American's First Impressions of Europe - After 4 Months of Van Life

We shipped our van to Europe and after 4 months on the road, there's a lot to talk about... After doing van life in our home country of the United States, we couldn't get enough so we came up with a crazy plan. Ship our van to Europe for 2 years and go on the ultimate road trip. There was so much to figure out as Americans... Car Insurance, Schengen Zone, Border Control, Safety, and so much more. I think you will be surprised on how well it went!
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[@ajisroadtrippin5505]

American here... I live full time in a campervan that I bought when I moved to Germany. Europe is VERY camper friendly. The difference between parking your campervan/motorhome/etc. or 'wild camping', is whether or not you put chairs, tables or awnings out. You can park anywhere designated as a parking spot for FREE as long as you fit. Stealth camping isn't a thing because it differs from "wild camping'. Toll roads are easily avoided if you set your Google maps or navi to avoid them. There is no reason why anyone should have to pay for parking in a van unless you need to. Park4night shows MANY free stellplätze throughout Europe. I stayed overnight for free in Switzerland and loved it. If you're a North American coming to do van life in Europe, my only advice is to ADAPT to your new surroundings. You're not in Kansas anymore. 😉🚚

[@XPRoller]

Sill there? I'm coming!🤣

[@ajisroadtrippin5505]

@@XPRoller I am. I became a resident and am still living the vanlife. 😊🚚

[@XPRoller]

@@ajisroadtrippin5505 wow, wow!!! My hero! Plan to ship my van in September, concerned a bit about my lithium battery. Did you ship your van?

[@ajisroadtrippin5505]

@@XPRoller I bought my van in Germany. It was the best deal for me since I had no plan to return to the US. As for the batteries, I am sure they'll be fine if they're disconnected and stable. I wish you good luck. 😊🚚

[@XPRoller]

@@ajisroadtrippin5505 Brillant! Best deal there!

[@thewildlylife]

We love following you guys on this journey! DYING to do van life in Europe now haha. It seems like a more affordable way to see sooooo much more of a country! Cannot wait to see you guys go to Norway - we're visiting in March and cannot wait!!

[@guitarjeff55]

Love both you ultimate vedeo for travel info. We appreciate the content you are providing

[@ian.and.ana.]

Wow thank you so much Jeff!! You have no idea how much these comments mean to Ana & I. We will never stop sharing our journey to inspire and help people travel around the world

[@Sleeperdude]

Would love to go over there one day. Thanks for sharing

[@ian.and.ana.]

Ahhh you will love it!! Glad you enjoyed the video and we can't wait to keep sharing the entire journey with you

[@dmo4032]

My wife and I shipped our campervan over to Europe last year for 6 months. We also had to play the Schengen Zone game. Since you're in Serbia now, think about Romania (Transalpina highway as well as the Transfagarasan highway), the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, and Turkiye. Istanbul ia amazing, as is so many other places in that amazing country. Just a suggestion since you're so close.

[@markyaklich632]

Love the cats. Enjoy Slovenia. We just got back from visiting our cousins there. Very beautiful but see more than the tourist areas!!

[@ian.and.ana.]

Thanks so much!! The kittens say hello

[@mairaneves4959]

LMAO the comment comparing the traveling from State to State in the US and country to country in Europe 😂😂😂😂 "they are trying to make the United States of Europe". I love you and this channel but this was terrible 😂

[@benandhaley]

Great video! We tried van life in a rental in Tbilisi, Georgia and our van broke down about 20 minutes in hahaha. Hoping to try again in another country in Europe! We'll keep watching your videos for inspiration and tips!❤

[@brittbartek]

Y’all are so inspiring and knowledgeable!! I learned SO much. Thank you for sharing this invaluable information. And God bless you both for adopting those precious kittens. ♥️

[@ian.and.ana.]

Awww this comment made our entire day! You have no idea how much it means to Ana & I, we love making these videos for all of you. Glava, Vana, and Gnocchi all say hello!!

[@allisonrose5747]

Highly recommend the costa brava/girona region of spain! It’s on the northeast, right by the south of france and has some of the most beautiful gems of sea towns and stunning countryside and doesn’t get the same hype as italy

[@ian.and.ana.]

Wow Allison thank you so much!! Spain is massive so knowing these hidden gems make it easier to plan out a road trip there. Can't wait to keep sharing our adventure with you

[@worldnomac]

I love the clips in here from Guca!!! Amazing video, me and Mabelle want to do van life some day!!

[@MillaExplores]

Traveling in the Schengen zone is so easy as a EU citizen, I love it! It's something I almost take for granted until I leave the zone 😂 And what a fun video, it's always interesting to hear impressions like this ☺ If you're traveling to Norway, I do recommend visiting Northern Finland (Lapland) too. The scenery there is just very different to anywhere else ☺

[@Maltemtb]

The Lesachtal is the most natural valley in Europe. I think you should check it out

[@XPRoller]

Lovely! Good timing! Just thinking about shipping my van to Europe, which shipping company did you take? The lithium is OK? Safe drive!

[@ian.and.ana.]

Seabridge is what we took from Baltimore to Antwerp Belgium! They have other routes too ❤️ the link to there website should be in description for you

[@XPRoller]

@@ian.and.ana. thanks 🙏 I actually have been communicating with them for a month now. Thinking of doing it in September from Halifax, shorter shipping time? Concerned about my power bank.

[@irmakalember3709]

Great video. Beautiful places u guyz camp at.

[@ian.and.ana.]

Thank you so much Irma!! The campsites out in Europe are CRAZY!!

[@irmakalember3709]

@@ian.and.ana.I bet ahah

[@Roadmap2Adventures]

Any plans of visiting Romania? Would love to see content from there! It’s such an underrated country. ❤

[@ian.and.ana.]

Everyone keeps saying we should visit there! We have to now haha and it's only 6 hours away from Serbia where our homebase and Ana's family is

[@benjaminstephen97]

A good place to visit. Such a quite and amazing environment to have a vacation there. Btw, do visit Sarawak again. I remember the first time i watch ur video was the both of u visit Sarawak😁

[@ian.and.ana.]

Thanks so much Benjamin glad you enjoyed the video! OMG you have been with us for quite some time. We miss that entire trip to Borneo, your home is super special and we can't wait to visit again

[@benjaminstephen97]

@@ian.and.ana. im from a city call Miri. But live in Kuching. Kindly visit Marina Bay, Times Square, Cocobana, Canada Hill, and Tanjong Lobang Beach. The places i list here is in Miri. Kindly visit if u're visiting Sarawak again😁

[@petersouioui8864]

How did you ship your van to Europe? How much it costed you to ship it? We been looking into this as well but the shipping cost was insane

[@jackiem1093]

I haven't purchased my new van yet. I sold my old one after traveling u.s. for 4 yrs. Now I'm working and saving to VanLife around Europe. BIG QUESTION ⁉️ Should I buy van here in u.s. and ship to Europe? Or fly to Europe and shop around and buy van there? Anybody...

[@jacqueline23788]

italy is more expensive than france for tolls . first its a italian compagny that manage french highways maintenance .number 2 france have its highway network very well maintained .and if you dont like it you have the "free" french road network

[@sillytorque]

Some feedback… the toll roads are usually easily avoidable, google maps will see you right. As far as big cities… camping out of the city centre is a good plan but don’t waste money on an Uber. Public transportation is the way to go, catch a train or bus. again Google maps will help you out.

[@jacqueline23788]

why those american people have always to compare us roads and eu roads ?usa is born around about 250 years ago and europe almost 2000 years ago and europe have laws to preserve this heritage they dont want us life style like skycrapers and all this mother nature destruction

[@HelenLemink]

About safety, don't worry too much in Europe. Physical agressions are very unlikely, except maybe in some very bad areas where you wouldn't go anyway ( poorest suburbs of some big cities). The only thing that could happen would be robery in your van, but again, mostly in big cities or touristic places, like Paris, Barcelona, etc. There is in general more risk in the south of Europe than in Finland or Denmark. And some countries could be much more safe than you imagine ( the Balkans for ex.). Don't trust the stereotypes and rumors : the trick is to observe what the locals do ( the size of the chains and padlock on their motobikes, etc). You will see cars on a parking lot with open windows in Zadar, but not in Algésiras...

[@HelenLemink]

Note that the police in Europe is also VERY different. In many cases, for sleeping illegaly somewhere, the police won't fine you. Bad cops just ask you to move, good cops could let you sleep and ask to move tomorrow. Also, the concept of private property is very different : in many countries crossing a private field is not an offense, you even have the right to do it, there's often no trespassing if you keep away from contructions ( that's why you find so many trails for hiking in Europe). In some countries you can even hunt or fish on a private land, or take the "fruits", until you don't disturb or dommage anything and stay away from herds and constructions. And, of course, nobody has guns. Enjoy.

[@stevecrombie5357]

Thanks guys. Nice to get to spend this much time with you. I always love that. It is always a surprise to me to see so much open space in Europe. People have inhabited it for thousands of years and so much still appears unspoiled. Stay safe. Love you. Woot woot!! ❤🙏

[@ian.and.ana.]

I know right!! Europe is just as massive as the US and there is so much to explore. We have so many amazing videos coming out for you in the coming weeks: Switzerland, Serbia, Croatia, Dolomites Italy

[@stevecrombie5357]

@@ian.and.ana. Cool. I think I’ll go ahead and hang around. 😉❤️

[@mariojsworld]

Great trip, greetings from Switzerland.

[@Spidy-i8z]

Hey guys planning to do the same.....but have some queries about staying there....u know.......90/180 visa rule for usa as well as uk citizens......how did u guys coverd that up.......as well as ur van.......that also has a limit of one year........can u guys please answer

[@GoldenLuxuryElite-2024]

Woow amazing

[@VinaSerna]

How do you get the visa over 90 days? I believe you only get 90 days for tourist vida unless you’re an EU nationals?me and my husband wants to do a 4 month pilgrim walk so this would help us if there’s another way to get longer visa.TIA 😊

[@dancemachine1919]

I'm not sure if it's changed or how you do it if you're trying to visit multiple countries but I got a visa to study abroad in Greece for 6 months by applying directly with the Greek consulate up in NYC. I completed the application and made an appointment for the consulate. Unfortunately, they deemed some of my documentation insufficient so i had to make a second trip up a week or two later but I luckily just took the train up from NJ. I think it was a student visa that I got but I could've sworn there's something additional you could get as a tourist. 🤔 I was able to take a trip from Greece to Italy and back to Greece with no issues as well since I had the visa. Sorry this wasn't actually very informative but I hope someone else comments soon with more specific info.

[@sirgalahad1470]

This is the best travel channel on KZbin hands down. I recommend you guys to everyone.

[@jacqueline23788]

usa is also 90 days tourist visa

[@KatieandDan]

Thanks for the tips - super helpful :) we're hoping to ship our van to Europe sometime soon!

[@ian.and.ana.]

You both are going to love it!! Hope our videos help along your entire process

[@amyw5647]

Do you have plans to visit the UK & Ireland?

[@ian.and.ana.]

Ahhh we really want to!! Europe has so much to do we may have to extend this trip to 3 years haha

[@amyw5647]

@@ian.and.ana. you say that like it’s a bad thing 😂

[@Maltemtb]

Try obergail in Austria it's so beautiful

[@onthetravellist]

Guys, you should come to Bulgaria - it's right next door to you :D If you want a local guide, count me in for it!

[@jasonpacific5661]

What a wild cat kingdom you have. Noki the hungry dumpling. Vana who likes vanlife and Glava the Big Brain. Kittens gone wild episode two 🐈🐈🐈🌠

[@ian.and.ana.]

hahaha YESSSS love this comment so much! Really excited to share this entire europe journey with you especially the kittens growing up

[@rostislavshevtsov1969]

Hi! We’ve been in Europe many times, but it’s our dream travel in a car or van! So you said, after 90 days, you have to move from UN zone to not UN zone, and stay there another 90 days, then you can go back to UN again?

[@ian.and.ana.]

It's not about UN countries, it's about the Schengen Zone which includes 27 countries in Europe. So you can spend 90 days out of 180 day period in these countries. After 90 days you have to stay out for 90 days. You don't have to do 90 days straight though! You could do Italy, Switzerland, Croatia for 60 days, then go to Montenegro for 30 days, then head back to Schengen Zone countries for another 30 before having to leave again. Hope this helps but you can find way more information by looking up "Schengen Zone for Americans" on Google. Hope you end up living your dream, you will love Europe by road tripping!!

[@wheelhouseadventures8176]

Thanks

[@annikamosegaard8507]

Denmark is part of the EU, but we have our Owen currency the Danish Kroner - come visit

[@ian.and.ana.]

Wow did not know that! Like Ana said, Europe is an onion, there are so many layers to it. It would be amazing to do more Scandinavian countries after Norway

[@atravelpath]

Thanks for sharing, so informative. I had never heard of the Schengen Zone. Thought you adopted a dog at first 😂 that would be a full van!

[@eduardchiru6473]

Are you going to visit Romania aswell?🥺🇹🇩

[@ian.and.ana.]

We have heard amazing things about Romania! A lot of people have recommended it to us. We will have to check it out because our home base over here is Serbia so it would be super close

[@jesusworksbro4Life]

Jesus loves you

[@freebie808]

❤

[@ian.and.ana.]

The kittens love you right back!

[@OVERSEASKASHMIRI-dy1yx]

❤❤❤💕

[@josematamoros596]

My favorite KZbin channel 😊

[@ian.and.ana.]

Awww thank you so much!! This just made our day. We love making these videos for all of you

[@paulinaplatek2547]

Thanks guys! I enjoyed your videos. Are you going to visit 🇵🇱 Poland?

[@ian.and.ana.]

Thanks so much Paulina!! We have heard amazing things about Poland and need to visit ASAP. Hoping to get there before we ship our van back. There is so much to see in Europe OMG!!

[@KTPawlowicz]

Yes, highly recommend Poland but not in winter.

[@christina3351]

Can you make a video of how you plan to travel with your kittens? I have cats too, and am curious on how you are going to do it.

[@rostislavshevtsov1969]

Thanks for the reply!! Will do, some day;) Thanks again!

[@memetastic01]

I had no idea many boarders in the EU dont give you any trouble! I was wondering if people had to do "immigration" every time lol.

[@josephinemonahan915]

Travel in the E.U. is seamless...yes the individual countries have borders...in Europe we go from one country to another without any hassle...it’s like we’re one big country🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺

[@ian.and.ana.]

Right!!! One of the biggest surprises, it felt like we were back in the US

[@ian.and.ana.]

We love that about the EU so much!! Road tripping here is AMAZING

[@beyondbasecamp6716]

What? I thought the United States was the only one who drives in the right! 😅 wow!

[@beautyofjammukashmir3563]

💕💕💕👍

[@Konstantin_Kaiser]

You do what others dream of.

[@ian.and.ana.]

Awww thank you so much! We are so happy we can share it with all of you and maybe inspire some to go after their dreams

[@angelabraun-uu4kd]

How much did it cost to ship the van over??

[@ian.and.ana.]

We have a full video on the entire process and price here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mp-YmZWIr7KFibMsi=Xw_msh_elArAUAoX

[@habibullahrezai]

❤❤❤❤❤❤wow❤❤❤❤❤

[@RRD111]

nice summation

[@ian.and.ana.]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed

[@riaan7836]

love to fine a partner in Europe and do van life

[@KenyaNicole]

cant wait to travel

[@marieneu264]

Great video!

[@peka003]

živeli :D

[@ian.and.ana.]

SERBIA!!! živeli from Ana, Ian, Glava, Vana, and Gnocchi

[@peka003]

Good luck guys

[@jugoslavnamljidjiu9021]

America also don't have great roads

[@ian.and.ana.]

VERY TRUE!!

[@mindfulnessv]

Eu is globalization to european nations, uk already left for a reason. Soviet union was similair to E union only that was better and finished. This union will not lasts forever hopefully.