Living the Vanlife fantasy: 2,600 miles across Europe in a VW camper

We find out what it's really like to live the Instagram 'vanlife' dream by taking a 2018 VW California Ocean camper van 2,600 miles across some of the most stunning areas of Europe.
If you liked this video then you might like: This $1.7M RV is the ultimate in luxury road tripping • This $1.7M RV is the u...
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#VanLife #crosscountry #Van

[@neeeko7]

What an absolute spanner.

[@gedoffmoiland2025]

A few weeks staying on camp sites in a 70 grand VW California. Try 3 years in a rusty old Transit with a mattress in the back.

[@Matsbh89]

...a documentary about completely missing the point of every aspect behind the appeal and realities of vanlife.

[@tams805]

@@OffGridwanderlust Is not being able to almost wherever you want almost whenever you want the fundamental and only important thing about 'vanlife'. Everything else is just pretentious. As for raw unedited photos being better, you do know that cameras don't capture images the way we see them? Often they're worse than our eyes (although excel in some cases). Take exposure. With our eyes, we can very quickly adjust and see details in both the light and dark parts (as essentially it's like video). No one really wants to watch a video of a static scene though, so with a photo, you need to capture in a moment both the light and dark parts. For that, you need at least two photos. So next time you critique someone, actually know what you are on about and try to leave your prejudices elsewhere.

[@cliveneilands1449]

Totally agree!

[@nandy1256]

Any of you noticed the word fantasy in the title? Maybe that indicates what vanlife people fantasize about.

[@sabamaster7561]

@@nandy1256 I saw it. They want you to think it is unachievable I think.

[@OviHentea]

Crazy thought: prepare.

[@mcobb1205]

Work for CNET but can’t record good audio. Rethinking this as a tech outlet. 🤔

[@jideakin]

This was a Vlog mostly shot on mobile phone, it's meant to be a little rough and ready.

[@roguedogx]

Their probably reviewing a device that records audio.

[@gareththomas25]

Great video. I really enjoyed that. Being a photographer who has recently bought a van, it’s really opened up my eyes to the adventures ahead.

[@alisonb4898]

You’re not actually living the van life are you.....you’re on HOLIDAY!

[@syncrovanCos]

These days, even airline pilots, live the "vanlife".

[@snappyfish]

Thats what i thought, he not interested in it in the first place. missing the whole point.

[@gbr8463]

Not even knowing where the "F" they are... :D

[@kimhorton6109]

Alison B I disagree. I’ve lived in a splitty VW for months at s time when I didn’t have a home and then spent two weeks at a time when I did have a base to return to. I loved my van time and my home time but they are very different spaces and the adjustments aren’t automatic. I can agre that this bunch don’t know much about LIVING I. A van but at 72, this is more of what MY van life is about. Not many folks would take off on a van vacation with more than two in a camper van. At least they’ve tried to find a decent driving vacation with each other. I hope their relationships came thru it ok.

[@fatcole1152]

Wow. At least you won't have to worry too many the apocalypse for too long after, as it is pretty clear that you probably wouldn't last a day. That small suspension bridge was one of the nicest I have ever seen.

[@fpvleo2606]

I love the Dolomites! A part of my family is from there (close to Alpe di siusi). So it was very cool to see you enjoying all those spots i know by myself ^^

[@bernardverkouille8416]

I enjoyed very much your video ! A good mixture of (dummy ;-) first experiences with your camper, beautiful scenery. As some people already mentioned it is not about “hard core “ camp life but what the heck, it is about having fun. Next month our California will finally arrive and we are so much looking forward to it ! We already have camper experience but for the first time also lots of time and no plans.

[@zadokwest]

Took my old 1998 T4 to Rome fromthe Uk Via Venice. A great two month adventure

[@TheErozion]

I swear half of this damn video is about a guy who is technologically impaired and awkward af.

[@chrisneedham5803]

Thanks, I read your comment before watching the video and decided not to watch it 👍👍👍🍺cheers

[@ryano136]

@@chrisneedham5803 How adventurous of you

[@tonypate9174]

Welcome to the world of Das Audi Auto window (tinted) licking uber kool with a "K" hip trendy volk with a "V" ......a posh boy the polar bear missed ? (one for Mr Google)

[@chrism635]

exact!!!!

[@adventureaways1534]

Love it, We hope to go here one day soon!

[@CampervanJourney]

We are not brave enough to live the van life with our California, but she is the perfect daily driver for us and we have had many happy trip across europe!

[@andrewoldroyd6490]

Swear .. If Alan Partridge did a camper review holiday ... this is it 🤣🤣🤣✔

[@DennyPrastha]

This is one of my bucket list

[@lorcro2000]

It's an interesting enough video, but vanlife isn't "a two week vacation in a camper van across Europe". For people who choose the lifestyle, it's not about going somewhere, it's about living your life in a van. The fact that you can go anywhere doesn't necessarily mean you do. Also, all the self-created problems you start out with because this vehicle is a loaner you don't know anything about are irrelevant. Plus, a camper van isn't necessarily what vanlifers would choose. A pop-up isn't really suited for full time living, the insulation is poor, and you don't even have a toilet or shower in there. So basically this is a misunderstanding of what vanlife is all about, and at best a "what we did on our vacation" video. Which is fine for what it is I guess... The Instagram vanlife stuff is mostly glamorous - obviously because the people who put up the glamor photos can make money off that fantasy. Again, not really what vanlife is all about.

[@sabamaster7561]

Yeah, unless you have a drone, a nice camera, a mac book and totally pre-built van, for some reason you will not be able to enjoy it or make memories out of it. That's something I get from this video. I guess big companies don't want you to have your freedom unless you are spending the big bucks.

[@MaZEEZaM]

Great experience, makes me want to do similar. I would have liked to have seen the foods you were eating.

[@mysneekers5862]

Good video, it would be nice to follow up with a brief tour of the van. Good job!

[@banestock]

Good video! But a little more about the van!

[@lifeimprovements4810]

I would love to be able to live like that

[@jonathanpower5901]

Great video and full of information. I am very interested in getting a van and traveling for a bit. Just wondering how do you find showering and using the loo?

[@ninjanerdstudent6937]

This is an excellent documentary.

[@Emuspaul]

Gas burner should be a blue flame. Is that solar panels on top; and do they do much?

[@terijackson9530]

Beautiful views. :)

[@captainevenslower4400]

Ah jes, the beautiful croatian coastal town of revenge. Been there many times.

[@djstarscream]

I loved you on the inbetweeners 👌🏻

[@TheMike6630]

Do you have the route would love to travel this route, the views are epic, Many thanks mike

[@leilal8053]

Dude.....UR hopeless @ the techie aspects of this...what a crack-up! Didn"t tje van come with instructions??? ☺😂😁🤣😆😅

[@henryf9664]

were you needed to book the camp sites ahead of time?

[@CampervanCookout]

Nice insight and beautiful place. Careful with your laptop like that, braking will means impact into the floor. Don’t ask me how I know ;)

[@mfurmyr]

STOP means Full Stop!

[@gregvickers3633]

Could you share your route please as it looks like a good two week route - thank you 😊

[@user-cg6is5io1i]

Hi, love your video, going to do a similar trip myself so wondering if you are happy with the size of your van or if you would choose a bigger one if you were to do the trip again today?

[@arendmookhoek4314]

London to france to germany? Am i missing something?

[@TerribleB33]

0:26 close your electricity lid firmly!

[@cheruzaleming]

this is an uncoordinated effort

[@acericoniadak]

Nice doc

[@JP77999]

Nice video! VW could use it as an ad.

[@kalingawansauk2574]

Amazing

[@AW4WAL]

Ho about doing a precheck for a new van before setting out? So you have no hose to fill the fresh water tank, hmm a precheck before setting out would have picked up on that, and getting a funnel and a small bucket would've been better than a plastic water bottle. Are you sure you work for CNET, a supposedly tech company, maybe you're just an intern, but you really don't have to be too technical to know what a strut is. My god man, where's your common sense?

[@MaZEEZaM]

Whatever camera they are using at 24mins, it’s really not very good for distance, bit of a slide show as we take in the view.

[@metahduh4003]

2 weeks? Crazy. You need to take your time, girls.

[@AlexJacksonSmith]

Considering the comments I think the people writing are moaners... Wonderful video, great composition, loved the photographs and enjoyable humour to boot. Cheers. A.,

[@MaZEEZaM]

Haha, it’s known as a Swing Bridge for a reason.

[@FrankDrakeEdina]

Dude, we want to see the van and the solar.

[@marksanders2587]

Hey all you expert trolls...did you notice the subtle style, artistic expression, narration fun and energy?

[@davidcottam7431]

No.

[@MDNekic]

Very cool

[@AlexSmith-ln1tv]

Thought I was watching Thomas Heaton

[@arendmookhoek4314]

A documentairy about vanlife, onoy its actually a holliday with a relatively large budget a 80k car and only for two weeks, yeah seems realistic.

[@MaZEEZaM]

The van really should have solar integrated into the roof piece.

[@mizzc4141]

Wow, the views. But for the rest of the vid was quite negative. There is a big difference between holiday van life and VAN-LIVING. There are people who enjoy living the outdoors, there are those who don't have the choice. Having a nomadic mind requires strength, acceptance and vigilance, but you get to meet new people, embrace nature and live the life of more freedom and above all being grateful for what is around you and enjoying the simplicity of realness. Not everyone can afford Olive Oil, wine, technology and complain about the weather. Maybe you should have changed your title to- Living the fancy Vanlife

[@benli2010]

I'm shocked this is from CNET!!! At least should be good audio and get a gimbal for smooth video, please.

[@HowieRoll]

Don't have a clue, it took me two years to do 2,600 miles last year...

[@moulin6]

That’s what happens when you don’t read the manual...

[@gonnabeok]

This material is rather closer to VW advertisement than 'van life coverage'

[@drticzon]

Disappointed that the VW California is not available anywhere in the United States.

[@cheekybadger84]

7 mins in and I get the sense that the guy doesn't like campervanning and doesn't do adventure. I mean he won't even walk across a bloody bridge.

[@Fluterra]

Huge miss for VW that they don’t sell this in N America!

[@lorcro2000]

On the other hand, this thing costs ludicrous amounts of euros. In America you do have choices - Recon Campers are one, and Sportsmobile are now building a pop-top camper out of a Mercedes Metris. Both really good options if you're looking for a vacation van that you can also use as a daily driver (but I wouldn't use something like this as a permanent home, but that's just me, some people even live in station wagons. Some in sedans...)

[@jeffchristie1541]

enjoyed the scenery and everything else that went with your luxury van holiday , but that's not really van life mores the pity !

[@nordnung]

Slovenia + California=Top

[@paulhanson6008]

Generally enjoyed the video.

[@ExpeditionDean]

I wouldn't say this is vanlife its more a touring holiday for a few weeks. Vanlife is daily life not photography spots.

[@ngg4399]

This has completely missed the point of vanlife. Most people living in vans buy them for about $2000-$4500 and have to make them work on a budget. You loaned out a $50,000-$90,000 van and just had a road trip. People living in vans have the difficulty and stress of not knowing where they can safely sleep for the night, or if they will get in trouble with the police, or are they vulnerable to thieves. Not just for a couple of weeks, but for years at a time. You just went on a luxurious vacation. Vanlife folks are always dealing with breakdowns, and inconvenient repairs to seals, electrical and mechanical issues. Since most of their vans are over 20-30 years old. You have a brand new van that you really didn’t have to think about much. Most vanlife people have jobs and work full time while living in a van. You were on holiday. This video is so tone deaf to the struggles of everyday van living. I can’t say I’ve ever lived in a van, but I live in LA where 1000s of people are moving into vans everyday. I know some folks who live in vans and I follow some people on KZbin who live in vans.

[@gbr8463]

...and what about the Camper Van? o.O

[@betims]

Narrator: we just had to point in the right direction and sit and enjoy the ride. That's called driving. Read a book... you may find it helpful. The guy in the video: it weighs...i don't k---several tonnes. Well thnx, you're giving me precise inofrmation I need. Mightaswell read the manual of the thing you're reviewing. It may literally help.

[@BFD15i]

Do 26.000 miles over half a year (or longer) and then we can talk about your experiences of the "vanlife". What you did here was just a camping-trip.

[@namastesteven5655]

A couple of plebs large van and weighing several tonnes lol let me out in not mad

[@curiousnomadic]

What happened to the British drinking tea? Tea is so much more zen.

[@thebadmanreturns]

Use a better mic

[@hayley4253]

Well that was painful, and I only managed to get 5 mins in.

[@MrPuncii]

At 12:58 he ignored the stop sighn.

[@as8361]

I noticed that too...

[@Krafty]

So many videos discouraging people from van life due to the realities of it. If it's not for you, it's not for you. The reason people get into it is to escape the shackles of modern society. That's the whole point. The financial and societal freedom.

[@CalebT007]

Hi

[@johnrussellpowell3182]

Be safe on the road mate. All that kit you had on the table while your girlfriend/wife was driving would have become lethal projectiles aimed at the back of her head even in a moderate speed accident. No sense getting your partner dead-by-macbook just to fiddle around on the laptop. Given the other instances of you rolling through stop signs, etc., bit surprised a big company like CNET doesn't hold you to a higher standard of driver safety while driving for work.

[@playingwithsticks6819]

The Geeks guide to glamping

[@user-eo6bk9sg5y]

Don’t just fill up the kettle fill up all of your water tanks & bottles

[@corner-vlog975]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@andrewxiao1138]

What's with the camera work?? Was too nauseating to watch!

[@mattiaslauwereys1894]

I stopped the video at 00:46... Come on, a 2 week trip around Europe??? You got to be kidding me

[@KaptainKastle]

Real van lifers feel free to cringe now

[@jpw888]

There's some harsh messages on here great video keep going mate 👍🏻

[@rexhargrove5172]

Why why why won’t VW release a camper van again in North America!?! I’ve had many VW westy’s and would immediately order one if they were made available here.

[@JaseWolf]

A Ford Transit Custom can be made just as luxorious as a VW camper that is a bit more spaceous too except cheaper than the VW tax you pay for the badge and name. Not that there's anything wrong with getting them if you want them as they're absolutely smashing vehicles looks wise, I love them a lot. But then the Transit Custom also is a smexy beast too.

[@rexhargrove5172]

Jase Wolf excellent points. Thanks!

[@JaseWolf]

I'll myself be getting a 2010ish Transit Connect next year. Would go for a Custom but there's a commercial van ban in all the house deeds on our street that ban vans and campers from on the property or the public road. Obviously that doesn't apply to people visiting like work men but when you live here and keeping the van overnight, not at all allowed. So a custom wouldn't be able to happen, even though you can argue that there are others around with bigger non commercial passenger vehicles... still pushing the limit. But a Connect, it's pretty much a minivan in sizing, just with a more small commercial van space inside. So they can't realistically argue at all about that when just across the road is a Citreon Belingo passenger vehicle xD. A transit connect is a tiny van, but if you are taking the inside out, as you do with van living, it just takes interesting tricks to make that small space bearable, such as a slide out kitchen from under the bed at the back to use outside, and whilst the connect is too compact to have a swivle front seat, the 2002-2014 model (well up to 2011 for you lot in the US) has a fold flat front passenger seat option that you can remove entirely, and could even mount backwards... which is a good solution for if you're solo and don't have a passenger. Definitely would have the custom if I could, but then at least even if the Connect lasted say maybe three years and then was only fit for a dumpster, for the price they cost, you've already saved yourself 3x as much if not more than if you bought new with financing. From what I see, people start too big and too costly getting into "vanlife" then realise they hated it. But starting small and cheaper, at least I will be able to build up down the line when I feel like wanting an upgrade or needing one if I ever meet someone. It is a shame though that you don't get these VWs, as here in EU/UK, you can get quite a steal sometimes for older models, just with some needed TLC and converting to make a much better camper for full time than what you get from the manufacture.

[@rexhargrove5172]

Jase Wolf once again, brilliant points and observations. Your build plans sound spot on and I hope you upload videos throughout the build journey! Thanks again for your insight it’s much appreciated.

[@JaseWolf]

I definitely plan to don't you worry! I also will be hopefully recording throughout my driving lessons when I start them in Jan. My plan is to hopefully be a full license holder by July and then hopefully I'll be at a liveable stage with the van in around October, which I definitely plan on making sure I can bear living in the van at winter time. It'll be called "Van Diaries" when I do start having videos going up regarding the van and van living... which complements my other two current main series "Video & Image Diaries" and "Gaming Video Diaries" :P Though considering the last time I did a gaming video was back in Jan, I don't know whether I'll still have interest in gaming this time next year, but I do want to at least take that on for a little while longer until it comes to when I need to change my computing setup to work on the solar setup :P

[@in-the-vanpeter5157]

Well I got to like you two but on the point of vanlife you missed the point sorry, great photography but audio not so good. Please have another go.

[@livelongandprosper70]

instagram dont show ppl shitting in a bucket

[@Ethos1231]

Yeah how dare they make repairs to that church

[@tomassousa3607]

2:32 AHAHAHAHAHAH

[@samielgo1]

coffee or soy ?

[@GrandWalkingTours]

excelent Video , nicely done , I hope when retired to get a van and travel all over EU then beyond , i like you do Photos' and video walking tours for my channel so van life would be excellent for these Just need to get 10 million subscribers or win the lotto ...... yeah thats never going to happen , ill have to rely on winning the lotto

[@s80key]

Won’t be doing that after brexit

[@choiboix]

Shaukat Ali Ya they will. They’ll just need their passport.

[@lth1072]

A posh couple drive a van across Europe

[@livelongandprosper70]

yes put background music on a video with narration so we cant hear you VERY professional ..NOT !

[@warren9667]

Nice holiday. Not Van Life though.

[@UncleSkiBum]

If this the quality of CNET journalismbthen I'm outta here. Who doesn't do research before using a van, locking inside of van with alarm fob & forgetting to bring basics like a hose and sponge. As a mockumentary this would have been hilarious.

[@seanbeautridge99]

Really poor. Look at Andrew Ditton’s site and learn.

[@soongpark683]

10% van 90% your face

[@tobleroneyremorse1117]

Who sets out on a 2,600 mile journey in a van they have never even boiled water in? much less forgets to fill the water tanks before leaving. Here is a tip, GO CAMPING FIRST. The guy said he was a "tech jouralist", and can't even identify a gas strut when he sees one. I watched a few minutes then left. This is crud.

[@mattstopa9436]

This is the most unexpectedly potato video. It's CNET, a technology company, yet the audio is all over the place. It goes from too low to super loud. Also using a like 70mm lens so it's bouncing all around. Seems like the guy's first time making a video.

[@MaZEEZaM]

COFFEE! What sort of English are you, should be TEA! Treasonous lol.

[@JaseWolf]

Herb teas are gorgeous. Hate the normal sort of tea though. Give me lemon, lavender, ginger or any sort of herb tea like that... I don't like them too hot but absolutely gorgeous :P

[@-fuk57]

Inaccurate. No drug use. Inaccurate.