Book review – Road Trip Europe: The Great War and More
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for this review. I did not receive any payment and was not required to write a positive review.
Road Trip Europe: The Great War and More is the first of a new series from motorhome stopover specialists Vicarious Books (publishers of the All The Aires… guides).
Timed to coincide with the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, this guide provides all the information you’ll need for a diverse tour of battlefields, cities, vineyards and even a national park!
Although it’s designed as a driving tour, it isn’t motorhome specific — information about hotels, campsites and motorhome stopover sites is provided, so it’s equally relevant to travellers planning a motorcycle or car tour, and to campers, caravanners and those who prefer hotels!
The route takes in four countries — France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands — and is generously illustrated with colour photos and good quality maps. GPS sat nav coordinates are provided, along with details of suitable accommodation, eating places and parking.
The tour is designed to start from Calais and includes a total of 850km driving, spread across 7 ‘stages’ — for anyone who isn’t familiar with European touring, this would provide an undemanding and enjoyable introduction that would, most likely, have you eager to return to the continent for more!
Without giving too much away, the tour visits key WWI and WWII battlefields, before moving onto the heart of German’s wine industry and one of its oldest towns, the Moselle town of Trier. Other attractions include a German national park that’s still home to wild cats, the Dutch ‘mountain’ town of Valkenburg and a classic Belgian beer destination, ideally placed for an easy drive back to Calais.
Overall, I’d say this book is more suited to travellers who haven’t got much experience of this kind of trip, but it also has a major convenience factor — if you’d like an enjoyable and varied week/fortnight away, with minimal planning, then this book contains everything you need, and will save you a lot of time.
Road Trip Europe: The Great War and More is another good effort from Vicarious Books, and I look forward to seeing what Chris and Meli will come up with for the next installment.
Book information
Title: Road Trip Europe: The Great War and More
Publisher: Vicarious Books
Pages: 48, full colour
Price: £9.99 (available at launch discount of £5.99 at the time of writing)
ISBN: 9780956678195
Available from the Vicarious Books website