2020-2021

Our first trip with blueboxvan, was with the boat from Malmö to Travemünde.

We traveled through Germany to Mosel valley where we ended up spending some time. It was so beautiful that we couldn’t leave!

Then we continued to Luxembourg to visit some friends.

Next stop was to the border between France/Spain with a stop in Hondarribia. It was un unexpected treat and we spent some time in this nice town.

In the end of October, they started to discuss closing the boarder to Portugal, because of corona, so we packed our things and drove fast to cross the border before they did. This way we ended up in the highest town in Portugal named Guarda.

From there we drove directly to Ermidas do Sado, a small village town near Sines, where we stayed for 4 months. The Portuguese countryside is lovely!

In March we started our trip home by driving to Spain, where we ended up in Isla Cristina. There we stayed some weeks before we finally drove to Sevilla.

After Sevilla we continued exploring Spain as we drove north through the mountains. We saw among others Rhonda, Casarabonela and  Caminito del Ray.

In the beginning of April, we started to drive directly towards Sweden, our home. But not without taking time to stop at Granada and look at Alhambra. Because of the pandemic we could enjoy the palace without sharing with a crowd of tourists. This was very luxurious indeed, because normally it is very much people.

Our last stops in Spain were Cartagena followed by L'Hospitalent de I'Infant. In this small town we had to get a corona test and a paper confirming our health to show during our trip home.

We were not allowed to stop anywhere the last part of our journey, so we had a quick drive through France with one nights sleep in Saint-Alexandre and one in Luxenburg.

Last stop was Travemünde were we boarded the boat to Malmö and finally arrived to Sweden in the middle of April.

2021-2022

This year we started our trip a little earlier because we wanted to swim in the Mediterranean Sea before it was too cold. So, in the middle of September we left Malmö with the ferry to Travemünde.

We chose to drive the Romantiche strasse passing Würsburg with a quick stop at Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Next stop was Strasbourg where we decied to do some sightseeing in the town.

After that we drove to the French town Agde and stayed there one week dipping our toes in the sea.

Next stop Cartagena! Here were we decided to stay for 3 weeks.

We then drove down to Almunecar and La Herradura were we stayed more than one week.

Driving further towards Portugal we came to Pizarra were we stayed a few nights and visited Caminito del Ray again. Again with no luck since the caminito was closed due to strong winds!

Next we stopped in Tarifa before we once more made our stop at Isla Cristina.

In the beginning of November we arrived to Armacao de Pera in Portugal.

This year we stayed in a rented house near Vila Nova de Milfontes from the end of November to middle of January,

In end of January we moved to a house in Ermidas do Sado and stayed there to the beginning of March.

12 February Åsas’ daughter came to visit us and to see Portugal.

In middle of March we arrived in Porto at a camping site on the south side of the river. The are is named Canidelo, here we stayed for about three weeks. What a lovely place!

In the beginning of April we had to start our trip home and drove slowly by the Douro valley (as beautiful as the Mosel valley). There is a lot of wine producers, historical places like Lamego and spring flowers to enjoy!

From Douro valley we drove to Gijòn over the mountains. For the first time in a few years we could play in the snow and Kjell made a snowman.

After a slow drive through France and the coast north of Bayonne, we found a nice place by the coast near Montalivet. Here we stayed one week to celebrate easter and French cuisine.

Then we drove to Brygge in Belgien, which is a beautiful historical town. We didn’t stay for long since our goal was to visit the Netherlands in the end of april. We came just in time to see the flowers at Keukenhof and the flower parade. Before we left, we also went to spa in Harderwijk.

29 April this year’s trip ended as we took the ferry from Travemünde to Malmö.

2022-2023

This year our trip started in the beginning of oktober when we took the ferry from Malmö to Travmünde.

On our way down to Spain we decided to drive through the Mosel valley again because it is so beautiful. We took our time exploring the surroundings as we moved ourselves slowly down by Mosel staying at different camping’s film on YouTube

In Luxemburg we stayed for a few days with friends, celebrated a birthday and made some excursions.

As the weather got colder and rainy we drove down to France vest coast to Montalivet for a couple of nights.

Next up was Biarritz for some nights but as it was rather windy and chilly, we left after a few days. Next stop was El Puente, a very nice and well-kept place to stay in a cute village. We stayed 4 nights and enjoyed the sceneries and a nice ride on 4-wheel drive up to the mountain film on YouTube

In the end of October, we arrived at Portugal, first a stop at Chaves and then finally Porto.

We didn’t stay that many nights in Porto this time because we wanted to see the waves in Nazarè. We stayed for 4 nights hoping or some spectacular waves but unfortunately, we had little luck with that film on YouTube

Next time, perhaps!

Last stop before moving into a house this winter was 3 nights in our favorite village Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Even though we moved into a house, we drove to Algarve for a weekend before Christmas. Time to explore Portimão!

In the beginning of November, we took a tour to Algarve which is full of historical places and nice beaches, unfortunately there is also a lot of wind and big waves (which is why there are so many surfers in Portugal).

In December we went to Sines for Christmas market film on YouTube We also went to a Christmas concert in Portimão that presented a lot of old well known Christmas songs.

New Year’s Eve we spent in Vila Nova de Milfontes, there was a big party at the beach with a huge firework film on YouTube

In the beginning of February we started our trip home (very slowly).
First we went to Cadiz for the carnival, a lovely carnival.
Next stop was in Estepona to meet friends from Sweden.
After Estepona we stayed for 7 week's in Torre del Mar for the Easter festival in Vélez-Málaga.
We also went on trips in the lovely mountains with our scooter.
In the middle of April we stayed at a camping in the mountains/forest in the Murcia area and had some nice walks in the beautiful nature.

On the way to Sitges we stayed in the old town Montblanc.
Next was some nights in Sitges, Åsa was hired as a keynote speaker in Barcelona and the closest camping that looked ok to us was in Sitges.
In the end of April we took some time in south of France and this was something we didn't regret. There was a lot of old beautiful village's and lovely nature to enjoy.
We went kayaking in the river Hérault and also made a visit to an old town named Saint Guilhem with the scooter.
During the last part of our way home we stopped in Strasbourg, a town we have been to before and like very much.
In the beginning of May we passed by Göttingen and Hamburg to finally reach Travemünde for the ferry to Malmö at May 11.

Throughout our travels we use Google maps to find the way. The app also keeps track of where we have been so that we can go back in its’ history and see where we have been.

As our travel continues, we will keep this site updated with more details about the new places we see on our way.

2023-2024

This year, our trip started in the beginning of November when we took the ferry from Malmö to Travemünde.

We slept a few hours at Stellplatz in Travemünde, or beside the Stellplatz, really, since it was full.

Luckily, there is a parking place right beside it, which you can use for free during the night if you don't need electricity.

Our goal was to shop at Citti Markt in Lubeck, but it was closed because of a holiday. You might think that we knew to keep track of these holidays, but we haven't learned a thing during these 4 years on the road!

We had planned to enjoy Europe on our way down, but we were a bit delayed compared to last year, so the weather in Europe was already cold and rainy. Due to this, we traveled very quickly through Germany and then France.

When crossing the border to France from Germany, we stayed in the charming little town Wissembourg. Old buildings, water canals, and local cheese. That cheese was expensive but the most tasty cheese we've had in a very long time. NICE!

Another interesting town was the French city Mornas, partly built into the rock of the mountain. We would love to go back there in the summer when everything is open, and you can sit outside enjoying a glass of wine.

We had planned to visit farms and vineyards through the Passion de France program on our way through France, but since the weather was so cold, we decided to move more quickly towards Spain.

This was a bit disappointing since we had bought their membership card that granted us the right to stay for free at their members' farms. We used it a few nights though, and thanks to that, we tried to eat snails for the first time!

Åsa found it yummy, but Kjell was too scared to even try.

We also dropped by a wine producer with a castle ruin and bought their excellent wine. Very tasty.

When we travel back to Sweden in the upcoming spring, we will try some more farms and vineyards. It's truly interesting to see the production, taste local delicacies, and meet friendly people. All at once!

Sleeping at a farm like this is also much more secluded and quiet than the "normal" places where we stay. It is something we recommend for sure!

We spent all in all 937 SEK (around 90 euros) on road tolls in France, we also travel on toll free roads not only becouse it is expensive but also becouse we like to see the country and nice old villages.

In Spain, we felt it was time to stay a night or two where we could get a shower. That was easier said than done. The camping sites had started to close for the season.

We were lucky and found one that was open during the weekend and also had a Halloween party going.

Warm showers are the best!

When approaching Valencia, we had hoped to stay a night or two to enjoy the town. But there were so many campervans everywhere that we had to sleep one night on "the street." After that, we went straight to our favorite camping site outside of Cartagena.

But our main goal was Torre Del Mar close to Malaga, so after two nights, we continued our journey.

Torre del Mar is a place we like and wanted to enjoy. We stayed there for 10 nights and enjoyed the surroundings, exploring the mountains on our motorbike.

Velez-Malaga has a great shop and repair center for Yamaha motorbikes, so we took the opportunity to buy some new motorcycle clothes for a good price, last year we buy new helmets and had service on the scooter there to.

From Torre del Mar, we chose to drive the straightest way possible to Algarve and stayed for two nights in Olhao.

This time we didn't have to stay and pay for the road toll because we had money left on the toll card (it is valid for one year), see info about road toll in the top of the page.

In Olhao, we discovered that one of our tires was leaking air. We got recommended a good repair shop that helped us. It took only 20 minutes to get it fixed and cost 5 euros. Excellent!

Our main purpose for visiting Olhao was to buy handcrafted salt at the place Salinas do Grelha, we love the salt with piri-piri, so when that was done, we continued towards Sagres.

A small stop at IKEA first, of course. Time to stock up on knäckebröd, pepparkakor and glögg! (Google that ;))

Sagres is the most distant part of Europe, called "the end of the world." It's filled with surfers, but what we enjoy the most is the Atlantic Ocean, the beaches, nature, and how quiet it is.

In Sagres, we decided it was time to move into our place for the winter: A nice house in the middle of a forest of cork oaks, sheep, and good friends. In spring, we will be back on the road!

You find more pictures on our Instagram page