Caravanning is perhaps one of the best ways to indulge your passions for travel long-term. Instead of relying on hotels and one-off visits to Airbnbs, you’re free to pretty much travel as you like, hooking up your caravan to the mains at various sites dotted around the world.
The extent of the caravan infrastructure is genuinely extraordinary. Practically every country in the world has facilities of one type or another. And even if they don’t, modern vehicles provide all the energy backup and storage that you need to live autonomously.
If you have a caravan or a Halterman RV of some description, where should you visit? What are the best caravanning destinations in the world? Not sure? Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered.
Brittany, France
The road infrastructure is one of the great things about Europe. Even today, the highways are pretty much empty between the cities, meaning that you have perfect freedom. Nowhere is this more true than in the region of Brittany in northeastern France. The area is incredibly popular among British tourists, and it’s not hard to see why. There are pretty towns all over the place, including Rennes, and plenty of stunning scenery.
Brittany, like many regions of outer France, is relatively sparsely populated and rustic. Things haven’t changed in many villages for hundreds of years, making it an excellent location for hiking and camping too.
Andalucia, Spain
If you travel right to the southernmost part of Spain, you’ll wind up in Andalucia – a beautiful region famous for the Costa del Sol and other seaside attractions. What’s nice about the area is that rainfall is rare, and yet it isn’t wholly desertified.
Andalucia is home to hundreds of sites where you can hook up a caravan and get access to facilities. Just be warned that if you travel in the summer, you’ll have to endure extreme temperatures, including at night. Strangely, the best time to go caravanning here is actually much later in the year, around October and November. The temperatures are much more reasonable, meaning that you don’t have to leave your air conditioning whirring all night long.
Tuscany, Italy
Another European destination, this time Tuscany in central Italy.
The reason you’ve heard of this province isn’t blind luck. The region offers some of the most stunning scenery anywhere in the world. And it is home to fantastic food, incredible wines and plenty of other amenities to keep boredom at bay. The weather is usually pretty good too, making it an excellent place for outdoor pursuits.
Austria
For those looking for a more Alpine experience, please consider Austria. The country is very different from anything you might experience elsewhere in Europe. Strangely, most Alpine valleys don’t have hedgerows, fences or even trees. Many are just vast lawns, dotted with various residential and commercial properties. Everything has a kind of magical feel, just because it is so unusual, making it an exciting place to stay. Many caravan sites have direct access to ski slopes, so you can combine two holidays in one.
