Thanks very much for your very enjoyable Trip Report, kookaburra75. Your parents must have been very brave to face such a long trip with three youngsters, and living mostly within the confines of a campervan. But people were more resilient in those days, and kids were probably much better behaved for their parents then, also.
I remember my first trip to Europe, solo, for 11 weeks in 1979. I was in my late 20s then, and managed to see and do so much - often to many of the same places that you went. The crowds are much greater now, but the thrill of travel has not diminished for me. But for the Coronavirus, I had been planning to depart for Europe again on Friday this week. But, that's not happening now.
Thinking back, I changed a lot personally during those 11 weeks in 1979. Became more self-reliant, more open-minded, got my hair cut and bought some smarter clothes. No regrets - and it was done with no internet in those days, which makes researching, and bookings and communications so much easier now.