Story of a Couple Who Converted a Van into a Camper

According to Eurostat, overnight stays at campsites and motorhome/caravan parks in the EU reached 413 million in 2025, a 1.1% increase from 2024. France accounted for 37.2% of all overnight stays, while Bulgaria saw an 8.4% growth, significantly above the EU average.

Bulgarian authorities have begun inspections and are issuing fines for the illegal placement of caravans and campers on coastal dunes. Fines range from 100 to 5000 leva. The inspections are taking place on the southern Black Sea coast, where tourists often set up camp without permission in protected natural areas.

Spain tightened inspections for camper vans — meanwhile in Torrox, 50 motorhomes occupied a riverbed. Italians 3D-printed a motorhome from plastic in four days, Hyundai unveiled an 800-volt electric camper, and 34 million Americans are hitting the road. Demolitions in Turkey, bans in Scotland, and a woman who drove along the Baltic in an electric Smart — all in this issue.

Police received data on the location of Ivaylo Kalushev's camper van on February 3 but only found it on February 8. The location information came from Mercedes' representative office in Bulgaria within an hour of the request. Three men's bodies were found in the camper, with no signs of external intervention according to the investigation.

The Bulgarian representative office of Mercedes informed the police of the location of Ivaylo Kalushev's camper van on February 3, a day after three bodies were found at the 'Petrohan' hut. According to the BulNews agency, the police failed or did not want to locate the vehicle, which was later found accidentally by a local resident on February 8 with three bodies inside.

The Mercedes representative office in Bulgaria informed the police on February 3 about the location of Ivaylo Kalushev's camper van using GPS. The vehicle was found in the mountains above the village of Zgorigrad, but according to the BulNews agency, this information was not promptly relayed to investigators in Vratsa, potentially delaying the search.