A Day on the Road: Camping

For the past five months, we have spent almost every day outdoors, and most nights too. Wherever we set up out tent, it feels like home.

Often, there have been so many campsites that we don't have to plan much in advance. In the early afternoon, we just check the map or GPS and pick a suitable distance.

Penned in between RVs

Many of these sites are little more than RV parking lots, so we would sometimes go out of our way if we knew that a particular campground would be of the small, family-run variety. These sites are more fun as we usually hang out with the owners and other campers.

Great little family-run campsite in Montenegro

If the only options are 9000-site bohemoths with no character, or if there's no other option at all, or if we just feel like it, we also "wild" camp. This means finding a spot for our tent, anywhere that's not officially a campsite.

Our first wild camp, along the Danube

In a vineyard overlooking the Adriatic Sea

We've slept in fields and orchards, on beaches and riversides, beside rest areas and monasteries, and recently at campsites that are already closed for the winter.

In an olive grove / Behind a fish-processing plant

On the beach of a Greek island

Typically, we keep an eye out for small paths that leave the road, so that we're hidden from view, but sometimes we've also asked for permission first. After some initial worries that someone will find us and make us move on, we've found that wild camping is actually more pleasant than most paid campsites. We have the views and experience all to ourselves.

Wild camping beside a small village, with other cyclists

Wild camping spots in Canada even have toilets and picnic tables (at a rest area)

With less than a week to go before we reach our final destination of Quebec City, there are only a few nights of camping left and we'll soon be packing away our little home for the year.