The world’s best countries to travel in a campervan…

Let’s be honest. The words ‘Motorhome adventure’ seem about as out of place as a nun and a hunky underwear model holding hands in a cathedral.

The first word in this careless semantic coupling invokes images of house sized monstrosities thundering down miles of god-forsaken tarmac in the middle of nowhere, with pensioners at the wheel giving it their last go – the proverbial last throw of the dice in the game of life before the bucket list gets emptied and a good innings comes to timely end.

Adventure, on the other hand, conjures up images of bold journeys into the heart of lands and cultures where the only thing one can expect is the unexpected. This is where the inexorable pull of new, vibrant experiences and hard, gritty challenges will leave you standing at the end of it all with a much keener appreciation for your life and much more intimate awareness of who you are and what you value as a human being. Danger and delight line the hidden path and courage and curiosity are the fuel that propels your journey.

In the traditional sense, an adventure is undertaken upon horseback, or straddling the well-worn seat of a clapped out motorcycle, or simply on foot. Clambering on board a house on wheels and casting off with cries of ‘All aboard’ is not what one envisions when thinking of an adventure.

So long to the stereotypes

Thankfully, those stereotypes no longer apply, and the motorhomes and campervans of today have come a long, long way from the iconic Winnebago monstrosities most recently brought back into the limelight by that classic opening scene from the hit TV series Breaking Bad – where Walter White wrestles that out of control leviathan in nothing but his signature ‘tighty whities’ through the New Mexican desert.

The motorhome adventure is now something that can be undertaken by budget conscious travelling vagabonds looking for freedom on four wheels to those whose shoestring travel days are behind them and who prefer to step out in true glampervan style and comfort.

The chariot of your choice is there, but the hardest decision to be made remains just where to go. Ruling out war zones, the arctic, and crime-riddled hotspots where after a few hours away from your home on wheels you’re more likely to come back to a chassis on bricks, four obvious choices remain.

1. The USA

The USA is a Winnebago wanderer’s dream. There is so much on offer in this huge country that more often than not the hardest part of the campervan trip deciding just which route to do. We still reckon the classic National Historic Route 66, which stretches from LA to Chicago across some of the most bewildering and awe-inspiring scenery Murica has to offer, is the best way to go.

Glide through the unforgettable hairpin bends in the majestic Black Mountains, hideout in the very secluded cave system that the legendary outlaw Jesse James used to conceal himself from the law in the Meramec Caverns, Stanton, Missouri and be sure to refuel and refresh at the Dixie – Route 66’s most iconic and oldest truck stop which has only been closed 1 day in the near 70 years it has been open.

2. Europe

No other region on earth manages to combine such an alluring fusion of culture, cuisine and dynamic, diverse and startlingly beautiful scenery as Europe – both the west and the east.

Tour the iconic cities of Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Munich; lose yourself in the endlessly crisscrossing tarmac ribbons that trail through Alps, forests and along pristine lakes. Some of the most enticing coastal driving awaits and for those with a thirst for off the beaten path adventure the whole of Eastern Europe awaits.

3. Australia

Big, bold and beautiful – Australia is a land teeming with an almost unrivalled offering of wild open spaces, first class cities brimming with culture and fine cuisine and a coastline that stretches on and on and on. Australia is a country practically tailor made for campervan travel – It has a great road infrastructure, it is safe and its natural diversity is truly astounding.

Arguably the most noted campervan route is the iconic Adelaide to Darwin route – which will have you coasting along the Lasseter highway past Australia’s most famous natural landmark – Uluru. This route is extremely campervan friendly with a host of very affordable campsites dotted along the way – many of them situated in national parks.

4. New Zealand

The jewel in the campervan hire holiday destination crown. The land of the long white cloud is synonymous with unrivalled natural splendor, vast and dramatic coastline teeming with a rich diversity of wildlife and the kinds of settings that dazzled audiences around the world on the silver screen as Peter Jackson brought J.R.R Tolkien’s masterpiece to life.

A huge part of what drives New Zealand’s economy is tourism, and a big portion of that is driven by campervan adventurers. In keeping with the theme of adventure we would recommend a circuitous route of the South Island which offers a huge range of natural diversity in so small an area of land.

Start off in Queenstown – the adventure capital of the world and head down through the Southern Alps to the majestic Milford sound, and then up the rugged and wild coast past glacier country and the old gold mining towns that dot the coastline. Tour some of the finest wine regions in the world as you head north past Picton and Nelson and then loop back down towards Christchurch.

Campervan hire in New Zealand is extremely easy and budget friendly. The industry and infrastructure is tailor made for these kinds of trips, making NZ the perfect spot for families, couples or even just a group of friends keen on a road trip in some of the most beautiful settings on the planet.

Nige Burton explains how his wondrous continental rail journeys always start with a trusty Eurostar trip from London’s St Pancras

I looked up at the destinations board abstractedly as I shouldered my way across the concourse of Paris’s Gare du Nord, a smirk of delight spreading across my countenance. Zurich, Cologne, Charleroi, Amsterdam… these were places that I used to think of – and I now really don’t know why – as only being feasibly reachable by flying.

In fact, flying had always been my transport of choice, even for a short hop from Manchester to London. I thought it was quicker. I’d never really had a fear of flying, but I also can’t say that I particularly enjoyed it either; it was always a means to an end, a necessary part of travel.

And then came the three dodgy flights, all in a row like so many spiteful buses, to shake my confidence in aeronautics for life. Having never really given it much heed aside from the boredom, I was suddenly and indubitably aware that hurtling through the sky at over 500 miles an hour six miles up, with nothing but a rinkydink aluminium tube, a seatbelt and a laminated safety card for protection, was no longer so de rigueur after all. Sure – the statistics tell us the chances of anything happening are slimmer than slim, and all the ancient Sages advise that ‘if it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go’, but – what if it’s the pilot’s time to go?

Travel to cities such as Maastricht is surprisingly easy by train, and affords a closer exploration of some of the hidden gems of Europe

Anyway, notwithstanding any of this, and from a pure enjoyment-of-the-journey point of view, I had taken the decision to explore alternatives, and thus found myself all aglow with exultation on the Parisienne terminus. In theory, I could get anywhere by train! Well, nearly anywhere. And it was a revelation.

I have since come to call this little adventure my Pan European Odyssey: in short, my exploration of no less than eight European cities – each in a different country – over a two-and-a-half-week period. I had plenty of time in each one, beginning my adventure in London, from where I gained Paris, Zurich, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava and finally Munich before returning to the United Kingdom.

Chill in laid back Leuven, Belgium’s oldest university seat

All this was undertaken on trains various, each leg revelling in the ever-changing landscape incumbent upon it to be presented with mawkish pride; arriving in the stately Austrian capital with its fine architecture and grandeur; watching the Hungarian countryside melt into the deep blue of the night before settling down in my compact but comfortable sleeper car; slowly sipping a glass of wine whilst dining on the rolling stage of a sunset behind the Transylvanian Alps – all these exquisite moments sparkle in the memory of this behemoth expedition. There was something very special indeed about looking out of window and seeing more than a carpet of clouds whilst holding my breath at every bump or thump, despite the fact that most all of these sounds are perfectly ‘normal’. On a train, I don’t have to look at the flight attendant’s face to see how ‘normal’ the sound was to them; on my dodgy flights, I realised that fear is pretty much fear, and can stare out of the most well-trained and professional visage just as much as the meagre passenger one.

It was at this point I made my decision that, wherever possible, I was going to travel without wings. So many exciting destinations were available to me without my once having to set foot inside an airport terminal – I would just have to plan things a little more carefully.

Time is undoubtedly the biggest single factor you need on your side if you’re going to adopt a similar principle, and it certainly helps that my working life allows me the freedom to operate from most anywhere on the planet. But I still have cats to feed at home, and whilst friends and family will step into the breach and dish out a regular daily bowl of kibbles, for Irma and Gomez that’s no substitute for the first hand company of their Dad. And so I set about experimenting with places and time-scales that would not present a too chronologically challenging undertaking to the vast majority of holidayers who are subject to the vagaries of a more restricted working practice – the 96% of the working population of Great Britain.

The Hague is one of Holland’s best kept secrets and makes for a superb romantic retreat by train

I have since, apart from my eight country extravaganza, taken many wonderful jaunts by train, including a beach holiday in Menorca by rail and ferry. The total trip was completed in exactly two weeks, although just one week was spent on the island. The trick here is to make the journey as much a part of the experience as the destination itself; there was a great satisfaction in hurtling through a vista that slowly, but very perceptibly, changed from the bustling skyline of metropolitan Paris through to the lush, verdant pastures of southern France, and on into the drier, equally impressive Spanish plains. And sailing into Mao harbour at a little before eight on a sunny September Saturday morning is nothing short of sublime, and without a single butterfly in my stomach save for those more welcome ones anticipating the excitement of the week to come. I have also explored those cities which most of us hear of but would never dream of visiting, and I’d surely have been a lesser person without the experiences; the romance of The Hague, the ancient charm of Leuven or the majestic beauty of Maastricht to name but a handful. Oh, and for a true summer break without even the need for a ferry, I became deliciously acquainted with the lazy, hazy, long-shadowed, sun-baked walled city of Avignon; now there is a little corner of perfection.

But, residing on one of our great British islands still seems to present a barrier to some fellow journeymen, psychologically informing thoughts which in turn entertain the notion that one must fly to escape to climes more exotic and meaningful. To these uninitiated creatures, I utter one word of encouragement and hope: Eurostar. That magical conveyance has whisked me tout de suit to either Lille, Paris or Brussels on so many occasions now that I have genuinely lost count. And it is from these three wonderful cities – all worthy of thorough and regular exploration in themselves – that so much more adventure beckons.

Avignon proves that a sun-baked summer holiday doesn’t need a coastline and can still be easily reached from the UK by train

Services are quick and easily undertaken, with journey times shorter than those of many domestic rail trips, Lille being a mere hour and twenty minutes from London’s state-of-the-art international hub of St Pancras, and Paris a very little over two hours away. With eleven daily services from Brussels Midi to St Pancras, and journey times often as swift as a minute over two hours for fares from €88 return, flying seems to make less and less sense. Onward travel is a divine piece of cake, with connections and timetables making planning pretty much as easy as any UK rail journey, allowing the intrepid sojourner a freedom only bound by the limits of his own imagination. But for me, one of the true great advantages of travelling by Eurostar in particular is the generous baggage allowance; each passenger can take on board two suitcases and a single item of hand luggage – after the limitations imposed by airlines, this is extremely liberating.

So, as I plot my next expedition with an eagerness that can be known only to those who have already joined the fold, those fortunate individuals who know that flying is not the only passport to foreign adventure, I oftentimes prepare to simply stick the proverbial pin in the map. I think of the true promise of adventure, and I feel the words building inside me. I can’t stop them, or tell you why I say them, but as I trace imaginary lines across the page, entertaining thoughts of wonder and bliss, these words come to me in a whisper; I say them as prayer, as thanks, as praise; I say… Eurostar… Eurostar…

Tickets are available from eurostar.com or 08432 186 186.

Main image courtesy of Eurostar

Article images by Nige Burton

Exploring a town, city or region for the first time is always great fun, and there are various ways you can go about it, from the conventional to the wacky, weird and wonderful.

Playing it safe and taking the traditional city tour can be great for those of us looking for a dependable, reliable way to make sure we don’t miss out on any highlights.

But for those among us seeking a little spirit and adventure in our voyages of discovery, there are usually fairly inexpensive alternatives to the humdrum, injecting that frisson of excitement into our experience of a destination.

Take a look at these five delicious European mad modes of transport from east and west, to guarantee your sightseeing has an air of eccentricity about it! Click the numbered headings to read more about each quirky conveyance.

1.) Enjoy a city tour of Prague in a shocking pink Škoda Felicia convertible…

Although Prague is culturally and economically on a par with the rest of its European counterparts today, you can still hark back to cold war days with a tour of the city’s hotspots in this iconic communist convertible.

2.) Take the longest trolleybus ride in the world – from Yalta to Simferopol…

Most tourists opt for a plane or taxi, but you can cruise through the Crimean mountains in a genuine old Škoda trolleybus on this epic 86 kilometre journey at the pace of a snail.

3.) Ride the meanest, greenest solar train to see what’s what in Maastricht…

It’s quirky, clean and fun, and will get you round the sights of the Dutch city of Maastricht using nothing but the power of old Phoebus himself.

4.) Drive your own Trabant around Berlin’s east side…

Get behind the wheel of a real, live genuine Trabant and explore Berlin as part of a Trabi Safari. It’s not so bad once you’ve mastered the revolver gear shift…

5.) From the French frontier to the Dutch border, discover the scenic Belgian coastline on the Kusttram…

The De Lijn Belgian Coastal Tramway is a great way to cover the whole of Belgium’s diverse coastline – all 68 kilometres of it!

A quick look at three awesome tourist spots to fuel your fairy tale fantasies…

A lot of people want to travel to places that they read about. What if the place you want to visit is a fantastical land ripped straight from the pages of a fairy tale, though? Well, there might not be any honest to goodness magic involved, but it’s still possible to visit a veritable fairy tale realm – as long as you know where to look.

Keep in mind that we’re not talking about your local theme park. Sure, you can just buy a ticket to Disneyworld, but why not go the extra mile and really immerse yourself in fantasy world destinations? Here are three fantasy tourist spots from around the world that we love.

Gnomesville – In Western Australia’s Ferguson Valley there’s a village unlike any other in the world. Once you step inside, you’ll immediately notice the difference: the entire place is populated by gnomes. Garden gnomes, to be more specific.

Gnomesville, as the village is called, started when anonymous protesters left garden gnomes to voice their opposition over planned construction of a traffic circle 20 years ago. The village has since become home to hundreds, if not thousands, of gnomes and is considered one of the most offbeat tourist spots in Australia.

Excalibur – There’s nothing that says “fairy tale” quite like a castle. If you’re looking for a full medieval experience that doesn’t involve a Renaissance Faire visit, then your best bet is the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas.

Designed to look like a medieval castle, the Excalibur is reminiscent of the settings of different fairy tales as well, rife with symbols like those in the Unicorn Legend game in bubblebonusbingo.com. The medieval fantasy vibe in the land-based casino is almost as prevalent as its online equivalent too. Inside, visitors can enjoy the Tournament of Kings dinner show, a non-stop medieval melee complete with invading armies, dancing maidens, jousting, and a whole lot of fireworks.

Fairy Tale Forest – For almost 60 years, the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands has been transporting visitors to the lands made famous by noted fairy tale authors like Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers.

Yes, the Efteling is a theme park, but it’s not your average garden variety collection of rides and attractions. This distinction is perhaps most noticeable when one steps into the Fairy Tale Forest, a truly enchanting wooded section of the park where visitors can experience stories such as Red Riding Hood and the Frog King.

To sit, of an evening, in a quietly bustling city square, devoid of traffic save for the intermittent buzz of a passing cycle hither and thither, your horizon a vista of spires and steeples sympathetically lit in cinematic blue and gold, sipping local wine and tasting local dishes, is surely a slice of Heaven itself.

It is what makes European city breaks so special, that elusive, season-hardy café society that the English shun and covet at the same time.

Maastricht has bars and restaurants like these aplenty, but one of particular note and fulsome character has to be the remarkable Brasserie Monopole, resplendent in red and purple on Vrijthof.

The beers, wines and spirits are of the usual high standard, but it is the conviviality and food that set this little venue among the supremos. Whether choosing a light and local bite, or a more substantial meat, fish or pasta dish, this fine example of Dutch eateries will stay with you longer than most.

A few hours spent here is most certainly a few hours well spent.

Visit www.brasseriemonopole.nl

Brasserie Monopole
Vrijthof 3
6211 LC Maastricht
Netherlands

0031 (0)43 321 4090

Email info@brasseriemonopole.nl

There is something very special about a European city break. It almost matters not whither you go; splendid town halls, vast and thriving squares, twisty cobbled weinds and ancient churches abound.

When exploring Holland, the first, and a very deserving, port of call is the capital, Amsterdam. But most Brits tend to overlook two other of our favourite Dutch cities, save for a dismissive nod to connections with war crimes trials and treaties – namely Den Haag and Maastricht. The former is covered elsewhere in these pages, so it is to the second of these fine metropolises that we bend our attention here.

Situated adjacent to the River Maas, this majestic conurbation seamlessly blends old with new; ancient with modern.

From the 17th century Stadhuis on Markt, with its splendidly ornate and melodious bell tower, quite happy to regale an audience with fullsong every hour on the hour, and a chirrupy burst of just a stanza or two to mark the quarters, to the vastness of Vrijthof, sporting a skyline comprising the spires of Sint-Servaas Basiliek, the Romanesque church of Saint Servatius, on its far horizon, Maastricht is a city that doesn’t disappoint architecturally. A place of deep histories and subtle energy, this dynamo of an urban settlement imbues the wanderer’s soul with a temperate excitement that informs the tourist that, if he hasn’t already, he must become a traveller with all fortitude.

Boasting 52 churches – one for every week of the year – and over 400 bars – more than one for every day of the year – Maastricht has the wherewithal to entertain the most discerning visitor. Turn a different corner and there is something new to peruse, walk another street and some ancient wonder presents itself. Akin with many of its European counterparts, the city has a great student population, and this lends itself to a feeling of vibrant relaxation.

Whether one requires to simply while away a pleasant few hours – or even days – just basking in the laid-back charm of the city, or more actively partake of its many museums, events and cultural diversity, Maastricht will not be overlooked by the adventurer displaying even an ounce of sagacity.

World Travel Blog especially recommends:

Tijl Uilenspiegel
Break your fast leisurely whilst watching the world go by on the city’s famous and beautiful Markt…
Find out more

Café La Clé
Situated on Maastricht’s quaintly picturesque promenade, this stylish little café bar is one of the few to offer a late drink…
Find out more

Brasserie Grand Café Amadeus
Tucked up a serene little byway off one of Maastricht’s busy shopping streets, this eatery offers simply divine local dishes…
Find out more

The Maastricht Solar Train
Be green and lean whilst exploring this fine city, with the uber environmentally friendly little solar train…
Find out more

D’n 11e Baog
Perfect for taking in the hustle and bustle along Maastricht’s promenade, and with a delightful view of the River Maas…
Find out more

Brasserie Monopole
Be where it’s at in the city hubbub of Vrijthof, while safely tucked into a quiet corner to enjoy your victuals…
Find out more

When exploring a fine city which has, over many centuries, sprung up majestically along the banks of a river, it can always be accounted to good fortune when one finds a suitable café bar adjacent to that waterway.

Kesselskade, running alongside the very tributary from which the ancient Dutch city of Maastricht takes its name, has more than a couple of handfuls of such establishments to offer the hungry and thirsty adventurer in need of provender. One of our favourites is D’n 11e Baog.

Affording an excellent view of the Maas and its passing marine traffic from the promenade terrace, and ample street front and indoor seating for less than clement weather, this friendly hostelry has a goodly menu of meat and drink at less than tourist prices.

Great service from the efficiently amiable team, combined with well kept beers and tasty food, make this cosy little corner bar the riverside place to make for. Highly recommended.

Visit www.11debaog.nl

Café D’n 11e Baog
Kesselskade 61
6211 EN Maastricht
Netherlands

Tel.: 0031 (0)43 390 0606

Email info@11deBaog.nl

A city tour can be a useful device with which to acquaint oneself with the often many and varied quarters a new playground of adventure has to offer.

There is, indeed, not much more disheartening to the intrepid traveller than gaining fleeting glimpses of treasures undiscovered from the dusty window of an airport or railway station bound taxi cab.

Finding both value and requisite quirkiness fused pleasurably in one offering can be a little irksome, and require much tramping and traipsing of dusty streets and squares, and consorting with guidebooks. Let us save you that trouble in Maastricht – simply seek out the innovative Solar Train, whose soft amble and green conscience make it the perfect conveyance for acquainting yourself with the main cultural staples of this splendid Dutch city.

Claimed to be a world first, this cheeky little road train trundles and winds along main streets, squares and cobbled alleys with ease, imparting historical knowledge through its tiny speakers at almost every bend in the road.

A different, fun and inexpensive environmentally friendly way to do your sightseeing, the Maastricht Solar Train will surely catch on in other cities soon. Hop on at Kesselskade and enjoy the ride!

Visit www.vvv-maastricht.eu/day_out/zonnetrein_maastricht

Tickets available at:
VVV Maastricht
Kleine Staat 1
6211 ED Maastricht
Netherlands

Tel.: 0031 (0)6 1236 4416 for reservations

A new discovery for culinary pleasure oftentimes feels extra special when it has been detected, quite by happenstance, tucked quietly up an unobtrusive ginnel or bye way.

Such is the case with Brasserie Grand Café Amadeus, nestling, to one’s astonished acquisition of the intelligence, on Amadeus-plein. Excepting the fact that the knavish proprietors have fancied this geographic tag for themselves, the true domiciliary identity being Dominikanerplein, leading, quite naturally, from Dominikanerstraat.

Quite apart from its attractively quaint facade, bedecked with glorious floral embellishments, the ancient-looking eatery is exquisitely placed next to the Dominicanenkerk, now wonderfully, if a trifle blasphemously, the home of a high end bookstore.

Ensconced with a couple of Bavaria beers, it is time to peruse the stylish menu. Artful dishes and elegantly presented platters are the order of the day here, and Amadeus is noteworthy for being one of the few city centre establishments in Maastricht to offer a traditional Mestreech dish, the zoervleis, which we sampled with relish.

At prices reflecting those of its competitors, this delightful restaurant manages to cut its own dash, combining inventive cuisine with slick, affable service.

If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten track, festooned with a generous slice of local tradition, then repair here with all urgency – you will not suffer disappointment, we assure you.

Brasserie Grand Café Amadeus
Dominikanerkerkstraat 1a
6211 CZ Maastricht
Netherlands

Visit www.brasserieamadeus.nl

Tel.: 0031 (0)43 356 0592

Email info@brasserieamadeus.nl

Maastricht’s sedate promenade requires a soul to be seated awhile, partaking of a refreshing nightcap before repairing to one’s quarters for the night.

Quite bizarrely, there are few such hostelries open late enough for such pleasantries, so our delight was unparalleled when we happened upon the rather stylish Café La Clé, an establishment propitious to such undertakings, opening most nights until midnight or so.

With inexpensive and flavoursome beers, wines and spirits, and first class, simple bar food, this superb little café can even boast the patronage of Mirusia Louwerse among its distinguished guests, although once you have sampled it, that may not come as too much of a surprise.

Our tipple of choice was a Grimbergen, and to gently quaff it in the late evening air, whilst watching the reflection of the setting sun on the tower of Sint Martinuskerk and its architectural neighbours across the Maas, in the Wyck district, was indeed to follow one’s bliss for a pleasant hour.

You won’t find many places where you can obtain a late, riverside drink in this excellent city, so be sure to avail yourself of the one where this most desirable circumstance can be relished to the fullest.

Café La Clé
Kesselskade 60
6211 EN Maastricht
Netherlands

Visit www.cafelacle.nl

Tel.: 0031 (0)43 851 2750

Email info@cafelacle.nl