Campsites

Deciding where to stay on your travels is vital, as it can make or break your trip. How we decide on our campsites or wild camping spots (yes, we like to stay off-grid occasionally) comes down to where we are in the world.

For most of mainland Europe, we use the Caravan and Motorhome Club, as they not only have 130 sites in the UK, but a European network with over 300 sites across twelve different countries. When we head further afield and leave that network behind, and we rely heavily on the Alan Rogers Guide. This is another great resource for European campsites, with thousands of sites across 27 countries.

For most people heading to Europe, those two resources will, 99% of the time, be more than enough. However, if you find yourself heading to places such as Morocco, Turkey, Georgia, or Armenia, all places we’ve visited in the last eighteen months, there are some great apps to help you find places to stay.

The two that we use the most are CamperContact and iOverlander, which cover campsites, secure places to stay that are not officially campsites, such as hotels or restaurants that welcome motorhomes, as well as a host of wild camping spots and essential services that you might need while on the road.

Wild Camping

On the wild camping front, we do like to stay off-grid on our travels, and in some locations, it’s more of a necessity given that there is not an abundance of campsites in more remote countries that are not fully geared up for motorhomes. While the above apps are useful for wild camping, the addition of Park4Night means you have everything you need to decide where to stay.

This brings us to how to get to where you want to be. For the entirety of our travels, we have used a Garmin Camper 1090, and it has been worth its weight in gold. With it being a leisure vehicle-specific sat nav, you enter your vehicle dimensions, and then it will only ever take you on routes that are suitable for your vehicle size and weight. The maps cover all of Europe’s standards, with the ability to download extra maps for places like North Africa and Asia.

Google Maps Street View is also a handy tool to use if you want to see what road surfaces are like in more remote locations. If we are heading over a mountain pass in rural Morocco, as an example, even if we know there are no issues with vehicle size, it’s good to know what to expect in terms of road quality. We are more than comfortable on gravel roads, but not everyone is, so it’s worth double-checking routes that you’re unsure about ahead of time.

Atlas Obscura

While some obvious must-see places on our travels draw bigger crowds, on the whole, we much prefer getting away from the tourist trail and instead discovering places and attractions that are a little bit different. One of the best resources for finding such places is Atlas Obscura, which offers a database of places, foods, and experiences aimed at inspiring wonder and curiosity about the wonderful world we all share.

Culture Trip

No matter where in the world you travel, there are always hidden stories and experiences for those prepared to venture away from the masses. Culture Trip is a great place to search in the location you are for those quirky stories and unique experiences available, rather than the standard must-see and everyday tourist options.

Instagram

Instagram might not seem an obvious place to discover what to do in a region, but it’s been an invaluable resource for us. Why? People often post the best places and things that are most worth seeing, with the bonus that you can see and be inspired by their pictures. This is also a great way for us to get the kids excited about places. Simply go to the search page on Instagram, type the name of your travel destination, and then click on ‘places’ on the top bar underneath the search function.

To stay up-to-date with our travels in real-time, as well as ask us any questions about our life on the road in our Adamo 75-4DL or about any of the places we have visited, please feel free to contact us on social media. Our handles are @MarcusLeachGlobal and @Our.Roaming.Odyssey, and on X (Formally Twitter) at @MarcusGLeach.