02/10/12

Joe: We recently toured Europe in a motorhome with an RV caravan company. The caravan, consisting of 15 rented motorhomes, was our first trip to Europe. We spent the month of May traveling through Germany, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. We thought we would share our observations about what it is like to RV in Europe.

European RVs are different. Our motorhome was an 18-foot class-C model. It was powered by a four cylinder turbocharged diesel engine and had a five-speed manual transmission. The motorhome cruised the autobahn at 60 miles per hour, climbed the Alps quite nicely, and delivered about 24 miles to the gallon. Diesel fuel, by the way, cost about $2.75 per gallon (at home it was about $1.40 per gallon). Gasoline was considerably more expensive.

Vicki: The motorhome's interior was remarkably space efficient. A queen-size bed rested above the driver's compartment. A dinette and bathroom took up the driver's side of the coach. A hanging locker, gas/electric refrigerator, countertop with cupboards and drawers underneath and the side entry door filled up the passenger side. A combination gas/electric water heater and furnace was located below the hanging locker. The kitchen sink and a two burner propane range occupied the countertop along the rear wall. Cupboards lined the walls. The interior absorbed the contents of our four suitcases, plus all the gifts we purchased during the tour and still had plenty of room to spare. There was even space for a television set but none of our rigs had one.

Joe: The motorhome had an 18-gallon fuel tank, two propane tanks, a 39 gallon fresh-water tank and a 32 gallon gray-water tank. The black-water tank was actually a removable canister about the size and shape of a small, carry-on suitcase. It occupied an outside compartment where it made a clean, water-tight connection with the bottom of the bathroom's marine toilet. Removing the canister to empty it was simply a matter of lifting a locking mechanism and pulling the canister out of its compartment. Miraculously, both canister and compartment remained clean and dry.

Diesel fuel stations are everywhere. Fueling is self-service and accomplished just as it is in the United States. Empty propane tanks are simply exchanged for full ones at campgrounds. Drinking water is obtained by connecting a hose to a campground faucet. Gray water is dumped through a 2-inch hose into dump stations located at every campground. Pretty similar to the way we do things in America.

Disposing of black water, however, is a lot different than the way it is accomplished in the good old U S of A. We learned very quickly that our black-water canister was good for about two days. Every other morning I joined the procession of men toting their canisters to the restroom where the black-water receptacle was located. Most receptacles were inside a small room and resembled a large sink. A rigid spout swiveled out from the black water canister. A cap on the end of the spout was unscrewed and the contents of the canister poured into the receptacle. After a quick rinsing, liquid chemical was added through the spout, the cap replaced, and life was good for another two days. Unfortunately, Vicki was always busy at that time of the morning so she never had the opportunity to participate in this ritual.

Vicki: The motorhome came equipped with bedding, towels, cooking utensils, dishes and silverware. The outside lockers contained a folding table, chairs, water hose, electric hookup cord and a couple of leveling ramps.

All we needed to add was food. After taking possession of our motorhomes the caravanners drove to a supermarket which reminded us of a Wal-Mart Super Store. It had everything we needed. The caravan staff remained available to help us determine whether the can of food we were considering contained tuna fish or cat food. Actually, grocery shopping in Europe became a highlight of sorts. Most store employees understood English. Those who didn't were remarkably patient and good natured as we pantomimed our way through the language barrier. Frequently the other customers included helpful locals anxious to practice their English language skills. By the way, we found the Europeans to be extremely friendly and very helpful.

Joe: Driving in Europe is similar to driving in the U.S. You drive on the right and pass on the left. The autobahns and main highways are similar to our interstates and highways in their design and construction. Streets and roadways in towns and cities, however, are quite narrow. In some places, the buildings come right up to the edge of the road. Driving a seven and one-half foot wide motorhome in European towns was just as exciting as driving our eight and one-half foot wide motorhome in New England villages.

European drivers adhere very strictly to the rule of staying to the right except when passing. The high speeds you hear about on the autobahns are no faster than those encountered on our own interstates. And, because slower traffic stays to the right, you do not see speeding vehicles weaving in and out of traffic. Trucks, by the way, stay to the right and keep their speed at about 55 miles per hour.

Travel plazas with fuel stations, restaurants, rest rooms and even shopping facilities are found at periodic intervals along the autobahns. Rest areas with picnic tables abound along main highways. Traffic and direction signs are frequent and easy to understand. Europe is definitely visitor friendly.

Driving in the big cities is difficult and parking next to impossible. Visitors to the cities find it easier to use public transportation or ride a bicycle. And, in big cities like Amsterdam, where thousands of people ride bicycles, even bike parking can be a challenge. Fortunately, many campgrounds are located within walking distance of the major cities and attractions.

Vicki: Campgrounds are everywhere in Europe, especially near big cities and tourist attractions. Most are in attractive locations with their campsites situated on large grassy areas. An electric hookup may be available at a box with up to a dozen or so outlets. It's not unusual for RVers to have (and need) an 80 foot electric hookup cord on a reel. Water hookups are rare and sewer hookups are just about non-existent. By the way, electrical power in the countries we visited were 220 volt/50 cycle. American power is 120 volt/60 cycle. A transformer and plug adapter are necessary to plug an American appliance into European electricity. We got around the expense of a transformer by taking a hair dryer, curling iron and electric razor that would operate on either system.

The campground shower and restroom facilities we encountered were modern and immaculate. Tokens or coins were usually needed to operate the showers. Water pressure and temperature varied but was usually satisfactory. Bathroom plumbing and fixtures in the Northern European countries we visited were similar to those in our own home. We understand they may be different in other countries.
Campgrounds usually had just one washing machine and one dryer. The dryer frequently took forever to completely dry a load of clothes. Most people hung their semi-dry clothes on clotheslines strung between trees or RVs.
Many of the campgrounds we stayed in had a restaurant. Some of the restaurants were so nice they attracted the residents of nearby towns and villages. More than a few took reservations.

Pay phones accepted either pre-paid phone cards or credit cards. Accessing our own long-distance carrier was easy. Calls to the United States were expensive.
Caravan participants patronized cyber cafes in the cities to take care of their e-mail. It wasn't too difficult to find them; just ask a kid. Most young Europeans understand English and they usually know where the cyber cafes are located.
Many of the restaurants had English menus and/or English speaking servers. The food, while new and different, was delicious. I was surprised to find that the best French fries I ever tasted were served with most entrees. The wine was special and the beer outstanding.

Joe: We thoroughly enjoyed our first RV trip to Europe. The caravan company made all the arrangements; air transportation, motorhomes, itinerary, campgrounds, guided tours, restaurants and more. We saw and experienced more with the caravan than we could have accomplished on our own in the same thirty day period. It was also comforting to know that the assistance of the caravan staff was available if needed.

We selected Overseas Motorhome Tours because we are personally acquainted with the owners. Dennis and Tina Jaffe are Americans who reside in Europe. They have been conducting quality motorhome tours of Europe for almost 10 years. Everything about our caravan was first class and exceeded our expectations. You can get more information by calling them at 800-322-2127 or visiting their website www.omtinc.com

Will we RV in Europe again? You bet. And when we do I'll see to it that Vicki gets to participate in that special early morning ritual.