A Great Way to Explore Europe: Rent a Camper Van

Our van at the campground under the Dune du Pilat on the French Atlantic coast.FOR MOST Americans, traveling around Europe involves flights and trains, timetables and reservations made months in advance. But for many Europeans—and for some lucky Americans like me—European travel offers freedom, flexible and simplicity. No check-in times, no reservations, no schedule to chase.Our secret: camper vans. While there are few places in Europe that can match the raw wilderness of U.S. public lands and national parks, it has something else: a vast network of legal—and often free—spots to park near beaches, mountains and the famous cities that tourists love to visit.I am an expat living in Berlin, and my family has always preferred camping to hotels. So a few years ago, we bought a Volkswagen van, and I converted it into a camper. We don’t live the full-time van life but we do enjoy it occasionally, for summer vacations, long weekends and my frequent fishing trips to northern Germany and Scandinavia.I built a platform in the rear of the van that folds out into a bed that sleeps two comfortably. Underneath the platform, I built two flat drawers that slide out the back of the van to create a tailgate kitchen. A rooftop tent on top gives us additional space for hanging out or sleeping. We can stay off the grid and keep the fridge running for about four days without recharging the batteries, which happens automatically when we drive.Camper vans also are widely available for rent here, with rates starting at around 65 euros to 85 euros a day, or roughly $77-$100, depending on size and location.Departing Berlin The camping infrastructure in Europe is vast-according to Eurostat, EU countries boasted more than 400 million booked nights at campgrounds, RV and trailer parks last year.