Introducing: The Vanlife Blog
04 Dec 2018
E Komo Mai - Welcome to Campervan Hawaii and thanks for taking the time to learn more about us!
We love our beautiful islands and we hope to be able to share the most unique Hawaii travel experience with you through the freedom and ease of living in our custom vans as you explore all there is to offer.First, we would like to share our story so you get a sense of our vision and our passion for adventure on the road.
Our love affair with vanlife started over 20 years ago when my husband, Sean, drove his '78 VW bus, “Gretchen”, from Eastern PA to my parent's house in IA, helped load up my waterbed, a few of my belongings and my cat to embark on an adventure on wheels.
We headed out East to start our life together enjoying the freedom to roam, camp, and enjoy life on the road. We had some great times in that bus but eventually Sean wanted to fully restore a VW and we needed one that was in better original condition. Soon we re-homed Gretchen and bought another VW bus, this one worthy of a build out.
For a time, we lived under an auto body shop so Sean was able to spend his evenings dissembling and then putting her back together piece by shiny new piece.
By the time he completed the restoration, we had decided that Hawaii was the right place to call home and we began preparing to move across the country…and ocean! It didn't seem right to leave the mainland without properly seeing it first, so we decided a cross-country trip was in order. We packed up our clothes, supplies and our dog, Kief
As soon as the last bolt was turned we test drove our “Bessie” out of town, set the gearshift for the high gear of our wanderlust hungry souls, and headed out for an epic adventure...
The first of which was sputtering to a stop about 10 minutes into it! Ha, all part of #VWlife, right? Luckily, it ended up just being an unplugged relay, so Sean plugged it back in and just like that we were on the road again! We spent a blissful two months exploring the beautiful lands and amazing cities this country has to offer and loved the simplicity of wandering across America in our shiny new home on wheels.
Shortly after that trip, Sean and I moved to Hawaii where we started a solar design and installation company. Our lives were largely consumed by our startup for 10 years, and once it was established and became profitable, we sold it and went exploring again!
This time we opted to travel in something a little larger and more reliable, so we procured a Sprinter Airstream Interstate called “Ripple”. We traveled around the country for most of that year, enjoying lots of great music, visiting many National, State and County Parks, many hot springs, enjoying getting lost along back roads, boon docking and soaking in the nature.
For the next 3 years we traveled back and forth from Hawaii to where she is stored, right outside of San Francisco, living our bicoastal dream, spending about half of each year traveling across the mainland and then returning to Hawaii for the winter.
We loved the freedom and simplicity of being on the road and started thinking it would be a great way to explore the islands. After months of extensive research, we decided that the Hymer Aktiv van would be the most suitable for the Hawaii market and in the spring of 2018 we ordered our first 2 vans and Campervan Hawaii was born! We began by renting our vans on the beautiful island of Maui, which is the most popular vacation island for people seeking adventures in nature.
“The Valley Isle” as it’s called has a multitude of waterfall hikes and sandy beaches to explore with beautiful scenery all around making for a stunning driving experience.
It is also home to the gorgeous Haleakala National Park, one of Hawaii’s two national parks. Maui offers something for everyone including many activities, points of interest, scenic spots, and lots of great campgrounds. All of this makes Maui an ideal Campervan destination ensuring a truly unique travel experience full of adventure and the making of great memories.
We are so excited to bring this alternative option to people wanting to visit the islands in a more intimate way, traveling around and exploring it all at your own pace.
Our mission is to offer the kind of experience we have enjoyed for decades blending the convenience and comfort of living in our fully loaded vans with the freedom to travel with ease and spontaneity wherever your adventurous spirit may take you.
We hope you will climb on board and enjoy this truly unforgettable experience!
Aloha!
Beth-Ann Mullen
co-founder and adventurer