LIVING IN A MOTORHOME FULL TIME IN EUROPE - Top Tips & Tricks 

Hi Pete, couldn’t agree more, it was a big deal giving up our big jobs & materialistic accumulation but we don’t regret it for a second. Thank you for your comment (and channel feedback). 👍😊

Hi, I'm somewhat late in my reply, apologies. Thank you and... it absolutely isn’t. It’s all about mindset - we've met so many people on our travels, in their 70's, 80's and even 90's who've inspired us and brought a smile to our face with fabulous stories. As the saying goes, "Life is not a rehersal" Have fun 😀🙏

Hello and big apologies for my delayed reply. Thank you, our pleasure and appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙏😀

Hi Amanda, thank you & I hope we haven’t put you off (bit late now) 😂

This was always a loose overview of life on the road in Europe. However we’re putting together a very specific video (about the nitty gritty), where we address in detail the important real world longer term travel issues such as the 90/180 topic. We’ve already written a post about it in detail, see link - bit.ly/3co7ack Appreciate the feedback 👍😊

Hi both, thank you so much. if we’re ever in the same proximity give us a shout. We're always up for meeting like minded people on the road. Safe travels & Happy New year 😀

Hi Paul, thank you. Really appreciate you saying so. 🙏😊

Thank you and really appreciate the feedback. 😀

Thank you & very exciting, love the Euro Cargo 4x4. Will do 🙏😊

Couldn’t ago more, it’s a big call & the only person who can make it is you 😊

Our pleasure, appreciate the comment 🙏😀

Thank you, just playing catch up with the messages. 👍🏻😀

Thank you, it'll soon fly in. Canada & the America's is definitely on our list, be it a few years down the line. 😀

Hi thank you, yes we're fully intending to do a video on full-time costs very soon, we've already done a full tour of the truck, just select videos or playlists and you'll see it 🙏😀

Hi Claire, thank you so much 😀

Thank you, appreciated 👍🏻😀

Thanks both, we’re aware of Tiekom & are probably going to use it next year. It would’ve been no good for us this year as we spent too much time out of Europe & you can’t pause it. Excellent deal, how’s the coverage?

Hi Eddy, we haven’t...but you’ve got us thinking & great suggestion. It may take a little while as it’s been a big travel year & we’re desperately playing catch up. but really good shout, appreciated. 👍😀

Hi Sandi, we have Star link at our house in Spain and agree, it's fantastic. And although there's an RV version, it can't be used on the move (or Morocco) so we're holding out until the cost of the "on the move kit" comes down in price (currently over 2k US dollars). It's definitely on the cards and the speed is superb & it's something we're considering for our new build truck next year. Hope you’re well 🙏😀

We use a GoPro with the standard mic mod. But we're looking at better options for the future.

Hi guys, thank you & really appreciate the support 🙏😊

Hi Stephanie thanks for your feedback :) There is lots of camping, free park-ups and designated motorhome places (aires) across Europe and many of the towns and cities have campsites close by. Some people use public transport and others carry e-bikes or a scooter to get around. Most supermarkets are happy for you to park in their car park overninght if you pop your head in and ask. I hope that helps :)

Hi both, apologies for the delayed reply. Thank you and yes we have a strong partnership, but quite honestly, we've had our moments 😀 We both carry a GHIC card whilst in Europe and take out medical insurance when that doesn’t cover us in Asia etc. We always have our dental work carried abroad and find the level of professionalism, hygiene and cost to on par, if not better than the UK. Have a look at True Traveller insurance. 🙏

Hi Meurig, I wasn't doing RU-vid at the time so I'm afraid not. We found Tonka on eBay, it's a good place to search the marketplace. Thank you 👍🏻

@@TheGapDecaders Thank you, appreciated. Looking forward to following your new project

cheers, appreciated 🙏@@meurigjones2469

🤣🤣🤣, some Irish Italian biker nomads we met in a random car park 👌😁 Thank you guys

Hi Paula, apologies for the delay, it's been a bit of a hectic this week. I (Phil) have an Irish passport and under the EU legislation allows Izzy to travel with me providing we don't exceed 90 days in any one country. 👍🏻

Hi Kenny, thank you. We have a truck sat nav which helps us navigate the questionable tight European towns and villages, alongside that we run Google maps or Maps.me, with the later able to recognise most tracks. I suppose we enjoy treacherous roads so it doesn’t reallyphase us too much. In terms of accessing those off the beaten track park ups, that’s exactly why we bought a 4x4 truck with decent ground clearance. We'd get frustrated in the motorhome and felt limited when we couldn’t access an incredible overnight spot. Full Timing - some people are happy enough in a small'ish van however, there’s no such thing as the perfect van, there'll always be compromise. Small is cheaper to run and nimble, but you’re limited in space and will probably be overweight. Try to keep it under 9m long, a lot of camp sites won't be able to accommodate anything much bigger (if you use campsites). Running a truck will cost you significantly more than a van or large motorhome, our tyres are £900 each, we get 12mpg and please enquire into the cost of full time insurance, depending on your vehicle it'll be around £2k A bit of a scatter gun response but there's so many variables, understand your needs first and go and look at as many options as possible. We've written books and articles on weights and the transition into full timing, it's on our website if it’s of interest. 👍🏻😀

@@TheGapDecaders Thank you for such a prompt and detailed reply. This will be really useful in helping us make the right choices and compromises. I’ll definitely check out your website. Safe travels and thanks again.

@@KennyMcC Hi Kenny, no problem and good luck.

This is exactly my quandary!! I worry about too big a vehicle for the narrow rds ( Greece) & more of an eyesore when trying to sneak around dor the night. Great info. I'm going solo..female.. a little worried about reality vs fantasy.

Hi, it really depends on what you want to do. Most of the time it's more about ground clearance than having a 4x4 ability. We've met so many people in 4x2 trucks and it really isn’t a problem for them, and if you're in hot dry countries it's even easier. Chances are, with reasonable ground clearance, you'll get 95% of the places you'll want to get to.

Hi, we use Izzy's mum's address... we're registered there to vote, banking, insurance etc. We've written a post about it on our website with other suggestions, I'll put the link below. thegapdecaders.com/living-in-a-motorhome/

Hi Azlan - It really depends on the country where the vehicle is registered and which country you're in. We know its the case in Turkey, but it's very hard to find out this sort of information, especially if there is a language barrier.

@@TheGapDecaders thanks for the info

Hi Kev, cheers & nearly there. I think we’ve been spoilt with incredible park ups (especially this year). The UK’s just too small.

lol, I think by the time we stop travelling at the age of 97 we might stick to gardening. Joking aside, although it’s pretty tiring, we can’t see a point in the future when we won't travel, we may travel differently & have chatted through different options (motorcycle, backpacking, renting a place for three months in Malaysia eg) but we enjoy exploring so much & meeting fascinating people, why stop. We work on the road and at some point we may feel like a break, we’ll see. Great question 🙏😀

Hi Steve, apologies for my late reply. We've covered the Brexit 90 days in a subsequent video but basically unless you or your partner has a EU passport between you, you can only stay within the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within a rolling 180 days. So yes it is a pain for many people and it requires a little planning. I (Phil) am fortunate to have an Irish passport and under EU legislation allows Izzy to travel with me. Hope that helps.

@@TheGapDecaders Hi , thanks for your reply and the info. Good luck to you on your Journeys.

Hi Matt, unfortunately there’s no way around it so yes, once a year we’ve gotta make the trip back. More specific detail coming in a Future video. 🙏😊

@@TheGapDecaders I would recommend registering you truck in Czechia or somewhere similar where you can get a 2 year 'MOT' and you don't have to go back to the UK each year.

Hi Mark, yeah Germany’s the same (2 year TUV), but that mean’s importing the vehicle, having an address there, we’ve tried Gibraltar & even a voluntary ITV (in Spain) but annoyingly it’s a non starter. 👍😊

@@TheGapDecaders I see. I will send you an email about possible ways to navigate this. 👍👍

@@TheControversyChannel Great, you’ve got my attention, appreciated 👍😀

Hi Nuria, thank you so much. I'm still new to video editing/RU-vid, let me see if I can work it out 😀

Hi Mark, apologies for the late reply. Yes it’s a great bit of kit and we’re tempted but the RV version can't be used on the move and therefore a non-starter for us. The newest technology released Dec 22 with the flat new performance dish cost $2500 and they don't guarantee connectivity, they state they try they’re best. Hopefully in time the coverage/connectivity will improve & it’ll get somewhat cheaper. Appreciate the feedback 😀

@The Gap Decaders Hi guys, we seem to be on different pages! I just double-checked the Starlink page, and the 1-off setup cost is about 400 euro and the RV setup is about 70 euro per month. The RV setup is specifically designed for use on the move, although I understand that it is not recommended for using while driving as it needs to keep finding new satalites. I believe you can still technically use it while driving though. I would recommend researching it further and check on youtube for videos on coverage in Europe. Most of Europe is quite well covered now and the coverage is going up almost monthly!

...this is for the flat performance dish!

@@TheControversyChannel Hi Mark, you’re quite right about the coverage being constantly improving and the tech ever refined and therefore always good to keep up to speed. From what I can see (UK prices Dec 22) the RV kit is £460 and £95 monthly but this doesn’t include the IN-MOTION kit - this is the important part, we want to use it whilst physically driving and without that it would invalidate the warranty. At the time of research the $2500 was taken from a forum in which the user stated by the time they had all the various bits to keep the warranty as per Starlink's spec it was $2.5k US. We would have opted for it by now but it only covers the Continent in which it’s registered in, so when we go to Morocco in January for three months we wouldn’t be able to us it, & will only be available in Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan (Asia) from 2023 hence us holding off. The coverage across Europe at present is very good and I think if you like to go somewhere & haul up for long periods it’s an excellent option. This is a hot topic and one we're keen to keep up to speed with so if you have any updates this year we'd appreciate the comm's. Thank you for the support on the channel & have a great New Year 👍😀

@@TheGapDecaders Hi Guys, yes, I now understand you predicament! Using a VPN in Czechia gets the monthly and 1 time fee down a bit, but as you say, this does not let you use it on the go. I will keep looking into it and I will let you know if I find a break-through! I wish you both a great a new year!!

We did, thank you. We have a small off-grid house in the mountains of Spain where we have it and yes it's excellent. We need to use it on the move and so we're keen to wait until the on-the-move dish comes down in price. Regardless, we will be fitting one to our new truck build next year. Thank you 👍🏻😀

Hi, there's obviously lots of variables such as the countries you're visiting, the milage you wish to cover and if you're happy to off grid camp. It's better to work it out over a 12 month period and work it out from there. Our annual budget is £18-20k so an average of £1583 per month. Hope that helps ☺

@@TheGapDecaders Do you own your vehicle and buy in in Europe?

We own it, the cost of long term rental would be astronomic.@@MoveForwardKV

@@TheGapDecaders So if you are coming from the states, best to buy one in the UK vs shipping one over. Correct?

@@Kvivian very possibly, the cost of shipping a Sprinter van (eg) right now is around £10k and closer to £20k (one way) for a larger overland rig, so I suppose it depends on how long you intend to stay. Some people ship to the Canada, do the America's for a few years then sell there.

Hi Izzy, I (Phil) have an Irish passport and under EU legislation am entitled to the right to a family life. This therefore allows Izzy (UK only passport) to travel with me as my wife/spouse beyond the 90 days.

Brilliant and Wow. We see it all the time, full timers with dogs, cats, parrots, rabbits, reptiles. 😀

Hi Roger we use my Mum's address for everything - we are registered on the electorol roll there too. Pot box is almost impossible with DVLA, but they will allow under certain circumstances - you can find out more here thegapdecaders.com/living-in-a-motorhome/

@@TheGapDecaders problem I have is both parents dead 🥴

In that case, DVLA may be your best route. Did you read the article?@@rogerjob2780