Practical
Driving in Europe in 2026: the checklist we run before every trip
Documents, mandatory equipment, vignettes, tolls and low-emission zones - the practical basics that keep a European road trip fine-free, in one place.
Europe, one backroad at a time
We drive Europe slowly, and write down what actually helps.
Two people, one well-worn van, and eight years of wrong turns. Honest routes, real costs, and the practical stuff nobody tells you before you cross the first border.
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Latest from the road
Practical
Road-tripping Europe in an EV: charging, apps and range reality
We crossed four countries in an electric car and lived on public chargers the whole way. Here is what actually works: the one plug that matters, the card that saves you money, and how far you really get between stops.
Practical
Low-emission zones explained: can you drive into European cities?
Crit'Air, Umweltzone, ZTL, Area C: how the sticker and camera systems work, per city, and the one official database we check before every city run.
Practical
Tolls and vignettes in Europe, country by country
Which countries make you buy a sticker, which charge by the kilometre, and how we avoid paying twice - the paid-road map we wish we'd had on our first trip.
Routes
Ten days on the great Alpine passes: Stelvio, Grossglockner and the Dolomites
A slow, switchback-heavy loop through the Italian and Austrian Alps - how we planned it, what each pass is really like to drive, and what it costs.
Routes
Up the Atlantic in a van: Portugal to Brittany in three unhurried weeks
Following the coast north from Lisbon to the granite headlands of Brittany - surf towns, pine forests and where we actually slept, in a route built for a slow van.
Seasonal
Winter road trips in Europe: what the Alps and the Arctic taught us
Winter tyres, chains and the small habits that keep a snowy European drive calm - the rules that vary by country and the technique that doesn't.