...with the motorhome (and now time on my hands) I have the luxury of making the journey part of the holiday, and not paying much for accommodation. (France/Germany/Belgium will definitely average less than €10 per night, other countries have less scope for cheaper overnights, but one can still find them).
I like to get a good bit away from the coast for the first stop, not being a fan of Northern France, or much of Belgium, for exploration. We let serendipity rule, and rarely fail to find somewhere on our travels that doesn't merit a day or two's exploration.
We generally gravitate towards the mountains (Alps/Dolomites/Pyrenees) but bimble down, adjusting our progress in accordance with the weather forecast, and what we find on the way (often targeting wine-growing areas - I wonder why?).
For the German Alps/Austria, it has become our habit to head across Belgium from Calais, pass Liege, and head south down the "E42/60" via Verviers/Malmedy towards the Mosel. This because of a combination of toll-free roads (the motorhome is charged higher than a car on French Autoroutes), the Mosel being a motorhome "playground" and a wine-growing area, and the "E42/60" being lightly-trafficked for a motorway standard route (and also quite scenic). The only real potential bottleneck is the Brussels Ring (and that is rather time-dependent).
I'm not sure whether it will remain quite so attractive, as the road used to end rather abruptly North of the Mosel, and drop you into a slower, but pleasant traverse back onto the lower German Autobahn network. A spectacular bridge (Hochmoselbrücke) over the Mosel has been under construction for some years, and this opened just prior to the pandemic. Having joined things up somewhat, the road might not be as quiet as it was. If it is, then it will remain a recommended route. Roughly the same time/distance as through France, but toll-free and relatively quiet roads after Liege. (You do have to put up with some Belgian driving, though ;-) )
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