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.
The extend of our belongings during these three months in Southwestern Europe – and at the moment
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:
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June 4, 2026 at 11:17 am
I think it’s remarkable how you manage to keep your expenses down. I’m not sure that I could ever get used to a nomadic lifestyle, but I enjoy reading about your adventures. Car rentals are hugely expensive in America. Are the costs more reasonable in Europe?
June 5, 2026 at 5:32 am
Hi Pete,
It means a lot to me that you are still following our adventures and that you remain interested in our trials and tribulations – and joys – of being nomads. It’s a challenging lifestyle at times… The unknown and insecurity can get old, even for us.
Our American overlanding friends who are currently on this continent as well think that car rentals are cheaper in Europe than in the US. That two-month rental for us in Portugal surely was, at about $330 a month. But once the prices went up (on Easter day), we made sure to return it. That whole three-month trip was planned around the availability and cost for particular this car rental. 🙂
We’ve been looking into car rentals in Belgium as well. The price is about $250 for three days. The crappy exchange rate between the dollar and the euro, the extra fee for crossing the border, and the fact that we’d have to pick up the car in a major city which is inconvenient and more expensive because of the transportation fee to get there, makes renting a car in Belgium difficult and costly.
June 4, 2026 at 1:32 pm
This trip seemed like a little bit of a step up from backpacking since you had your own transportation for the most part. I can see staying places longer as a plus too.
Me, though, I love the van life. After a year of house sitting, staying in some very nice house (and some not so nice), I still can’t see doing house sitting full time – even with long stays. For me, the van is consistent, orderly, easy.
I hope you find a camper solution soon. And that you keep enjoying new places.
June 5, 2026 at 5:41 am
Hi Duwan,
You are right. Traveling like this – with a rental car and longer stays – was quite an easy way to live for a while. Easier than backpacking, but with parking issues and responsibilities. I just wish we could have slept better. We seem to have that problem everywhere we go – the noise around us – so maybe it’s us. Either way, we are enjoying the peace and quiet and the still nights of the little house in Belgium. We are still catching up on sleep!
We actually thought about you a lot when we were staying in these rentals. Booking all of them was such a drag and time-consuming ordeal, each time. I can only imagine how much worse this part is when you move every few days, like you guys did in South America. Yes, van life is much easier, convenient, and – in many ways – comfortable.
June 4, 2026 at 2:39 pm
You guys are SO intentional as you travel. (Is there any better way?) I clicked on some of the photos to magnify them: photo of Mark’s parents and a few living quarters–thank you! I was aghast at the “ants falling from the ceiling.”
Like Pete, I think it’s “remarkable how you manage to keep your expenses down.” You have a good balance of thrift and excitement these three months, it seems.
Again, happy travels. 😀
June 5, 2026 at 5:45 am
Hi Marian,
Yeah, the ants falling from the ceiling (you could hear them pop on the countertop) was quite the experience. Especially while we were cooking, as they could fall – unbeknownst to us – into our food on the stove at any time. We tried to keep lids on as much as possible, but the frying pan didn’t have one. Exciting times!
We did try to keep our expenses down during those three months, but it was impossible due to the accommodation costs. When we traveled with Thirsty Bella, this category was usually zero. So having that go up by $1,500 pretty much blows the budget (which used to be $1,500 for all our expenses in a month). That’s why we can only do this temporarily. Here in Western Europe I doubt we can even rent something for that price.
At the moment, we are happily based at my parents’ little house. So no travels for a while. 🙂
June 5, 2026 at 8:29 am
“At my parents’ little house” — that’s good news!
June 9, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Yes, Marian! We are recharging our batteries in Belgium right now and working towards a new plan. Photos of my parents’ little house in the next blog post. 🙂
June 4, 2026 at 3:42 pm
Hi Liesbet, I enjoyed reading your thoughts and conclusions. Your second to last paragraph resonates with me. I also like the “lack of responsibilities, switching it up, better sense of certainty, and the liberating feeling when carrying only a few belongings” when I stay 7-10 days at a place and explore before moving on. Best wishes with your camper search.
June 5, 2026 at 5:48 am
Hi Natalie,
Traveling that way – simple with gear/stuff and generous with time – seems to be a good balance for exploring a city or area at your own pace. I’m glad you’re able to do do this so often and I look forward to seeing which travels this summer has in store for you.
June 4, 2026 at 3:46 pm
loved that video tour. Do more of those!
June 5, 2026 at 5:49 am
Hi Jacqui,
I’m glad you liked my impromptu video. They are a bit embarrassing in a way, since I never edit them and I don’t like hearing my own voice. But they can be fun from time to time, as they are little glimpses into our world.
June 4, 2026 at 4:40 pm
I watched the video – that looks extremely basic! I’m not surprised you were ready to go after a week.
June 5, 2026 at 5:52 am
Hi Anabel,
And that video was only of one of the ten or so places we stayed at. To be honest, it wasn’t even the most basic one. At first glance, entering that door, I was pleased with the space and amenities like a washing machine and a heated towel rack, but after one day with sore backs and no comfortable place to sit or rest – except in the alcove bed – I knew one week would suffice.
We actually had to remove the shelf and the microwave in the kitchen, because it was at the perfect height to slash our heads when doing the dishes. Of course, we put it back before we left.
June 5, 2026 at 6:01 am
I think it should be a rule that people renting out apartments have to live in them for a week first! We’ve often said that when something inconvenient becomes obvious after about 10 minutes.
June 5, 2026 at 6:20 am
Agreed! I think I mentioned that to someone else in the comments here as well. I also think the issue is that none of these owners ever live in their rentals. The colorful and creative cottage we stayed at in Spain was used by its owner when she didn’t rent it out. It was the best equiped and cleanest place we ever stayed in!
June 4, 2026 at 8:03 pm
Glad that you were able to stay so positive after what I’d have perceived as a lot of negatives with loud neighbors, noisy dogs, uncomfortable chairs and beds, and kitchen without basic necessities!
June 5, 2026 at 5:56 am
Hi Annie,
To be honest, we did grumble a bit about these inconveniences while actually paying for them by way of renting these accommodations. At least, when we couldn’t sleep in our camper because of loud locals, we could justify it with the night being free. Now, that went out the window and we had to adapt. As, unlike with Bella, we couldn’t leave if we didn’t like it. The entire experience actually fit in well with our need for flexibility and adaptation and it helped build our tolerance, which seems to be lacking the older we get.
June 5, 2026 at 7:05 am
Smiles at your response! Did the owners never provide items you needed when you notified them what was missing? We’ve had success doing that in the past. My thought about renting an apartment is almost always lots of what I would call necessary items in a kitchen are often missing, and I wish owners would LIVE in their rentals for a week to see how they do and what they need to provide for their guests.
June 9, 2026 at 3:37 pm
Hi Annie,
I agree that owners of rentals should live in them before asking rent money. That’s truly the best way to know what’s missing. Even though nobody seems to cook as much or in the same way that we do.
Yes, once I told the owner what was missing and he brought those new items when fixing the wifi that wasn’t working. Another time, the owner said that I could go to the shop and buy the items myself. He would then refund the money. The issue is that we usually never see an owner and/or they live far away, so we can’t get cash for the purchases. The only way they could refund the money is by transfer and that’s not easy between a European and American account! So, in that case, we made due.
If this were to be our lifestyle for a while and we’d have our own car, we would carry all those important items with us. That’s what we did when we house sat for three years as well. You’d be surprised at how few people have a good chef’s knife in their kitchen.
June 5, 2026 at 7:39 am
There is something about having your own place and a home base. You did get to see some fantastic places though.
June 9, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Hi Alex,
People with a comfortable home and all the amenities they desire often take all that for granted. I don’t think we will ever just have a hot, pressurized shower in a house and not thoroughly enjoy and appreciate that! 🙂
June 6, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Definitely a mixed experience. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to try to cook with the sadly limited rental equipment when you’re used to having everything you need in your own camper. I hope you find your new “home on wheels” soon!
June 9, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Thanks, Diane. Our entire Vario 4×4 plan is a long-term one, unfortunately. I’ll post an update about this unending saga soon. Time for plan B. And concerning the rental experiences and lack of kitchen gear, it was indeed frustrating. Especially for Mark, who is used to cooking interesting and varied dishes. We only had a small amount of meals we could cook with the available utensils. Dinners got to be a bit boring.
June 7, 2026 at 11:55 pm
Hey Liesbet! I’ve mainly been following you on FB these days (you know I love photos) but thought I’d check in to hear about some of your experiences first hand. I am sure the experience was much different than traveling in your Thirsty Bella. But now you know right? Sometimes you have to experience something different to know what works best for you. And although we do most of our traveling and staying for weeks or months at a time in Airbnbs, we do have a bigger budget so I have been able to get some pretty great places to stay in. Also, I have the luxury of booking far in advance so the selection is always best that way. Of course, while it might take a while to get the vehicle you want, it’s great that you know what you are looking for and are sure to eventually get it. ~Kathy
June 9, 2026 at 3:51 pm
Hi Kathy,
My posts on Facebook are much more up to date than my blogs here, but I’m slowly catching up and almost there!
I agree that being able to book accommodations ahead of time and having a bigger budget means more comfortable stays with probably less hiccups. It seems the way to do it. But, we seem to prefer the extra challenge. Or it prefers us!
Another restriction is Maya. Dog-friendly places are always more expensive and more rare than the general public ones. And, by the time we know where we went to go and are ready to book, there is, indeed, not much choice left.
I’ve been saying it for a while now… The fact that we know exactly which camper we want is a curse and a blessing. Yes, our search is very focused. But the vehicle we want is very hard to find, while our standards are high and our budget average.
You are right, we will eventually get the Vario 4×4 of our choice, but we are now expecting this to take at least another 6-8 months. Time for plan B.
June 9, 2026 at 3:50 pm
An amazing recap of an amazing year. You guys are doing amazing with budgets, because there is no escaping the cost of living anywhere! Pandora’s box has been opened and no turning back. I hope you’e enjoying Belgium and will decide what’s next. 💜
June 9, 2026 at 3:55 pm
Unfortunately, I think you are correct. Even when the political situation settles down, there is no going back. When have prices (other than fuel) ever dropped again after they went up? Now that the sellers and people behind the scenes are used to making more money, they won’t give that up.
Belgium has been a mixed bag – fun visits and lots of stress related to the next chapter in our lives.
June 10, 2026 at 6:46 am
Well, this post was very different to previous ones, but I’m glad you summed up what the last six months have been like for you, even though I have read the posts you have published. But there is never enough time or space to jot down everything.
I think I’d be feeling a little like Mark is at the moment. Lots of little frustrations about everyday objects, but they can mount up. But the stunning views and scenery you have experienced more than make up for all of that.
Did you have any kind of time-frame as to how long it would take you to find your next home-on-wheels when you left North America, and is that timeframe still present or has it expired, Liesbet?
June 10, 2026 at 3:07 pm
Hi Hugh,
I wanted to write an overview post that summed up the differences between the renting lifestyle and our usual camper life, but I got a bit off track, I think. There are so many differences, haha.
What an excellent question you pose. So, when we swapped the Americas for Europe, we kept looking for a 4×4 Vario online, hoping something would pop up by the time we reached Belgium at the end of April (prime springtime, which is the best moment for people to sell their rigs), so we could check it/them out in person.
The idea was to buy something during our two initial months in Belgium (May and June), so we could start either our travels again if the camper was already converted or start the building project if the van was empty. None of this happened. So, while we had hoped to be back on the road by the end of this summer in our “forever Vario camper”, this is also not happening.
So, I’d say that the time frame we had in mind is expiring, so we need to start plan B as this won’t be completed within a few weeks either and Mark needs to leave Belgium soon. He is only allowed to stay 90 days out of every 180 in my home country and we need to save time for August, when he flies to the US for his annual check-ups.
It’s all very complicated…
June 11, 2026 at 7:37 am
Oh, yikes. I wasn’t aware Mark was only allowed to spend 90 days in Belgium, but then I remembered that when the terrible Brexit happened in the UK in 2016, British people are also now only allowed to stay for 90 days in Europe. I won’t rant about Brexit, but it’s the worst thing my country ever voted for.
With June rapidly running past us, the rain coming down, and me almost back to wearing winter clothes, I do wonder what your plans will be for July before Mark has to go back to North America. Fingers crossed that a new home-on-wheels comes your way before the end of the summer.
June 11, 2026 at 10:56 am
I totally agree with your Brexit sentiments, Hugh. And concerning the weather, I’m pretty sure it’s similar to Wales, here in Belgium. We’ve had rain every day for the last three weeks. Next week should be better!
Because July is around the corner, our plans are set in motion for that month. We are getting a temporary vehicle, which requires time to get registered and insured, and hope to combine visits to friends with some sightseeing in Germany. All that being said, another twist came our way today, which ruffles all our new plans and the investments we made. One day, this most recent experience will go into history as the most unbelievable and ironic story yet, but I can’t reveal more as of now.
So much is up in the air and it’s stressing me out… Sigh.
June 12, 2026 at 6:53 am
I’ll keep everything crossed that things will get better for you all very soon, Liesbet.
June 12, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Thanks, Hugh. You’re the best!!