Crossing Europe with self built camper and bike – the best or dumbest idea of my life

I almost gave up everything, built a bike trailer with sleeping facilities from scratch and set off to travel across Europe.
If I had known what was going to happen on this adventure, I would probably never have set off.
This is the first part of my journey across Europe with a bicycle caravan.

DISCLAIMER: Wild camping in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium is illegal and may lead to fines.
All the campsites shown are either explicitly designated or on private land and have been agreed with the owners in advance.
I can recommend the following platforms for free overnight stays on cycle tours:

Home

https://welcometomygarden.org/
https://www.warmshowers.org/
https://www.bewelcome.org/

If you have space and time and want to support other bike travellers, register on a platform and welcome people with even crazier stories.

If you would like to support me financially such that I can continue to offer my content for free without any ads, consider buying me a coffee with kofi:
https://ko-fi.com/europeonwheels
In case you want to support me indirectly, some of the links below are affiliate links (*). This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase on amazon.

Shot on:
GoPro Hero 9 Black: https://amzn.to/4dkuBlP *
Dji Mavic Mini: https://amzn.to/3UrPO4H *
Feiyu Pocket 2: https://amzn.to/3wSp1q2 *
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: https://amzn.to/4cjaTqe *
Samsung Gear 360: https://amzn.to/3S2S5Tt *
Other Equipment:
Bike Computer: https://amzn.to/3TlmWdR *
Tripod: https://amzn.to/3Pohci9 *
Camera Bike Mount: https://amzn.to/4aehRLi *
60W Solar Panel: https://amzn.to/4cWgHFy *
Cooking gear: https://amzn.to/4cQkmV6 *
155Wh Powerstation: https://amzn.to/3xRuaPY *

Music:
M83 – My Tears Are Becoming A Sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE8EhJ9gS28
Ulf – Holstenstrasse raus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfwvSQxHftY
The Killers – Enterlude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhR7ihjERqc
JUNIP – Far Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTZ1Spe5d_A
Jef Martens – Morning Walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_A0UwNYS2Q
Bukahara – Same Kind of People: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlHyK3AlNGU
Arcade Fire – Some Other Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durHGKLRGgg
Víkingur Ólafsson – …And at the Hour of Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=298jN7640Ao&
The Killers – Exitlude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNLHDJ-aEBk

Full playlist of the Soundtrack:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQFwAmHJtC6DSsuotTQZFc9RbJ2aTPQLi

Sound Effects from Pixabay, Map Visualisations were provided by MapBox and OpenStreetMaps

Life is an adventure, it just depends if you also live it as one. Alright bye. Bye. Have fun. And just like that, you can start an adventure. And it turned out to be way harder, than I ever imagined. Had I known what would happen in the next couple of weeks Probably I would have never set off. Okay, I think we need to talk This is either the dumbest or best idea I’ve ever had I’m currently in the beautiful Hamburg. From Germany I cycle to the Netherlands Belgium and possibly France for a few weeks or months Of course I could do the whole thing within a few days by train car or plane but I take my bike Cycling thousands of kilometers is too easy for me instead I pull this 180 by 80 cm trailer behind me that I have put together from scratch over the last few months of course I could also just pack a tent and that’s definitely the smartest option But here I have everything I need for camping working, cooking, sleeping right under one Hood Regular updates experiences but also failures and setbacks await you on this Channel in the near future It’ll be exiting. Allright day number one I am completely exhausted Although I have been offered some baked vegetables and had a few nice conversations at my sleeping place Cycling all the way through the city is is quite something but I’m off to sleep for now, see you tomorrow If you set off on such a big adventure, you are full of hope and expectations, but also anxiety. What will happen in the next days, will I make it, where do I end up, will I find a place to sleep? In short: there is a lot of energy. off to Buxtehude after a short break for some energy I headed into a somewhat hilly area Alright, it is pushing time. It is not even that steep But, it is pretty hard. That is not supposed to be like that. During my adventure, I rely on the hospitality of strangers. Every day I wake up on a different site and see different places. Like with this young family. As there is some rain coming my way, I found shelter for the night. They heated some of my brought food and even got some leftover cake as a dessert. As expected, there was lots of rain during the night. Good morning Alright the church bells are ringing It was quite had a rainy night but I’ve stayed under a nice roof. There should be a bit of rain today but let’s see how it goes It is really windy today. But I just have 35km today. So let’s see. There is my rain again. Well this turns out to be quite a lot of rain. But I have a nice place on a farm here. And I am knee deep in editing this video. There is no bad weather, just bad clothing. Alright, small break for some snacks. It is very windy. This thing almost flies away, so even more wind resistance. And I am in the middle of nowhere Perfect Finally some tailwind. But of course this also means, I am going in the wrong direction. At this point, the energy reserverves were completely depleted. And I really need to eat something. Luckely I found a nice quit spot on farm track. I know this is really basic, but for today a bit of ready to eat rice and pork will do. It seems I have to leave this quaint place now. I have around 8 kilometers left today. At that moment, the rain stopped and the sun appeared. This is again such a nice place for the night. I was also offered way to much tea again It has gotten quite late The next morning was a completly different story. Alright we have day 4. Sun is shining and I am positive to make some progress today. I had a really good sleep over 8 hours. Yesterday was really bad with all that wind and rain. At the moment I am between Hamburg and Bremen let’s see where I end up. On this trip, I have no idea what is in stall each day. I think sometimes in life we create the illusion to be in control. To have a plan for tomorrow, next week or next year. But why don’t we live it as it is? An Adventure I know this looks really idyllic. But it is really nasty, as there are thouthands of small Caterpillars hanging from the trees. There are all these small larvae in your face with cobwebs and more. Well it is what it is. Slowly this selfbuilt thing is falling apart a bit. This was glued here. This piece here is missing. Let’s see if I can repair this somewhere. But first, I enjoy a big piece of cake. And then I just have to go another 8 kilometers. Alright, next pitstop. What a beautiful site. The sun already sets, but first I am going to cook something. This was exactly the way I ended this beautiful day. with a view on the sunset over the mooreland. Welcome to Worpswede This village somehow feels like an art museum. Maybe because it is. For 120 years it has been one of the most influential artist colonies in Germany with over 140 artists and 6 museums today. Now it’s straight ahead, on and on to Bremen Either I have tailwind or inflating a flat tire was a good idea. In the late afternoon I reached Bremen, one of Germanys most important port and trade cities with a history of more than 1200 years. The traffic in northern Bremen is a catastrophy. Quite a bit of elevation and misserable cycling ways adds to the experience. I was quite frustrated, when I found this quite alternative along the river Lesum. According to my map this was supposed to be unpaved. But, this fast connection brought me to the river Weser where I got some much needed food and rest and then after crossed the river with a ferry With this new found energy, I followed the river along the many ship yards. Due to this important port, this area actually once used to be Swedish, then Danish and for a short time even French. Good morning. I think it is ehh… Day 6? Biggest opponent still all the mosquitos. Quite some nasty bites on my hand and heel. This is fun. I did not get much sleep. But if it goes as planned, I should reach Oldenburg today. It rumbles and bangs. Let’s see how long my trailer can withstand this. I think now is a good time to answer the question: Where do I sleep? Obviously you have not seen campsites so far and I actually paid nothing so far. As Wild camping is illegal, I find incredible kind strangers that let me stay for a night Mostly with platforms like 1niteTent, Welcometomygarden, Warmshowers und beWelcome. And most of the time we have great stories to exchange. It is great to know, this is not the only crazy adventure, when you hear from people who aim for the northern cape, crossed the alps, traveled through the US or conquered Asia. Why do I brake here? Well this used to be my door. ll the vibrations cause the glue to loosen up. But there is nothing that is not repairable by duct tape. This day is a catastrophe I do have a bed at family but I think I’m getting ill there’s just 20 km today so I think I can do And these were the hardest 20 km so far Not only because my body gave up but the quality of the streets became much questionable later I’ve learned there’s this really nice newly built bicycle street in the middle of nowhere many thanks to the city of Oldenburg But that’s just the way it is, every good adventure also needs setbacks. Otherwise, how should apprechiate the achievements? It rattles again. The nose is running and the sun already sets again. I still have 7 kilometers to go But … I really am struggling I think you can not see it on camera, but my hole body is shivering. My sore throat also gotten worse and today was a real challenge I hope I do not get ill, that would be less than ideal. why do I do this this is so unnecessarily hard I could also just lay in a bed with heating shower and a kitchen I don’t know if I proceed But the adventure continues…