Europe Overland Budget: The Real Cost of 99 Days Across 16 Countries by Jeep ($89.53/Day)

We dropped off our Jeep at Baltimore’s port on July 21st, knowing we wouldn’t see her again until August 15th.

That moment marked a clear shift in the journey — from full-time overlanding with our own vehicle, to suddenly moving through Europe on foot, buses, and trains. If you’re planning to ship your own vehicle from the USA or Canada to Europe, we’ve also written a complete step-by-step guide covering the entire process, including costs, insurance, documentation, and what to expect when collecting your vehicle overseas.

As American passport holders, we only had 90 days allowed in the Schengen Area, so we adjusted our route to make the most of that limit. Instead of flying directly into Western Europe, we flew from Washington DC to Chișinău, Moldova. This allowed us to delay entering the Schengen zone and stretch our time in Europe more efficiently.

Moldova also made financial sense. Without the Jeep, we lost the ability to cook and wild camp, and after a few days in Washington DC, it became obvious how quickly costs increase when you rely on accommodation and eating out. Moldova gave us a much cheaper place to slow down, reset, and plan the next move.

From there, we spent 10 days in Moldova before crossing into Romania, continuing by bus and train through Suceava and Oradea, then onward to Vienna, and finally a long travel day up to Hamburg, Germany.

There’s a very specific feeling when you’re reunited with your overland vehicle after weeks apart — and August 15th was that moment for us. From there, the journey finally felt like it could properly continue again.

Our next goal was Tallinn, Estonia — a place that had always felt like the natural starting point for the next phase of our route toward Africa and eventually Cape Town, South Africa.

This is the breakdown of our spending across Europe.

Europe Overland Trip Summary (99 Days)

• 63 nights wild camping
• 14 nights hotels / Airbnb (mainly while waiting for the Jeep)
• 2 nights staying with friends
• 20 nights in campgrounds

Total time in Europe: 99 days

Total Europe Overland Budget

Total spent: $8,863.51

This works out to:

$89.53 per day across Europe

Daily Overland Travel Costs in Europe

• $10.71 per day — lodging
  (Mostly before we reunited with the Jeep in Hamburg)
• $32.91 per day — food & miscellaneous
  (Includes food, road taxes, museums, and daily travel costs)
• $34.70 per day — fuel
  515 gallons total
  Average fuel cost: $6.67 per gallon / $1.76 per litre
• $11.19 per day — larger expenses
  Includes:
  • $338 Jeep maintenance
  • 3 months car insurance ($546)
  • Ferry to Morocco ($253)

Total: $89.53 per day

16 Countries, 99 Days and Thousands of Miles on the Road

Each country brought a completely different driving experience — different rules, different road systems, different costs, and in many cases, different expectations on how travel actually works.

It didn’t take long to realize how important it is to pay attention while driving. Speed limits, road taxes, and local rules change constantly, and we picked up a couple of fines along the way from simply not being careful enough.

Wild Camping in Europe: What We Learned

Europe is one of the most varied places we’ve travelled when it comes to overnight stays.

Eastern Europe made wild camping much easier. Finding quiet places to stop felt more natural and less restricted. As we moved further west, it became noticeably more difficult and required more planning, especially in densely populated areas.

Camping spots, however, are widely available across the continent, even if they come at a cost.

Driving in Europe: Fuel Costs, Road Taxes and Speed Cameras

Every road in Europe feels like an opportunity — castles, churches, mountain passes, coastlines, and small towns appear constantly, and it often feels like every turn could take you somewhere completely different.

At the same time, it’s also a place where rules matter. Fuel is expensive, almost everything has some kind of entry fee (including public toilets), and food costs more than what we experienced in the United States.

But despite that, every drive felt like an adventure. The only real frustration came in the form of the occasional speed camera flash — a reminder that attention matters just as much as exploration.

Is Europe Good for Overlanding on a Budget?

Europe is one of the most rewarding places we’ve travelled through, but also one of the most structured. It demands more awareness, more planning, and a little more respect for the rules of each country you pass through.

Even so, it offers an incredible mix of history, nature, and endless roads that constantly force you to choose between stopping or continuing just a little further.

We’ll be back after the African loop — there’s still a lot more of Europe we want to explore properly.

Taking the Ferry from Europe to Morocco

On November 1st, we took the ferry from Europe to Morocco, marking the end of this leg of the journey.

Total Expedition Spending (as of November 1st)

• Total spent: $12,363.13
• Average: $81.33 per day

Budget Transparency & What’s Not Included

Shipping costs and flights are not included in this overland budget breakdown.

• $1,400 airfare to Moldova
• $3,845.70 shipping cost for the Jeep

This budget reflects all travel expenses from the moment we landed in Europe and continued the journey on the ground.

Our health insurance was also already in place before the trip began, through Brett’s employer at the time, and continued for the first 8 months of our journey. Because of this, it did not form part of our daily overland expenses during this stage of the trip.

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