July was one of the busiest months we’ve had in years. Mark and I barely had a moment to breathe. In my last (Vario) post, I mentioned that we finally managed to buy our future overlanding vehicle in the Netherlands.
We are a two-car family!
Our Vario progress
Unfortunately, it wasn’t and won’t be the easiest transition between campers for us, because we found ourselves in a complicated mess here in Europe. In the US, as US residents, the process has always been straightforward for us. We purchased a camper, registered it in one of the states, bought insurance, and were good to go.
Not so in Europe. But we knew this ahead of time, had researched solutions for every curve ball that might come our way (or so we thought!), and set out on our mission to legalize and personalize our 4×4 Mercedes Vario (technically a T2) from the moment we obtained it on July 1st.
First, we bought temporary export plates and insurance in the Netherlands. These would be valid for exactly 14 days. It started the clock and raised our stress levels immediately. Since we wanted to import and register this Vario in Germany—a country notorious for its rules and regulations but the only one where non-European residents can “easily” do this—we had no time to lose. Yet, I still thought we could take care of the entire process within a week and spend the rest of the month visiting friends and sightseeing in Germany. Ha!
Second, after buying motor oil with Duke and getting cash for the next step, the Vario was jump-started and we drove both vehicles to a battery shop, where Mark replaced the two starter batteries. The truck had sat unused for six years in a garage so lots of maintenance was due! Still, we had to prioritize because of our time constraints.
Third, Mark and I drove in tandem to a DIY garage, still in Zeeland, the Netherlands, to change the oil. Since it was our first time working on this truck, things didn’t go exactly as planned, but we did get the job done within our two-hour lift rental.
We did all that on the same day, falling asleep exhausted at a free camping spot in an industrial zone. This would become the norm. Since the Vario box didn’t have locks yet, we parked both campers facing each other’s doors. Not that there was anything to steal yet in our six-year-old-brand-new habitat box.
Our first night with the Vario, which didn’t have locks yet.
The following day, Mark, Maya, and I drove in convoy to Much, Germany, which would become our base for the time being. With lots of traffic and everything being new to us (including a fuel gauge showing “empty” which was confirmed), it was another stressful day. We had to discuss a few things with our builder, Mirko, and he was leaving at 1pm. Needless to say, we felt rushed.
I won’t report in too much detail what happened next, but suffice it to say that preparing our Vario to pass the German TÜV inspection—which, fortunately, was located across the street from Mirko’s workshop—did not take five days. We had to cancel seeing our first set of friends and delay visiting our second set.
Mirko was super helpful and generous, letting us borrow all his tools, giving us the keys to his workshop after hours, and allowing us to use electricity, potable water, and the bathroom facilities whenever we needed. What an angel!
Mark and I recalibrated the odometer (because the truck had been changed from dual rear wheels to single ones, changing the rotation ratio), bought and installed locks on the box, ran to the hardware store, spent hours on Amazon.de ordering parts and tools, and started getting the truck ready for inspection, based on what we knew. Mirko’s employee, Darius, installed a cooktop.
I discovered the backup lights didn’t work. The hood of the truck got stuck. It took two days to force it open and gain access to the front of the engine again. Then the driver’s door acted up. Every time we solved one issue, another showed up, and we felt like we were drowning. That’s what happens when a vehicle sits unused for years.
The first TÜV inspection failed. This was a surprise after the good news we had received during the preliminary check. More work, more ordering, more money, more hot weather, more sweating, more stress, more restless nights.
Here is how Duke and our 4×4 Vario compare, since many people asked. Duke is about the same length (including the bike rack), about 10cm wider than the Vario, and about 40cm lower. It’s hard to tell from photos:
The highlight of that first week was a social evening with Mirko and his wife, Kirsten. It consisted of good food, great conversation, and wonderful company. And we enjoyed a Sunday off in the countryside!
After the failed inspection, it was back to the drawing board, sometimes literally, since all of a sudden, we needed to add items to the Vario that we hadn’t expected and that required planning the roof space—something we had hoped to do in phase two of the conversion. Phase one was supposed to be straightforward: get the Vario approved as a motorhome in Germany.
We had exactly one week left to do the following:
– improve the underride protection (somehow the faulty version had passed the Dutch APK inspection, which we’d been suspicious about) so people wouldn’t get crushed under the truck. This is a requirement for trucks.
– buy and install two vents of different sizes: a smaller one in the floor of the box and a bigger one in the roof (which meant cutting our first holes)
– hook up a rear fog light (while finding the correct wire and a dashboard switch that worked)
– buy and install a seat belt for the middle seat in the cab (this one was easy)
– obtain and install two clearance lights at the top of the back wall of the habitat box (less easy!)
– finish our other ongoing projects and paperwork
After five long, sweaty days and uncomfortable, hot nights (plus a weekend in the countryside), we received the wonderful news that our Vario had passed the inspection. This happened on the last day it was legal on the road.
So that evening, we parked it on safe private property, locked it up, and left it there until we return for phase two in a month or so.
The Vario is stored for a few weeks, until we return the end of August.
While waiting for the TÜV inspection report and validation from Stuttgart, we returned to our future home a couple of times to measure everything inside (so we can better plan the new layout) and to cut out the existing (new) toilet, which we sold. This exercise proved how difficult and damaging it would be to remove any furniture already built. Sigh.
We also made a little side trip to Waldbröl to empty and fill Duke’s tanks and to have a look at the town.
Here’s the deal with the Vario we bought: it was built out very professionally and with the highest-quality materials, but only for one person. Plus, the build wasn’t complete, because owner J got into a fight with his builder.
So now we have to – somehow – fit a bigger fridge into the cabinet (through a narrow door or other space), add a little sink to the bathroom, install hoses, wires, systems, and tanks, buy and fit roof hatches, extra windows, an air conditioner, solar panels, and storage boxes, and, most importantly and challengingly, rebuild the dinette and the space underneath plus install a lifting bed that fits two people in the area currently designed for one. And everything I’m forgetting right now.
These projects are planned for September and October, after we take care of all the maintenance on the truck’s engine at the end of August. Here is a video of our Vario habitat box. I’ll make a more-detailed one of the cab and living area once our camper is finished.
Mark, Maya, and I picked up our coveted TÜV paperwork the day before the office closed for three weeks and finally left Much for more fun endeavors. That is, if you don’t count our issues regarding the actual registration and insurance for which we needed this paperwork and which is still ongoing.
Visiting good friends in Murnau
Duke brought our little family to pretty Murnau am Staffelsee in two days, skipping everything of interest along the way. We visited our good friends Sabine, Michael, and dog Sam, who had moved here recently. Their house and garden are gorgeous. The exterior is a place of peace, beauty, and comfort.
The interior looks like a museum, with all their extraordinary photos (taken worldwide by photographer Michael), Sabine’s original pottery creations, and souvenirs collected during decades of overland traveling in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. This is how we met, in Mexico, in 2006, both traveling in RVs before “overlanding” became popular.
Murnau am Staffelsee is a colorful little tourist town bordered by beautiful scenery with several trails and stunning views of the Alps.
Michael showed us his 4×4 Vario, which we toured and from which we happily stole a few ideas.
And Sabine took us to Füssen, the southernmost town on the Romantische Straße. This area in the foothills of the Alps offers pretty views and the famous Neuschwanstein “Disney” Castle. Since we had decided to explore the Romantische Straße next, this was a perfect first glimpse.
The three of us enjoyed four glorious days in the company of our friends with never a dull moment. There were so many stories to share, home-cooked meals to enjoy, fantastic wine to savor, sights to explore, and precious time to spend together.
Sightseeing along the Romantische Straße
When we left Murnau, Mark, Maya, and I had six days left for sightseeing, returning to the little house in Belgium, and dealing with the necessary paperwork for registration.
To our surprise, we thoroughly enjoyed the medieval towns along the Romantische Straße and wish we had had more time. Those attractions deserve their own blog post, which is on my agenda next week.
The iconic view of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
July ended with a couple of family visits, more research and planning, and me dropping Mark off at the train station. He made it back to the US safely for his annual health check-ups and a visit with his family and friends. Maya and I are enjoying our girl time in Berlare at the moment.
Expenses for July 2026
As expected, driving around with two diesel-guzzling vehicles made our fuel cost extremely high. We had to fill the Vario once and top it off before having it weighed during the inspection. And Duke was our car as well as our accommodation, so we had to keep him happily fed.
With prices high again due to the conflict in the Middle East and German fuel stations being allowed to raise their prices every day at noon, it’s almost no surprise we spent more than $800 (!) on fuel. While Americans complain about their high fuel prices, I’d like to see them pay over $10 a gallon because maybe that might help change things. Europe surely is hurting now, and I have a feeling this was part of the strategy behind the conflict all along.
At $359, our grocery bill was average, and dining out for $130 wasn’t too bad either. We had a meal delivered to our camper once, ate small plates at a beer garden, and treated our friend to a pizza lunch.
Maya was suffering from neck and shoulder pain again, just like during that awful time in Chile. We decided to take her to a vet in Belgium to finally confirm that these pains were arthritis related ($46). We also bought more homeopathic medicine (Traumeel), which seems to help ($46). We might keep her on a small daily dose to help reduce her bouts of pain and discomfort. She’s almost 12.
Mark and I bought a bunch of items for Duke, like sprays, toilet chemicals, mats, USB fans, tape, and a fridge thermometer. The total cost was $93. Mark also ordered a few pairs of shorts online ($44), which he is picking up in the US.
After running out of our Belgian propane, we bought a full bottle in Germany. The deposit should be refunded when we leave again, but the gas itself cost about $40, much more than in South America. We will swap the Belgian bottle soon, so we have a backup. We also changed our data plan to a German one and seem to have been billed for two months in July ($30).
We “bought” a German propane tank to have a spare which we can actually fill in this country.
We didn’t spend too much on beer and wine ($57) and tried to keep the costs for postage as low as possible ($24) by arranging as much of the Vario registration paperwork as possible within Germany: receiving documents, printing them, filling them out, making copies ($2), and sending them back via registered mail on the day we crossed the border. We were only partly successful and had to send another envelope from Belgium later.
We finally had time to take care of Duke’s issues, like a fan that was broken.
Mark ordered more toothbrush heads in the US ($21), took a train to Brussels Airport ($18), and fixed the fan in Duke’s dashboard for $12. The entertainment category was low at $13. We visited the grounds of Harburg Castle, and I climbed 340 steps in the church tower of Nördlingen for a fabulous view over the city.
I also spent $5 at a pharmacy, bringing July’s expenses to $1,768. With almost half of that for fuel, there’s not much left to live on. We certainly plan to drive less in August! Luckily, all our nights of camping in July were free!
Here is a breakdown:
- Car (fuel): $828
- Groceries: $359
- Dining out: $130
- Household: $93
- Dog (supplies – Traumeel: $46; vet: $46): $92
- Clothing: $44
- Utilities (propane: $39; internet: $30; water: $1): $70
- Alcohol: $57
- Postage (Vario registration): $24
- Health & Fitness (toothbrush heads): $21
- Transportation (Mark’s train ticket): $18
- Entertainment (Harburg Castle, church tower): $13
- Camper (fan part): $12
- Medical: $5
- Miscellaneous (copies): $2
TOTAL: $1,768
PS: Expenses related to our Vario build-out – actual registration, insurance, taxes, parts, labor – are not part of this report. I might post a separate overview when that camper is finished.
Next up: A whirlwind visit to the fabulous medieval villages of the Romantische Straße in Bavaria, Germany
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August 6, 2026 at 1:00 pm
As I read this story and I kept stopping and hoping the next paragraph would get better. It reminded me of two sayings “A Can of Worms” and “Pandora’s Box.” 😳. When I got to this sentence I finally washable to relax a bit: “we received the wonderful news that our Vario had passed the inspection.” But then you started talking about the challenges in front of you. 😔 Glad you at least got it registered. And as always, your budget amazes me, well except for the fuel cost!!!!!!! Stay safe out there! Jim
August 7, 2026 at 7:37 am
Hi Jim,
To be honest, we knew that our next rig wouldn’t be an easy achievement – from finding one to all the paperwork and efforts needed for that to actually rebuilding parts of the cab and the box, equipping it, and turning it into our next home. And there’s the part where nobody else has ever done some of the things we plan. It’ll be a long project, hut if we are down to one liveable camper by the end of the year (meaning we managed to sell Duke for a good price as well), we will be happy. At least we (mostly) know what we’re doing now. We think!
August 6, 2026 at 1:45 pm
Glad you got some enjoyment out of that mess. What a lot of work!
August 7, 2026 at 7:37 am
Our lifestyle is nothing but work, Alex. Well, luckily there is some enjoyment as well, thanks to the work. 🙂
August 6, 2026 at 2:18 pm
You guys have been in it (from the beginning) for the long haul. Wow!
Mark the Mechanic is worth his weight in gold. Handy with tools and the know-how to go with it.
I was simply exhausted after reading the paragraph beginning here: “So now we have to – somehow –”
I’m glad you had some fun times with friends along the way.
One more thing: Your July expenses don’t look too bad. Really!
August 7, 2026 at 7:44 am
Hi Marian,
We enjoy doing everything ourselves and not relying on others, as much as we can. Unfortunately, we are now in a period where we need the help of “professionals”. That’s the main reason why I can’t wait to be independent again and have our new home finished – hopefully by the end of the year. Mark and I get frustrated easily when we have to wait for others to get their act together.
We have some work ahead of us, but way less than if we would have started from scratch. We have to keep thinking about that. The issue is the lack of space for what we want to achieve. So, it’s been a big puzzle to try and come up with a layout that will work for two adults and a big dog. 🙂
Other than the fuel, our expenses were great last month.
August 6, 2026 at 6:31 pm
The sightseeing looks great – the rest, not so much!
August 7, 2026 at 7:46 am
Haha, oh come on, Anabel. Wait until the Vario is ready! If you’re nice, I’ll give you a tour once we visit you in Scotland. 🙂
August 7, 2026 at 8:18 am
Well, I’m sure it will be lovely when it is finished – it is all the hard work I didn’t fancy! See you in Scotland 😀.
August 8, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Hopefully next summer!
August 7, 2026 at 11:19 am
Oh my. You have convinced me never to overland, at least not from scratch as you do! We in America are learning about the European Schengen Agreement (thanks to events in Spain) which allows easy travel between EU nations. Does that help you (or is my news fake as usual)?
August 8, 2026 at 3:09 pm
Hi Jacqui,
Of course, there are easier ways to overland. Mark and I just always chose the hard way. 🙂
The Schengen agreement has been in place for a very long time and it does help European citizens and residents. The British lost that right because of Brexit, so – just like Americans and other “outsiders” – they now have to do the “Schengen Shuffle”, which means that they can only spend 90 days out of 180 in Schengen countries before having to leave the entire – and ever growing – zone for 90 days.
Mark has it easier because he’s married to me. When he travels with me, we can both stay 90 days in each single country of Schengen (except Belgium), before having to leave just that country. It’s a huge advantage.
August 7, 2026 at 7:03 pm
I’m flabbergasted at your and Mark’s mechanical skills – were you both mechanics in past lives or did you acquire those talents while living on the boat? Your to-do list is never ending, but it appears that you have thought it all through. I hope Mark’s health checkup goes off without a hitch. Hope you and Maya enjoy your girl time!
August 8, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Hi Annie,
The more we can do ourselves, the better. Yes, we’ve learned this the hard way – on the boat like you thought – and are by no means mechanics. YouTube is Mark’s best friend!
The reasons we want to do everything ourselves are four-fold: so-called professionals often don’t really know what they are doing and you pay for them, it’s much cheaper to do it yourself than to hire those so-called professionals, while trying to fix things you learn about your camper/sailboat which is a great skill, and when you do it yourself, you can only blame yourself instead of the so-called professional, which is healthier. 🙂
August 7, 2026 at 10:32 pm
You’re much tougher than most of us. I feel like I shouldn’t be complaining about anything after reading your last two posts. Have you decided on a long range plan? I assume you are going to try and sell Duke at some point rather than maintaining two vehicles.
August 8, 2026 at 3:25 pm
Hi Pete,
What we are lacking in patience and tolerance, we make up in tenacity, haha. And we do have a tendency to make our life hard – such is the name of the game. I do believe, though, that once this Vario is finished, we should live and travel in more comfort than ever before. All our knowledge and experience will help complete and define this rig, despite the compromises we have to make because of the existing build. That just challenges us more to be creative. 🙂
Yes about selling Duke. His only goal was to provide us with free lodging while we build out the Vario. We do hope it’ll be an easy sell, because the time of the year won’t be ideal.
We’re not busy making plans yet (you know us) until this project is finished. But the general idea is to spend a few years in Europe, following the seasons, and once Maya isn’t part of our lives anymore, venture further afield, as in Africa and Mongolia.
August 8, 2026 at 5:00 pm
The video was very cool – it looks like your Vario will be wonderful when it’s done! And as usual, it seems the whole process will be accompanied by far too many “adventures” of the bureaucratic sort. Here’s hoping you soon start having more enjoyable travel adventures and less red tape “adventures”.
August 9, 2026 at 9:36 am
Hi Diane,
I’m glad you liked my little introduction video of our future home on wheels. Once it’s ready, I think it’ll be just great. Patience, determination, mind work, some physical labor, and a bunch of money should do the trick. 🙂 As you certainly know by now, nothing is every easy with our decisions and – for some reason – we manage to often chose the hardest way. What with seemingly always trying things for “the first time ever”… To be continued!
August 9, 2026 at 6:01 am
What a whirlwind of a post. So much going on. How you guys got through all that work in that heat, I’ve no idea, but you did it. However, with the new vehicle locked up and unused for so long, I’m not surprised it needed some work, but it seems there was a lot more than you first thought. Thank goodness you guys are so good at vehicle maintenance and repairs.
Glad you had some days free to enjoy life, Liesbet. We must never forget to enjoy life, but I’m sure you’ll be doing plenty of that once the vehicle is built and up and running. Hope Mark’s trip to the US went well for his health checks. Poor Maya was sad for a few days after he left, but that’s her just saying she doesn’t like it when one of the pack goes away.
Sorry to also hear about Maya’s arthritis. Austin has arthritis in his front legs and it’s so sad to see him struggling with walking. Our walks are very short now, especially with Toby being 15 in October.
August 9, 2026 at 9:46 am
Hi Hugh,
A whirlwind month of July for us would be the perfect description. 🙂
The worst about the heat was that we couldn’t cool off Duke to sleep. During the day, we could usually manage. But at night, without decent fans or electricity for the AC, it became pretty miserable at times. Because the heat had gathered inside during the day (since the camper was parked in the blazing sun), we couldn’t get it out.
And, yes, you are right, we did face more issues with this 33-year-old Vario than we expected and we need to do better, mentally, to deal with them. I will take your advice and try to have more fun in stage two of this project, which will start soon enough. I’ve convinced Mark that we should take the weekends off! 🙂
Mark’s trip to the US is going well so far and Maya has happily adjusted to a life with just me at the moment. She’s doing great! It gives me so much joy when her tail wags and we can spent time together.
Seeing our dogs struggle is the worst. Does Austin take any meds or supplements? We are very happy with the Traumeel we give Maya. It’s homeopathic and used for people as well. So awesome that Toby made it to 15 so far!!
Hugs to all of you!!!
August 11, 2026 at 9:45 am
Homes in the UK get like Duke in that they retain all the heat of the day, making them like ovens, Liesbet. But it must have been unbearable trying to sleep in heat like that. I believe the human body needs a temperature of 15 °C or lower to get a good night’s rest.
Austin has polyarthritis, so he has been prescribed a steroid (one a day) to help with his walking. We also give him (on the vet’s instructions) one paracetamol tablet a day to help with the pain. He also has supplements to help with the joints. Thankfully, he does not mind taking any of them, which helps a lot.
August 11, 2026 at 2:34 pm
Austin is such a good puppy, taking his meds like that. Almost like he knows they will help him. Maya eats just about anything and, believe it or not, I am just giving her the Traumeel pills like they are dog treats and she gobbles them up. She even chews these tiny tablets, while she often swallows an entire dog biscuit! It’s the strangest thing. Sometimes it’s food when your dog eats everything – often, it’s not… 🙂
August 11, 2026 at 3:57 pm
Wow, that all seems incredibly stressful. I’m not sure I would have been able to stick with it. I’m interested to see what your plans are now that you have the Vario…
August 12, 2026 at 5:37 am
Hi JH!
Thanks for swinging by here and for commenting. Oh, this is just the start with our Vario. We expect another two to three “heavy” months in Germany before we can actually live in our new home on wheels. But once it’s done, it is supposed to be our most complete and comfortable camper ever. 🙂
August 12, 2026 at 1:23 pm
A washing machine!! I’m glad you won’t have to do laundry in a river anymore.
So, did you drive the Vario before purchasing it? I imagine it was in good shape (or good enough shape) after sitting for 6 years.
I was so surprised when we went to South Dakota to register our van that all we did to register it as a RV was to say it was one. I had pictures to prove it had all the elements (toilet, running water, heat, refrigeration, etc.), but they didn’t ask for any proof. Sometimes you have to love the laxness of US governments.
Those are super thick walls the Vario has. I hope it keeps you warm.
The lifting bed sounds like a good idea. Were you already planning that – or did you get the idea from Duke?
Is the German propane tank the one on the left? We used to have a fiberglass propane tank like the one on the right, but they require inspections every 10 years. And I could never figure out where to get them inspected. I wonder if they require inspections in Europe?
The DIY garage is great – and Mirko letting you use his workshop! We had to get rid of almost all of our tools because of lack of space. If we need a power tool now, we buy one, use it and return it. And, of course, we are doing the work in a field or parking lot somewhere.
Maya is so sweet. She has seen so much! Hope you have enjoyed your alone time and that everything went (is going well) for Mark back in the US.
August 13, 2026 at 5:11 am
Hi Duwan,
First, we have to find a washing machine that fits. We had hoped to put it in the spot of the existing (small) fridge, but the one we wanted doesn’t fit. And the one that does fit is tiny!! At the moment, it’s low priority. Lots of self-serve machines in Europe, but they are pricey!
When we first saw the Vario, they had to jump start it before we could drive it and it wasn’t registered, so we could only test drive it on the property. We did check it all out, but couldn’t use all the gears as we couldn’t get it up to speed. The truck only has 8,500 miles on it, so once we replace all the fluids, filters, and belts, it should be as good as new. 🙂
Some things – many actually compared to Europe – are so much easier (and cheaper) in the US. I almost want to come back already.
Yes, the thick composite walls (8cm floor, 6cm walls) should be great for temperature and sound control. And they won’t rust. These are reasons why we leaned towards a box and not a van in the end.
Yes, we planned a lifting bed from the moment we saw the first photos of this vehicle way back in December. It’s the only way to make this box fit two people comfortably to live and sleep. The lifting bed in Duke gave me a great idea of how to turn a 120cm space into a 140cm space (width of the bed).
Yes, the fancy light fiberglass tank is from Belgium. No idea about inspections… I think it’s pretty new and we only plan to keep Duke for a year or less, so I hope we’re fine regardless of inspections. The German one is a “normal” one which we should be able to exchange and then return for the deposit at the end.
We are super fortunate with Mirko. He’s been doing us a lot of favors and is super flexible about what we will hire him for. Right now, he’s collecting all our packages – and there are many. Shipping and taxes within Germany are cheaper than to and in Belgium. We will load everything up at his shop in ten days or so.
I wish we could do the engine work anywhere, like in the US. The number of oil changes we performed in Walmart parking lots… 🙂
Maya and I are doing great. She’s so happy without any frustration around her. And she’s on homeopathic meds to keep her arthritis under control. She’s been awesome and patient through all our Vario episodes!
August 12, 2026 at 8:39 pm
Wow, what a journey – and you haven’t even journeyed yet, lol. I enjoyed seeing the inside view of the Vario in the video. It looks lovely and brand new. You guys must be sweating to death in the hottest summer of Europe they say. Oye! 🧡
August 13, 2026 at 5:19 am
Hi Debby,
You said that right: everything in our world and life seems to be a journey, no matter which path we embark on, haha. And often it involves some steps and procedures that nobody ever attempted before us, like the importation of this truck into a camper from the Netherlands into Germany! Registering and insuring it has been quite the journey as well!! And wait until we start converting the interior and building out the roof and other areas… Phew! But it won’t be as tough as Jackie and her Beast. I hope.
Yes, the interior of the habitat box appears brand-new. Despite being six years old, it smells like fresh wood and fiberglass!