thefreedomcomplex contributor

Roadtripping In Europe

Europe // 2019

In the past 6 months I have been around some places in Europe that have been on my bucketlist for as long as I can remember, but often just thought I’d probably visit some day in the far future when it all ligned up. Untouched regions in Spain, coastal Italy, Swiss Alps; these are 3 trips I have been on that were all done in vans, and they have left me with experiences of a lifetime. Each trip has been with a different group of friends, at a different time of year, to extremely different locations, but all for the same content creation purposes! Road tripping is a lot harder than it seems but it is SO worth it!

This is a little mountain town we found in Northern Spain, and we only found this because we were roadtripping! Looks like the norwegian Fjords but it was Spain! This is a little mountain town we found in Northern Spain, and we only found this because we were roadtripping! Looks like the norwegian Fjords but it was Spain!



You will find yourself driving ridicuous lengths and obscure times of the day, parking in the most random locations to wake up in near proximity to your sunrise shoot location, sleeping extremely short hours at times, and eating the same thing all the time cooked in the tiny in-van “kitchen” of sorts, and having very cramped space. However, all worth it though! There is something about it that you can’t fault, its just got its own charm, a sense of freedom and independence that you just cant get when you’re staying at hotels/hostels. This is especially true when you are aiming to shoot sunrises every day, which is when it REALLY helps to be able to park and sleep anywhere you like! No check-ins and check-outs to worry about, it’s just got a unique approach to accommodating a trip!

I bet no hotel in spain offers this much peace and views, but we parked the van right at this location and watched the stars fly by at night and the sun rise over this crazy formation in the morning! I bet no hotel in spain offers this much peace and views, but we parked the van right at this location and watched the stars fly by at night and the sun rise over this crazy formation in the morning!

These trips always revolve around creating content, and adding a van to the mix of things sometimes allows for some pretty unique aspects of photography to unfold. I’m always looking for ways to challenge myself in photography and videography, and having been on a few roadtrips, I have been working with a van rental company for the duration of the trips, so have been challenged to create unique content including the van in the imagines/videos and also promoting a strong sense of travel and exploration in the content! Another thing that these trips allow is to create unique content for other clients or individuals that need stuff created based on a certain area or theme! For example in Switzerland my focus largely revolved around acquiring content of fresh water lakes for a company I am working with that needs content based on water sources – its incredible how creativity can let you venture to new places for a unique purpose like that, and that’s something I love about the process!

shooting glacier melt lakes in Switzerland at 3000m+ above sea level! shooting glacier melt lakes in Switzerland at 3000m+ above sea level!


On my recent trips I have also been focusing on getting more footage of the places as I am starting to get lean more and more into video (as well as writing obviously)! This has been a great way for me to approach a versatile array of destinations, and acquire loads of different styles of content, as roadtripping has let me go literally anywhere I desired!

these hotsprings in italy are located in a tiny town called Saturnia, and the only accommodation really close to here is pretty expensive! Roadtrippin here allowed us to park more or less right next to it! these hotsprings in italy are located in a tiny town called Saturnia, and the only accommodation really close to here is pretty expensive! Roadtrippin here allowed us to park more or less right next to it!

Whether your focus is content creation, or independence in travel, or hiking, or anything other than city-travels really, then I highly recommend looking into the option of renting a van to mission around in. It gives you accommodation, kitchen and transport all in one, so it typically pays off both timewise and economically – all depending on the distances you are driving of course as gas costs can add up! Of course you also need to think of the destination and time if year, to see whether any social or seasonal aspects could get in your way or cause you any difficulties or discomforts, but taking Europe as an example, I would say roadtripping in a house on wheels is a great way to get around in Europe if you have the time you need!

Views over Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, we parked down in the village for the night

It has allowed me to get a much better idea of the variety in landscapes and each countries individual beauties, as I often find myself cruising through traditional rural towns, or in between mountain ranges, in valleys along gorgeous rivers, the list goes on and on! I imagine you get the point now! I love roadtripping and I highly recommend it!

Tips: Do big grocery shopping sessions as it will save you a lot in the long run! Bring or purchase tupperware/storage boxes for food so that you don’t need to cook/wash up all the time (as it isnt always easy with cold water and a tiny sink!) Go with someone you know you will laugh a lot with because you’re in very confined spaces, often for a long time, so having a good friend with you can significantly increase the overall experience!

Had no issues getting to cinque terre along the Italy coast in our trusted House on wheels! Had no issues getting to cinque terre along the Italy coast in our trusted House on wheels!

#switzerland, #eurotrip, #spain, #mountain, #friends, #europe, #italy, #alps, #coast, #roadtrip