Well, we did it! It was a L-O-N-G journey figuring out what should come next after we sold our Chinook camper last summer, and as often seems to happen in our marriage, I went kicking and screaming all the way. But we flew to Florida two weeks ago and just like that, we have an RV again! (Is anybody surprised? 
)
I took a cold shower the first morning because we couldn’t figure out the hot water system, but now that we have the camper home and are figuring out how everything works, I think we are really going to like this rig! It’s a 2018 Hymer Aktiv 1.0. At under 20 feet long, this is the smallest and shortest of our campers so far. It will park anywhere a regular van could park and Ken says it drives like a dream. I haven’t driven it yet, but I think I would feel very comfortable driving it on the highway. (We were thrilled to find that it gets almost twice as many miles to the gallon of gas as the Chinook did.)
We named our first camper van Meriwether after explorer Meriwether Lewis. We never named our next camper, but just called it “the Chinook” since that was a pretty cool name already. I wanted to call our new camper van “Journey” because it was such a journey for us to come to agreement about what to buy, how much to spend, when to buy it, etc. Ken wasn’t crazy about that (he’s probably just going to call it “the camper”) but at 2 a.m. on our second night in the new camper, I was thinking about our other vehicle at home, a Honda Odyssey minivan and suddenly I just knew what this one should be called: Meet the Iliad (and the Odyssey). We think our adventures in the Iliad are going to be epic! (See what I did there? 😉 )
The inside is very compact but very cleverly arranged to make it live nice and big! Both front seats swivel to face the back and create a nice seating area for working, eating, playing games, etc. (That TV has already been taken out and sold since on the rare occasions that we watch a movie while we’re camping, we just stream it on one of our laptops. We’ll probably put a bulletin board where the TV was—a place to pin postcards, family photos, tickets, etc.)
Above are the views from our almost queen-size, very comfy bed. At our campground at Manatee Springs State Park near Orlando, FL, we felt right at home when we looked out our “bedroom” window to see deer grazing near the Iliad.
The previous owners are no longer camping so they left us tons of great supplies, including that pretty basket below, towels, dishes, and a great Cuisinart 4-cup coffeemaker, along with many of the hoses and other equipment we would have had to buy. I’m having fun making the camper our own with pretty bedding, new rugs, and a Walmart pillow I added beads to to get a little pop of red. I can’t wait to put it all together once the camper is clean and organized and ready to go on our first trip.
Poor Ken is suffering a common camping malady called “I bonked my head ten times-itis.” 🙂 But don’t feel too sorry for him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so happy. And that makes me happy.
I’m also thankful that I was able to write several thousand words on our trip home. It was a good test because this camper is our office when we are on the road and I’ll be on deadline all summer with my next novel. After a little two-day “shakedown” trip to make sure everything is working as it should, our first real trip will be to Texas where our two sons and their families live. After that we have trips planned to Kansas, North Carolina, and New England in the fall. Let the adventures begin!
How do YOU like to travel? Are you a camper, a road-tripper, an Airbnb-er, or comfy hotels all the way? Or maybe, like me, you’re more of a homebody and would really just prefer to stay home. (God knew I’d need a husband who would drag me out of my comfort zone, and I must admit, the traveling has inspired many a story!) I’d love to hear your stories!
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Congratulations on wonderful new freedom traveler! I was a back packer most of my life. Then became car camping pup tent. We upgraded to large tent or motorcycle and hotel (but can’t take granddaughter or dog on those trips). The discussion for a small RV has raged over a few years now. He retires at the end of this year. Stay tuned —I may win drivable camper debate only because he wants to take the motorcycle and I don’t want to sleep “in the garage” (toy hauler). Headed for the Rockies.
Wow, Susan! You are far more adventurous than I! But I bet you would love a drivable camper. You could even pack a tent and pitch it beside your camper if you got nostalgic for the old days. 😉
Oh wow. Now THIS is the kind of camper I think I could handle. I’d love to get something like this to be able to drive all over to explore the US. I’m usually a flyer that stays in comfy hotels (or on some occasions AirBnB), but thanks to audiobooks, I’ve found that driving isn’t so horrible these days. And I also then don’t have to worry about my flight being delayed or canceled. I hope you have many happy adventures with the Iliad! (clever name!)
Thanks, Joy! I agree about audiobooks and driving. They make a trip FLY by! And Ken and I are fine with never flying again (except we WOULD like to travel overseas again. Italy is on my bucket list).
CONGRATS, friend! The Iliad looks like an amazing RV, and I’m thrilled you guys are already making it your own. I loved your Chinook but have a feeling (with the design of this one) that it will be an even better fit. Can’t wait to see it in person and go garage sale-ing again. 💙😉
I can’t wait either! We definitely need to make that in-person visit happen! And garage sale season is coming VERY soon! We even found ONE sale this past Saturday.
We would love to see you in Michigan again for another bike ride. Congratulations on your new second home.
We LOVE that invitation, Lynn! We had SO much fun with you and Ken last fall!
Love, love, love all of it! So happy for you and Ken!
Thanks so much, Betty! We feel very blessed that God has allowed us to do this.
Congrats on the new ride! Enjoy!
Thank you, D’Ann! We’re excited!
Good for you! It looks great and will be even more amazing when you get all your personal touches done. Our recent car road trip, which included covid, made us appreciate our trailer even more, and next time we won’t leave home without it. RV travel is so freeing!
Thanks, Sunni. It IS wonderful to always have a comfy, familiar bed and our own clean bathroom with us on the road.
Since my husband and I like road trips, I have enjoyed following all your travel and camping adventures, especially the long national park road trip and your beautiful pictures. Congratulations on your new home/office on wheels! That looks like something I could actually drive! I am curious if any of the windows have some type of pull-down screen so the window can be opened for ventilation at your campground? We especially like the national parks and have tried to stay in a number of their lodges – is a challenge to book those if not planned in advance but occasionally there are cancellations. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are among our favorites, with Grand Canyon a second. Since this is more economical on gas, perhaps a longer trip to Yosemite and others might be on the bucket list??
Hi Catherine, yes, Yosemite is definitely on Ken’s bucket list. It’s one of the bigger national parks that we’ve never been to. And yes, we love the screens that pull across the sliding door and also the two back doors so we can have great air flow-through and wonderful views of our surroundings. All the windows (except the driver and passenger windows) and the skylight have screens, but we think we’ll probably use the big screens on the sliding and back doors most of all.
I thoroughly enjoyed this update, Deb! I’ll look forward to following along on your adventures vicariously. If you’re in Dallas for any length of time on your Texas swing, let’s meet for breakfast or lunch!
Becky, I would LOVE to meet up while we’re in Texas in April. I’ll contact you once we know our schedule!