PalenQ - thanks for your advice. The inter-rail pass I shall look up. I'll be honest it isn't something I've heard of before. I'm not sure that's the route we'd like to go down but I won't rule it out. As for the city centre bit, I shall be intending to keep away from them if possible anyway.

Rail is probably a no-no if you are thinking of caming as you'll never manage to carry all the gear....

I think food from grocery stores & tent camping is your only hope (if you can't afford ~40euro per night per person for a hostel stay).

Tent camping can be cheap but if you have a camping car it will be much more expensive, still less than hostel prices for two but not as cheap as tent camping. A regular car and tent camping may be the cheapest of all options - camping car the next but rail the fastest and transportation-wise perhaps the cheapest.

Holy moley!

Thank you PalenQ I think tent will be best.
Holy moley why?!

You should get down on your knees and thank god for your girlfriend.

If a boyfriend had proposed this to me he would have been out the door - IMHO sounds fatal (rushed, uncomfortable, boring and nothing any fun)

Can people stop putting their opinions about how I should be thankful that my girlfriend is up for this and "does she fully understand".... To set the record straight it was my girlfriends idea!
I'm asking certain questions about your opinions on travel/accommodation, not whether I'm lucky or my girlfriend is a saint!
Everyone likes different things!

I would do it if DH proposed the idea. Not the tent part, too old and creaky for tents, but heck, yes a road trip around Europe, even if it is visiting football grounds, why not?
Go for it, have a terrific time, remember to be flexible, and keep your sense of humour.
Do come back and tell us about it, please.

>>Rail is probably a no-no if you are thinking of caming as you'll never manage to carry all the gear....<<

Many thousands of Inter-railers over the years would disagree with that. I inter-railed around Europe several times in my student days. First trip I stayed in hostels but on seubsequent trips I took a small tent and basic camping equipment in a rucksack. I used to leave the main rucksack in station lockers and just carried a small daypack while sightseeing. Between two able-bodied young people this shouldn't be too difficult and could be an option if you really wanted to keep the costs to an absolute minimum.

Thanks hetismij2 and Gordon_R much appreciated feedback.

My younger days I also did exactly what Gordon R did - train and camp - all cities have camps rather easily accessible by public transport or even a minor train station - Paris, London, Florence, etc all - right in or near the city limits and this could be, with an Inter-Rail Pass, the cheapest way to go.

Do not dismiss that idea but do pack as light as possible.

Grab your tent, a couple of sleeping bags, a few days worth of clothes and GO!! It will only get harder as you get older - embrace your youth and do it!

What's the worst that can happen? After a week you discover you don't like all the driving, so you camp in one spot for the rest of your vacation, or you drive straight back home.

Even if it goes terribly wrong, it will be a great story to tell when you are older.

But, I would cut out Rome, to save some miles, and go back to that amazing city when you have a little more time.

Thanks PalenQ it is definately a possible option.
Getting bored of driving is something that concerns me slightly so these are some good ideas

I like this whole idea of this trip, but do think 5000 miles is a LOT with only two weeks time. As I believe one or more already suggested, would you maybe want to cut out a couple of the destinations (cross off the ones geographically furthest away) to reduce the time in the car somewhat?

Cheers suze, yeah to be honest I'm thinking of cutting out Portugal for a start. I am thinking it will be too rushed now.

Even if you did 3000 miles in two weeks... would still be quite the trip! Less miles covered also would cut down on expenses a small bit, besides freeing up a little time to do something besides drive most of the day every day.

Not that I have much interest in football, or that I personally would want to move around that much, but I think a road/rail trip around Europe sounds like fun! Are you actually planning to go to any games or just checking out the stadiums?

Another option for lodging is to look on VRBO and Airbnb. Since you're not necessarily interested in staying in the city center anyway, I bet you could find places for 80 euro (or less) per night in some of these cities. We found an apt through VRBO for an upcoming trip to Rome. Just do your due diligence when picking a place. Might be a good way to break up the camping.

No we aren't doing games, just stadia! Ok I'll check those two out thanks

I think this sounds like fun. But I'd have a plan B for when it stops being fun. You could get pretty strung out with so much driving and the stress of finding your way to the stadium and finding a new place to stay each night.

To get lower prices for lodging, don't stay in a city or even near one. The countryside is where the bargains are.

Our friend stayed in a hostel in a very small town. I just checked their 2014 prices--8 to 16 euro per person plus 4.70 euro if you use their sheets.

Also, there are municipal and private campsites just about everywhere in France.

You can camp on farms. See the Bienvenue a la ferme website.

http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com/

If you have a camping van, you can camp free at a network of farms and vineyards. One night only, which should suit you.

https://www.france-passion.com/

When we camped in France a long time ago, several of our campsites were at the town's football stadium. These were a far cry from the Camp Nou or the Stade de France!

I hope you write a trip report when you get back. Have fun.