Camping in Europe - Trailer House Paradise

Over a week ago now, I wrote my first post about camping in Europe, a far different experience than the camping that I'm accustomed to in America. One stark difference is all of the facilities you can find at a European "campground", which is more of a trailer park, an RV park and a summer camp all rolled into one. To see more of the grounds and facilities, check out my earlier posts.

Now, in the U.S. we definitely don't have other folks living on the campground, unless you count the park ranger, but that's just one. Here, they have entire neighborhoods on the grounds, and some of the trailer houses look ripe for Goldilock's pickin'... I want to sneak in and pretend they're mine for a while.

I promised you a trailer park Homes and Gardens tour, and I'm delivering, baby. As you're looking through the photos below, decide which one you'd like to spend a stolen evening in. (There will be a test at the end.)

To start, let's take a stroll down this road.

I love this photo of the trailer called Eekhoorn, pronounced a lot like Acorn in English, but with an added "H" sound... ache-horn. It means squirrel.

I don't know about you but I could definitely sit here for a while... on the outdoor furniture behind this wall, cold drink in my hand, nose in a book, listening to the beads in the doorway move in the breeze.

I know Goldilocks would be tempted by this charming gate and vine arch. What wonders lay beyond?

Ahh, now this one is fit for a Queen.

This spot looks simple and cozy. If I were Goldilocks, I'd sit here with my Goldilover,
hand in hand and happy.

Well, that concludes our virtual tour!

I lied about the test.

But I do want to know... Where would you hide away?

Until next time,

Xx Alison

Camping in Europe - Cool Camps

One thing I was amazed at when I got to this campground was the huge and lovely caravans people set up to camp in! I wanted to share some photos that I took just walking around on the grounds. 

I saw so many of these tents with two or three sections! 

Or like this one, a pop up extension fixed to a camp trailer. SIGN ME UP!

Side view.

How about this adorable camp? Umbrella, lights, lounger, and clothesline. What else do you need?

Side view.

This one comes with a deck, and it's for rent by the night, week, or month!

I liked this tent! and the space they set up next to it.

Okay now THIS is where I wanna be.

Slingers! Someone must have had a birthday.

So there you have it. What do you think? Is it very different? Will you be on the internet shopping for European camping gear? Are you right now as we speak?

Interested to hear your thoughts. 

Till then!

Xx Alison

Camping in Europe for a Week

Hey everyone!
How are you all holding up?
I’m doing okay - some days are better than others. This week is already off to a fabulous start!

I’m on a little vacation! I’m camping in South Holland for a week, and it’s my first time camping in Europe. I had never occurred to me that it would be much different from the camping I knew, but in the week or two leading up to our trip, I started to get the impression that it wasn’t the type of camping I was used to. From some of the pictures I’d seen of the camping area and whatever I heard from my host parents and other Dutchies, I knew it was gunna be an experience unlike one I’d had before.

Yesterday, as I hung the laundry on the line, my neighbor and I had a chat about it. He’s a Dutchie, born and raised, not yet having visited the states. “I’m excited to see what it’s like as opposed to camping in the U.S.” I said to him. “Probably about the same,” he remarked.

“Nooooo, I don’t think so. For one thing, I know they’re going to have showers and bathrooms there, and most of the camping I’ve done has been in the mountains and... there are no facilities.”

We continued to chat as he explained that camping in Europe can be very social, because everyone in the campground is on vacation mode and just walking around. He didn't realize our idea of camping is much, much, different. From what he described, I was reminded of the huge family reunion we have every other year on my dad's side. And indeed, it feels a bit like that. A few hundred people gather on a ranch in Idaho and camp for the weekend, put on various activities, either catch up with old family members or meet new ones, or maybe run down to the creek with a cousin, aunt, or straggler neighborhood kid that tagged along with so-and-so.... But we don’t have a bar or tennis courts at our family reunion.

I’m here now, it’s our first night in the campground, which is more like an RV park on steroids. You’ll see what I mean if you stay tuned - I’m going to blog throughout the week, posting pictures of the place.

It’s AMAZING. I don’t even feel guilty about glamping here. At all. It’s like a budget resort, guys. I could live here. 

As soon as we pulled up, we came upon the welcome building, and I immediately saw a few playsets, a giant trampoline and three different sized pools in the flat expanse behind it. I was amazed already, a pool? Camping? And it was getting crazier by the second. I saw other buildings, and mini golf to the left. What else could this campground hold? 

After my host dad checked us in, we followed a golf cart to our reserved campsite, passing trailer neighborhoods and speeltuins, playgrounds, on the way. Maciah sat in the front seat looking at the map they provided and checking out the two decks of cards they gave us for free.

We pulled in to our designated spot and cut the engine. The kids snacked, the dogs got a little walk, and we began setting up tents and various camp equipment. It’s now dark out, 11pm, and I’m sat outside the tent I share with Maciah, connected to WiFi and writing this on my blog. After dinner at the snack bar, Maciah and I swam in the pool, jumped on a giant bubble trampoline, and took a tour through some trailer neighborhoods with porchscapes that are seriously home design magazine worthy. Pics. To. Come.

I’m excited to do some more glamping and blogging. Can’t wait to share more of this place with you guys.


Xx Alison

Have you ever been camping in Europe? Where at? What was it like? Share your experience in the comments below!

Lekker luien in de tent / tasty lazing in the tent

Zneck bar dinner - a croket in a hamburger bun with mustard on the side..

That’s how the Dutch do it. 

And frites! Lots of frites!

Musings on Corona, Digital Nomadship and Foreign Travel

This week's episode is a freestyle rambling about Corona Virus, long stays in foreign countries, digital nomadship and your host, Alison's recent Dutch learning milestones. Enjoy!

Check out this episode!

Job in the Netherlands... Check!

So today marks the day that almost six month's worth of work pays off.
I've been applying for jobs in Holland since December, as soon as I returned from the short vacation I took there (which I didn't even write about, but you can find pictures of here).
Holland was amazing. Part of the reason I didn't write or take too many photos, besides the fact that I only spent a few days there, was because I was too busy enjoying myself. I made friends with almost everyone I met. Besides this, there was so much to explore outdoors and all of it was fascinating and beautiful. Everything was so new and different from what I'd ever seen, naturally. The buildings are old and amazing. There are canals everywhere, every few blocks you ride over a bridge as you bike to your next destination, and little boats with windows and tiny curtains are docked on the side, or are cruising by leisurely.
Dutch people bike everywhere. When you ride down to the train station, you can't even find a spot to park your bike, even thought there are a lot of bike racks. A lot. (I can't believe I don't have a photo of the Rotterdam train station. A lot of bikes). I was surprised by how quiet it was. Even in large cities like Amsterdam, it was nowhere near as loud as New York, or even Philly for that matter. There's more bike traffic than car traffic. Anyway, I think you get the picture. And remember, I was there in December. It was cold. It doesn't matter, though; they would be out in their winter gear with their kid in the bike trailer, on their way to run errands or do some other, ordinary thing.
Everywhere you look the street signs and restaurant names say things like Zonnebloemstraat or Hondenlosloopgebied or something insane like that. People speak completely in Dutch until you shyly admit that you don't, in which case they switch to English and carry on with the conversation genteelly. It was a completely pleasant experience. I think it may be Utopia.
So naturally, I wanted to live here. With every blink, I was increasingly in awe of this place. Once I was back stateside and the excitement of the holidays calmed down, I resettled in Jersey and began to apply for jobs.
I'd heard about Au Pair jobs before, when I was working in a restaurant in a rich neighborhood in Philly. One of my coworkers had spent a year in Italy by applying for an Au Pair position, which is just a live-in nanny from another country. We have them in the United States (although I'd never met a single Au Pair until I moved from rural Oregon to the East Coast). They come from all over; Brazil, South Africa, Italy, Mexico, Spain, you name it. Similar to a foreign exchange student, the traveler goes through an application process for a specific visa that allows you to live in the country for x amount of time. The result is a cultural exchange. The host family gets to experience what life is like in another culture and so does the traveler. This was an easy fit for me, because not only have I been nannying for a while now, but I love my job.
So I set up a profile and checked it every week; emailing, videochatting, and sending messages via WhatsApp to different families, but even though I had options to look in dozens of other countries, I kept my sights on Holland. Finally, my work came to fruition. I started talking to Kripa a month ago and after much contact and getting to know one another, she finally asked for my references. A week later, her and her husband called to offer me to the position.
In the Netherlands I'll be working for Kripa and Bas, caring for their two boys aged 7 and 10 and cooking meals on weeknights. I will live with them and eat meals there, making myself a home in theirs, and they'll provide a bike, pay for Dutch classes and give me a small allowance. I'm so happy today that I feel like calling 100 of my closest friends to tell them: after interviewing with different families for over 5 months, I finally clicked with a couple who invited me into their home.

I am going to spend the summer working and saving, I'll dedicate August to visiting family, and then I'll fly out the first of September for my European Year of Who-Knows-What.

Cheers to the adventure!
Alison Maglaughlin

No longer homeless! (and other updates)

Yesterday we spent most of the day in Newark, which is New Jersey's largest city, walking around and exploring things. We found a beautiful library, walked past a lot of interesting little shops, rode the bus, and found an awesome little pub that we really enjoyed.
In the evening, we were picked up by a friend of mine, Jenna.
The crazy thing about Jenna is that we met about 5 years go on Twitter! I ended up following her one day and after that we would interact from time to time, and eventually we got each other's phone numbers and Snapchats. For some reason we've always clicked, and she was kind enough to drive two hours after working all day, pick us up at the library, fight rush hour traffic, take us back to the airport, wait for us to get our bags, help us load them into her car, take us to Applebee's, and drive another two hours for us. As if that wasn't enough, because we were having a hard time booking an airbnb, she opened up her home to us. She graciously offered a couch and a shower, which we are indescribably grateful for. We are very blessed! Thank you, Jenna!
We woke up this morning and took an Uber to Cherry Hill, NJ, where we met a woman we've been talking to about renting a couple rooms from. The house is beautiful, in a great location, and the rent is affordable - so of course we jumped at the opportunity!

The lady's name is Judy, she is a good friend of the Chinese couple that owns the house - they don't speak excellent English so she helps them out. Judy's real name in Chinese is Yu Feng, which sounds kinda like you-phone. She is very sweet! She gave us a ride to the bank and then we filled her tank and she took us to Jenna's to get our bags, then back to the place in Cherry Hill, which took more than an hour and a half, so we are very grateful for her as well! We had so many suitcases that we shoved her car completely full and still had to share a seat in the back; it was very tight quarters!

J

She told us that she works at a bank and sometimes they use a temp agency to hire people, and she thinks we can get a job there very easily so we took down the number and that's on the to-do list for tomorrow.
We wanted to get familiar with the train so we walked down to the station, which is less than a 10 minute walk, and took the train to Philadelphia for the afternoon. The streets here are really cool, we walked down some thin cobblestone streets that look like alleyways but have house fronts down them. We didn't get too stay long or explore much, because we had to get groceries and unpack.

As far as landscape goes, this area feels a lot like western Oregon. There are a ton of trees and vines and other green, growing things. A lot of the trees have vines growing all the way up the trunk and onto the branches, which our Uber driver was telling us is unhealthy for the tree.
So far I'm very grateful to have a roof over my head - a place to shower and sleep! I'm interested in everything around me, and excited to start looking for work. I think there is opportunity here, and there's definitely new things to learn and do!