About Us & The Idea

So that's us, Britta and Rolf, on our last campervan trip in Norway, where we spent a fantastic time.
Britta is 30 years old, working in the financial department of an automotive company in her main job.
Rolf is 35 years old and in his main job he works as an engineer for the government. As a student he had the luck to study one year abroad, which he did in Sweden. So he knows how it feels to live away from home.

The whole of 2010 we both spent in Colorado (USA), participating in an engineer exchange program. We did an incredible amount of travelling, though most of it not in a camper but in our SUV :-)

Now, back in Germany, we are looking forward to make your dream of travelling Europe in a campervan possible. In order to ensure the best serviced campers for you, we have teamed up with our partner Sebastian. He will be providing and maintaining the campers, as well as handling the pickup and dropoff.

Sebastian is a college student of vehicle engineering. So, already by definition he has the theoretical background of cars. But what makes him unique is his practical knowledge of VW campervans. Having owned several Westfalias over the years, decomposing them up to the last screw and assembling them (and they do in fact run after all!), trading with spare parts, has given him a deep and profound expertise. This, combined with his customer orientation, reliability and flexibility makes him the ideal partner for us ... and you!

 

Idea / Foundation / History

Some years ago an English friend used to live in Germany and we had a lot of fun together. As he also is a nomadic traveller who owned a Westie we discovered the advantages of these campers. We did a lot of short trips to the neighbouring countries, mainly Italy and met a lot of young people from overseas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA or Canada. After high school, uni or several months working in the UK they did a several-months-lasting tourEurope. Often they complained about high prices for campers, the total lack of used, more basic campers or the difficulties with the authorities when trying to register one.

As time went by my friend and I started to develop this idea of offering campers in the low-price segment. We started with exporting vans to the UK in 2000. That was a big success but often people got their camper in the UK and travelled straight to the mainland. How stupid, we take vans from Germany to the UK, our customers return from UK straight to Germany! A double waste of time and money for the channel/ferry and highway fees in France. The difficulty with a German deal is the fact that it is impossible to register a car without a German address and residence permit. So, the only way it works is renting. Which has the advantage for you that you don't need to hassle with registration, insurance, tax and selling it after your holidays.

 

The Business

As mentioned we are running tour-Europe.de as a part-time business beside our main jobs. Our office is in our apartment which enables us to offer you the low prices. Nevertheless our business is of course registered at the German authorities as a camper rental and trade service. The laws in Germany for operating a car are one of the strictest in the world. All our cars have according to these laws a valid German MOT (TÜV) and exhaust emission test. If the camper is equipped with an external gas tank, the tank has to be checked every 10 years for its mechanical strength. During these tests it is also being x-rayed. Additionally, the gas pipelines to the frigde and cooker are checked for closeness every 2 years. All these extensive checks and tests are performed for your safety.
The campers are serviced by our partner, Sebastian, a true Westfalia freak in its most positive meaning.

 

The Logo

The key symbolizes your access to an adventure you will probably never forget. On top of the key the main cultural attractions of Europe are represented: Neuschwanstein castle, Brandenburger Tor (gate), Eiffel tower and Roman Colosseum. The rolling font stands for the detours you will make, and that the direct way from A to B may not be the most beautiful. The name of our business reflects your planned undertaking, but is also an invitation. Simply: tour Europe.