Meet the Van Lifer Interview 3

Camper Dreamin's Izzy, Laurie & Bear

The stars of our 3rd 'Meet the Van Lifer' interview need no introduction - they are Camper Dreamin's Izzy, Laurie and Bear. These guys instagram channel was quickly spotted by many van lifers and campervan enthusiasts and grew very quickly as a result of their beautiful design and carpentry work in their first van Yosemite.

Yosemite was a white Renault Traffic which was built to be the perfect adventure van enabling Izzy and Laurie to be weekend warriors rock climbing in places all over the UK. They also enjoy water sports too and are often seen most weekends down in Dorset either stand up paddle boarding or sport climbing on the fantastic limestone cliffs. 

With a heavy heart they decided to later sell Yosemite to buy and convert a bigger van to accommodate their gorgeous dog bear and all their adventure gear more easily. They have done an equally stunning job on their new van managing to maintain and recreate the highly function and homely feel they had in Yosemite in a larger space. 

Anyway, without further ado - here is our interview with Camper Dreamin:

What made you get into van life?

4 years ago we started rock climbing and spent all of our weekends travelling and camping as we threw ourselves into our new hobby. We got fed up of constantly pitching our tent and soon realised that now was time to make our life long dream of building a campervan a reality.

Is full time van life forever?

Part time van life is 100% forever. We may even try full time one day having loved part time van life for 3 years now. 

Who inspired your van life adventure or van build?

Like so many others, The Rolling Home was our inspiration for the build. When we discovered them we realised that campervans didn’t have to look shop bought and that set our imaginations alight.

What’s the best thing about van life?

For us it’s the freedom it gives. Our means to escape is parked up outside our house, ready and waiting to go at a moments notice. The moment we turn the key in the ignition at the start of each road trip, no matter how big or small, it’s like we are turning off the pressure of our working lives. With every mile we drive we can feel our souls coming alive and our batteries recharging. We talk of adventures and happy things. Some of our greatest and daftest plans have come from road trip chats.

What’s the worst thing about van life?

When the weather turns truly sour and you can’t do any of your outdoor activities, the van can suddenly feel very small. The first few days of ducking down in the van are a novelty but beyond that the cabin fever can set in.

What’s your top van life tip for anybody thinking of getting into it?

Hire a campervan first so you know what works and what doesn’t. Thanks to the many campervans we’d hired on holidays in the past we already had our ‘ideal campervan’ in our heads before we even decided to build one.

Where have you travelled so far in your van?

In the new van, barely anywhere but in our last van Yosemite, we have ticked off England, Wales, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium.

What resources do you use to plan your travels and adventures?

Our favourite travel books are the Wild Guides. Perfect for those who like to go off the beaten track.

Where is your favourite place to explore and why?

Scotland wins hands down. The beauty of the scenery combined with the freedom to wild camp make it our favourite place to travel in the van.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

Anything outdoors related! Climbing, hiking, SUPing, swimming, bike riding and Laurie loves down hilling. We also love cooking outdoors, especially on a campfire.

Is there anything you would change in your van?

At the moment, no. This is our second van conversion so we’ve already made all the improvements we wanted from the first one. So for now, this one ticks all the boxes for us.

What are 5 things in your van that you couldn’t live without?

- Woodburner
- Fridge
- Climbing kit
- Rocket stove 
- Kettle/coffee maker

What future adventures/plans do you have?

Everything is a bit unknown at the moment due to lockdown but we are excited to get the van up to Scotland, hopefully this Autumn. We want to head over to Ireland at some point and Wales is a regular destination. When the new pet passport rules come out and we can get Bears sorted we’ll start heading across to mainland Europe but we’ll be extremely content with the Isles until then.

Where can we find more information about you? 

Website: www.camperdreamin.com
Instagram: @camperdreamin
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7gaXk9aNtSnR1p5VKPw5g

We hope you enjoyed the 3rd instalment of our Van Lifer Interview series. Don’t forget to subscribe to our updates to be one of the first to review our new posts, competitions and deals. Please do also feel free to leave a comment below.