In the summer of 2011 I did something that I’d been dreaming about for years, I bought an orange 1979 VW Bay Window Camper Van. As a lover of camping and old vehicles I decided a VW Camper would certainly add a little colour to my camping trips. Little did I know that the purchase of Dave the Camper Van would transform my camping trips, change how I travelled and dramatically alter my view about freedom.
The concept of van life was unknown to me at the time, I naively thought I’d just upgraded to a tin tent. My love affair with van life began that first winter, camping locally below the snow capped hills of the Yorkshire dales. I was introduced to the concept of wild camping by a fellow van life lover. My days of staying at busy campsites the size of a small town were swiftly over and I’ve never looked back.
Four years later I sadly sold Dave and upgraded (in terms of reliability and speed) to a 2006 VW T5 Camper. Horace the T5 became my trusty companion for my many camper van adventures for five years. What I’d lost in retro style and all round amazingness I gained in a whole host of mod cons and the knowledge that Horace could take me anywhere. But alas, I missed the character of an old vehicle and so my ten month search commenced for a more characterful model. In to my time machine I went and headed back to the eighties, the result a VW high top T25 from 1989 called George.
I have travelled in my camper throughout the UK and Europe and campervanned in countries as far away as Tasmania and New Zealand. I simply love this way of travelling and seeing the world. My blog is here to inspire others to enjoy the freedom that owning a camper van can give you.
Enjoy.
Ana – The CamperVana