The Total Cost

# 🚐 The European Drift – What It Really Cost

As I sat at home after returning from my 30-day European Drift, I became curious about what the adventure had actually cost. Not what it felt like it cost, but what the cold, hard bank statement said.

So I did what any retired haulage man with a spreadsheet and too much curiosity would do – I analysed every transaction.

The results surprised me.

For thirty days I wandered across Europe in Vanilla, my VW T6.1 campervan, visiting eleven countries, crossing mountain ranges, following rivers, exploring cities, camping beside lakes, enjoying a few local beers and taking hundreds of photographs. Looking back, it felt like a huge adventure.

Yet the figures tell a fascinating story.

The biggest single transport expense wasn't fuel, tolls or campsites.

It was the Eurotunnel.

The return crossing cost me around £300, making a 35-minute journey beneath the English Channel one of the most expensive individual elements of the entire trip.

Fuel came next.

Over the course of the journey I spent approximately £774 on diesel. That carried Vanilla through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Switzerland, Belgium and France before finally returning me home to Staffordshire.

When you consider the distance travelled and the number of countries crossed, I actually think that's remarkable value.

Accommodation was another pleasant surprise.

By using campsites throughout the trip, my overnight costs came to around £437. Spread across the month, that worked out at less than £15 per night. Many people spend more than that on a takeaway pizza.

Food was equally reasonable.

Supermarket spending totalled around £301. The little fridge, hob and kitchen in Vanilla proved their worth time and time again. Instead of eating every meal in restaurants, I was able to enjoy breakfasts overlooking lakes, lunches in mountain car parks and evening meals at campsites all across Europe.

Road charges were lower than I expected.

Tolls, vignettes and motorway charges across Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia and Switzerland came to approximately £175. Given the number of borders crossed and mountain roads used, that feels like money well spent.

Then there were the pleasures of travelling.

Restaurants, cafés, bars, coffees, snacks and the occasional Belgian beer added roughly another £775 to the budget. These were not expenses so much as experiences. Some of my favourite memories of the trip came from sitting in a café watching the world go by or enjoying a local drink after a day on the road.

When everything was added together, the total cost of the European Drift came to approximately £3,100.

That works out at about £104 per day.

For that £104 per day I received accommodation, transport, fuel, food, international travel, spectacular scenery, countless photographs, unforgettable experiences and complete freedom.

What surprised me most was this:

The adventure was cheaper than I imagined.

In fact, some of the largest amounts leaving my bank account during the trip weren't related to Europe at all. Mortgage payments, council tax, utilities and direct debits carried on quietly back in Stafford while I was admiring Alpine scenery and Croatian sunsets.

The bank statement proved something I've long suspected.

Travelling by campervan is one of the best-value ways to see Europe.

For just over three thousand pounds I explored eleven countries, drove thousands of miles, watched sunsets over mountains and coastlines, met wonderful people and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Not bad for a bloke from Milford and a grey campervan called Vanilla.

And if the bank statement is anything to go by, I'd do it all again tomorrow.Read more