We are on our way to Finland to pick up a bunch of puzzles so I decided that I will once again write not a puzzling blog (although there will be plenty of that, but rather a traveling to the puzzling blog.
Tonight we are staying at Camping Lago 3 Municipalities near Udine. I read great reviews about this place so I decided to give it a try. But first...Let me explain our craziness.
George and I used to camp in our Tesla in the States, and I forgot how much fun it is. When I started planning this trip, I used Chat GPT to help with the daily maximum driving limit and finding the hotels. Then I looked into the cost of camping. Then I looked at the laws regarding free camping in Europe. At the end of it all, we decided that the extra bit of money for campsites was worth it to us.
Roadside stopping is legal for the entire trip as long as we don't take out the table and chairs and "set up camp". So no cooking. That would have cost around €4000. (Charging, food, ferries). Camp grounds are only €400~€600 more for the trip; whereas hotels would have set us back over €30,000! Camping it is. I don't mind. I know....No one expects that of me. At least those who 'think' they know me. But I do love it. When I was a young girl, my parents bought a 12 person tent and set it up in the front yard for my cousins and I to spend our summers in. I later went camping multiple times with my then boyfriend "Wisconsin", and even later still, I bought a tent to put in my father's yard when Krissy was a young thing.
Now for the real costs, (or as near I can remember). Everyone knows I love to cook and just because we are in the car doesn't mean I'm not going to do it now. Yes, we could eat out every night, and there will be a few times that we do that; tonight for example. But honestly, I would rather do it myself. So....I have kitted out the car to be able to do this.
First of all, I have purchased a number of items that will make things so much easier. I will put a list with links here. Most are available from Amazon, but a few I had to go elsewhere for.
Refrigerator €369. I actually bought this about 2 months ago and use it when I do my weekly shops.
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 Power Station Portatile | 2.073,6 Wh 2.600 W €1092 (On sale this week for €200 off). This can also be used in the house during power outages (as if we have those).
Fruble €1026 (also on sale this week for €903) This is a custom made for the Tesla Model Y drawer that also levels the back so the bed is flat. Our seats fold down, but they have quite an angle to them so it is uncomfortable to sleep without this. Money well spent. It also allows us to use the space in the smugglers trunk more efficiently. Before this, we could place a few small items there but now, I have a fully stocked pantry. The sidewells in the back of the Tesla are used to hold bottles of oil, vinegar, cooking wine, truffles....All that stuff one cannot live without.
North Face sleeping bag for 2 rated to -7 centigrade (we may need that in Finland) €165. I saw the temperature will be around -1 centigrade when we are up there. And just to be sure we don't have a problem with the cold, I also purchased an electric blanket that we can use to heat the bed before crawling into it. Rest assured, we will not be sleeping with it turned on. I think that set me back another €59.
Mattress extender for seat back €45. This is a silly little ramp that attaches to the back of the front seats and extends the bed area by about 18 inches. We need that! It's not that we are super tall, but rather that it stops our toes from hitting the back deck in the middle of the night.
Starlink mini €199 +€15 per month usage fee for 100gb (it has since gone up to €45 per month usage fee). We got lucky and purchased it before the rate hike and have been grandfathered in. It is resting very comfortably out of our way on the roof of the car. George has been using it non-stop since we got here, and it works well even outside the car.
Snuuzu mattress €998. This looks very expensive for a blow up air mattress but it did come with two pillows, and two pumps. Last night George mentioned that it is as comfortable as our bed at home. That is the honest truth. Money very well spent.
Other miscellaneous items probably cost us around €300 maximum. This includes things like the dishes, air fryer, induction stove, cooking utensils, etc.
While this seems like a rather large investment, the final cost is still cheaper than staying in hotels, and it will pay itself off before we are headed back home. All future trips are fee of charge.
The best part though is the ability to just get up and go and not have to reserve every stop along the way. If we want to stay longer in a place, we can. Last night when we got to the camp ground I set up the car while George caught up on the news. We went for a walk along the lake and enjoyed the sun on the mountains. Around 8 we went to the camp kitchen for a bit of dinner because I was just too tired to try and cook. The food was ok for what it was. But the views....
