Has anyone had the experience to travel Europe on either a Motorcycle or in a Caravan? Out of your experience, which one would you suggest for adventure visits to destinations within Europe (starting and ending in CH)?
I am looking at distances up to 1,500 km of round trip, and a duration of ~4 days per trip.
Also how's it with the security and weather? In case of Motorcycle I would opt for lodging at hotels, and with a Caravan I would sleep in.
I have experience of both, although I don't really understand the question. I think the specifics of both are clear, so it is up to you to choose which gives you more pleasure. I don't know, try both?
If it's raining, go with the motorbike, if the whole of Europe is stuck in a traffic jam, go with the camper? Or vice versa
The question you should ask is what do you prefer? I like motorbikes and being uncomfortable in small tents, i would not be seen dead in a motorhome... well actually I would because I would have died of boredom in a motorhome. In my humble opinion Europe is so compact it really doesnt matter.
I've made road trips up to 5,000 km in SUVs, crossed rivers on furries and slept in tents in open deserts, but that was in a different environment where the main concern was really how much liquid you can carry!!
I agree with you, Europe is relatively compact, plus you're never too far from the essential supplies (don't need to carry much), hence I started looking into travelling on a motorbike, which I don't have enough experience of.
It's not the same thing, but my husband and I have done a ton of self-sufficient camping back in Canada where you pack everything on your bike, whereas in Europe we have become credit-card bike tourers. It is just so easy to find food/accommodation/water anywhere you go it's not worth the hassle of dragging everything with us all the time. We really appreciate how much easier it is to travel with minimal gear.
I do have friends with camper vans (Volkswagen-style) who use them almost every weekend, but these are mostly families with active children who travel around with bikes and other sports gear, so a van is a good option. The other caravan people I know are singles or couples who sometimes go really off the beaten path (think Iceland, Faroe Islands, Scotland...) and sleep in their vans every night.
If you are going to always be near places with food and accommodation I can imagine the bike would be more fun and less hassle to park, but of course the downside is when it rains. If you are thinking of wild adventures where you will need to camp overnight the question is do you want to pack all your camping sleeping and cooking gear on a bike, or would you rather just take your home with you and camp in more comfort (=caravan).
With a camper, it might be hard to find a place to park it on short notice. A lot of campgrounds require booking in advance. But I guess the same probably goes for hotels.
You might want to ask yourself how much stuff you want to be able to bring with you and if you also want to bring a partner along. A motorbike can only hold so much stuffff.
And of course, another thing to consider is safety. You'll certainly be much safer in a camper than on a motorbike. It's not just your own driving but all the other drivers out there that you have to worry about, and especially if you're on a lot of winding roads and hills, etc.
In my opinion is Europe not really great for campers - unless you go to Scandinavia is it usually a pain to find a legal spot... and often do you pay more than you'd think to park the thing on a patch of grass and use some 1970s shower...
I'd personally rather take a car and stay in hotels - if you do the full calculation with the costs to buy the camper will you likely end up cheaper with a better and much more flexible experience. The perfect mix between practicability vs comfort is for me a roadster... but tastes vary.
VW California! Sized like a big car, drives like a car but works like a camper! If you are 1 or 2 people then it's great! We have travelled with ours also in cities and was always fine to park etc.
For me Europe is best roamed on a scooter, with just a dufflebag full of clothes and a creditcard to pay for the hotels. A 300cc scooter would do great, but for some reason I like doing this on a 125cc better. On a 300 it’s easy, while a 125cc makes it more of an adventure.