The Netherlands
Vacation in the Netherlands with the camper van
The Netherlands
With the camper
Our first trip for several months is a fact. Due to the Corona crisis, we couldn’t go abroad for a long time but that finally changed last week. We chose to stay close to home and travel by RV since we are not yet eager to take a shared mode of transportation such as airplane. And because we love to travel sustainably. An RV is the ideal mode of transportation to travel during this time! And the Netherlands is a real camper country where you can easily find pitches and campsites. For us, the ideal trip post Corona time. Read all about our vacation in the Netherlands with the camper van here.
Rent a motorhome
Finding the right RV to travel with is essential if you want to take a (first) RV trip. Buying a new RV unfortunately costs an enormous amount of money but today you don’t have to make this investment yourself. Did you know that you can also rent an RV or mobile home? The ideal platform to do that is Goboony. Here you can find several mobile home rental companies per region. This way you can easily rent a mobile home from someone near you. On this website you will also see all the facilities listed and immediately see what this will cost you in total. Very convenient and organized!
On Goboony you will find all types and sizes of motorhomes depending on your needs and desires. For us, since there are only two of us traveling and we mainly use the RV for sleeping, an RV was perfect. It is actually a kind of converted van but equipped with all the facilities you need and that you find in a camper as well. However, it is more convenient to travel to certain regions where it is more difficult to get to with a large motorhome or caravan. The personal contact with the landlords is also a good reason to book through this website. We had a smooth and pleasant contact with Jean-Pierre, the landlord of our camper.
Netherlands with the camper van - First stop
Our first stop in the Netherlands was the world-famous Kinderdijk. In this place you will find dozens of old windmills that are also World Heritage Sites. It is a beautiful location for walking and taking pictures. Normally it can be very busy here as it is a popular spot for photographers, but because of (or thanks to) the Corona crisis it was now nice and quiet. We could just park our RV on the side of the road and we were a five-minute walk from the dike full of beautiful windmills. That’s another huge advantage to traveling with an RV. You stop where and when you want and you can spend the night almost anywhere if you come across a place you like.
De hoge Veluwe
After our visit to Kinderdijk we drove on towards de Hoge Veluwe. This huge nature reserve is one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands. The vast area has a National Park and several attractions including the Sint-Hubertus hunting lodge and the Kröller-Müller Museum. Biking through the National Park is what we remember most. It is unreal big and you cycle through different landscapes. Admission costs about ten euros/person. This cost is primarily to fund the maintenance of the park. By the way, you can borrow the bikes there for free. And we recommend it to everyone! On foot, it is quite a task to explore the park. And with any luck, you may also spot wildlife. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky during our visit.
When visiting the Veluwe you should also stop at the Veluwemeer, Radio Kootwijk or Paleis het Loo. All exceptional locations. Also, Posbank is a breathtaking place for hikers, nature lovers and photographers. The hilly area with heather is surreal. The Veluwe is most beautiful at the end of summer, in August and September. Then the purple heather is in bloom and that gives an extra dimension to the -otherwise rather barren- landscape.
If you like to experience even more nature in the vicinity of the Veluwe, you can also drive towards the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. This is a half-hour drive from the Veluwe. On the Utrechtse Heuvelrug you can spot the only pyramid of the Netherlands and, in good weather, swim in the exotic-looking Henschotermeer. With children, these are also very fun activities. Near this nature reserve there are also plenty of places of interest including Kasteel de Haar or you can of course take a trip to the bustling city of Utrecht.
Sun, sea and beach
The weather was a bit disappointing the first few days of our road trip. We knew many cloudy, rainy days but then suddenly there was the sun. And the radiant weather gave us the impetus to head for the coast. After all, we had to miss the sea and the beach for months. So with the warm sun on our faces, we headed for the Dutch coast.
Our first plan was to head towards The Hague and Scheveningen. Upon arrival, we found the place a bit too crowded to stay there -with Covid-19 in the back of our minds. Again, a huge benefit to traveling by RV. Is a place not what you expected after all? Then you just move on. So we drove on towards the vast Zeeland.
Zeeland had everything we were looking for at that time. Peace, tranquility and freedom. Freedom to camp where we wanted near the sea and freedom to go where we wanted. We had missed this feeling immensely over the past few months. For us, the coast has something magical. And that magic was reaffirmed when we parked the RV overlooking the sea and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. In our own bubble enjoying all that nature has to offer us. Holland with the motorhome, that’s pure happiness.
Netherlands with the camper van - Holiday feeling
Our mini-adventure with the RV was liberating. Go where you want and sleep in the midst of nature. It is enjoyable from start to finish. Although we love traveling far and wide, we also really experienced a vacation feeling in the Netherlands. So you don’t have to go far to create a vacation feeling. The Netherlands has many assets that we are only too happy to continue to discover. We already had an excellent first experience with our campervan from Goboony and we can’t wait to get back out there!