With 3 children through Eastern Europe with the camper: you have to see this

Image: private

Tamara (36) and friend Sebastiaan (42) wanted to see as much nature as possible during their six-month motorhome trip through Eastern Europe. Twins Moos and Maik (5) and Sophie (2) turned out to be real outdoor types.

“Sophie was only one during our trip through Eastern Europe, of course she didn’t talk much. But in this time she has discovered her first word after ‘dad’ and ‘mama’: ‘wow!’ Suddenly she said it, when we were standing at a beautiful view again, before we could say it ourselves. So special, such a surprise. But the guys surprised us just as much. By always walking along well and enjoying themselves in the camper: for them the travel days were rest days. They watched a movie, read a book, then drew again. Sophie always had her slumber day.

Thanks to them, we even dared to extend the trip through Albania, Montenegro and Slovenia with two additional countries: Bulgaria and Romania. After Eastern Europe we went to the Greek islands, to end up in Italy.

Into nature

During those six months we have of course visited a city; we had a great time in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. But otherwise we always went through a city fairly quickly: eating an ice cream here, visiting a church there, finding some fountains and playgrounds for the children, browsing a market. We would rather be in nature and preferably in places where you don’t encounter hordes of tourists.

Montenegro turned out to fit completely into that picture, it has become one of our favorite countries. We saw incredibly beautiful gorges, beautiful national parks such as the Durmitor National Park, where you can see very far between the mountains and on the way you see nothing but nature, very rugged and untouched.

“We walked through nature all alone; there wasn’t even a sign pointing us to the canyon”

In Serbia we were surprised by the Uvac Canyon. Zero tourists were there, we walked through nature all alone; there wasn’t even a sign pointing us to the canyon. Then we drove on to Romania, where we were amazed at the horse-drawn carriages we encountered there.

Famous Motorway

I was glad that Romania was now also on the route, because then we could go to the Transfagarasan route, a famous highway through the Fagaras Mountains. It had been on my list for a while to drive through here by car.

When we drove there we said to each other: this can only be disappointing. Our expectations were so high, and we also had to make a detour for it. But it lived up to everything we hoped for. We drove through a valley and everywhere was beautiful nature. You can drive this road in two hours, but it took us three days, because at every bend we stopped for a photo or picnic. Here too we camped wild with beautiful views.

“At every turn we stopped to enjoy the view”

One day even my bear alarm went off, a kind of storm alarm app that warns you if bears have been spotted in the area. We saw the bear walking as we drove away from our camping spot. Moos was just asleep; we quickly woke him up and drove up and down five more times just for him so he could see the beast as well.

wild camping

The first time wild camping was actually quite a thing for me. We had arrived in Croatia on the island of Dugi Otok, where all the campsites turned out to be full, so we had to. We found a place near the harbour. That night I heard everything, every little movement outside, every car that passed: which people do I now belong to the camper? My husband just slept and thought it was all fine.

That morning we woke up and immediately looked at the harbor. That was so special that we started doing it more often from that moment on. We once stood at the Tara Gorge in Montenegro, with a family we had already met before. We barbecued together, the kids played with each other and ate marshmallows while we had a fantastic view of the canyon itself and the bridge over it. Totally unexpected it came together nicely, and that’s what made it so much fun.

Also read – In a camper from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean with these great holiday tips >

With all the space

In the beginning we made the mistake of going to a bigger campsite for the children, because we were afraid that only nature would be too boring for them. But we soon discovered that the boys also preferred to be in a forest where they played with sticks and stones, or even better: by the water. It was therefore very relaxed: there was no work, only education and travelling. It therefore felt like a pause in our lives, a time when we could think about everything for a while.

“The children would rather be in nature than a large campsite”

And because we met so many other families who were also traveling around, we decided to leave for America for a year this summer. So that we can see the children, even more than on this journey, grow up, with all the space to help them, without the stress of time.”

To do

Zip whiz

The longest zipline in Europe can be found over the Tara Gorge in Montenegro. Very cool to zoom down with your child.

tarasportrafting.com/zip-line

Nice and warm

You can swim and relax at the thermal baths of the Langarica Gorge in Albania, beautifully situated.

Cool

For little daredevils: hiking through the Slovensky Raj National Park. Lots of climbing over steep stairs and steps from rocks.

slovakia.travel/en/national-park-of-slovensky-raj

Look, a vulture

The Uvac Gorge in Serbia is a hidden gem. During our walk we had continuous views of the winding canyon. And super cool to see vultures flying nearby.

To sleep

meeh

We found the most beautiful wild camping spots, such as in Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, where we slept among the goats.

park4night.com/nl/lieu/53502/open

In the gorge

From our place in the Langarica gorge in Albania we walked to the thermal baths. In high season it is very busy here.

park4night.com/nl/lieu/65676/open

sheltered

In Montenegro we discovered a very beautiful place on a lake, between the mountains. We only saw a shepherd there.

park4night.com/nl/lieu/270937/open

“This trip felt like a break in our lives”

To eat

Owl at lunch

At the Koukouvaya tent in Chania, Crete, we ate the best cake with the most beautiful view. Inside you will find owls: great fun for the kids to look for while waiting.

koukouvaya.gr

Cake plus

In cafe Betyár Batyu in Dömös, Hungary, we ate a huge piece of cake for lunch, but you can also have a good dinner there.

There on the stairs

After visiting the Acropolis in Athens, it is wonderful to stroll through the Plaka district. On the steps of the narrow alleys you will find plenty of restaurants for lunch or dinner. We were at Palio Tetradio.

paliotetradio-restaurant.com

Want to see more travel photos of Tamara and her family? Check out their Instagram page: @mugjes_opreis

This article appears in the Kek Mama 08-2022.

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