We've been on the road for more than 3 months! And we've covered quite a distance, not just on the road, but we've changed a bit too. In the van it's easier than at the beginning. Before it was just different housing, now it's normal for us. We've created some routine and submarine mode happens less often too! :D

We've learned to enjoy it more and do things for which we got into this. We explore, we talk, we plan, we relax. We get up with the sun and slowly go to sleep when it sets. We're somehow getting more in tune with nature. When it's nice, we're in a better mood and have more inspiration for more trips. When it rains, we hide and just work.

It's simple and plain. We're not rushing anywhere, life isn't a race for a better career and better possessions. We just want to enjoy it and have lots of experiences that make up for it.

And just like with any other travel, things around us change, people are different, culture and nature too. And what specificities does traveling by van have?

Road Quality

We notice road quality a lot. Since leaving Czechia we don't drive on highways because we're not in such a hurry that we have to pay tolls. So we nicely cruise along regional roads and given that our shock absorbers aren't the youngest anymore, it's quite noticeable. Waze does report where there are dangerous potholes, but that only protects us from a minimum of dangerous holes. We always wonder what might have fallen off this time, planks are banging behind us, mugs are clinking, and everything that's even slightly loose is rattling on the van. So everything.

In Czechia the roads weren't that bad, in Slovakia it got a degree worse, and quality went even lower in Hungary. It's miserable there. You drive about 40 and pray that the hole in front of you won't be that big. Everyone wrote that Romania is even worse. But I have to admit that except for one extremely puddle-filled dirt road, it was pretty manageable. At the beginning we were surprised by new roads, then again by ones without asphalt, but even those were maintained. You can't go 150, but a steady 50-70 was possible. The worse thing there was that they also used horse-drawn carts for transport, which weren't lit. So we're driving at night and suddenly a horse!

Bulgaria in the part we drove through had really nice roads. Can't complain. And Greece? Given the distance we've covered here, it's no wonder that the roads are varied too. From new toll highways to narrow serpentines with crumbling edges, where you're even afraid to lean out the window. And it's also happened to us that we had to back out of a town, because there was such a winding narrow street and balconies so low that we just couldn't get through. I just had my eyes closed and thought, good thing I have such a skilled driver! Try backing that up when you barely made it into the turn going forward! And sometimes we didn't even worry about the fact that it was actually a one-way street...

Where to Put the Trash?

We try to sort quite a bit on the road, but the availability of containers is different everywhere. We primarily try not to make that waste, but we're not gods either. We can bury compost outside, but zero waste overall is quite a big bite for us. In Czechia and Slovakia we're used to having different colored containers and plenty everywhere. In Hungary you have to search more, but it's possible too. And Romania? There you're happy when you find a trash can at all to throw it in. Recycling bins are more in bigger cities and wealthier areas, but even so, from what I saw, they didn't sort much and threw everything in there. But it's true that we didn't drive through the most developed areas at all.

Bulgaria is better for this. And in Greece they have 2 types of containers. One mixed and another for what can be recycled. Simple and straightforward. There's also less trash lying around here and now that we're in Crete, it's really nice here. We rarely meet something lying around somewhere. Or at least there aren't that many dumps and they're not so obvious.

Differences in Greece

At the beginning of the trip we were more getting used to each other than socializing with people around us. So I can't really write much about people from these countries. But what we've noticed about Greece is that everyone here is incredibly helpful and kind. What they have, they'll give away and they don't really worry about exact numbers. They have plenty of time for everything and it seems they just don't want to stress. Although not everyone!

What we really like is the presence of lots of small family shops and businesses. More in the north we always encountered lots of supermarkets and just big stores near cities. Not here. At first we only went to Lidl - we're used to their selection, and plus they often have lots of local products, that's why they survive here. They just involve locals. But then we started discovering Greek shops. We have no idea what they're called, Greek still means nothing to us, but it's just an adventure! We go into a shop and search.

Meeting People

And we're also socializing more here. We've already met several people with a similar lifestyle to us. They travel, explore, and work on the road. Some don't work and just travel and are taking a year off before starting a family and working hard to build something. Some are looking for meaning in it. To be free, to find their peace in it. To rest from the Western career lifestyle. And when they travel around like this, they also start to realize how it works elsewhere. That it's not all rosy anywhere and that actually what people complain about at home isn't that terrible and there's no point complaining about it. If something bothers you, deal with it. Not just talk about it, analyze it, and only make your mood worse. And when you can't do anything about it? Then forget about it!

Everything changes. And we don't even notice it anymore. Now when we remember Slovakia or Hungary, it's so far away. A different world. We've somehow gotten a bit too used to Greece. Those omnipresent olive trees, sheep on steep slopes, and narrow little roads. That's normal, right?