Van transformation: Zaidee by Happy Campers coastal boho

A custom coastal boho interior design inspired by Tori and Aidan’s love for the ocean and being around nature, Zaidee has a simple & sleek appearance on the outside and a neutral and natural fresh feeling on the inside, making her the perfect home on wheels for any location - whether you are nestled up by a beach, lake, forest, mountain or campfire.

Zaidee is the perfect camper for a couples getaway, a road trip with a friend, or a solo escape. She includes a lot of basic comforts and features of a small home from 240v power for appliances to the wall-mounted projector. This all-in-one, ready-to-go camper will take the hassle out of those camping chores and make it a glamping experience!

We had a chat with Tori and Aidan to give us the full rundown of their van conversion process, where they found inspiration and their best advice for the first-time van converters!

Who we are:

We are Tori and Aidan, two adventure seekers and camping enthusiasts! We originally built Zaidee with the intent to live in her and travel the country, however COVID19 did alter our plans. While we waited for the right time to start our big lap, friends suggested the idea of renting Zaidee out, and we LOVED the idea!

We joined Camplify not only because it is a great and easy platform to reach travellers, however also to share our passion for seeking adventure and exploring! We hope that when guests view our Camplify profile and see our photos of Zaidee they feel inspired to get out and about around our beautiful state. We understand that road trips and camping isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so we created a cosy, inviting tiny home on wheels that can change the way we think of camping and being in nature!

Why did you decide to convert a van and when did you start?

July 2020 is when our van conversion began! We found ourselves stuffing a mattress into the back of our 4WD nearly every weekend. We would park up along our favourite beaches and set up for the day with our mattress and gas cooker (cooking our meals on food paths and bench seats). We absolutely love being by nature and near the ocean, and as we spent more and more time adventuring in the back of our little cars we began chatting about how much we both loved the idea of tiny houses and van life. One day a VW Crafter (Zaidee) popped up on our Marketplace sales of the day and we did not hesitate to go check her out! We slid the side door open to see a huge, empty van and both got so excited!

Renovating Zaidee kept us both very entertained throughout the lockdowns!

How long did your van conversion take?

We were in no rush with our build, and being the rookies we were we actually had no idea how long it would take! Our build took about 7 months.

Would you rather, more storage space or an in-van shower/toilet?

Zaidee is a high-top, long wheel-based VW Crafter with plenty of space for storage – so we would opt for an in-built shower! Our beachside showers are totally fine, however this would be very handy for those cold, wet winter days.

What’s one feature you could not compromise on?

Our huge queen-size bed! The main response we get back from our hirers is how comfy the bed is. Aidan is a crazily huge human, so having a full-size, permanent bed in Zaidee was high on our priorities. Whether it’s laying by the beach with the sea breeze drifting in, snuggling up to watch a movie, playing cards or reading a killer book our queen-size bed makes everything so much more enjoyable and homey!

Where did you go to find inspiration?

Pinterest Pinterest Pinterest! We are so lucky to have inspiration at our fingertips with technology, and we had so much fun saving photos and ideas from social media platforms (Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube). We are both very outdoors/adventure people, who spend the majority of our time at the beach or hiking so we kept this in mind with our van design. We kept the colours white and bright, with plenty of greenery and windows so the beautiful nature around us was the main feature!

What is one thing you wished you’d known before you started?

You can’t cut wood twice haha. An obvious answer but it will save your dollars and materials – measure twice, cut once.

What is one piece of advice you’d offer a first-time van renovator?

Use the amazing van life community! As previous van renovators for tips, join van life community pages on Facebook and follow van renovator pages on Instagram! It is a great community full of wonderful people ready to share their tips and expertise! Most importantly – HAVE FUN! Renovating and building your van is a huge process, however when you are finished and step back the feeling of accomplishment is a magical feeling – so smile, stress less and enjoy the journey!

What is your funniest/best hirer story?

Our camping port-a-loo always provides the best stories from hirers! We get so many giggles hearing how much our hirers opt for a nature experience and pull out the port-a-loo and watch the world go by while sitting by the beach, in a forest or under the stars.

What's next for Open Road Campervans?

We are currently in the process of hunting down our next van to add to the Happy Campers Co fleet! Keep your eyes peeled.

Follow the sun, the less explored paths, the coastal breeze and cozy towns with Zaidee from - we hope you love her as much as we do 💕 - Happy Campers Co