14 Surprising Differences Between Van Life in Europe vs The U.S.

Van life in Europe is an adventure like no other, offering a completely different experience from what you might expect in the U.S. We’ve been on TWO campervan adventures in Europe so far, in 2023 and 2024. We rented from Roadsurfer and Anywhere Campers and have been to Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany.

From the campers’ size to the campgrounds’ layout, some surprising differences can catch you off guard if you’re used to American van life.

Here are some key differences so you know what to expect when renting a camper overseas.

Rental Vans Aren’t Equipped for Off-Grid Living

One thing I really miss when living van life in Europe is the solar system in my Sprinter van. We have four lithium-ion Battleborn batteries and 200 watts of solar power that allow us to run our electric kettle, induction cooktop, fridge, and fan. We can also charge our computers and other devices even when we’re not plugged into power. We’re a self-sustaining unit, which I love.

Here in Europe, the campervan rentals don’t come with a solar system, so when dry camping, you can only use the van’s lights. No charging computers, phones, cameras, etc., or it will drain your van’s leisure batteries very quickly. We deal with this by bringing an Anker portable power station overseas for charging our small devices, and charging computers and toothbrushes at campground communal areas.

Campgrounds Might Not be What You Expect

In the U.S., you might expect your campsite to have large, private spaces, especially at state and national parks. Campgrounds here more resemble parking lots with varying levels of privacy. Some of them are very cheap and are basically glorified rest stops, and cost anywhere from $10-$20. In Italy, they are called “sostas” (rest), and in France, “aires” (areas). Amenities at these stopovers can include anything from power, to water, to cassette toilet dump, to full-on showers and bathrooms.

Other campgrounds have a little more room with grass, trees, and bushes dividing campsites. However, they will still be way more crammed than what you’re used to getting in the U.S.

Campgrounds are Highly Organized

In Europe, it’s frowned upon to throw ANY type of water on the ground. You either have to use your camper’s holding tank to do your dishes and hold your shower water, or you must walk to the campground sinks to do your dishes. Some British campers we met said they don’t even dare throw excess tea on the ground.

Aside from sinks to do dishes, many campgrounds offer DIFFERENT sinks for doing laundry. This makes tons of sense to us cause you wouldn’t want to do your laundry in a sink full of old food. Sinks are clearly marked so you know which is used for which.

Some Campgrounds Have High-End Amenities

In the U.S., you are often lucky if you get a really nice shower in a campground. European campgrounds, on the other hand, have a variety of amenities depending on which you choose.

At some campgrounds in the Italian Dolomites, you could pay an extra fee for access to a suite of saunas, steam rooms and a jacuzzi. Or you might have access to a large indoor swimming pool.

We’ve stayed at others that have fine dining on the premises.

Another thing that blew my mind is that at some campgrounds in the Dolomites, you could book your own private bathroom, complete with a deep bathtub and sink. They really know how to do luxury camping in Europe!

There Typically Aren’t Campfires

In all the campgrounds we have stayed at in Europe, none of them have had fire rings or allowed campfires. I know many people love having fires, but as people who camp full-time, we get tired of smelling campfire smoke and having it waft into our Sprinter van. There have been many times we had to close all our windows because people were burning garbage and plastic in campfires.

We are happy that there are typically no fires at campgrounds in Europe.

Other Campers are VERY Quiet

There’s a very high level of respect at European campgrounds. We tend not to hear loud music, partying, dogs barking relentlessly, or kids screaming. People are so quiet that we felt bad sitting up until 9pm one night chatting outside with our neighbors.

There Aren’t Extensive Public Lands for Boondocking

One thing I love about van life in the U.S. is the huge amounts of public lands on the western half of the country that we can camp on for free. Boondocking and being out in the middle of nature is one of my favorite things about van life, and that is hard to do here. European countries are much smaller and there just isn’t as much space as in the U.S. Most boondocking, or “wild camping” here, is done not far from civilization. Plus, the rules are different. In some countries wild camping is illegal, so we tend not to wild camp here as we don’t know the rules as well as in the U.S.

Once we’re camping in Europe for awhile, we start missing the vast and open spaces of the United States.

There Aren’t as Many Custom Campervans

It seems everywhere you go in the U.S., there are many different types of campervans. Some are DIY, some have conversion kits, and some are professionally built. Plus, there are companies that make Class B RVs. The diversity in the U.S. with the types of vans you see for van life is huge.

Here, you mostly see campers manufactured by motorhome companies, and not as many DIY or custom builds.

People are Really Into Small Campervans

In Europe, we rented what amounts to a Class B Plus campervan. With U.S. standards, our camper is pretty small, but its one of the largest campers you see on the road here in Europe. At many campgrounds, the van of choice is the size of a minivan with a pop-top. These adorable Volkswagen California and Ford Nugget type vans are EVERYWHERE. The roads here are very small, which makes these smaller vans easier to drive, park and maneuver.

Grocery Shopping Can Be Confusing

When we first grocery shopped in Italy, I had no idea how to deal with the produce. It took a couple trips to the cash register to figure out that I needed to weigh and print stickers for all of my produce BEFORE taking it to the checkout line.

In France, only SOME of the produce needed to be weighed, while others was by piece. I had to read the signs and see if it said “pièce” on it, which means piece, or I looked for weight in kilograms, which typically meant I needed to weigh it. This was so confusing, and luckily, a nice French woman helped me out.

Roads are Much More Narrow

When we were driving on the Ligurian coast in our Class B Plus style camper, I almost had a heart-attack as Tom navigated very narrow roads with tons of small cars and motorcycles whizzing past us. To boot, some towns don’t even allow campers in the town’s center, and you have to watch the signs very carefully to make sure you don’t break the law.

I think these narrow roads are why many people favor smaller campers.

There Aren’t Black Tanks in Campers

Instead of black tanks, all of the sewage systems we’ve seen in campervans and motorhomes in Europe is with a cassette toilet. This permanent cassette toilet empties into a small cassette which you remove on the outside of the van. You then have to carry this to the black water dump station. You must be very strong if your cassette is full and heavy, and then you tip it to pour the sewage into a drain.

I think dealing with raw sewage is gross so we only go #1 in our cassette, then dump and rinse it with water.

You Can Often Park Very Close To Town

Once thing I LOVE about van life in Europe is that towns are very welcoming to campers. When motorhomes pass through, it means people are spending money at local bars, restaurants and attractions. So, cities put parking stopovers very close to town which are usually really cheap. We love the ability to just park and then either walk or bike into town to explore. I wish the U.S. had more options to park close to city centers instead of way out in the sticks.

Tolls Can Be Insanely Expensive

The toll highways in Europe are a total pain. When we drove on the highways in France from the Alps down to the Mediterranean sea, it must have cost 60 euros in tolls, just for a 5 hour drive. We’ve never experienced such high tolls in the U.S. and that was pretty shocking to discover. Make sure you budget tolls into your expenses!

Are YOU Ready to Head to Europe?

If you want to learn LOTS of info about heading to Europe, check out my guide to van life in Italy, which applies to most of Europe, too.