Livin’ the Van Life
How we rented a camper van for 99 Euros on 3 days notice.
When we first started traveling Viv had heard of this company, Roadsurfer, that rented camper vans throughout Europe. Most rentals are round trip (meaning you had to pick up and drop off in the same place) and ran about 100 Euros/day (a bit pricey for our budget when you factor in gas, camp sites, etc).
But, a tiny percentage of these rentals could be done as one-way rentals, meaning you could pick up one place and drop off in another (much better for us as we were moving around). The catch:
The company sets the pickup and drop off location (they do it to reposition their inventory based on their needs).
The company sets the window of availability (aka when you must pick up and drop off the van)
Some routes are set weeks in advance while others mere days in advance (so this option only works if you have flexibility)
You have to have an international drivers license (if you have a U.S driver's license) which we (in)conveniently got before we left.
Because you are moving the van for them, this option comes at a GREAT discount, 99 euros for up to 7 days (NOT 99 euros per day, 99 euros TOTAL).
We didn’t get to do this van option when we were in Europe on our first time around (end of 2023) because much of our travel was already set. But this time around, we were more flexible and open to it, and really wanted to make it work.
So, as we were closing our time in Italy, we began looking for a route that would take us from anywhere IN Italy to anywhere not in Italy (ideally north, we were eventually trying to wind up in Copenhagen for our return flight). So we looked, and we looked, and we looked, looked, looked, looked.
About 3 days before we were going to need to enact Plan B for getting to Copenhagen in 14 days, a route finally popped up. This one took us from Bologna, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria. Not the BEST route, we thought, but we were out of time to wait for a “better” route. So we jumped on it.
The logistics of picking up the van were a bit hairy but we made it work. After dropping our car in Napoli we immediately trained to Milan for a 2 day layover before training to Bologna to pick up our van.
So, after a few grueling(ish) travel days we arrived just north of Bologna to pick up our van. Pickup was pretty seamless, and as the sun beautifully set over Italy we were off for the biggest test of our travel skills yet.
After van pickup we immediately got driving northwest with a quick stop at an Ikea so we could get some pillows and blankets for our bed (we could have rented through the company but opted the cheaper route of buying some more basic stuff at Ikea). We also stopped at the grocery store for some provisions.
Our first stop was Venice.
What traveling in a camper van for a week was like.
Venice
Ryan found an AMAZING looking camp ground in Fusina, a main shore near, but not on the Island of Venice.
This place gave Ren Fest vibes and is probably packed in the summer since it had all the amenities you could want (pool, ample showers and toilets, dish washing areas, a general store, a restaurant, kids play area, the works). But because it was winter most of those things (except the toilets and showers) were closed for the season.
We weren’t really there for the amenities though. What made this campground worth it was that it was actually open (more on that later) AND it was steps away from an hourly ferry that dropped you off in the center of Venice.
Side note: Staying on the island of Venice proper is EXPENSIVE. Even in the off-season. We were not willing to spend that much to see Venice so we opted not to make it a stop of ours initially. Because of the campsite Ryan found we decided to make it work for this extremely budget friendly alternative.
After arriving in the evening and cooking some dinner, we spent our first night in the camper, ready to wake up the next morning and speed run Venice in one day.
We woke up early to catch the ferry to Venice. Once there we hit all the sites, and stayed till the last ferry back so that we could get the nighttime Haunting in Venice vibes. It did not disappoint. Some of our favorite things included:
All the bridges: From the big ones (Bridge of Sighs, Rialto, Accademia) to the tiny ones, we enjoyed wandering around all the streets and bridges big and small.
Piazza San Marco
A lovely patio lunch complete with pigeons and an Italian brawl.
A charming cocktail bar with amazing drinks
After our day exploring Venice, we tucked in for the night at the same campground so we could wake up refreshed and ready for the next leg of this adventure.
From Venice we headed into the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy, also known as German Italy.
South Tyrol
Our home base to explore this region became Terlano. Ryan found a wonderful little camper park that was well equipped and well kept. It had about 12 RV slips, automated check-in, 2 self contained bathrooms complete with a wonderful shower, toilet, and dressing area, and was both tucked away on an unbusy road, and very close to the highway for daily exploring. It had hot water and a wash room with a sink for dishwashing and a clothing washer and dryer (free to use).
We had intended to only stay 1 night here before moving on to another site more in the mountains but two things happened.
We really enjoyed our time there. It was about an hour from many of the towns and mountains we wanted to visit and was comfortable, quiet, easy, and well kept. The showers and laundry facilities were definitely a big plus.
When we finally did decide to move on, we spent the whole day trying to find a new spot that was actually open. We tried 3 other camper places that listed they were open but we would arrive only to find out they were not actually open or were inaccessible (due to snow). All part of the adventure!
So we eventually had to call off the search for a new spot and wound up right back in Terlano. After that, we decided we would just spend the rest of our days based in Terlano and traveling daily to see the other sites in the area. The only downside to this was we spent slightly more gas getting back to our site each day, rather than camping near where we were each day, but it was winter so what could you expect.
Some of our favorite things about the South Tyrol region.
The culture was super unique. Part Italian, part German, part Austrian, there was such a melding of cultures that brought together some of our favorite things.
The towns were absolutely charming, quiet, and picturesque. Christmas markets were just going up and were still quiet and charming (before the holiday rush)
One town over from Terlano was Merano, home to the Forst Brewery. The brewery is a massive compound that was all decked out for Christmas. Our visit there coincided with American Thanksgiving, and we were treated to an absolutely charming and delightful dinner in our own private cottage on the compound consisting of great beer, alpine cheese, fresh bread and venison goulash, yum.
Ryan also planned a lovely surprise evening in Merano which was hosting a Christmas light display we got to enjoy one evening.
Hiking. We visited several mountain areas with ample day and long-term hiking. We were only equipped for some small hiking excursion but boy did they pack a punch.
One of our small hikes took us through a valley that cut through some of the dolomite peaks. While on the hike there was a natural water fountain set up with the absolute best water we have EVER had in our lives, and we didn’t even have our water bottles to fill up!
Another small hike took us around the Geisler-Odle peaks (part of Ryan’s namesake mountains) with some awesome trudges through snow and ice. Who doesn’t love a good trudge.
One or two hikes to some secluded waterfalls with great views of both the falls and also the breathtaking valley below.
Just driving around this region was amazing. The scenery, surrounded by the dolomites, and snow and woods, and nature and everything in between was just breathtaking. We pulled over at many stops along our drives just to take in the stunning surroundings.
It was also actually super convenient to have everything you needed all packed in the van. Needed to grab an extra layer, great you have your closet with you. Need a snack, great we can whip up some coffee and cookies for an afternoon snack. Takeaway kebabs, let's eat them on our table in the back seat.
From Terlano, the day before we needed to return the van to Innsbruck, we headed across the northern border of Italy into Austria, to our final stop.
Innsbruck
Our last stop before our journey north and west. We spent only one night in Innsbruck before dropping the van off and wandering around the city for the day (our train didn’t leave until late in the day). The city was beautifully surrounded by the very imposing mountains and colorful buildings lining the Inns river. There were of course Christmas markets, so we got our fill of gluhwein. Fun fact, Innsbruck is the home of Swarovski crystal.
Side note: EVERY trans-country train we have ever taken has had delays or issues (travel from one country to another). This was no exception. If you are in Europe and intend to travel by train between countries, be prepared for delays. It could just be consistently bad luck for us, but it’s more likely the challenges created by having two different train operators.
We joked that the camper van experience was our “final exam” for our 14 months on the road as it put ALL of our travel skills to the test. We are happy to say we passed with flying colours and absolutely LOVED our experience.
Side note: if anyone in the U.S. is interested in trying out Van Life, we highly recommend Roadsurfer. They are just getting started in the States but our experience in Europe was amazing, and we highly recommend!
It’s different from Outdoorsy and some of the other US companies that act as 3rd party brokers for RV owners to connect with renters. Roadsurfer owns, maintains, and services all their own camper fleets and have a variety of models to pick from.