RV trip

It's a great idea if you want to see German RV parks and campgrounds. If you want to see the stuff that most people travel over the ocean to visit, though, not so much. Here's why.

Campgrounds in Germany tend to be located in rather ho-hum spots. Often on the edge of farmer's pastureland near the woods. Maybe by a lake in some instances. Almost always very inconvenient to public transportation. Of course, there are exceptions. I know of at least two campgrounds on the Rhine, and there's plenty in the Alps. But if you wanted to visit, say, Munich or Berlin, things might be more difficult. I'm not sure of the exact rules, but in four years of living in Germany, I don't think I've ever seen a single RV driving through a city or within town limits off of the main road. Even if driving into cities is allowed, you would not be able to find suitable parking.

Now, if you rented a car and a towable trailer, that could free up the car to allow you a little more freedom. But with a stand-alone RV, you would spend most of your time seeing what German agriculture looks like.

While Tom probably meant well he has not looked at RVing in Germany. This site has over 1,100 camping sites in Germany and on this one the first one I looked at was about 600 meters from the Berlin S Bahn.

Here is one on the Neckar River - walking distance to the S Bahn to Heidelberg.

Here is another site by a couple who have done it all over Europe.

Funny you should ask that - we have considered doing the same thing - what a great way to see the smaller towns and ares not served by public transport - its the best of both worlds.

"While Tom probably meant well he has not looked at RVing in Germany."

I have. I decided not to try it after researching it, for the reasons I posted above.

RVing is great if you avoid the big cities and see the countryside instead. Many towns offer RV-ready campgrounds and sanitary pump-out stations as well as hook-ups. The German automobile club ADAC offers a app for iPhone and Android called "ADAC Camping- und Stellplatzführer" which lists these campgrounds.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.adac.camping14
https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/adac-camping-und-stellplatzfuhrer/id845032845?mt=8

At least in the past this app was also offered as a add-on for Navigon satnavs, which worked great, but sadly Navigon was bought by Garmin, and this probably changed now.
If you don't already own a GPS buy one, which makes things much easier. We usually plan our tours ahead with Google Earth and save good spots in the GPS. You should also buy a good road atlas with detailed maps, which show you all the sights in the area.

You might want to consider using a VW camper--with or without the attachable or stand-alone tent.
If you order the vehicle to be purchased and delivered in Germany, you will have several options for design of the interior rather than just the one that I think is available in this country.
It is comfortable, compact, has a fridge and you can get a small gas stove for your cooking.
The nice thing is that you can drive it into any city and parking is not a problem.

I have not done any RVing, but I did enjoy reading Europe by Van and Motorhome, which is geared toward the novice. See also http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sleeping-eating/camping.

There are several firms that rent them - some rate includes insurance as well. For a short trip two weeks or so the camper van would work OK - although they are not equipped with a toilet. I looked at one step up - it is about 20 feet long (vs the camper van at 16 feet long) so not very big - not bigger than most European freight trucks or delivery trucks.

There is a lot of info out there - google is your friend!

I checked out McRent I checked a price for 27 days 9/22 - 10/18 - quote was $3,685

The rental fee includes:

unlimited mileage

Value added tax (VAT)
Comprehensive coverage with a deductible of 1200,- EUR per loss
Partial coverage with a deductible of 500,- EUR per loss
Third-party liability insurance with a global limit of indemnity of 50 million euros (physical injuries up to 8 million euros per person)
Fiat mobility program + emergency service
awning
in part, reversing camera
Dethleffs safety package
Air conditioning in driver's cabin
Bicycle rack
Outside cleaning
2 bottles of gas
Balancing wedges
CI cable
Cable reel
WC chemicals
Water hose

Consider the fuel cost, at German fuel prices and plugging in the miles/gallon you'll get with the vehicle you'll drive.
In past years, European fuel costs have been roughly 3 times as high as in the US. There are websites where you can get more specific info on German fuel cost.
Then you'll need to get a realistic figure for roughly what miles per gallon or km per liter your camper will get, and how many miles you'll drive it.
Think it's worth noting that Tom lives in Germany, which would give additional weighting to his opinion on this, in my opinion.

Thanks everyone, it seems I have a lot to think about and research. Will let you know the outcome, thsnks

It is certainly not going to save any money and will likely be more expensive than more traditional means of travel but would also be a very different way to experience a foreign country.