We had long dreamed of a longer road trip in Europe, and now it felt like the right time to make it happen. The idea was to hit the road and explore Europe by car.
We started planning the trip by thinking about the desired destinations and sketching out a rough itinerary for the journey.
Route Planning and Preparations
This time, we felt like we were ahead of schedule as we began planning the trip about a month before departure. Of course, in this time frame, there was already a bit of a rush to arrange everything: the car needed to be serviced to avoid any extra problems on the road, we had to figure out toll payment practices and what equipment was needed in the car in different countries, as well as the car’s export permit, and what other things would be needed to make the journey as smooth as possible. Googling led us to discover things like a caravan adapter, which we wouldn’t have otherwise realized.
We planned to stay overnight during the trip both in hotels and at campsites, camping in tents. We left the duration of the trip open-ended, as we didn’t want to make a strict schedule but rather go with the flow. However, we estimated that we would be on the road for about 1-3 months.
Right from the start, it was clear that since we love mountains, the Dolomites were a must, and we would also spend time in the Alps, but where else did we want to visit now that we were essentially completely free to go wherever we wanted. After various considerations, the rough route plan through Europe looked something like this: Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Monaco, Germany. So, we would take a ferry across the sea to Tallinn and then head south along the Via Baltica. The idea was to drive more or less directly to Montenegro, so it would be the first actual destination.
What to Bring and Packing the Car
Packing the car required attention, as it would be quite full, and to ensure that the items were easily accessible and found easily, it was a kind of Tetris puzzle to make it work. We tried to organize items thematically into boxes, placing less frequently used items underneath and more frequently used ones within easy reach. We had a basic BMW 300-series station wagon as our car.
So, what to pack for a trip like this?
– Tent
– Sleeping bags
– Sleeping pads
– Pillows
– Camping stove
– Camping stove fuel
– Foodย
– Some kitchen utensils (plates, bowls, cups, spatula, etc.)
– Dish soap and basin
– Paper towels / Toilet paper
– Clothes (for hiking, city visits, and the beach)
– Caravan adapter (CEE male – Schuko female) (https://www.puuilo.fi/famatel-caravan-adapteri-cee-uros-schuko-naaras-0-5-m)
– Long outdoor extension cord for getting power at the campsite
– Basic extension cord for charging multiple devices at once
– Photography equipment (drone, camera, GoPro) and chargers for all
– Tools in case the car has any issues, and for example, jumper cables
– Reflective vests, which are a mandatory accessory for the car in several countries
– Towels
– Cosmetics and hygiene products
With these supplies (and items), we were ready to hit the road. In the next post, we’ll tell you about the actual journey from Finland to Montenegro.
