Vanomobiler Lisa went out in a campervan for the first time this summer!

30 days on the road, 5500km on the counter and 9 countries crossed. So we spent many kilometres and many hours in the campervan, but we didn't mind at all, on the contrary. Travelling in a campervan is very pleasant and comfortable. You sit a bit higher than normal cars and therefore you have a good view of the surroundings. We chose secondary roads that snaked through beautiful landscapes. We took our supply of music and podcasts with us and enjoyed the surroundings.

This total freedom came in very handy when we were confronted with the corona reality. In Dubrovnik, we would have loved to take the ferry to Italy. The green, orange and red colours on the map of Europe flickered worse than at a typical fair. Although we were busy following all the different, often foreign-language websites and corona updates on a daily basis, this did not guarantee a smooth trip. Italy changed its measures last minute and we were suddenly no longer welcome on the ferry. Then we could really kiss our wrists that we had brought our campervan. We just turned around and drove back through Croatia, took in many beautiful sights and drove through Slovenia, into Italy.

We didn't mind that we didn't have our own sanitary facilities or electricity. After all, we both preferred campsites to motor home sites or wild camping. We liked the relaxed atmosphere of those small and quiet campsites and the facilities they offered. This summer, we had the luxury of not having many tourists on the road, which meant that we could choose the best places, even without reservations. We found the most beautiful campsites with the most stunning sea views and most breathtaking starry skies. That was a moment of euphoria every time.

It is wonderful to be able to end every evening on your own private terrace with a private view. Whether we were eating out or cooking, we always ended up in our camping chairs with a glass of rosé or a beer, under our little lanterns and a fantastic starry sky like you don't see here. Enjoying the long, warm evenings on our little terrace, we manicured one infinite tree over the whole journey. Isn't that great! But what I miss most about that trip is sleeping in the pop-up roof, feeling the cool night breeze, seeing the stars twinkle against the black sky, hearing the crickets crinkle in the background (or foreground), waking up with the sun, lounging endlessly and then having breakfast outside with a coffee in your hand and your feet in the grass. That is real holiday. And on this road trip, it became a blissful reality. Relationship test passed, adventure conquered and above all, camping experiment passed, even more so: worth repeating.

1. Camp Pod Maslimon (Dubrovnik - Croatia)

2. Agricamping La Villa (Albenga - Italy)

3. Camping Korana (Plivicka Jezera - Croatia)

1. Route 8 (Croatia)

2. SS64 Bologna - Pistoia (Italy)

3. Strada Porvinciale 51 di Cinque Terre (Italy)

1. Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2. Dubrovnik (Croatia)

3. Bologna (Italy)

1. Trsteno Botanical Gardens (Croatia)

2. Solin ruins (Croatia)

3. Franciscan monastery Orébic (Croatia)

1. National Park Plitvicka Jezera (Croatia)

2. Risnjak National Park (Croatia)

3. Vintar Gorge (Slovenia)

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