Back in 2004, I took part in a Land Rover off-road driving experience as a company outing. We followed a trail through the forests of Dutch and Belgian Limburg in a convoy of Land Rovers, eventually ending up in a massive sand quarry where we got to test nearly every Land Rover model for that time, along with a few old DAF military vehicles. That was the moment the 4×4 and overland travel seed was planted.
Over the years, that passion kept growing as I searched for my ultimate dream off-road vehicle. Before long, I stumbled across videos on the early days of YouTube about an event called Abenteuer & Allrad. Literally translated, it means “Adventure & All-Wheel Drive.”
For years, I followed the event and its community from afar. In 2022, I finally decided it was time to visit, but unfortunately I had broken my ankle and had to cancel those plans.
Last weekend, it finally happened.
After years of waiting, I made the trip together with my friend Jeff. He brought his camper van, and I brought my tent. After about four hours of driving, we arrived in Bad Kissingen, Germany, on Friday, June 5th, around 10 a.m., where the event was being held.
The first thing that surprised us was the sheer size of the camping areas. There were four different campgrounds, and the first two were already full. We ended up on Camping Area 3, which was roughly the size of five or six football fields.
The campsite was packed with every type of expedition vehicle, camper, van, truck, and overland rig imaginable. Different sizes, heights, and designs everywhere you looked. We couldn’t stop staring.
Before long, we found a spot, parked Jeff’s self-converted camper, rolled out the awning, and set up my tent. After that, we enjoyed a late homemade brunch while taking in the view and admiring the countless custom-built vehicles surrounding us.
And let me tell you… Germans are incredibly passionate and dedicated when it comes to overlanding and camper travel.
Despite the enormous number of vehicles and visitors, the campsite felt remarkably peaceful. It was something I hadn’t expected.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and wandering around the campground, admiring everyone’s creations and gathering ideas for my future camper project. That was one of the main reasons I came. But we certainly weren’t the only ones. Everywhere you looked, people were strolling around for exactly the same reason: to admire, learn, and get inspired. It was fantastic.
The next morning, we took it easy. I made breakfast, and afterward we jumped on one of the free shuttle buses heading to the exhibition grounds. The moment we entered, we were speechless.
The scale of the show and the amount of things on display were almost impossible to describe. Everything was there: from bolts and construction materials to camping accessories, vehicle upgrades, and fully built expedition vehicles.
We spent five hours walking non-stop and still didn’t manage to see everything.
I’m a complete nerd when it comes to this stuff, but even for me it became overwhelming at times simply because there was so much to see.
The day couldn’t have been better. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was incredible, and everyone was genuinely excited to be there.
You might assume that an event like this is attended mostly by men, but that wasn’t the case at all. Plenty of women were there too, enthusiastically exploring vehicles, discussing solutions, and searching for accessories and upgrades for their own camper projects. It was genuinely great to see.
The exhibition was every bit as impressive as the campsite itself. Everywhere we went, people were friendly, helpful, and sincerely interested in each other’s vehicles and travel stories. We both absolutely loved it.
Jeff was incredibly happy and grateful that I introduced him to this world. The experience only made him even more excited to continue improving his camper. As for me, I was simply grateful to finally experience Abenteuer & Allrad after all these years. Sharing it with a good friend made it even better, and it has given me a fresh boost of motivation for my own future self-build camper project.
So stay tuned… it’s going to be epic.
One thing is certain: next year, we’ll be back.
Thank you, Abenteuer & Allrad, for an unforgettable weekend!
