I spent 6 days in a camper van in Switzerland with two adults and a toddler. It was a great way to explore Europe for cheap — but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

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Jordan Parker ErbJun 28, 2022, 03:53 IST
I spent 6 days in a camper van in Switzerland with two adults and a toddler. It was a great way to explore Europe for cheap — but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

We kicked off our camping journey at a site outside of Gruyères, Switzerland.Jordan Erb/Insider

  • In May, my aunt, uncle, 3-year-old cousin, and I traveled in a camper van throughout the Swiss Alps.
  • For six days, we explored Gruyères, Montreux, Lauterbrunnen, and Zermatt in Switzerland.
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I'm an avid traveler, but haven't left the country since before the pandemic. So when my aunt and uncle mentioned they'd be spending time in France and Switzerland, I was happy to invite myself along.

I'm an avid traveler, but haven't left the country since before the pandemic. So when my aunt and uncle mentioned they'd be spending time in France and Switzerland, I was happy to invite myself along.
I love traveling — so an opportunity to camp in Switzerland was right up my alley.Jordan Erb/Insider

As we started searching for places to stay, we realized that finding cheap hotels or Airbnbs was going to be a challenge.

They suggested we try out van life for the week — a radical idea, I thought, given they'd be traveling with their three-year-old daughter. Three adults and a toddler? In a van? I was apprehensive.

But they convinced me it would be a good way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, for far cheaper than we'd spend in hotels, so we decided to give it a shot.

After spending a week living in a van, I thought it offered a really unique (albeit slightly uncomfortable) way to explore Switzerland — though I don't think it is an experience everyone would enjoy. Here's why, and what it was like.

Switzerland is expensive. Our camper van offered a more budget-friendly way to travel.

Switzerland is expensive. Our camper van offered a more budget-friendly way to travel.
The Mercedes Marco Polo is shown here in Annecy, France, about 45 minutes from Geneva, Switzerland.Jordan Erb/Insider

Switzerland is notoriously expensive — the "best" hotels can cost hundreds of dollars a night, if not thousands in the high summer season.

With a van clocking in at about $300 per person for the full six-day trip (about $965 total), my family quickly identified van life as a reasonable alternative to a traditional vacation in hotels.

We rented ours from Indie Campers, which offers van rentals across Europe and the United States. My aunt and uncle picked up the van, a Mercedes Marco Polo, in Lyon, France, then drove it over the border to meet me in Switzerland.

Booking it about two months in advance gave us enough time to plan an itinerary — and get ahead of the high cost of travel that appears to be ramping up worldwide.

Because the Marco Polo came with a full gas tank, we only had to get gas once or twice over the course of six days, which totaled less than $200.

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When I first got in the van, I was surprised that it didn't feel as cramped as I thought it would.

When I first got in the van, I was surprised that it didn't feel as cramped as I thought it would.
Van life was more comfortable than I thought it would be.Jordan Erb/Insider

Cramming three full-sized people and one quarter-sized person into a car for a week was going to be a tight squeeze — it was just the nature of the situation.

But because of the way the camper van was set up, with two seats up front, a row of seats in the back, and an overall length of about 17 feet, van life was actually pretty enjoyable from the start.

Functionally, I thought the Marco Polo van felt kind of like a real-life Transformer.

Functionally, I thought the Marco Polo van felt kind of like a real-life Transformer.
The front seats turned around and a table could be pulled out to create a living room.Jordan Erb/Insider

When we weren't driving, the driver and passenger seats could be twisted around to face the back and create a little dining area, as a small table pulled out from between the cabinets and the passenger seat.

On the left side of the van, behind the driver's seat, a row of cabinets lined the wall.

Inside one of the cabinets was two burners; inside another was a cooler that fit all of our fruits, vegetables, yogurts, and milk for our coffee. Another cabinet had space for more snacks.

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The van came stocked with everything we needed to cook our meals.

The van came stocked with everything we needed to cook our meals.
The van came with a hidden stove top, which we used to make our meals (and perhaps more importantly, our coffee).Jordan Erb/Insider

Replete with cups, plates, pots, pans, and silverware, it was easy to cook food in the van instead of eating out for every meal. And though there wasn't a microwave or full fridge, I didn't feel like we needed them — the burners and cooler provided everything we needed.

Most nights we heated up soup or boiled water for pasta, and had a side salad and a loaf of bread. Breakfast was an easy task: we'd just boil water for instant coffee, slice up some fruit for a bowl of muesli, and we were set.

Our camper van even had a function for patio mode.

Our camper van even had a function for patio mode.
Relaxing on the "patio" (seen above) was one of my favorite moments from the trip.Jordan Erb/Insider

With the back door open, the Marco Polo was able to fit an extra dining table and two chairs behind the back passenger seats, which on sunny days we brought out for a makeshift patio. Drinking wine outside at a lakeside campground was one of my favorite moments.

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I thought that sleeping was a bit uncomfortable, but still was a fun experience.

I thought that sleeping was a bit uncomfortable, but still was a fun experience.
The camper van had a pop-up roof that doubled as a second bed. It felt pretty cramped.Jordan Erb/Insider

When it came time to sleep, the back passenger seats reclined into a full bed, and the roof popped up to reveal another, smaller bed. Each sleeping quarter had reading lights and USB ports, so it wasn't difficult to settle in at night.

To get into the upstairs area, where I slept, I had to step onto the driver's seat and climb up onto the bed.

Though the website advertises the area as being able to sleep two people, I found it just big enough to fit one — and even that was a bit tight. With my head facing opposite the entrance, I'd smack my forehead against the ceiling at least a few times a night, and my feet would dangle out into the van's main area.

The sleeping arrangement wasn't the most comfortable (it's a van, not the Ritz) down below, either. The bottom bed was just the passenger seats reclined all the way back, so the bed was a bit uneven, and seat belt holsters would poke into my family members' backs.

My bed was essentially just a foam pad on top of the car's ceiling. But after a long day of hiking or eating myself into a cheese coma, having a lumpy sleeping pad didn't take away from a decent night's sleep … that much.

Van life was made easier by being around people I like.

Van life was made easier by being around people I like.
Living in a van was made much easier by being around people I like.Jordan Erb/Insider

Because there wasn't much personal space, and you spend so much time together eating, relaxing, and even sleeping in the same area, it's important to get along well with the people you're traveling with in a camper van.

Throughout our trip, I kept thinking how difficult it would be if I didn't enjoy being around my travel buddies. I think living in such a tiny space would be a challenge with travel partners you don't feel truly comfortable with.

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The one thing the van didn't have was a bathroom.

The one thing the van didn't have was a bathroom.
While the camper didn't have a bathroom, all of the campsites (like the one above) had indoor bathrooms and showers — and they were pretty nice.Jordan Erb/Insider

The Marco Polo didn't come with a toilet or shower, but each of the campgrounds we stayed at had facilities for guests to use. At some, there were even washing machines for campers to clean their clothes, though I packed enough outfits that I didn't need to use them.

Ultimately, these shortcomings didn't matter too much as most of our time was spent outside of the van.

Ultimately, these shortcomings didn't matter too much as most of our time was spent outside of the van.
We spent most of our time outside — in this case, hiking near the Matterhorn.Jordan Erb/Insider

When we weren't sleeping or cooking, we were out exploring Switzerland. Over the course of six days, we camped in four different areas: Gruyères, Lauterbrunnen, Zermatt, and Montreux. These locations were the true focus of our trip.

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We hiked through the Swiss Alps ...

We hiked through the Swiss Alps ...
We hiked through the Swiss Alps, and met lots of cows along the way.Jordan Erb/Insider

Most of our hiking was done in Lauterbrunnen, and with a three-year-old, it was more of a leisurely uphill walk.

But we also took a quick day trip to see the Matterhorn, one of Europe's most well-known mountains, and a must-see for anyone even remotely interested in hiking.

... paddle boarded across Lake Geneva …

... paddle boarded across Lake Geneva …
We got out a lot, including to paddle board on Lake Geneva.Jordan Erb/Insider

On our last day, we rented paddle boards for about $35, and spent two hours paddling around Lake Geneva. We even made our way to Chillon Castle, a 12th-century castle situated right on the lake's shore.

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... and ate a lot of fondue.

... and ate a lot of fondue.
One of the few meals we ate out for was traditional Swiss fondue.Jordan Erb/Insider

Previously unbeknownst to me, the Swiss are known for their fondue. So after spending a day hiking in Lauterbrunnen, we decided to splurge on some bubbly cheese — one of the only meals we didn't cook in the van.

Ultimately, van life is a great travel option — but it isn't for everyone.

Ultimately, van life is a great travel option — but it isn't for everyone.
Lauterbrunnen (shown above) was one of my favorite places to take the van camping.Jordan Erb/Insider

Living out of a car isn't a vacation for people who don't like being outside, or those who require a lot of personal space or want to be pampered in a luxe setting like a hotel. It's cramped and probably won't be the best night's sleep you'll ever get.

In such close quarters, you can hear everything (snoring, me hitting my head against the ceiling every night), and feel everything (tossing and turning, people opening or closing the car doors).

But for anyone looking for a cheap accommodation that's nicer than a tent and less expensive than a hotel, where the focus is on the outdoors and all the incredible things you'll do, I think van life is one of the best ways to explore a country. I highly recommend it — but only with people you really like.

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