Solo Vanlife: Rising Popularity and Real Challenges

roadsurfer, a European van rental leader, has compiled a list of destinations reachable from Belgium within 3–9 hours. The selection includes the Alps (7–9 hours), Slovenia (beyond the Alps), the Black Forest (4–5 hours), Müllerthal (under 3 hours), and Normandy (4–5 hours). The company highlights Belgium's central location, allowing travelers to cross multiple climate zones and terrains in a day, and its fleet of 10,000 vehicles with unlimited mileage facilitates such trips.

On Wednesday evening, a motorhome got stuck under a railway bridge in Wondelgem, Belgium, despite six warning signs. The bridge has a height of 2.2 meters. This is the second such incident in three weeks; a van previously got stuck at the same location. Residents attribute the increase to growing traffic.

On the night of June 10, a motorhome caught fire in Céroux-Mousty, Belgium. The blaze destroyed the motorhome and several vehicles, damaging two houses. The cause is under investigation; a gas cylinder explosion is suspected.

Since Sunday, around a hundred caravans of the French traveller community have illegally set up on a private plot in Fumal. Mayor Xavier Lizin is in dialogue; travellers pledged to leave by June 21, police patrol around the clock.

The Belgian municipality of Brakel is reforming the popular motorhome parking area at the De Rijdtmeersen recreation site. The number of spaces will increase from four to twelve, but they will no longer be free. The change is driven by frequent occupation of regular visitor parking by motorhomes, which has drawn criticism. The new site will have a barrier, digital booking and payment via QR code, and free electricity will be discontinued. Construction is expected to start in spring 2027.

On Wednesday around 3:00 PM in Wijgmaal, a 15-year-old cyclist collided with a parked motorhome on Wijgmaalsesteenweg and fell to the ground. The teenager suffered a bleeding head wound and was taken to UZ Gasthuisberg. The motorhome was parked on a driveway, with its front part slightly protruding onto the bike path.