Choosing a Campervan

Our gap year planning began in earnest about 6-8 months before departure, we knew we wanted to travel Europe and knew we wanted a self-contained vehicle to do this in.

First we needed to decide the type of vehicle. Roads in parts of Europe are not like those in Australia, they can be much narrower and tunnels much lower. Friends had rented a van in France a few years ago and found that reversing 2 km down a one way road when their van did not fit through a tunnel was no fun at all. So we knew the van had to be reasonably compact.

We visited campervan sales yards in Australia to get some idea of what a compact van offered and found that a small pop-top van while okay for a weekend was not going to be suitable for a long trip. The idea of setting up a bed each night and packing it away when we wanted to use a table was not inviting. Having a bed set up at all times would give us effectively two living spaces, one at the table and one in the bedroom.  This configuration would also give the flexibility to pull over when tired and not have to deal with sorting out a bed.  Another consideration was tolls / ferries. A vehicle less than 6m in length is significantly cheaper than a vehicle greater in size. We decided on our goldilocks size. For us it was no greater than 6m in length and no taller than 2.1m high.

Once the size of van was determined it was time to work out what other features we wanted. We knew being self-contained would reduce our daily living cost. So a small kitchen and fridge were required. Initially we thought we could do without a bathroom but Tanya’s mother reminded us that public toilet facilities are not common in Europe and usually pay for service. So we added a bathroom/toilet to the wish list.

Knowing we would want to free camp as much as possible and would rarely be plugging into mains power a solar panel was deemed a must have item. Also wanting to live outside as much as possible a canopy was added to the list.  

After testing vans we found that that the rear bench seat was rather narrow.  When not driving, having the driver and passenger seats swivel to face the table provides more functional space. While having four seatbeats within the vehicle provides us with some flexibility, we have found through experience that the rear seats are best suited for short distance or children. 

We found a van that suited all our needs, a Fiat Ducato with a Weinsberg camper conversion. It is 5.98m long and 2.1m high. The front seats swivel for effective use of space. The bed with an additional memory foam topper is very comfortable. It is permanently set up at the back of the van. The bed is high enabling sufficient storage for bags, shoes, camping tables and chairs, etc.

Then came the question of rent or buy? In short we found that if travelling for less than 3 months renting is the most economical option, for any longer buying a vehicle makes financial sense.

Now how to: if you are not a European resident buying, registering and insuring a vehicle is not straightforward. We will publish more on this in a separate blog.