but which variant suits me best and what do I have to consider when making the right choice?
Many yearn for, especially in these uncertain times, for a little freedom and vacation feeling. After more than a year of pandemic and restricted freedom to travel,
one can feel a little caged in, or what do you think?
Since international travel via airplane was almost impossible in the last months, traveling by campervan or caravan experienced quite a boom. Simply escape from everyday life for a short time, enjoy a change of scenery and a new perspective. The independence attracts and the more self-sufficient you are, the fewer people you have to meet. Definitely also a huge advantage in these times.
As you know, we want to make not only 2 weeks vacation at the Baltic Sea, no this van should be our new home on 4 wheels for about a year. Europe we come!
That makes of course already an immense difference, there the whole package must be right and therefore we have been pretty busy with the selection. Even if you only want to spend a few weeks on vacation in this vehicle, you should still consider a few things. Basically, we have dealt with new purchase, used cars and self-extension and would like to share our findings with you.
USED VAN:
Not new, basically also always means a certain risk when it comes to the technical aspect. We therefore recommend anyway, if only to buy from an authorized dealer to minimize that somewhat. The advantage is clear, you buy a used van | camper and this is ready to go and you can start basically right away.
Cheaper than buying new, is this variant also, which often plays a big factor in the selection. What we don't find so sexy is the hygienic aspect. Used is just used, especially in the bathroom. I do not want to think about it so much but there is worse. What I still find difficult is the design | interior of these somewhat older vehicles. This just does not meet my taste but tastes are different and with a few small changes (covers, floor, curtains, etc.) you can achieve a lot!
SELF-EXTENSION:
This always sounds so romantic, a joint project | baby, so to speak, that you build out according to your needs and then fulfills the dream of Van Life. I also think it's cool to be able to customize it and make it unique.
Respect for all who have managed that, for me it would honestly be nothing. You have to be really talented and have the necessary space and tools for the expansion. Also a little bit of knowledge belongs to it, so that when you are on the road that you have no problems and a break down or it purely rains. Most of the time it never stays within the calculated budget because a lot of unforeseen things can occur. The biggest drawback for us was the time aspect. We wanted to leave as soon as possible, so you can not just plan 6-12 months for the van removal.
NEW PURCHASE:
Last but definitely not least, the new purchase. A big disadvantage here is definitely the high investment. You have to spend some money to fulfill your dream of a new campervan. But hey, you have to see it as a certain investment with high resale value and a certain quality has its price, like everything in life. But you are also on the safe side when it comes to the technical aspect. Who wants to be stuck in the middle of the pampas with an engine failure or something similar? I certainly don't, that's for sure.
Hygiene-technically naturally also a large advantage, you alone will inaugurate the bath and the toilet. Meanwhile I am also in an age where a certain standard is important to me when traveling. A mattress in the trunk and off goes the adventure! That may have been cool in the past, but today my back can't take it anymore.
Since we want to spend our life in this van and for a long time, some amenities were important to us. This includes a bathroom with toilet and shower, a refrigerator with freezer, plenty of storage space, a comfortable bed and a few other gimmicks, such as everywhere blackout blinds, an outdoor awning and fly screens.
The refrigerator can be opened from both sides, for example. So you do not have to go all the way back into the van and open the door from behind. Very handy when you need a quick cold beer from outside.
There is even an anti-fingerprint coating on all cabinets. After that, my wife was completely convinced. No more annoying fingerprints everywhere. Instead of cleaning, you can use your time more wisely.
Pretty cool is also that there are multifunctional rails, ie I can take out the kitchen light and click in over the bed and the best is yet to come.
We were very worried about where to put Milky's litter box. In the middle of the van is not that nice and for this the Innovan even offers a solution. As if it was designed for us :D Under the bed there is an access to the storage space with a recess where Milky fits through, so we can store the litter box there neatly and he has a bit of privacy ;)
In terms of design, the Innovan 600 has also completely convinced us. We did not necessarily want to open with such a huge “pensioner model”.
With its 6 m length it offers enough space for everything that was important to us. When looking for a parking space, this size is of course also an advantage. From the outside it looks very dynamic and sporty and from the inside I like the minimalist, clean style also insanely well. There are no annoying handles and the seat covers are also made of a very durable material.
The color scheme is generally very modern and bright, which suits us just fine. A total eye-catcher is also the Sky Roof, which makes the whole van look bigger - Chapeau!
But for now I have enough raving about our new home. Now it's time to really get going. We are already counting the days but we still have to be a little patient for a while but thank god not too long. To decide what comes with and put everything away will definitely be a big challenge, but we'll get there.
One thing is for sure, we will take you with us on our adventures across Europe! So stay tuned, on our stories of our newly acquired vanlife!
Cheers Fabian
*In cooperation with LMC Caravan - my opinion remains unaffected by that.
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