It had to happen at some point. Suddenly there are noises that don’t bode well. Engine failure in our 15-year-old C-Class estate after just 400,000 km.
What now? Christoph’s company car, a Passat Variant, is great, but unfortunately he needs it for work during the day and a station wagon also reaches its limits when you’re traveling with a family of five. A child seat has to go on the front passenger seat and I have to sit in the middle in the back – I hate it!
The dream of a VW bus is alive again!
So just a few minutes after the diagnosis, a hasty search is made for the 2-year-old offers – in vain. No matter, it is no longer valid anyway. So start the configurator straight away and check the used car market at the same time. At the VW dealer, it quickly becomes clear that due to the reduced VAT, favorable financing interest rate and high discounts, only one thing comes into question – a new T6.1 Multivan “Generation Six” model.
We’re still toying with the idea of a California Beach, but it’s way out of our budget and it’s hard to believe that the five of us could sleep comfortably in it. Besides, we’re not campers – not yet. The idea of traveling like this never leaves us.
The configuration is adjusted daily, several offers are obtained and after a few weeks of deliberation, the bus is ordered. Three months delivery time, an eternity. The production status is checked online every day. It can’t be true that production is still not running after 5 days.
The Caravan Salon trade fair in Düsseldorf is just the right time. Due to Corona with limited visitor numbers, perfect for getting inspired. Christoph is enthusiastic about large family tents, but they are not an option for me. The idea of sleeping on a wet and cold floor with crawling animals is unthinkable for me. The Campwerk stand is much more appealing to me. A tent on the car, never seen before. Fascinating! It is also spacious and quite comfortable. And the folding trailer also amazes us, even though we don’t want to pull a caravan or trailer behind us and the costs are not feasible for us.
The bus is still not in production – fortunately. The detachable trailer coupling is added for safety. You never know.
The excitement builds. It’s finally here. And I am in love. So chic, so comfortable and so much space.
Get ready for your camping adventure
May 2021 – Corona has kept us busy for over a year now and even though it’s lovely in our new home, I long to be far away. Due to the unpredictable pandemic situation and the costs for 5 people, air travel is quickly ruled out. But why do we have a van if we’re not going on vacation in it? My brother, whose family we spend a lot of time with, is planning to spend a few weeks in Portugal in September. We join in.
The plan is in place and the anticipation is growing.
Christoph and I quickly agree to take a trip along the east coast of Spain through Andalusia to the north of Portugal to Viana do Castelo, the place where my sister-in-law has her roots. The idea of the roof tent is more present than ever and seems to be the perfect solution for us. We spent weeks scouring the internet for rooftop tents, but it was clear from the outset that if we were going to use one, it would be the Skycamp 2.0 from Campwerk.
So off to Bochum to try it out again to be sure and then order it. We still don’t have any camping experience, but we have to gain it at some point. The camping market is booming. So if the worst comes to the worst, it will certainly sell well again.
Our vacation plans are becoming more concrete, as is our set-up. We still need a rear pull-out for better organization. There are many on the net. Many suppliers, many different lengths, many DIY instructions. We opt for the pull-out from BusBoxx with a depth of 800 mm. To save a few euros, we order this as a kit. We don’t really like the Euro boxes often used by campers, and they don’t fit properly either. As we don’t want to waste any space, we start constructing our own boxes from lightweight poplar wood, which quickly turns into an evening-long project.
The realization and construction of the boxes is carried out by the company New Wave, my brother’s company, where the boxes are also available on request.
There are still two months to go before our trip. Fortunately, because this gives us enough time to work our way forward bit by bit. The roof tent is quite large with a sleeping area of approx. 2 x 2 m, but with five people it might be a bit tight. So we’d better plan for a sleeping area in the bus.
So we still need a folding mattress, multiflex board, blackout blinds, plus a cool box, water canister, gas stove, side bags for the rear windows, blankets and whatever else we can think of. The initial investment adds up, but there is no going back now. We tell ourselves that vacations will be all the cheaper from next year onwards.
It’s the end of August and our journey begins in two days. The thermal mats for darkening the windows arrived just in time. We are perfectly equipped – hopefully. The first camping weekends at Landalpark Sonnenberg on the Moselle and at the farm campsite in Knüllwald certainly make us think so.
You’re ready to go. Portugal, here we come.
