September 5th, 2015
Over the past three years, Norm and I (in our own comfortable 32 foot Winnebago Adventurer motorhome) have escaped the hot and humid Florida climate and toured the cooler regions of the USA and Canada. (To read more about those adventures, hit the tabs above.)
Over the past three years, Norm and I (in our own comfortable 32 foot Winnebago Adventurer motorhome) have escaped the hot and humid Florida climate and toured the cooler regions of the USA and Canada. (To read more about those adventures, hit the tabs above.)
A couple of years ago we attended a seminar at a large RV convention given by a RV tour company that leads a group of rented RV’s (commonly referred to as a “caravan”) on various trips through Europe! It sounded fabulous, so we kept the brochures, and filed it away in the back of our minds, placing it on our Bucket List, along with what we call Alaska Three Ways. (Rent an RV to see the parks, perhaps a house on the Kenai Peninsula, and take a cruise back). Neither of these adventures would require our own RV, so we decided to sell it after our trip last summer.
Our Bucket List has two columns: One that requires really good health, some physical conditioning, and fairly decent metal capacity, and the other column has those dreamed about activities slated for when we become “old”. The exception to that rule is the hang gliding on MY list. Since it is inherently dangerous, I put it on the very bottom of my list just in case it is the LAST thing I do. Norman assures me I will be doing it alone.
We really enjoy RV’ing and have to admit we miss traveling with our own bed and refrigerator. After all, how else could one travel with a clean bathroom at hand, and a beer within reach?
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| Our planned travel route |
We decided to go to Europe this year, and although all the various tours offered sounded wonderful, we chose the 31 day, 2300 mile tour visiting Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland!
To make it even more special, we will first go to Boston and see the kids and grandchildren, then will fly to Iceland and spend four days prior to arriving in Germany to meet the group!
Norm and I have never traveled with a group before (other than a week with the Villages RV Club) so this will be an entirely different experience. We won’t have time to do the hiking, biking, and kayaking we love so much, but it will be an incredible way to see Europe "off the beaten path" and have the security of someone making all the plans, knowing the routes and speaking the language!
There will be a total of 10 RV’s including staff that lead the group, and another called a “tail gunner” that follows behind making sure everyone makes it to the next destination safely, and assisting if needed. It will be incredible to see those beautiful destinations, and everything in-between!
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| This is the layout of our previous Winnebago Adventurer. 32 feet in length. We found after about 6 weeks of travel we got to feel a little claustrophobic This was considered quite small compared to most motor homes in the US. |
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| This will be our new home on wheels. 21 feet from bumper to bumper. It will certainly be "cozy"! Let's hope it doesn't rain so we can spend most of our time outdoors! This size is perfect for those European back-roads and side streets. |
What will we be driving/living in? This sleek, diesel powered RV is a mere 21 feet, with no automatic slides to increase width when parked.(Perfect for those tiny European back streets). It will be very small, and won’t hold much “stuff”. Hopefully we will get used to it without too much bloodshed. It will just add to the “adventure”!
We are getting the house ready to leave, and making piles of what we need and want to bring. Then removing items, then more items. I keep reminding myself that we have ONE 50 lb. suitcase each. Boy, this is difficult!
Temperatures will range from the high 30’s Fahrenheit in Iceland, to perhaps the low 80’s in Greece. Yikes! We need to have appropriate clothing for these climates- after all, we will be "camping", and probably spending a lot of time outdoors. We are advised to “layer” but for me to be warm in the 40’s, or even the 50’s, the third and final layer will have to be my warm winter coat! Between that and my pillow, I am indebted to the inventor of compression bags!
