By Cheri Sicard
In my travels around the U.S., I have been surprised at the number of European RVers I have met who have shipped their rigs from Europe to the U.S. for extensive travels. That got me wondering about shipping an RV to Europe, as the prospect of exploring Europe by RV has enormous appeal.
Sure, fuel prices are higher, but without hotel bills, I can afford more expensive fuel. In the video below from C’est La Vie Three, we find out as this RVing family shipped their camper van from Atlanta to Spain.
Of course, there are many details and paperwork to complete before shipping an RV to Europe. These include:
- Valid registration.
- Insurance valid for overseas travel.
- If you are making payments on the vehicle, you must have approval from the lien holder.
- Proper port of call clearances for the European location where the RV will be delivered.
The video covers tips and details you might not otherwise think of. For instance, your fuel tank must have less than a quarter tank of fuel to be accepted by the shipper.
The RV will go through a pre-shipping inspection, and the shipper will check to ensure the vehicle is cleared for the country it is shipped to. The entire drop-off process took about 90 minutes.
How much does shipping an RV to Europe cost?
The entire cost for the processing and shipping came to about $5,000. Your results may vary because this video is 6 years old, and this cost was for a camper van. Different-sized vehicles will come with different charges. However, this video gives a good overview of the process and a rough ballpark estimate of the costs.
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A couple from France that we met in a campground had flown over, purchased a used cargo van, outfitted it with bare-bones mattress, bedding, & cooking supplies, and hit the road for 2 months. The plan was to resell the van & donate the furnishings. Easier? Cheaper? Don’t know, but we admired their pluck, especially since he was in a wheelchair. I think I’d opt for leasing a car & buying a tent, rather than shipping an RV.
I am seriously considering doing this in Europe and later Australia.
Don’t they have RV rentals overseas?
Doubt the cost included all the adapters you might need to connect to utilities in Europe. The really big one might be a 240vac to 120vac adapter of sufficient amperage capacity. You may require North American to Metric adapters for other utilities. Personally, I’d ship ‘stuff’ (personal gear) and rent an RV in Europe.
Also, at least in Germany, it may require additional licensing based on vehicle weight. Your passenger vehicle license may not be adequate. From what I saw while there last summer, most North American units will cross that threshold.
We’ve had two campers take advantage of our boondocker space that shipped their motorhome to the US from Europe. Because of their length of tour, it was cheaper for them to ship their own RV rather than rent. Based on country, I think it is cheaper to tour in the US than it is in Europe.
Driving in a foreign country could be a real problem that gets one jail time for an accident or violations of traffic laws. I am not going to. Better safe than sorry.
The biggest issue I see here is the size of our RVs compared to theirs and the width of many European roads. We have met Europeans traveling around the US. All have been van campers or small B type units.
Thank you, Cheri! Seems viable, practical only if planning to travel for several month (a year?) in order to spread this cost over a lot of days. Our current and any future rigs are too large to drive on European roads, given my skill level. Interesting that this is so possible, almost easy. Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂