We regularly get the question from people who are planning to go to Spain what it's like to travel during the corona crisis. We have spent the past 2,5 months in Spain with the camper and are sharing our experiences and tips especially for world travelers.
Also read: 100 days on the road | The life of a non-working #vanlifer
Corona rules in Spain per region
The corona rules in Spain (unlike the Netherlands) are regionally structured. Depending on the amount of infections per 100.000 inhabitants, a region/place comes in a certain category and each category has its own set of corona measures.
Tip: the site www.mapacovid.es show for Andalusia very easily which corona category applies per place. The information is updated twice a week (on Mondays and Thursdays). If stricter measures are announced for a region, those rules will apply for at least 2 weeks. If you are planning to travel through Spain by camper, save this website in your favorites.
Mouth caps obligation, evening closure of catering and curfew
A face mask is mandatory throughout Spain. You will get used to this after just a few days. And above all: this is not a limitation on what you can do during your motorhome trip through Spain.
The catering industry is open during the day (unless the region is in the worst corona category) and you can therefore sit inside or outside on the terrace. It is true that after 18:00 only take-away may be offered.
A curfew is currently in effect throughout Spain: after 22 p.m. you must stay at home.
VANDEMICS – Adriaan & Sandra
Enforcement and corona controls on Spanish roads
Many of the questions we get from the Netherlands are about what it is like to travel through Spain with a camper at the moment. After being in Spain (and in particular Andalusia) for 2,5 months, we have only seen a handful of checks ourselves. We were once turned away from a motorhome by the police, because we were (apparently and without us realizing it) in a village that was in the worst corona category. That also meant that no motor home was allowed in that village. We were kindly requested to stand elsewhere (no fine). Finally: we know of no stories that corona fines have been handed out to motor home owners.
Our experience: with the camper through Spain in corona time
- You can reach the border between France en Spain be asked what you are doing. We know of no stories of people being held back;
- Once in Spain, we did not see any corona checks on Spanish highways;
- In the sporadic cases where checks do take place, they take place in regions that are in the worst corona category. And then specifically on local roads exactly at the transition between regions. What we have seen and heard from fellow campers: foreign license plates are not stopped.
Also read: What to do in the event of a breakdown with the motorhome | Our experience and tips
It goes without saying that you also have to be careful here and keep contact to a minimum. The way we keep our camper trip in which we camp a lot in the wild (see also the article about wild camping in Spain), plus the fact that we cannot visit family and friends, in combination with the fact that we spend most of the day outside, makes us feel safer in terms of corona than in The Netherlands. The following applies to us: the corona measures in Spain do not hinder our motorhome trip in any case. Those who want to travel through Spain with a camper can still do so without too many restrictions.
