Chris Wise

Not long ago, TV and video producer Chris Wise was a vanlife virgin. But hiring a legendary VW splitty camper for a weekend literally changed his life.

Five years on, he’s back from a 21,000 mile, year-long road trip through twenty European countries in a campervan called ‘Cliff’. and has written a whole series of books on his campervan experiences.

Just before COVID, a crazy idea popped into Chris's head. “Why don’t we put our lives on hold and take a grown-up gap year exploring in a campervan?”

After two years of delays, preparation and frustration, Chris finally set off on his epic adventure in 2022, keeping a detailed journal as he travelled. The resulting books are written with fellow camper fans in mind. They include reviews of must-see cities, towns and bucket list attractions - as well as undiscovered gems and wilderness camping locations far away from the tourist trail. And if you're tempted to follow in Chris's tyre tracks - the "...by Campervan" series includes over 750 precise, camper-friendly 'what3words' locations for parking and overnighting your van.

The travel trilogy consists of:

Parte 1 - "Scandinavia by Campervan" - a detailed guide to exploring Sweden, Norway and Denmark

Part 2 - "The Meditteranean by Campervan" - the search for winter sunshine through France and Spain to Gibraltar, then east along the Spanish and French coast to spend a whole month exploring Italy.

Part 3 - "Albania and The Balkans by Campervan" - the unexpected finale of Chris's year-long adventure, with a detailed guide to Albania and highlights from his drive through Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia.

Plus, if you love to embark on a big, vanlife adventure but need help to make it happen, Chris has written "Europe by Campervan" - the 'how to' book to accompany the series. It's packed with top tips and non-preachy advice - everything he wished he'd known before he started on his European grand tour. It covers all the basics, from choosing and equipping the right van to country-by-country guides to wild camping.

If your dream is to own your first VW Camper, Chris has also written "VW Campers for Beginners". It's the ultimate guide to owning your first Volkswagen Campervan, whether you're buying ready-made or - as Chris did - sourcing a VW Transporter to have transformed by a professional converter. His handbook helps you through the countless decisions and choices that you'll need to make.

Chris lives with his husband and travelling companion, Steve (the same person) in campervanning heaven - Pateley Bridge in the Yorkshire Dales.