Always home with "Willy", the Bürstner Copa

Camping is in the veins of Ronald, Mieke and Fleur. Since 2021 they have been traveling with a roof tent on their Berlingo, but a year ago they decided to switch to a Bürstner Copa, which is a lot more comfortable. Read here what adventures they have had since then.

Camping has always been in our veins. In 2021 we traveled for a month with a roof tent on our Berlingo through the most beautiful nature spots in France. That was fun, but traveling with a roof tent becomes a bit uncomfortable if you have days of continuous rain, which is what we experienced in the Jura. That's why a camper van seemed like the ideal solution to us, because then you can eat comfortably indoors and you have more indoor living space in bad weather. That was the start of a search for our perfect camper van!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
When we spotted the Ford Bürstner Copa 500 at Vanomobil, we were immediately sold! A family car that can also be used as a camper van, the perfect combination for us. In mid-June we were allowed to pick up our camper, which we immediately named “Willy”.

YEAR FULL OF BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES
We made so many wonderful memories in that first year. Beautiful sunsets, delicious stir-fry dishes prepared in our own kitchen, cozy Campspace places to spend the night. The best feeling of all is the fact that you are always at home. You always have your own things in your house. We used to take road trips quite often and change hotels or campsites every 1 or 2 nights. Now we just move our home from one beautiful place to another. Willy has taken us on several weekend trips, both nature trips and city trips. We enjoyed the Kempen and Limburg, but we were also right in the center of Tilburg at the city campsite or we were on the outskirts of The Hague for a weekend of shopping & museums. During the school holidays we went to the German Sauerland for a week and this spring we went to Devon & Cornwall for ten days during the Easter holidays to enjoy the rough and wild nature. There we had a fantastic view of the sea almost every day, which was wonderful.

PERFECTLY TAILORED TO OUR FAMILY
The most important thing for us was that - when it rains - we have a comfortable indoor space to sit and cook. And that was a complete success. Willy is not big at all, but that makes it very cozy and pleasant. There are three of us traveling, and we feel like the van is completely tailor-made for us. If we go away for longer, not everything fits in the cupboard spaces, but because of the large luggage compartment at the back, we are able to take everything with us perfectly.

NO TOILET, WIN-WIN
The lack of sanitary facilities in the Copa does not bother us, on the contrary. After all, no toilet means that we don't have to clean one either, so it's a win-win. Every now and then when someone has to get up at night to go to the toilet, it is a bit of a shame that you have to walk a lot further to the sanitary buildings on the campsite, but that used to be the same when we had a tent. By the way, the outdoor shower works perfectly!

OUR ONLY VEHICLE
Willy is our only car and therefore goes on a weekly adventure to the supermarket for groceries or to Ikea for a new cupboard. Since our van is only half a meter longer than our previous car, it also fits perfectly in the usual parking spaces. We only have to pay attention to the height, but we look for a Park&Ride or parking garage without height restrictions in advance.

READY FOR MORE ADVENTURE!
We couldn't miss our Bürstner Copa anymore. Every corner of our small camper has been ingeniously decorated by the builders. The kitchen cupboard is handy, the cupboards above the gas bottle and water tank prove to be an ideal wardrobe and there is a handy USB port everywhere. We could have made the mattress in the pop-up roof a little thicker, but we could order it to fit our preferences. We're ready for more adventures! We soon have a 6,000 kilometer road trip ahead of us. We drive via Austria, Croatia and Bosnia towards Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia to fully discover those three countries. We are already looking forward to it!

We are Ronald (44), Mieke (40) and Fleur (11) from Roeselare. Feel free to follow our adventures on @miekedeclercqrsl.
Text and photos - Mieke Declercq

Does traveling with a camper van also appeal to you? Click here for more information about the purchase and click here for more information about renting a camper van!