Van Tour Across Germany as Digital Nomads: Our Approach and Tips

It’s cramped, there is never enough space, it gets dirty — and it’s so much fun!

Above all it’s the ultimate feeling of freedom. You like a spot in nature? You take your home(office) there.

Photo by hilary bird on Unsplash

Here are the points covered:

• How did it all start?
• How do we work from the van? (Our work setup)
• Where do we usually stay?
• What are the good parts?
• What are the bad parts?
• Some nice overnight spots in nature

How did it all start?

In 2019, we bought a camper van. It has a foldable bed, two tables, a small kitchen, a camping toilet, and even a shower. It has storage space enough for all our belongings that we need on the road and for work.

Our idea was to use it for weekend trips around our hometown Stuttgart, to explore the region and stay overnight just for a couple of days.

When the pandemic hit, we didn’t want to fly as frequently as we did in the past and our entire travel plan had to be revamped — we thought, how about exploring Germany by van?

In the summer of 2021, we went on a road trip through Germany, living and working from the van on and off, interspersing our trip with occasional Airbnb stays to settle down in an area for some time.

How do we work from the van?

Photo by Standsome Worklifestyle on Unsplash

Next to the extra inbuilt battery in the car, we always bring a portable battery along that supplies us with enough electricity to charge our laptops and phones.

To connect to the internet, we use a wireless router.

We have two inbuilt tables in the car and a camping table to set up outside. Thus, if the weather allows it, at least one of us works outside.

Several canisters of water are stored for cleaning, personal hygiene, and drinking purposes; hence we don’t have to worry about our water supply for several days. Water for cleaning can be filled at fountains and if we are lucky, we sometimes even find a fountain with drinking water. Also, many camping grounds (even some parking lots for one night) often provide water in exchange for a small fee.

Where do we usually stay?

Photo by Rosan Harmens on Unsplash

In Germany, you are allowed to stay on public parking areas for one night, some special signposted places allow you to stay for 48 hours, sometimes even 72 hours.

Most of the time, we use the park4night app to find good spots, as people often rate the location and add some comment.

If you’ve read our previous posts, you’ll already know how much we love water — we always try to find spots next to a water body, so that we can take a dip whenever we feel like. (Below you’ll find a list of spots, that we recommend).

What are the good parts?

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

You are immensely flexible with a vehicle. Our route is only ever loosely planned, allowing us to stop and have a break whenever and wherever we want. More often than not, we avoid motorways to find scenic spots in nature, the peculiar café in a small village, or the random castle on the way. Above all, we love to swim and hike. Often, we camp next to water. Overlooking a lake or river, our morning coffee becomes a special treat.

As every day on the road is completely different, each day feels like a new adventure.

What are the bad parts?

Photo by Víctor Martín on Unsplash

Bad: When it rains! You want to spend most time inside, but you still go for the occasional walk, carrying all the mud inside.

Pretty bad: When it rains, and it is cold and you need to spend most time inside, and the mud on the floor is hardened.

Worse: When it rains, and it is cold and one of you needs to work while the other wants to prepare some food without making too much noise.

Worst: When it rains, and it is cold and both of you need to attend calls from inside at the same time.

Some nice overnight spots in nature

Photo by Nicole Geri on Unsplash

In the south: Naturbadeplatz Altherrensteg in Möckmühl, with a big meadow to do sports, a barbecue site, and the possibility to swim in the river Jagst.

In the middle of Germany: Singliser See, near Kassel: Nice lake to take a dip in the morning. There were almost no people there.

In the north:

Mahndorfer See, in Bremen: A swimming lake at no cost. We swam with a gaggle of geese.

Natur- und Erlebnispark Bremervörde, there is a campsite, where you can stay for longer, but also a big parking area if you only stay for one night. There was a no-swimming sign there, but all the locals swam in the lake.

From Freiburg To Freiburg: 10 Beautiful Regions To Explore in Germany

If you love nature, van life might be the thing for you. You can also hire vans to try it out.

In our opinion, van life is summed up nicely by the slogan of the park4 night app:

“The world is your garden.”

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