Making memories.

Since May we’d been discussing campervans…

Pre March 2020 we travelled a lot. Across the UK and Europe. And we always travelled as a family. As well as escapism, I find it incredibly inspiring to see new sights and meet new people. But also, it’s precious time away together as a family without distraction.

As lockdown began easing, we discussed how we could start to travel again. During our trip to Wales we saw a lot of campervans. This got Bobby and I talking – was a campervan the solution for us…? We fell in love with the ability to leave at a moment’s notice, coupled with the ability to be self-contained. But the single biggest driver was Stanley. We wanted to give him some sense of fun and normality. We wanted to do something positive for us and make some happy memories.

After lots of research, we agreed a VW was out of our budget. Having found a local dealer we decided upon a Mazda Bongo with a pop top – the perfect vehicle and size for the three of us. We also fell in love with the notion that the vehicle had been made in Japan – a country we have a strong affinity with.

Since becoming campervan owners, I’ve found myself getting engrossed with couples and families who have travelled across the UK and Europe in a camper. I’ve watched endless YouTube videos and can also recommend the film ‘Expedition Happiness’ on Netflix for some escapism.

Our camper is a 26 year-old diesel, with a kitchen that contains a sink, fridge and oven. Stanley insisted it has a name and he came up with ‘Campy’ much to Bobby’s dismay! We currently sleep on a single bed and Stanley sleeps in the roof, which is more like a double. It’s a 4x4 automatic. So far we we’ve stayed in East Runton (Norfolk) and Dunwich (Suffolk). However Scotland, Devon and the Cotswolds are on our list.

Following each stay we discuss how we could make it more suited to our needs.

Unlike a lot of cars, campers hold their value so are relatively easy to trade. We are not opposed to a different internal configuration, it’s just trying to decide what we are happy to trade off. One thing we are set on that the size of vehicle is as big as we’d like. We’ve already added a bike rack to the van so we can get out on two wheels and explore when we park up.

My intention over the coming weeks is to sand and paint the kitchen to give it a freshen up. It’s also clear we need a drive away awning for longer stays and I’m now looking into the best options.

Longer term we’d love to travel into Europe when travel restrictions are lifted.

I’m already very excited about spring/summer 2021 and giving Stanley the opportunity to simply be a child, making friends and creating life-long memories.

‘Campy’ is very much a work-in-progress but I’m going to share what we do and where we go on the Journal over the coming months.