Travel planning - For a relaxing camping trip

Travel planning is of course the basis of every road trip - planning is fun and the anticipation of the holiday increases with every second during the research! Nevertheless, you should consider a few things when planning your trip so that in the end your trip is as relaxing and exciting as you imagined. In the following we would like to give you a few important tips based on personal experience:

1.             The travel destination

You certainly already have one or more travel destinations in mind. Nowadays social media are flooded with ideas for the next trip. And that's exactly what you should take advantage of in order to have a plan B ready for Corona times. We assume that camper trips to most European countries will be possible in summer 2021. Nevertheless, it makes sense to think about alternative destinations or routes and not to focus on a specific goal. Because the biggest advantage of a vacation in a camper is the flexibility J

Tip # 1: Travel locally and rediscover your own homeland. The Alps in the south and the beautiful coasts in the north. There is still so much to discover in your own country!

Tip # 2: Don't undertake too much on site or on the way there. Otherwise your trip will end in the stress of travel without really having time to enjoy and relax.

2.             Distances

Being on a road trip often means driving long distances. Once the destination is set, most people go to google maps to plan their route. On a laptop or smartphone, distances and estimated travel times usually don't look very dramatic. But in reality, some campers sometimes spend more time in the car than outside in nature. How does that happen, despite all the technical aids and planning?

Waiting for ferries, traffic jams, delays, driving into car trains, pee breaks, lunch breaks, border / customs controls, bad weather conditions, mountain passes, photo stops, unplanned stops, diversions, construction sites, and much more.

All of these things and more are added to the planned travel time according to Google Maps. Thus, a planned travel time of 5 hours quickly turns into 8 hours or more. Personally, it took me more than 8 hours to get to South Tyrol unexpectedly or just under 4 hours for just 100 km in Switzerland J

Tip # 1: Plan for manageable daily stages and be happy about the time you have gained should you make better progress than you thought.

Tip # 2: Plan in more time, because you often discover the most beautiful things and landscapes on the way to your destination. And if there is not enough time for a camper coffee break with the camera, that would be a shame J

3.             Length of stay

"On the first day we drive there, stay one night at the campsite and continue the next morning so that we can catch the ferry at noon" That always sounds easy in advance when planning, but such a tight schedule can quickly end in stress. See above under point 2 J In addition, campsites also have their opening and rest times which must be observed. Otherwise you stand in front of closed barriers. We often get feedback from tenants that in the end they would have liked to stay longer because it was surprisingly nice there but then unfortunately didn't have time. And I've personally felt the same way at one point or another.

Tip # 1: Better to stay a day longer and enjoy the free time exploring, hiking or simply reading a good book in the hammock - without having to pack and unpack every day. Enjoyment and everything around it tend to fall by the wayside.

Tip # 2: As I said, take your time! Rent a parking space a little longer and leave earlier if necessary. Many places even actively offer this at check-in. Often you discover more great things on site, or the weather is better than expected and it opens up new opportunities on site - when the parking space is already taken or reserved, it is annoying.

Conclusion: Less is sometimes more - take your time, you deserve it J