England and Wales and seen them with our own eyes and been in a few. So many are so close together that an extended awning or an opened door is just inches from the next RV. We called it "stacked like cordwood"! I/we chuckle when hearing some people say/complain that the RV sites are toooooo close together here on this side of the pond!

On Monday Sept 22nd, my wifes cousin and his, looks like to be wife soon" will be coming to our home again. His 3rd time here and as many as 3 cousins have come as each has 3-4 weeks of vacation time and their visits start at Chicago O'Hare and then fly on to a different region of the USA and rent a car. It always includes a week or so in West Michigan before going back as this is where his immigrated relation lived beginning in the late 1800's. Last time he flew back out of New York.

He always remarks about how big the RV sites are in the USA and everything else too. They rented a car in Chicago after flying back from Vegas after 2 weeks in LA and SF and then drive around West Michigan. This year are taking the across Lake Michigan high speed catamaran ferry over to Milwaukee and drive back to O'Hare for their flight back to Germany. He want's to move here so bad but his parnets are still alive yet in Germany and he helps take care of them. Sold the family farm that was still in the family and had been passed down since 1721. None of the family members wanted to farm anymore! Sounds familiar!

Five trips to the UK since 2001, nine to Europe, most of what I've seen of RV camping, particularly motorhome camping, has been close together parking in a field, or on a parking lot, with little in the way of hookups. In some places these are clearings designated for RVs, in others it just looks like they've taken over a more general parking lot. And sometimes, shopping center parking lots, and highway rest stops.

Most crowded I've seen have been along waterways in Germany. Maybe they have the greatest number of motorized RVs and the least amount of space for their use. I have caravaning guides for France that list different categories, including campgrounds, public parking areas, and RV parks with facilities and amenities. There is at least one RV park in Rome, not too far outside the city walls, but it looks like a parking lot.

In addition to the type of camping indicated above we also saw nice creek and river side camping in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with and without hookups. The beach camping is Spain was kinda like the beach camping in California although I didn't pay attention to the hookups. We saw beach camping from a distance in Morocco but would be interested in hearing from someone who has camped in Morocco. Morocco is starting to gain non European Union snowbirds who can only stay 90 days in the Schenzig. That agreement has hurt the snowbird industry a little in Spain although most snowbirds there are from the Schenzig zone and the 90 days doesn't apply to them. We are thinking of splitting a winter between Spain and Morocco. We love Spain and Morocco is kinda cool. So much to explore in the world.

Nice to see some of those bigger rigs that can't fit/be pulled by Euro vehicles;).
Nicer still to note that it's not my imagination that one could be comfy in a unit less than 30'in length.

What cruise line did you take and would you recommend it to others, Bobbo?
I'd like to sign my mother and aunt up for a Euro river cruise:).

John & Angela wrote:
In addition to the type of camping indicated above we also saw nice creek and river side camping in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with and without hookups. The beach camping is Spain was kinda like the beach camping in California although I didn't pay attention to the hookups. We saw beach camping from a distance in Morocco but would be interested in hearing from someone who has camped in Morocco. Morocco is starting to gain non European Union snowbirds who can only stay 90 days in the Schenzig. That agreement has hurt the snowbird industry a little in Spain although most snowbirds there are from the Schenzig zone and the 90 days doesn't apply to them. We are thinking of splitting a winter between Spain and Morocco. We love Spain and Morocco is kinda cool. So much to explore in the world.

RVed in Catalonia some year back (also northern France)and and it made me a true lover of the country. Were I forced to give up residency in NYC I'd gladly move to Barcelona.

NYCgrrl wrote:

John & Angela wrote:
In addition to the type of camping indicated above we also saw nice creek and river side camping in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with and without hookups. The beach camping is Spain was kinda like the beach camping in California although I didn't pay attention to the hookups. We saw beach camping from a distance in Morocco but would be interested in hearing from someone who has camped in Morocco. Morocco is starting to gain non European Union snowbirds who can only stay 90 days in the Schenzig. That agreement has hurt the snowbird industry a little in Spain although most snowbirds there are from the Schenzig zone and the 90 days doesn't apply to them. We are thinking of splitting a winter between Spain and Morocco. We love Spain and Morocco is kinda cool. So much to explore in the world.

RVed in Catalonia some year back (also northern France)and and it made me a true lover of the country. Were I forced to give up residency in NYC I'd gladly move to Barcelona.

We enjoyed Barcelona. Cool city. Without a doubt they have their own culturer. We spoke primarily Castellano but took a shot at Catelan. Tried to prepare a bit while we were in San Sebastián but kinda crashed and burned in conversation. It's kind of a mixture of French and Spanish but really can't be approached that way. It was easier to just switch back to Castellano but they appreciated the effort. :).

Our favourite city was Sevilla and our favourite small city was San Sebastián. It wouldn't be a good snowbird location. Too far north. I think Sevilla would be okay in the winter. Amazing city. I would love to spend a winter there but alas 90 days is as long as we'll be able to spend there because of the Schengen rules.

Touring Spain (Madrid, Seville, Toledo, Granada, Barcelona) my favorite place was Valencia. It is just the right size, just the right atmosphere. For me.

Bobbo wrote:
DW and I just got back from 11 days on a river cruise in Europe. We hit 5 countries and saw lots of RVs. As a matter of fact, there are so many RVs that we saw this sign at the parking lot near the dock in Breisach, Germany.

Very Common sight going down the Rhine. Seem to many more motorised units than towables on European highways

John & Angela wrote:
We enjoyed Barcelona. Cool city. Without a doubt they have their own culturer. We spoke primarily Castellano but took a shot at Catelan. Tried to prepare a bit while we were in San Sebastián but kinda crashed and burned in conversation. It's kind of a mixture of French and Spanish but really can't be approached that way. It was easier to just switch back to Castellano but they appreciated the effort. .

That part of Spain is similar to Scotland as it wants to breakaway from Spain. Speak Catalan, as different as Portuguese

RobertRyan wrote:

Bobbo wrote:
DW and I just got back from 11 days on a river cruise in Europe. We hit 5 countries and saw lots of RVs. As a matter of fact, there are so many RVs that we saw this sign at the parking lot near the dock in Breisach, Germany.

Very Common sight going down the Rhine. Seem to many more motorised units than towables on European highways

John & Angela wrote:
We enjoyed Barcelona. Cool city. Without a doubt they have their own culturer. We spoke primarily Castellano but took a shot at Catelan. Tried to prepare a bit while we were in San Sebastián but kinda crashed and burned in conversation. It's kind of a mixture of French and Spanish but really can't be approached that way. It was easier to just switch back to Castellano but they appreciated the effort. .

That part of Spain is similar to Scotland as it wants to breakaway from Spain. Speak Catalan, as different as Portuguese

Yah I had a few of the basics down. Just did it to be polite but not a language I would learn. I'll stick with Castellano as it is much more universal, now the second most spoken language in the world.