Until air travel recovers, more and more Lithuanians are discovering different trips: the opportunity to rest daily in different parts of the country is tempting.

A motorhome trip today is probably the safest because you are traveling in your own home. This avoids the congestion of the airport, planes, buses, hotels. As soon as you want, you sit in a caravan and turn the wheel where you like best, where the weather is best. You are by the sea, the river, the lake and enjoy the benefits of your kitchen, your home. These benefits have led to a significant increase in sales of campers worldwide during a pandemic.

“The importance of camping has been growing for some time, but the coronavirus pandemic has revealed another advantage of mobile homes: traveling in private vehicles with family, friends, or a partner allows you to maintain social distance, so it can be considered a safer than many others. In addition, air traffic flows continue to be disrupted and will not return to their pre-crisis level, making camping an attractive option for foreign tourists seeking alternative forms of travel. ” says Keliauk Lietuva, Product Development Project Manager. Aušra Grikšaitė.

The number of tourists staying in Lithuanian campsites increases every year: five years ago, 40,000 people traveled with night campsites. people, and last year there were more than 65 thousand tourists.

Just over half of the Lithuanian camp guests in 2019 consisted of Lithuanians, 48 ​​percent. – foreign tourists. Most travelers usually come from Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, and neighboring countries: Latvia, Poland, and Estonia.

Laimonas Mačiulis, the head of Kemperija, says that the demand for caravan rental has really increased today, especially for weekend trips.

“Usually in March people started planning summer vacations and booking campers, but this year the pandemic turned everything upside down. Half of our clients are foreigners, the other part is Lithuanian, whose income and plans have changed this summer, so in March-April, about 80 percent were canceled.Bookings After the reduction of quarantine restrictions in May and the opening of the borders of the Baltic States, we again feel an increase in the number of consultations, new reservations were launched, – L. Mačiulis spoke about the changed plans of the travelers. “Currently, short-term trips of several days are demanded, but with the announcement that more countries will open their borders from June, people will react and start planning longer trips. “

Tips for first-time travelers

According to Valdas Valiukevičius, the founder of Valdo Kemperiai, those considering frequent motorhome trips should think about which one is better: a farm or a private house with wheels.

“You can buy a neat and still quite modern caravan for 15,000-20,000 euros. New cars cost from 45,000 euros. Convenience one: campers do not depreciate as fast as cars. Here you have a choice: buy a farm and drive in the same direction for decades to mow the lawn or to have a farm with wheels, which is located today near Dusia, tomorrow, near the Baltic.

Caravan rentals are more expensive than cars. Renting a modern, high-quality tourist cabin costs around € 100 a day during the season. New campers cost € 125–150, an older camper, ages 10–15, can be rented for € 70–90, ”says V. Valiukevičius.

No special experience or special preparation is required to drive a caravan. Hourly instruction is sufficient, during which the owners are introduced to all the functions of the cabin.

“If the total weight of the caravan does not exceed 3,500 kilograms, anyone with a category B driving license can drive. The first few kilometers of a motorhome trip are a little heavier: after all, the cabin is long, high, wide and heavy.It is necessary to get used to the high rocking of the machine, the reaction to gusts of wind, a greater stopping distance.

When traveling in a motorhome, you must observe height restrictions, refuse to enter an underground garage or other place where height is limited. When driving through the streets of the old town, you must observe the balconies and the clothes hanging from them. If you take your clothes off, it may not be as scary as taking the balcony.

Another thing: sitting behind the wheel of a caravan, you have to plan travel distances differently. There is no need to think that a caravan will slow down as fast as a car. The caravan trip will be slower since the cruising speed of these cars is around 100 km / h. To spend a vacation and not get tired, you need to plan not to drive more than 400 kilometers a day ”, V. Valiukevičius shares his advice.

With a camper in Lithuania: new routes

With the growing interest in this type of travel, the National Agency for Tourism Promotion “Travel in Lithuania” offers to test 4 new routes for motorhomes in the selected ethnographic region of Lithuania or even throughout Lithuania.

Tourists are offered to visit Lesser Lithuania, Dzūkija, Aukštaitija or even all regions of Lithuania in a single car or caravan trip.

A camper in western Lithuania: in the land of the three waters.

The route through the region of Pomerania, the Lithuanian coast and Samogitia, which stretches for 620 km, will allow you to admire the most unique corners of Lithuania. The sand belt between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, the Curonian Spit, is a UNESCO-protected peninsula, whose Lonely Planet beaches it has chosen as one of the most beautiful in Europe. Wind, water and sand reign here. Across the Curonian Lagoon is the Nemunas Delta, the largest river in Lithuania, where there are said to be more birds than people, and a bird migration route extends over Ventė Cape with a bird ring. Accompanied by wings, you will arrive in Samogitia, a region that has preserved the authenticity of culture, language, traditions and cuisine. He was the last to accept Christianity throughout Europe, so here you will find signs of paganism and the legacy of Baltic mythology. You can choose a motorhome stop on this route, both on the shore of the lagoon and on the coast. The journey around these edges can take 5 to 7 days.

You can find the map here.

By motorhome in southern Lithuania: through three capitals

Vilnius, the temporary capital of Lithuania, Kaunas, the temporary capital, and Trakai, the historical capital, can be visited on this 470 km long route in southern Lithuania, known as the Dzūkija region, and admired Baroque architecture , the abundant church towers and urban green spaces. The highlight of Trakai is the castle from the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, built on the island of the lake and considered one of the most beautiful medieval castles in Europe. You can stay with a camper in the capitals or spas, 200 m away. promoting health traditions. By the way, don’t be surprised if you travel along this route, you will notice that the tires on your caravan are adorned with balloons. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is one of the few European capitals on which balloons are raised. Aviators also fly over Kaunas, Birštonas. 4-6 days should be sufficient for the trip.

You can find the map here.