Three Months of Rentals in Southwestern Europe – Thoughts and Conclusions

If you’ve followed our blog for a while, you know that Mark and I (and our respective dogs) have always lived and traveled in campers and sailboats, with a three-year hiatus of house and pet sitting. We’ve been doing this worldwide as “digital nomads” for 23 years.

After selling our last truck camper in Chile, South America, we were homeless again. Or better, “in between” travel chapters. We wound down our three-year adventure on that continent with a few weeks in an Airbnb apartment in Santiago de Chile, before visiting Mark’s friends and family – and celebrating his mom’s 90th birthday – in icy Massachusetts, USA. That’s where and how we started 2026.

Without a home on wheels or any prospects, and not being fans of the cold, we came up with a plan, which was a twist on our usual lifestyle since we had few belongings left and no moving home. We booked a rental car in Portugal for two months, arranged two-week rentals throughout the southern Iberian Peninsula, fitted in a couple of city trips, traveled by train with our dog to get to Southern France, and rented three lodgings in that country as well. For the last stretch to Belgium, my cousins gave us a ride.

(As always, click on or hover over the photos in the galleries to read their captions.)

How did we fare? Did we like this kind of traveling? Was it costly? What were our favorite parts? Would we do it again? How about missing our own home on wheels?

Many of you have already read glimpses about our time in Southern Spain, Portugal, and France, especially about our “unique” rental accommodations and non-stop excursions. Here’s my personal take on this mode of travel.

Firstly, there is a BIG difference between going on a vacation and temporarily living in the places we visit. And, as always, we are on a relatively tight budget compared to the average traveler. This meant our rental houses and apartments cost an average of $700 for two weeks. The shorter stays had higher nightly rates. Monthly rentals might have been a bit more affordable, but we purposefully split our destinations up into two-week chunks for two reasons: to explore more areas and so that if we really didn’t like the place, we weren’t stuck for a month.

This formula worked well for us. The two weeks gave us a decent balance between sightseeing and work, errands, and research. I really enjoyed the concept of exploring new places on day or half-day trips multiple times a week. It kept our life exciting.

The main reason we chose locations in Andalusia (Southern Spain) and Alentejo (Southern Portugal) was because we were curious if any of these regions might become a future base for us. Our research and expat friends singled this part of Europe out based on its affordable living costs, sunny weather, friendly people, and diversity of landscapes. And, we managed to meet up with my parents and good friends.

Our verdict: While we enjoyed village life and visiting plenty of historic, colorful towns in both countries, we never felt a “click.” Mark and I have basically marked living in Portugal off the list, despite so many visitors and expats raving about the country. It reminded us too much of South America’s negatives. What I mean by that is aggressive drivers, too many loose and barking dogs, which resulted in lots of dog poop everywhere, more trash than expected, a run-down feel at times, public toilets without seats, and thin walls in our lodgings. Some of the food wasn’t that great either.

In comparison, Southern Spain offered a nicer atmosphere with better-behaved dogs and yummy food.

Of course, this is all based on personal experiences and only scratching the surface of these regions. We definitely didn’t live anywhere long enough to call ourselves experts. If we had to pick between the two, the chance we’d ever grow roots in Andalusia would be higher than in Southern Portugal, but neither ticked all our boxes. The fact that this was one of the worst winters in decades, with lots of rain, wind, and lower-than-average temperatures, didn’t help.

Our accommodation choices were a mixed bag, as pretty much every single one of them brought unpleasant surprises. From noisy neighbors (which happened often) to insufficient kitchens, sewage smells, uncomfortable furniture, and an ant infestation.

Sometimes, we had to make do with one small, unsharp knife to cook for two weeks. Other times, we couldn’t sit in the kitchen to eat our meals because the chairs hurt our backs. A few times, the mattress caused the same issue.

The biggest problem was other people’s noise interfering with our sleep at night. We did travel with a small fan to dampen excessive sounds. We also carried our own cutting board (highly efficient!), but because we arrived in Europe with only carry-on bags, we lacked a decent chef’s knife or scissors. These things, in addition to a potato peeler, a cheese grater, and large enough pots and pans, were often missing. Since we pretty much cook all our dinners at home, this was a bit frustrating. 

Maybe if we’d had a higher budget, our accommodation options might have been more luxurious or comfortable. But, again, this was not a vacation but a lifestyle.

Because we only had a tiny rental car and many hours of train travel ahead, buying necessary kitchen utensils and a lot of staples was out of the question. So, the conclusion is that we’d rather travel with our own car and gear or our own camper with a comfortable bed and things that work and suffice for satisfactory cooking and living.

On the other hand, I was a fan of the “lack of responsibilities,” being busy exploring new sites, and having several lodgings to come home to. It never got boring! Unlike Mark, who really missed having his own place, I don’t mind switching it up. I also enjoyed a better sense of certainty living this way – we always knew where we’d sleep at night or where to walk and shop after a few days. It’s nice to have a routine for a little while. And we didn’t have to repair anything. Plus, carrying only a few belongings felt liberating. To me anyway.

Traveling with rental homes and cars was an interesting experience. While we might have to rent more places in the future, since we haven’t found our next home on wheels yet, we’d rather do it with our own vehicle. The unfortunate issue we experienced with a 24-hour rental in Spain certainly makes us weary about future car rentals. We also know nothing will ever be as convenient, personal, and comfortable as our own camper. That way, we can arrange and equip everything to our needs and desires. So, the search for the right 4×4 Mercedes Vario continues. It is taking much longer than we’d hoped for…

Next up: Our first month back in Belgium, still hunting for a 4×4 Vario

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs? Check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir: