The end of the wild campsite?! Greece is added to the growing list of countries that are limiting voluntary nomadic life in a camper, with increasingly severe bans and regulations. Freedom on the road? No longer so unlimited.
If yesterday you dreamed of driving spontaneously and making wild stops with campers along the Greek coast, with the sun in the eyes and the wind in the hair, bad news: it is time of the alarm clock. Greece is the most recent member of the elite club of countries such as United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Swiss E Czech Republicwho (not without drama) are facing “problems” itinerant houses. The end of the wild campsite?!
From now on in Greece it will be forbidden to park a camper on the beach, in the woods, near a park and even in a normal parking lot. Also, even if you have a friendly Greek friend with the earth and a big heart, the law allows him to host a maximum of a camper. Two are already considered camping.
And if someone thinks: “Ah, it will not be so severe”, the fines reach up to 300 euros, with the sweet addition of the possibility of three months in prison. Welcome to the sunny Greece, where the “free campsite” is now a myth more than the minotaur.
Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland: wild campsite? Only in memories – the end of the wild campsite
Wild campsite after Dutch? The only thing that could still be strange is the price of coffee in Amsterdam. The rigid national rules force customers to specific stops and the fines successfully repress any attempt at “romantic parking under the stars”.
Luxembourg is also not joked. The police regularly patrol the campaign as if it were looking for criminals and non -tourists with folding sandwiches and tables.
And then there is Switzerland, where the rules are valid for the rules. If there is no blackboard, yes you canthen no you can. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the panoramic point is.
Czech Republic: there is really no room for you
Although the Czech Republic has not officially banned the campers, reality is much less hospitable. Camping out of the designated areas is so unpleasant that the local police are ready to make sure that you do not forget the reason why it was paid to camp. Autonomy? Only in the form of electrical connection in a well -kept campsite.
UK: slow but constant closure of the doors
England (as always) swears on its approach: regional prohibitions that spread like British humor: slowly but inexorably. For example, in Lancashire it is not allowed to park between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning. In North Yorkshire, however, the campers become unwanted guests at night, such as relatives who come to visit “one day or two” and stop for a week.
Use: say goodbye to the dream of the petrol station
On the other side of the Atlantic, the United States are facing the question with a more strategic approach. Twelve states, including California, New York and Vermont, are introducing gradual prohibitions on the recording and sale of internal combustion campers.
Instead of the ban on camping: a lot of hat! – America prefers to cut the roots: if you can’t buy them, you can’t guide them. As a result, soon we will see more motorhomes Tesla than classic winnebago on the road. It’s a bit like going to Woodstock, only that instead of playing the guitar, you would play … PowerPoint.
Italy: Amalfi yes, camper no
In Italy there is no (still) a national ban, but tourist regions such as the Cinque Terre, Tuscany and the Amalfi coast have already implemented local restrictions. If you want to wake up by the sea, you will have to book in advance or be luckier than a portion of lasagna in a Neapolitan campsite.
See also
Why this global removal from the campers?
Summary for those who have just come out of the van and found the Wi-Fi connection: the countries want:
- Less waste, more order: Spontaneous tourism also means spontaneous disposal: from waste to stool. Sorry for the expression, but reality sucks. Even if many of us don’t do it!
- Less crowd, more silence: The overcrowded beaches, the crowded margins of the forests and crowded parking lots are no longer “cool”.
- A future attentive to the environment: Suppose that the electric campers save the planet: the only question is if they are ready to save your holiday.
- Local economy: Regular fields = regular revenue. The spontaneous campsite, however, is … much less demonstrated.
What does this mean for camper enthusiasts?
In a word: discipline. In two: More planning. In three: Forget the freestyle.
If you want to continue living on the go, you can expect:
- Visit the official fields
- Carefully read road signals (even those with small characters)
- Less “stopped everywhere” and more “Book in March”
- Adaptation to electric vehicles (if you travel to the United States)
Let’s go on: a street love story with new rules of the game
The days when you sailed without limits from one fjord to another, having dinner on the roof of a van and admiring their freedom, they could now be a distant memory. But on the other hand, who said that the order cannot be magical too?
Freedom may need a new definition. And it will be equipped with a solar energy system on the roof, a composting toilet and the possibility of booking via app. Welcome to the future of the campers, where there is still some freedom … only with some more rule.
