Wintering with a motorhome in Europe - 10 handy tips

Are you one of those people who head down to more southern latitudes with your motorhome every winter - or are you one of those who dream of it? Right now, many people are planning for the trip, and some have already left. We spent 365 days on the road in Europe last year and know a thing or two about what to expect. Here are 10 tips for wintering with a motorhome in Europe.

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1. get a road atlas and a good guidebook

GPS is great, but it's good to supplement it with a good old-fashioned road atlas. The GPS is perfect when you already know where you're going, but the road atlas is good for getting an overview and thinking about possible routes and destinations.

We also recommend the book Discover Europe by car 2016-2017 from Motormännen. Here you'll find lots of practical travel facts country by country: driving rules, how motorway tolls work, what petrol and diesel are called in the local language, etc.

2. Get good lists of campsites and pitches

If you don't plan to stay at the same campsite for the whole winter, it's good to have one (or preferably several) lists of campsites and pitches. We usually use the German Bordatlas, ACSI Eurocampings, the Campercontact app and lists of pitches at the various motorhome clubs.

3. Get an ACSI card

If you plan to stay at the same campsite for the entire winter, you can probably get a good seasonal price. However, if you want to travel around, it's a good idea to get an ACSI card. This card gives you a big discount at all ACSI-affiliated campsites during the low season (varying dates, but pretty much all year round except July and August). An international camping card can also be useful, although some campsites (including in Spain) prefer passports.

4. Download our e-book with packing tips

We probably didn't pack quite right for our long trip around Europe, but with hindsight we have a pretty good idea of what to bring and what not to bring. We have made a packing list for the motorhome, which you can use.

5. Get roadside assistance

When our motorhome stopped in northern Spain one Sunday in the middle of winter, we were glad we had roadside assistance. The guys at the petrol station were not particularly interested in helping, but when we called the roadside assistance in Sweden, it didn't take more than an hour for a mechanic to arrive. We have M Väghjälp via Motormännen and have been very satisfied, but there are many other companies that may also be good.

6. Think about the gas

Swedish LPG tanks are difficult to change in Europe, as each country has its own system and its own connections. One solution is to install refillable tubes so that you can fill up with LPG. If not, it's a good idea to at least get a set of different couplings.

7. pack a gas grill instead of a charcoal grill

We carried a charcoal grill with us all over Europe, but our experience is that charcoal grills were banned on many campsites in southern Europe. A LPG grill would have been much more useful!

8. Follow motorhome blogs

Following motorhome blogs is a great way to get inspiration and tips for your European trip. There are many motorhome bloggers and many of them regularly travel down to Europe. You can find a list of motorhome bloggers at our links page.

9. Join forums and Facebook groups

Wow, how many times we were helped by forums and Facebook groups when we were down in Europe. You post a question, and soon you get an answer. Fantastic! More from the major motorhome clubs have forums on their sites and there are lots of Facebook groups that you can join (sometimes you need to be a member of an organisation, sometimes you need to have a motorhome and sometimes nothing special): Husbilsklubben, Husbilsgruppen, Husbilar - Hit kör vi, Vi som ska till Kroatien med Husvagn/Husbil etc.

10. Have fun and enjoy life!

Travelling by motorhome in Europe is easy! Most people you meet are incredibly friendly and helpful, and if there are language problems, there's sign language, Google Translate and apps that translate. And if you've forgotten something, you're sure to find it somewhere along the way. Just roll on and enjoy life!

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