Van transformation with Van Adventures: Gold Coast

Based on the Gold Coast, Van Adventures was born from Melissa and Anastasia's shared love for travel and a keen eye for design. Hear about their experience converting their first van, Koa, and their plans for their second, much larger, Sprinter!

Who we are:

Van Adventures is a small business run by myself, Melissa, and my partner Anastasia. Our 5-year-old son Okana loves campervans more than anyone on the planet and has some pretty good ideas he workshops with Lego as well. I have travelled in vans for most of my 20’s. Vanlife has changed significantly in that time. My very first van was a work van with a mattress and a butane stove. Our new van is absolute luxury! We may have grown up “a little” and our expectations of comfort may have changed but we still think travelling by van is one of the best ways to get away and experience the world around us.

I actually stumbled across Camplify online. Anastasia mentioned she wanted to fit out a Sprinter so I thought, "what better way to get an idea of what type works best than jumping online and hiring one for her birthday!". The hiring process was really easy and we were very impressed with how easy it was to communicate with both Camplify and the owner.

Now we are the ones hiring out our van through Camplify and we couldn’t be happier with the level of customer service we receive on a daily basis.

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

We have renovated a few caravans in the past - that was our first lockdown project in Melbourne. From there we very quickly decided that we were more van people and started the business shortly after that. It is definitely a passion for me. I have never had a job I have enjoyed more than running my own business and helping people experience a luxury vanlife adventure.

How long did your van conversion take?

Our Sprinter van conversion took 8 weeks which was great as I had to build up my business from scratch and I wanted our van to be one of a kind.

Would you rather, campervan or motorhome?

Campervans are definitely our calling. I like to travel solo, with my son and with Anastasia so I love the security of a van with cabin access offers. Also, it’s a lot less work than towing a caravan or thinking about the height and length restrictions of a motorhome. We have made it so comfort is not compromised in the slightest. You would be amazed what you can fit in even the smallest of spaces, # tinyhome.

What's one feature you would not compromise on?

Creature comforts! Factory-made motorhomes are a lot of fun but are really sterile and don’t have a lot of personality. When travelling, which we do a lot (or did pre COVID), it's all about the details and experiencing something different and that’s exactly what we offer our guests.

Where did you go to find inspiration?

We explore and follow a lot of the usual van-inspo pages on Instagram, but also really enjoy architecture and design. It was quite natural for us to bring our dream to fruition.

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

There is a natural order to things when it comes to fitting out a van. We did pretty well to get everything sorted for the van but I definitely have a process prepared for the new Sprinter we recently purchased.

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

Know what your strengths are and pay others for the things that are out of your area of expertise. Our fit-out is incredibly well designed but we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the build without the natural ingenuity of our builder and his passions for electrics. Also, it would have taken far longer to do the entire build ourselves.

What's something you wish you could change about your van?

The only thing our Van is missing is a toilet. I would have loved to fit it in but couldn’t see a way without compromising the functionality and luxury. Our shower is really a show stopper and every hirer isn’t phased that it doesn’t have a toilet.

What is your funniest/best hirer story?

We had a guest pop the question to his girlfriend on our rooftop platform whilst star gazing once! What an amazing thing to be able to provide a special place for such an occasion.

What's next for Van Adventures AU?

We just purchased a Medium Wheel Base High Roof Sprinter and are going to do the fit-out with families in mind. It will definitely be a special build with nothing like it in the hiring game, so keep an eye out a little later this year!

Which Camplify owner would you like to see on our next van tour?

Happy Campers Co!

If you're keen on hiring Koa for a weekend away, check out Van Adventures Camplify profile to book!