Your Vehicle

Clearly a must have accessory for this trip, but it doesn’t strictly have to be a van. I’ve seen a Frenchman living in a Citroen AX, with the whole interior stripped and some old egg crates making what he described as ‘le bedroom’, as well as four German teenagers living the dream, cuddling up to each other in a Renault Espace. There’s no reason why your method of transport can’t just be a reasonably sized car, chuck in a pop up tent (for when it’s possible to pitch one) and sleep in the back when you can’t. A more luxurious option is a van big enough to get in, shut the door and escape the wind and sand while you cook up a culinary delight.

Ideally it should be fitted out to hold all the kit neatly inside, minimising the amount of equipment that goes on the roof which will just add to the fuel bill. At the top end of the scale is the motorhome. Living in one of these can be more comfortable than the Hilton, they have the benefit of shower facilities and even air conditioning. Whichever vehicle you choose, it has to be capable of doing a fair few miles. It’s 1,400miles to Tarifa from Calais, so the trip will rack up several thousand as a minimum. You don’t have to spend a fortune on the van, but make sure its fully serviced and road legal. However, don’t forget if something does go wrong, Europeans still have garages and can generally get you going again pretty quickly. A Moroccan mechanic will leave you open mouthed with his ability to fix anything!