NIX | My European Campervan Adventure of a Lifetime 🚐🌍✨

The Big Departure

There are some trips that you book, some trips that you think about, and some trips that sit in the back of your mind for years, quietly bubbling away until one day you suddenly realise it is finally happening.

This is one of those trips.

In May 2026, I will be setting off from Stafford in my campervan, Vanilla, for what can only be described as the road trip of a lifetime. This is not just a quick dash down to Cornwall or a weekend in Wales. This is a proper grand tour across Europe. The sort of trip that feels like it belongs in an old motoring programme with dramatic music, huge scenery, ferry crossings, Alpine passes and enough memories to keep me talking for the next twenty years.

Vanilla and I will be heading out through Folkestone, rolling onto the Eurotunnel, popping out in France and then pointing ourselves steadily south and east towards Croatia. There will be mountains, beaches, old towns, lakes, castles, pizza, tunnels, vineyards, mountain passes, lakeside campsites, late-night drives, early-morning coffees and probably a few occasions where I accidentally buy far too much local cheese.

I can already picture the moment I leave home.

The campervan will be packed. The cupboards will be full. The fridge will be stocked. The Jackerys will be charged. The Webasto heater will be ready if the nights get cold. The drone batteries for Nemesis, Zoom and Whiplash will all be sitting neatly in their charging cases, waiting for sunrise flights over mountains and coastlines.

I can already imagine reversing off the drive in Stafford in the early hours, with the roads quiet, the world asleep and that lovely feeling that only comes with the first few miles of a massive adventure.

The First Push Across France

The first day will be all about making progress.

There is something wonderfully exciting about that first blast through northern France. Everything suddenly feels different. The road signs look different. The service stations look different. Even the diesel pumps somehow feel more European.

Once I leave Calais, the adventure will really begin.

France is brilliant for long-distance driving. Big roads, smooth motorways, good services and loads of decent places to stop for coffee. Reims will be my first overnight stop and it feels like the perfect place to ease into the trip.

Reims is one of those places that sounds classy before you even get there. It is famous for champagne, beautiful old buildings and proper French atmosphere. I can already imagine wandering into the city centre after parking up for the night, looking at the cathedral, finding a nice meal and sitting there thinking: “I am actually doing this.”

That first evening in France will be special.

The campervan will already feel like home. I will probably sit outside Vanilla with a cold drink, looking at the sunset, checking tomorrow’s route and listening to a bit of Dire Straits or Depeche Mode on the Bang & Olufsen speaker.

And that will only be night one.

Germany and the Pull of Munich

After France, the route heads into Germany.

Germany always feels like proper road trip territory. Big roads, huge lorries, forests, mountains in the distance and places that sound important.

Munich is one of those cities I have always wanted to spend more time in. It has that brilliant mix of beer halls, old buildings, football culture and Bavarian charm.

I can already picture walking around Munich in the evening, seeing people sitting outside with giant steins of beer, smelling sausages and pretzels, and soaking up the atmosphere.

There is something very satisfying about parking up in a campervan in a city you have only ever seen on television or in travel programmes.

Vanilla will probably attract a few admiring looks too. She always does.

Austria and the Mountains Begin

Once I reach Austria, the scenery will start to become even more dramatic.

Salzburg is one of those places that looks like it belongs on a postcard. Mountains, churches, rivers, old buildings and that unmistakable Austrian atmosphere.

This is where the trip will start to feel truly cinematic.

I can already imagine driving through Austria with mountains appearing on the horizon, little villages tucked into valleys and roads that twist and climb in a way that makes every mile feel exciting.

This is exactly why I love travelling in a campervan.

You are not rushing from airport to airport. You are not stuck in hotel rooms. You are part of the journey. Every road becomes part of the experience.

Slovenia and the Feeling of Discovery

Slovenia feels like one of those hidden gems that people always rave about.

Ljubljana looks absolutely beautiful. Small enough to feel relaxed, but interesting enough to feel like you are discovering somewhere special.

The dragon bridges, riverside cafés and old streets look exactly the sort of place where I will end up wandering around for hours with my phone camera out.

I know I will love Slovenia because it feels slightly different to everywhere else.

That is one of the best things about this trip.

Every few days, the language changes, the road signs change, the food changes and the scenery changes.

It is like moving through different worlds.

Croatia – The Heart of the Adventure

Croatia is really the star of this trip.

More than a third of the whole journey will be spent there and I think it will probably end up being the part I remember most.

First there is Plitvice Lakes National Park.

I have seen photos of it for years and it looks incredible. Turquoise lakes, waterfalls, wooden walkways and forests everywhere. It looks like somewhere from a fantasy film.

I already know the drone batteries will be itching to get airborne around here.

Then there is Split.

Split feels like the sort of place where you can spend all day wandering around ancient streets, stop for pizza, sit by the harbour, watch boats coming and going and then finish the evening sitting outside Vanilla with a warm breeze blowing in from the sea.

And then there is Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is one of those places that seems almost too beautiful to be real. Massive old walls, orange rooftops, blue sea and all those tiny alleyways winding through the old town.

I think Dubrovnik is going to be one of those places where I will walk around with a permanent grin on my face.

I can already picture myself standing on the city walls, looking out over the sea, thinking about how ridiculous it is that I have actually driven there from Stafford.

There is something wonderfully satisfying about reaching a destination in your own vehicle.

Flying somewhere is nice.

Driving there in your own campervan feels like a proper achievement.

Montenegro and the Feeling of Going Even Further

Budva in Montenegro feels like one of those places that will make the trip feel even bigger.

Croatia already feels adventurous enough, but the moment I cross into Montenegro I think I will get that wonderful feeling of being really far from home.

Budva looks beautiful. Beaches, old town walls, sunshine and that slightly different Balkan atmosphere.

I think by this point in the trip I will be completely in the groove.

The campervan routine will be second nature.

Part of the fun of this trip is that I will not just be staying in one type of place.

Some nights I will be on proper campsites with electric hook-up, showers, cafés, little site shops and all the facilities.

Other nights I will stay on aires.

Aires are one of the great campervan secrets of Europe.

They are usually much cheaper, much simpler and often in brilliant locations.

You do not always get all the facilities of a campsite, but that is part of the charm.

Sometimes all you really need is somewhere safe to park, a nice view and a quiet place to sleep.

Vanilla is very self-contained anyway.

She has the fridge, heater, lights, solar panel, leisure battery, Jackerys, projector, hob, microwave, kettle and all the other bits that make life comfortable.

That means I can stay almost anywhere and still feel completely at home.

One night I could be on a full campsite beside a lake with hook-up and hot showers.

The next night I could be parked on an aire with a mountain view and not another person around.

That variety is one of the things that will make the trip feel like a proper adventure.

Wake up. Make coffee. Wake up. Make coffee. Pack away. Check the route. Drive. Stop somewhere scenic. Eat. Explore. Park up. Relax.

It is a brilliant way to travel.

Back Up Through Croatia and Into Italy

After Montenegro, I will start heading back north.

There will be another stop in Split and then up to Rovinj, which looks absolutely gorgeous.

Rovinj has that proper romantic coastal look with colourful houses, fishing boats and narrow streets.

Then comes Italy.

Italy is going to be dangerous for my waistline.

Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Lake Como all sound absolutely brilliant.

Bologna will be all about food.

There is absolutely no way I can go all the way to Bologna without having a proper plate of spaghetti bolognese.

I know the locals would probably tell me it should technically be tagliatelle al ragù rather than spag bol, but there is still something brilliantly fitting about sitting in Bologna itself and eating the sort of meal that people back home have been making for years.

I can already picture finding a little restaurant down a side street, ordering a huge plate of it with loads of parmesan, a basket of bread and probably far too much wine.

That meal alone will probably feel like one of the great moments of the trip.

Florence will be all about history, architecture and atmosphere.

There is also a very important mission while I am in Italy.

I need to get Fiona a proper bottle of limoncello from a proper Italian place.

Not one of those slightly disappointing bottles from a motorway services or airport gift shop.

A proper one.

The sort of bottle that comes from a little family-run shop with handwritten labels, lemons hanging outside and somebody's nonna probably sitting in the corner looking slightly suspicious of tourists.

I can already imagine myself wandering around Bologna, Florence or Lake Como trying to find the perfect bottle.

It feels like exactly the sort of souvenir that will somehow become part of the whole trip story afterwards.

Pisa will be all about finally seeing the Leaning Tower in real life.

It will also absolutely have to involve eating a proper pizza.

There is something wonderfully fitting about sitting in Pisa with a pizza and a cold drink, looking across at one of the most famous landmarks in the world and thinking that I have actually driven all the way there in Vanilla.

I can already imagine a warm evening, tables outside, the tower lit up in the background and a huge pizza arriving that is far bigger than it needs to be.

That feels like one of those proper holiday moments that you remember forever.

Lake Como will probably be one of the most beautiful places on the whole route.

I can already imagine sitting by the lake with a coffee, looking at the mountains and thinking that life does not get much better than this.

Switzerland and the Great Mountain Passes

The Swiss section of the trip may only be a couple of nights, but I think it could end up being the most dramatic part of the whole adventure.

Andermatt, Montreux, the St. Gotthard Pass, the Furka Pass and the Grimsel Pass all sound absolutely spectacular.

These are the sort of roads that motoring dreams are made of.

Hairpins. Tunnels. Snow on the mountains. Huge valleys. Massive views.

I think this is where Vanilla is really going to shine.

There is something wonderfully satisfying about driving a campervan through roads like that.

It might not be the fastest vehicle in the world, but it is mine.

And every mile will feel earned.

I can already imagine pulling into a lay-by high in the Alps, opening the side door, making a coffee and just standing there staring at the mountains.

Those will be the moments I remember most.

France Again and the Long Journey Home

Eventually, every road trip turns back towards home.

There is always a slightly strange feeling when that happens.

Part of you is ready for your own bed, your own shower and your own kettle.

Part of you wants to keep going forever.

Dijon and Reims will break up the journey home nicely.

By this point I will probably have collected a campervan full of souvenirs, fridge magnets, snacks, bottles, maps, tickets and random bits and pieces that seemed like a good idea at the time.

The cupboards will probably be fuller than when I left.

The washing bag definitely will be.

And then there will be that final drive back through Calais, onto the Eurotunnel and up through England towards Stafford.

I know exactly what that final stretch will feel like.

The closer I get to home, the more I will already be thinking about the next trip.

Because that is the thing with campervans.

You are never really finished.

You come home, unpack, clean everything, put the leads away, wash the mugs, charge the batteries and then immediately start thinking: “Where next?”

The Preparation Before Departure

Part of the fun of a trip like this is the build-up beforehand.

Weeks before I leave, I know I will already be in full preparation mode.

Vanilla will be getting the full pre-trip treatment. Tyre pressures will be checked carefully on the 20-inch Leighton wheels. Oil, coolant and washer fluid will all be topped up. The RoadX tyres will be inspected. The awning rail, solar panel, roof bars and Skyline roof will all get checked over. I will probably spend a ridiculous amount of time making sure every cupboard door shuts properly and every charging cable is exactly where it should be.

The beauty of Vanilla is that she is already packed with gadgets and useful equipment.

The Jackery Explorer power stations will be fully charged and ready to go. The Victron SmartShunt, Eco-Worthy controller and Victron Orion charger will all be checked. The ZTE Link Wi-Fi router will be packed along with spare charging leads, USB-C cables and power banks.

I will probably test every single gadget at least twice before I leave.

The Nebula projector will be checked. The Amazon Fire TV Stick will be checked. The Bang & Olufsen speaker will be checked.

My playlists are already made too.

That part is very important.

I have already got the soundtrack to the trip sorted.

There will be Depeche Mode for late-night motorway drives.

Dire Straits for rolling through France.

Simple Minds for sunrise starts.

Underworld for dramatic mountain roads.

A bit of 80s New Romantic music for evening drives through Italy.

And probably a few guilty pleasures thrown in when nobody else is around.

A proper road trip always needs a proper soundtrack. The Garmin dashcam will be checked. The Meta Ray-Bans will be charged. The AirPods Pro will be charged. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will be fully loaded with maps, apps, downloaded music and enough podcasts to get me across half of Europe.

I know exactly what I am like.

I will check the drones repeatedly too.

Nemesis, Zoom and Whiplash will all have their batteries charged, propellers checked and memory cards emptied. The chargers will be packed carefully. Litchi will be updated. DJI apps will be checked. The charging hubs will be ready.

There is something very satisfying about seeing all the gear laid out before a trip.

It is like preparing for a small expedition.

Staying Connected Across Europe

One thing I know I will want on this trip is reliable internet.

I will want it for maps, campsite bookings, weather forecasts, fuel prices, streaming music, uploading drone photos, Find Penguins updates, checking football scores and probably sending Fiona far too many pictures of Vanilla parked beside mountains.

The roaming side of the trip will take a bit of planning.

My iPhone 17 Pro Max will obviously be my main phone, but I will need to check exactly what roaming allowance I get in each country because places like Switzerland and Montenegro can often catch people out with expensive roaming charges.

France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy should all be covered by normal EU roaming arrangements depending on the network, but Switzerland and Montenegro will probably need extra care.

The ZTE Wi-Fi router in Vanilla will be ideal because it means I can keep all my gadgets connected at once. The projector, Fire TV Stick, phone, iPad, Meta glasses and MacBook Air can all share one connection.

I will probably end up taking at least two different SIMs with me just to be safe.

There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the Alps with no signal when you are trying to find a campsite or upload a dramatic photo of Vanilla beside a mountain pass.

I can already imagine sitting in the van on a rainy evening in Switzerland, connected to the Wi-Fi, editing photos, planning the next day's route and watching YouTube videos about the roads I am about to drive.

Fawkes Goes on Holiday Too

Of course, it is not just me going on holiday.

Fawkes is having his own little holiday as well.

My lovable little dragon will be staying with Fiona while I am away.

I already know he will probably end up having a better social life than I do.

Fawkes will have his thermostat set correctly so Fiona will not need to worry about the temperature. He will have all his food sorted, his lighting routine sorted and everything written down nice and clearly.

He loves being picked up, he loves running around on the carpet and he absolutely loves trying to disappear into ridiculous hiding places.

He is basically a tiny scaly escape artist.

Fiona will not have to worry too much because Fawkes is a very chilled-out little chap. He does not need live insects while I am away and he is perfectly happy with his normal food routine. He can even have rinsed dandelions from the garden as a little treat.

I can already picture Fiona sending me photographs of him sat there looking completely unimpressed while I am somewhere in Croatia eating pizza.

Knowing that Fawkes is safe, happy and being looked after properly will make it much easier to relax and enjoy the trip.

The Photos and Videos I Am Hoping to Capture

One of the things I am most excited about on this trip is all the photographs and videos I am hoping to come home with.

This is not just going to be a holiday album full of random snaps of service stations and blurry photos of meals.

This trip has the potential to produce some of the best photographs and video footage I have ever taken.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will probably end up being my most-used camera because it is always there, always ready and brilliant for quick shots.

I can already picture myself standing in places like Dubrovnik, Lake Como and the Swiss Alps taking wide panoramic photos, cinematic videos and dramatic sunset shots.

The iPhone will be perfect for the little moments.

Morning coffees outside Vanilla.

Rain on the windscreen.

Street cafés in Italy.

Pizza in Croatia.

Tiny mountain villages in Austria.

The view through the windscreen while driving along Alpine roads.

The Canon EOS 70D will be for the more serious photography.

That is what I will use when I really want to slow down and capture something properly.

I can already imagine setting it up in places like Plitvice Lakes National Park, Dubrovnik's city walls, the shores of Lake Como and the Swiss mountain passes.

I want photographs of Vanilla parked beside dramatic scenery.

I want photographs of old towns glowing in evening sunlight.

I want photographs of narrow Italian streets, mountain roads, lakeside cafés, vineyards, harbours and Alpine peaks.

And then there are the drones.

This trip is absolutely made for drone flying.

Nemesis, Zoom and Whiplash are going to be busy.

I can already picture the footage.

Vanilla parked beside a lake in Croatia.

Vanilla climbing up a Swiss mountain road.

Vanilla parked beside vineyards in France.

Vanilla on a campsite near Dubrovnik with the sea sparkling behind her.

I want those classic drone reveal shots where the camera rises up over the roof of the van and suddenly the whole coastline or mountain range appears.

I want sweeping shots of roads twisting through the Alps.

I want dramatic footage of Plitvice Lakes with the waterfalls below.

I want sunset drone footage over Rovinj harbour.

I want Lake Como in the early morning with mist on the water.

I want Dubrovnik from above with the orange rooftops and blue sea stretching out behind it.

The DJI Action camera mounted on Vanilla's windscreen is going to be one of the best parts of the whole trip.

That camera is going to capture the journey itself.

Hours of motorway rolling through France.

German autobahns.

Mountain roads in Austria.

Border crossings.

Croatian coast roads.

Italian villages.

Swiss passes.

Hairpin bends.

Tunnels.

Snow on the mountains.

Rainstorms.

Sunrises.

Sunsets.

The action camera footage could end up being incredible because it will show exactly what the trip felt like from behind the wheel.

I can already imagine editing together huge road trip videos in CapCut afterwards with music, drone shots, dashcam footage, slow-motion clips, time lapses and all the best scenery.

This is the sort of trip where every day could produce a completely different set of photos.

One day it could be mountains.

The next day beaches.

The next day lakes.

The next day ancient cities.

By the end of the trip I am hoping to come back with thousands of photos, hours of footage and enough material to fill Flickr, YouTube, Instagram and the Nix Drones channel for months.

The Cost of Diesel Across Europe

One thing that will definitely play a big part in the trip is the cost of diesel.

Vanilla averages about 35 miles per gallon which is not bad at all for a campervan loaded up with gadgets, clothes, drone batteries, camping gear and enough snacks to survive a small apocalypse.

Diesel prices across Europe are definitely something I will need to keep an eye on because the difference between countries can be surprisingly big.

France is currently one of the more expensive countries for diesel, with prices around €2.19 per litre.

Germany is even worse at around €2.29 per litre.

Austria is not much better, usually around €2.20 to €2.23 per litre.

That means I will probably only put enough fuel in to get by in those countries rather than filling right up.

The better value places are Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.

Slovenia is around €1.84 per litre.

Croatia is usually somewhere between €1.70 and €1.98 per litre.

Montenegro can be one of the cheapest places on the whole trip at around €1.60 to €1.75 per litre.

Italy is somewhere in the middle, generally around €1.90 to €2.00 per litre, although motorway services can be far more expensive than fuel stations in towns and supermarkets.

Switzerland is actually slightly cheaper than France and Germany at around €1.90 per litre which is a pleasant surprise considering most things there normally cost about the same as a decent television.

I know I will end up planning my fill-ups carefully.

The smart move will be to brim Vanilla in the cheaper countries before crossing into the more expensive ones.

I can already imagine myself in Croatia or Montenegro looking at the fuel prices and feeling oddly pleased with myself for saving a few euros.

For the whole trip, I am probably looking at spending somewhere between £850 and £1,050 on diesel depending on how many extra scenic detours I do, how much mountain driving there is and how often I decide to take the long route just because the road looks more exciting.

And knowing me, there will definitely be a few of those.

Why This Trip Matters

This trip is not just about seeing places.

It is about freedom.

It is about waking up somewhere different every morning.

It is about driving through countries I have never driven through before.

It is about standing in places I have only ever seen in photographs.

It is about Vanilla proving once again that she is far more than just a van.

She is a little house on wheels.

She is a ticket to freedom.

She is late-night motorway drives, early-morning coffees, rainy evenings under the awning, dramatic sunsets, mountain roads and sea views.

This trip will be about memories.

The sort of memories that stay with you.

The sort of memories that make you smile years later.

The sort of memories that make you say, “Do you remember when we drove Vanilla all the way to Dubrovnik?”

And that is exactly why I cannot wait to go.

Because this is not just another holiday.

This is going to be an adventure.

Footnote: Although this is very much a driving holiday, the route has been designed so that I do not normally have to drive more than about 200 miles in a day. I want enough time to enjoy the driving, but I also want time to relax, wander around, sit outside Vanilla with a coffee, enjoy the campsites and aires, and properly savour all the places I am visiting rather than simply rushing through them.