Waiting for our campervan.
THIS IS ABOUT US AND WHY WE BOUGHT A CAMPERVAN
We are Helen and Stew – and Colin is our Ford Transit campervan!
We have always enjoyed life outdoors and have enjoyed many camping holidays over the years, when us, and the kids, were younger. Health dictated that tents etc really were not the one anymore. We have dreamt of having a mobile life for years and spent ages umming-and-arring about whether to get a campervan, motorhome or caravan. It was always a pipe dream though, with us using the lack of funds as an excuse not to do it.
A few years ago we started going to caravan and motorhome shows. Still never thinking we would ever own one, but this at least did help us decide. No caravan as we couldn’t be bothered with the whole towing thing. No motorhome as they are just too big to park up and then take around to different locations. So, campervan it was.
Last year, friends of ours decided to up sticks and move their entire family to Scotland. I asked why? The answer was to give their kids an amazing life but also because if they didn’t do it, they would always regret it. It got me thinking. Would we always regret not taking the plunge and getting a camper? Simple answer YES! Money was still the hugest hurdle ever- but would this be the hurdle that forever stopped us fulfilling our dreams? Having a bit of money ‘in case of emergencies’ in savings…. What’s the point? So- we saved and saved more and decided to take the plunge.
So- now to think about which campervan to go for! We of course automatically decided on a VW camper- T6, pop top. We even test- drove one from a VW showroom. VW pre-made California and Beach vans are VERY expensive! Visiting caravan and motorhome shows now became more focused- we knew what we wanted, now just needed to choose the supplier. We knew that buying a van from a company who bought a VW T6 shell and converted it to a campervan was a lot cheaper. With so many available layouts too, it really was just down to deciding what you wanted in your van.
We then stumbled across Autocampers and a fantastic salesman called Steve! Autocampers are a conversion company who convert VW T6’s but also Ford Transits. We loved their layouts but he really quizzed us about why we wanted 1) a VW and 2) a pop-top. We were introduced to the idea of a Hi-Line van- which I could actually stand up in! Mind blown.
Next step was to see if we (mainly I) could cope with campervanning- so we hired a van in April for the Easter weekend. We camped on a campsite in The New Forest and it rained all weekend. Not the best weather for a camping holiday but the best you could ask for in terms of finding out the good and bad of holidaying in a camper. We loved it- and it helped us decide on what we wanted.
So- final decision. Ford transit Hi-line. Hi-line- because I can stand up in it and because we can pull up anywhere and not have to worry about raising the roof. It has a whole load of additional storage up top which is insulated- no cold getting into this van when the top is popped! Ford transit and not VW- firstly due to the massive price difference! The transit is also slightly larger and being Ford owners already we know we are happy with the quality. Colour choices- we have gone for metallic grey on the outside as this matches the granite colour of the inside floor and carpet etc but we have been brave and gone for a bright orange interior! Not sure if this might be a sign of madness- will update when Colin arrives!
So- that’s us, and how are came to our life changing decision to get Colin. The blog will follow our travels in Great Britain and Europe. We are literally so excited!
As J.R.R. Tolkein said “Not all those who wander are lost”. We’re not lost…. We just don’t know where we are going yet!!!
Follow us on our adventures as we update our blog.