Fun and adventure in a VW Transporter...
Life for all has looked really different in recent months with many concessions made to simply keep loved ones physically safe but also to do what is socially right in our wider communities.
However, I am sure I cannot be the only one wondering what the cost has been to our mental health and as a mother to three girls aged 11, 8 and 8 months I have had to think of ways in which we can still enjoy the outdoors whilst safe and without breaking the bank. This has led to some truly unforgettable novel family adventures in our VW Transporter T.51. A couple of years ago now Lloyd installed a Hilo roof into our van but if I am honest it rarely got utilised despite all of us thinking it was fab. We were just too busy. Now, though it has come into its own and has opened up many possibilities to us to be able to travel, take long day trips with our greyhound Billy and eat out in a new fashion!
Our new favourite thing to do this Summer is to pack spare clothes and snacks, stick a coastal destination in the Sat Nav and go. The van is our base and we have a little fridge, BBQ, portable toilet and loads of cushions at the ready for wherever we end up at.
The roof so far has been slept in, given us an incomparable view at drive in cinemas, dined in whist looking directly out on the ocean, been a base for afternoons playing board games and allowed our youngest to hone her new crawling skills!
Lloyd has fitted a light up galaxy top on the underside and so when you are lying back enjoying an outdoor film you have twinkly lights above you creating a warm, snuggly vibe to relax in. It is also like the rest of the van, fully carpeted for comfort and design.
We love to camp too and have a tent purpose made for vans which attaches to the side door. This also revolutionises camping for those that haven’t taken that step to get a campervan or motorhome. It is lovely and spacious with plenty of space for all of us including Billy’s large crate.
For my birthday just gone Lloyd bought me a projector that we can take with us on future adventures so we can just park up and watch a film, play games, look through photos and so on. Lloyd fitted an aux cable too and this allows us to use Spotify without the need for Bluetooth on and will work brilliantly with the projector.
The great thing is that unlike other roofs, when we put the roof back down you don’t know it is in there. It looks just like a normal Transporter and still fits under the height restrictions in car parks and on ferries etc. This has helped to save money on holidays in the past too.
In the future for colder days we plan to convert the front seats into swivel chairs so we can turn round and face the kids in the back. We have two removable rows of seats in the back for in the old days (and hopefully the future) when we needed more seats for family members too on days out. With them being removable we can leave a gap in the middle and then have space for a table between us. It seems like there are endless uses and possibilities to do things differently and in a tailored way to our needs. My older girls are also kept entertained on longer journeys as we have inbuilt DVD players in the back of the seats, one of these at least will be sure to come in handy too for episodes of Peppa Pig when our youngest needs occupying.
Up next for us is getting our little boat onto the Thames as, again, we were too busy (and me too pregnant) to enjoy it last year and the tow bar on the van makes this possible and also looking to get a bike rack so when we next get chance to hit on the Camel Trail we can take our own bikes!