After presenting our “Slow Travel” philosophy to you in detail in the last blog post, we have now once again carried out a slow travel practical test. And we promptly fell into some of the usual traps ourselves! Read on to find out what you can learn from our mistakes!
Destination too far away
So shortly before Easter, we set off on a short road trip to eastern Germany to get to know our new customization partner in person. We took a total of four days to do this.
Of course, we knew that the distance to our destination of 450 kilometers was actually too great for this short time. And that we would need most of a day to cover the distance with the good old LIGHTstern Sirius. But as the tour was only half pleasure and half business, we accepted that.
So it was clear from the outset that both the first and last day would be pure travel days. And that’s how it turned out. Even if the weather and the technology still threw a few sticks between our legs …
In any case, we still had two full days left to enjoy ourselves. And that’s when we got too ambitious!
Too much distance for too little time
So our mistake was that we let the fact that I hadn’t been back east since the 90s guide us. And the temptation was just too great to take this opportunity to visit Rügen, where I’d never been either.
At the same time, you don’t just want to drive on these actual vacation days , you want to do something. But we quickly realized that it wouldn’t all fit into one day. And already we were stressed.
In the end, there was also bad luck. We had spontaneously decided to visit a particularly highly rated fish restaurant and take a detour to do so. Although the restaurant was listed as open on Google, we were faced with closed doors.
Due to the detour we had to another loading stop stop. And since we were unlucky that day, the few fast-charging stations in the area were all occupied. So it was already afternoon when we finally arrived where we had originally wanted to be before lunch. And with that, the day was almost over.
All’s well that ends well
Instead, we should have saved Rügen for another time and taken our time to see the Mecklenburg Lake District. After all, the location of the expansion partner is right there in the middle.
Even on the drive to the meeting, we were able to see for ourselves how beautiful this area is. And we could have easily filled our two days there with many wonderful experiences.
So you see, even those of us who are deeply involved in the matter are not immune to occasionally succumbing to the temptations of our own ambition. So don’t be sad if you don’t get the perfect slow travel road trip the first time. Here too, practice makes perfect!
But after we finally arrived in Stralsund on the second evening, we were finally able to explore Rügen in peace on the third day.
We only ever drove short distances from one sight to the next. We always tried to park where there were regular charging points. This allowed us to recharge the Sirius again and again while we visited the chalk cliffs, Prora or the treetop path.
That’s how it should have been from the start!
Conclusion
There are two lessons to be learned from this little story: Yes, the technology of electric campers currently still requires a certain amount of adaptability. (Although the situation will take a huge step forward from the 2024 season with the introduction of the new LIGHTstern Polaris into the fleet).
But since you know that from the outset, you can adjust to it.
In my opinion, however, the second point is the decisive one: Whether a road trip is a success or not depends not so much on the technology or the circumstances, but on your own attitude. In other words, what you do with what you have at your disposal.
This mindset can definitely be trained. The great thing about it is that it is something you can control yourself and not something that just “happens” to you. At the same time, however, this is also a disadvantage, because you can’t blame it so easily on “circumstances” or “poor technology” if things don’t work out as planned! :-)
As always, I would like to invite you to do your own practical test and see for yourself what is possible. We look forward to seeing you!
