RVing America versus RVing Overseas (16 variations)

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Subsequent week, we jet throughout the pond to take our household of 4 on a month-long RV highway journey throughout southern France and Spain. This shall be our fourth and fifth nations to RV (beforehand: New Zealand, Canada, and Italy) and our first RV journey as a household of 4.

With journey restrictions winding down, Heath and I’ve mentioned at size what we needed to do subsequent. Ought to we RV full-time within the States once more? Or ought to we go on shorter journeys and hold working towards our purpose of RVing around the globe?

Finally, RVing around the globe gained out!

RVing America Versus RVing Overseas

Increasing our consolation zone and difficult ourselves is a big motivation for Heath and me after we take into consideration journey. We’ve visited each state (and 45/50 we’ve visited twice) and after six years of full-timing within the States, RVing right here merely doesn’t stretch our consolation zone anymore. I might navigate RV life in America in my sleep.

It’s one of many foremost issues that makes RVing overseas interesting to us. It’s a brand new problem and it opens us to expertise so many stunning locations.

Each nation we’ve visited to this point has been totally different than the final, however I needed to share just a few of our ideas on what the variations are between RVing overseas and RVing right here within the States. Let’s begin with the apparent.

1. You could drive on the incorrect aspect of the highway.

As excited as I used to be to lease our campervan in New Zealand, I used to be equally frightened of driving on the left aspect of the highway and the fitting aspect of the automotive. So as to add insult to harm, New Zealand has only a few purple lights and as a substitute has multi-lane roundabouts. Do you have got any thought how laborious it’s to navigate a proper flip in a three-lane roundabout on the incorrect aspect of the automotive and the incorrect aspect of the highway? I do!

Unsurprisingly, New Zealand has a really excessive accident charge, largely resulting from vacationers like us. They do a tremendous job of labeling the roads to compensate for this and our rental additionally had notes and arrows on the windshield to assist remind us to remain on the left aspect of the highway. Maybe most useful is that the gear shift, blinkers, and windshield wipes are on the identical aspect you’re used to within the States.

In lots of nations, you’ll be on the fitting aspect similar to within the States, however in the event you plan to RV within the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, you’ll wish to be ready for this!

2. You’ll need to be taught to drive a stick!

Actually, there’s no higher description than simply watching this video:

Heath knew how you can drive a stick…on paper. However in actuality? Not a lot. Many RVs overseas are handbook transmissions, so studying how you can drive one is a necessity. In distinction, I’ve by no means seen a handbook transmission RV manufactured within the States.

3. The whole lot is greater in Texas America

“You have got a small rig then?”

“Uh, yeah it’s fairly small.”

The supervisor on the vacation park leaned over the desk and peered out the window. “Oi! That one’s large!”

In America, the smallest RVs are about 21-24 ft lengthy. Even Sprinter vans will be this lengthy! Overseas, that would be the measurement of the largest RVs. It is a big adjustment for us mentally. A seven-meter (23 ft) campervan feels small as a result of within the States our final RV was 40 ft lengthy and had three slide-outs!

You undoubtedly gained’t be seeing RVs that large overseas.

4. You possibly can’t drive simply anyplace.

In America, it felt like we might take our RV virtually in all places. Positive, there’s the occasional size restrict like Pacific Coast Freeway’s 30-foot restrict and sure roads in Nationwide Parks. However generally, we run into few limitations. (The largest ones I can consider are propane-free tunnels and low clearances round New York Metropolis!)

However the older the nation, the harder navigating in an RV is. Once I say roads are tiny, I imply TINY. And lots of cities and particularly cities gained’t enable RVs to drive in. In Italy, for instance, these are known as zona traffico limitato or ZTL. If we noticed a ZTL signal, we knew we couldn’t go that path… Or at the least shouldn’t. Undoubtedly ended up parked in a single within the video above 😂🙈

Earlier than we RV in every nation, we Google search “suggestions for driving in ________” and might often discover an e book or weblog publish sharing site visitors indicators, what the roads are like, and issues to pay attention to earlier than we arrive within the nation. It is a big distinction between RVing in America the place you just about simply drive.

5. A rose by another identify…

RV. Camper van. Caravan. Motorhome. Tenting Automotive.

Each nation calls it one thing totally different and BONUS, in most nations it’ll be in a distinct language. Don’t fear, we’ll publish photos on Instagram of our l’ autocaravane.

Equally, campgrounds will all have totally different names. The UK and New Zealand have vacation parks, Italy has campeggios, and we now have RV parks.

6. These campeggi although 😍

Talking of campgrounds…

Campeggi are INCREDIBLE.

If you solely have a motorhome and no automobile, once you get to a campground, you’re sort of locked in. Italy understands that and the campeggio expertise may be very all-inclusive.

Actually.

We stayed at an all-inclusive campeggio in Orbetello on the coast of Italy. There was a non-public seaside, swimming pools, a number of eating places, a grocery retailer, gelateria, a restaurant, a schedule of actions, a number of playgrounds, youngsters’ loos full with toddler-sized showers, and so forth. They even had a senza glutine (GF) menu at meals so I might get pleasure from ravioli and eggplant parmesan like everybody else. (Okay, now I’m hungry.) Campgrounds like this appeal to households, making them much more enticing to us now. Ellie made associates (who solely spoke Italian) and had a lot enjoyable enjoying within the large toddler pool.

We camped beneath large bushes, smelled saltwater within the air, and nonetheless had entry to all the things we would have liked all week!

(The all-inclusive campground price about $100/night time for a two-bedroom cabin and meals, in case you have been questioning.)

7. Free tenting abounds overseas*

*not together with Canada, which is the toughest nation without cost tenting

Italy and all of Europe are identified for plentiful free in a single day tenting choices. (I do know what you’re pondering—superior campgrounds and free tenting choices? Why am I not there already?!)

New Zealand has a fame for freedom tenting—what we’d name boondocking within the US.

To say it’s superb is an understatement. There’s free tenting in all places.

Free tenting within the US is virtually unique to the west coast the place there are extra public lands. And even then the lands are distant and infrequently tough to entry in bigger RVs.

In New Zealand, we had 30 MBs down as our web velocity and we have been camped on this large lake surrounded by mountains on each aspect. We stayed so long as we might earlier than we needed to dump our tanks..and promptly returned. It’s certainly one of our favourite free campsites on the earth 🌏

8. Two phrases: Chemical bogs.

In all of our RV leases to date, the RV has had a cassette bathroom. RVs within the States have them too, significantly smaller rigs just like the Winnebago Revel. This implies it’s a must to dump your cassette bathroom virtually day by day as a result of it isn’t very massive and can replenish quick.

Nevertheless, it’s possible you’ll not dump your cassette bathroom in the identical place as you dump your gray water. In Italy, we dumped our cassette in chemical bogs particularly for this objective. In New Zealand, I recall Heath rolling our cassette bathroom like a suitcase throughout the car parking zone to dump it in a public lavatory.

I actually can’t let you know if it is a professional or a con. Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly totally different!

9. Hookups

All the hookups shall be utterly totally different overseas versus in America. Totally different electrical cords and plugs. Fully totally different water hookup—i.e. no fixed water hookup, you’ll fill your tank and use your pump. No dump station at your campsite.

And, when RVing throughout Europe for instance, each nation can have totally different hookups and rules round propane, making this hookup significantly complicated. There’s a entire web site devoted to determining propane throughout European borders.

(In the event you lease an RV, the rental firm will cowl all of this once you decide up your rig so that you’re not completely misplaced once you attempt to hook up for the primary time! )

10. Canada is mainly America however with cheaper healthcare.

There should not many variations between RVing in America and in Canada, although it’s technically “overseas”. I extremely suggest planning a visit throughout the border, in the event you can, as a result of Canada has a lot magnificence to supply and is stuffed with tenting alternatives.

Since it’s our neighbor to the north, you most likely will drive your individual RV versus renting, however RVs in Canada are similar to US rigs too.

(However significantly on the cheaper healthcare factor. Additionally after I was sick in Canada, I bought a prescription for $80. Once I bought it refilled within the US, it was $400 and the bottle was half the dimensions. It will’ve been cheaper for us to drive again to Canada and get a brand new prescription than to fill it again up at house and I take into consideration this on a regular basis.)

11. Public Transport 🚃

I don’t suppose I’ve ever ridden the bus in America.

I’m scratching my head, however since I don’t dwell in a serious metropolis, it has by no means been part of my life. And apart from the shuttle bus in Glacier Nationwide Park, we’ve by no means used public transport as a part of RV life both! We virtually all the time had a automotive.

Overseas, this has been a fixture and one small factor that stretches our consolation zone on an virtually day by day foundation after we journey overseas. Since many cities are inaccessible by RV (to not point out, I don’t wish to drive an RV in Paris!) public transit is one of the simplest ways to get out and discover.

We did additionally lease bikes in New Zealand and Italy, which was one other nice solution to navigate.

12. Thanks for delivering my package deal, Amazon.

So this would possibly be attainable overseas. I haven’t bothered to attempt it as a result of I don’t suppose it’s. However usually within the States, we now have had Amazon packages, DoorDash deliveries, and extra arrive straight to our campsite.

I’ve by no means tried this overseas largely as a result of comfort like it is a very American idea. Within the States, we anticipate issues to open after we need, ship straight to us regardless of the place we’re, and arrive quick. In the event you put “the large gray motorhome with the silver Honda in entrance” into the outline on UberEats, you anticipate your tacos to be delivered straight to you. That is so particular to America.

Overseas, we’ve struggled to search out eating places open earlier than 7 PM and out of doors of cities, virtually nobody delivers. It’s one thing we didn’t understand we did so usually within the States till we went overseas and didn’t have the choice.

13. Languages, clearly.

This felt so apparent I wasn’t positive if I ought to embody it. However even in Canada and Mexico, you’ll be confronted with needing to know one other language. In all of our travels to this point, since tenting is a tourism trade, staff at campgrounds communicate a number of languages.

Signage is nearly all the time additionally in English or makes use of symbols/photos which might be universally understood. So language generally is a distinction, however not as large of a deal as you would possibly suppose.

14. You spend extra money.

The largest, most blatant con to RVing overseas versus the States is the fee. Price of dwelling (I’m speaking fuel costs, meals, eating places) will range broadly by which nation you’re RVing in, however on prime of that, you’re paying for an RV rental. That is usually hundreds of {dollars} a month.

After we determined to spend two months campervanning throughout New Zealand, we acquired a quote for over 10,000 New Zealand {dollars}! We bought inventive and labored with the rental firm to create content material to offset that invoice, however nonetheless ended up paying effectively over $5,000 for our rental.

On prime of the RV rental, you’re most likely going to pay for flights and motels as effectively. We’ve taken 3-4 nights in a resort or Airbnb to regulate to jetlag. I extremely suggest this you probably have the time, however it’s an extra expense. Visiting cities in RVs is tough, so it is a nice solution to discover a metropolis, modify to a distinct tradition, and really feel energized earlier than you hit the open highway.

As a result of RVing within the States was all the time full-time for us, we knew it wasn’t trip. Internationally, it’s laborious to not consider your journey as a trip—even when it’s long-term. We all the time find yourself consuming out extra and paying for extra experiences overseas than we’d in America.

15. We attempt issues we wouldn’t in any other case expertise.

Have you ever ever heard of jetboating? Ridden a cable automotive to a mountain peak? Made your personal scorching tub on the seaside? Seen a mud volcano?

I undoubtedly haven’t executed any of these issues within the States…besides trip a gondola or two. (However the one in Italy was NEXT LEVEL.)

I really like how journey consistently exposes you to belongings you wouldn’t or couldn’t in any other case expertise. We’ve seen superb issues within the States…however there are some issues that merely don’t exist right here.

Like mountaineering at night time suspended on hanging bridges that join a forest of redwood bushes.

16. And lastly, all the things is an expertise.

I began this publish by sharing that one of many issues that Heath and I really like about journey is the way it stretches our consolation zone. It additionally offers you an opportunity to be captivated by on a regular basis experiences.

Getting ice cream.

Grocery buying.

Going for a stroll across the campground.

Sure, that does imply some issues are additional difficult like discovering fuel stations and refilling the propane tank.

Nevertheless it makes on daily basis somewhat extra memorable.

Have you ever ever considered RVing overseas? What nation is on the prime of your listing? Remark and inform us the place, then let’s all go! 🌍