Europe lockdown 2.0

The big question is, can we stay in the van at all? Well, we can not answer that exclusively, so we have done our best to collate a list of essentials points for France, Spain, Portugal and Germany below.

Many countries such as France and Spain require residents to return to their registered addresses during curfew hours. While one could argue that they are not leaving their campervan during this time, it also contradicts the basis of the overall plan to reduce the spread of Coronavirus in its second wave.

If you are on the road, then now is a necessary time to plan carefully. While there are no travel bans currently in place, it is worth noting that a large number of services might not be available in the destination you are heading towards. Europe lockdown 2.0, here is what we know about planning an adventure over the coming weeks …

READ MORE – Coronavirus Vanlife: Now Isn’t Time For A Vacation

France
Starting Friday 30th October 2020, President Macron announces the start of a second national lockdown that will last to the end of November, at the least. Large traffic jams were reported on the border of Andorra, where thousands of shoppers dashed to at the last minute for cheaper food, fuel and cigarettes. 

• Only allowed to leave your residency for limited circumstances, and with a certificate. See here for that list and a link to the certificate
• Travel between different parts of France is forbidden. Tolerance for those returning from holiday ends this weekend.
• European borders remain open. All travellers tested at airports and ports.
• Fines can be issued of €135.

Spain
The national government now has plans to keep the country in anywhere up to a 6-month state of emergency, and that is not a typo. Spain is quick tricky when it comes to pinpointing the new regulations. This is due to the many regions that now have the ability to slightly alter and further set restrictions on top of those set by Madrid. The most sensible course of action when thinking of circulating around Spain right now would be to seek information supplied from the specific region/municipality you are currently in.

• Many areas now have perimeter closures. This bans people from entering and exiting the region, except for essential reasons. See this map for reference.
• National curfew from 11pm-6am (varies +/- 1 hour between regions).
• No movement including that by vehicle, except for emergencies.
• Return to the place of inhabitance for curfew hours.
• Police forms available to prove justification for breaking curfew for Catalonia and Madrid.
• Fines can be issued between €600-€600,000.
• No restrictions currently implemented in the Canary Islands.

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Portugal
Right now we are seeing a lot of vanlifers head for Portugal, a wise decision for those who want to keep the show on the road. At the time of publication, there are no restrictions on land, air and sea boarders. NOTE: exceptional restriction of movement in place between 0:00 October 30th to 06:00 November 3rd. 

Due to how fluid the situation currently is, it would be wise to bookmark this page to use as your source of information: Visit Portugal. 

Germany
A new month-long “partial” lockdown begins on November 2nd. Overnight stays in hotels and B&B for tourism banned. We presume this will be the same for campsites but are unable to confirm this right now.

• The latest information concerning travel to/from Germany can be found here.