TRAVELS WITH KINGDEANO ADVENTURES
For a few reasons , we decided on a second-hand van . If vanlife wasn ’ t for us , we wouldn ’ t have invested as much money as if we had purchased a new van . We did romance the idea of converting a van , but who were we kidding ? We didn ’ t have the skills , equipment and workspace that would be required . Also , converting a van would take time , and Adam and I just wanted to hit the road . With our decision made , we searched online to find a campervan within our budget .
After a few weeks of searching , our stars aligned . On the day before Melbourne ’ s lockdown ended , we came across a converted 2006 Ford Transit campervan that ticked most our boxes . We were after a van that was short in length ( to fit in a standard carpark ), had solar power , a shower and toilet , a kitchenette , plenty of storage space , and a decent-sized water tank . The very next day , I ( Dean ) took the four-hour drive from Melbourne to Portland to check out the van . Luckily , the drive was worth it !
And boy were we lucky ! The seller mentioned that her phone had been ringing hot with enquiries as Melbourne was coming out of lockdown , but we were the first people to sight the van . This was the first van that we physically viewed , and it had everything we wanted ! So , we left our deposit , waited for the road-worthy to come through , and returned a couple of weeks later to pick up our van .
When we got the van home , we ‘ made it our own ’ with a few cosmetic changes . The dated curtains were replaced with grey block-out blinds , and I sewed some new couch coverings . The foam seating was upgraded to a firmer foam to make sleeping more comfortable . A few artificial plants and decorative cushions were used to add a homely touch to the space . Lastly , we made a folddown bench extension to extend our kitchen preparation space . We were now ready to hit the road !
We ’ ve had so many wonderful experiences in the last couple of years of traveling in our campervan and look forward to many more adventures .
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