Meet Bethilda, our Mazda Bongo Campervan
June 1st – we are loving life, travelling around Bali as a family.
June 8th – we land back in the UK with nothing but our 4 rucksacks.
Plans change! S**t happens! Resilience and adaptability get tested! This was the start of our journey into vanlife as a family.
Our son fell ill in Bali and whilst sparing the personal details on a blog we decided we needed to return to the UK for treatment. But what do you do when you have no house (as you rented it out to travel the world), no car (as you sold it) and want to make the most of your family gap year (which is still in flight!) – you buy a campervan, a home on wheels, and explore the best the UK has to offer!!! This is when Bethilda became part of the Trowberry family. And we do adore her.
We had spent many years camping, both pre- and post-kids, and had owned small and large tents, a folding camper (think half caravan, half trailer tent) and a caravan. Camping with the kids has given us some of the best holidays we have had as a family – when it doesn’t rain! We had eyed up Mazda Bongos for a few years after being parked next to one on a campsite one weekend, but had never taken the plunge. But in the position we found ourselves in, a Bongo seemed like a good idea, and here’s why!
- They are the same size as a large estate car, so you can park it on a driveway, in a normal parking space in a car park so you can use it as your family day-to-day vehicle
- They are cheaper to buy than the infamous VW vans – significantly cheaper. Our van cost us £7500 but you could pick one up for £5000 or up to £15,000
- The four of us could fit in perfectly – they have 4 seat belts (many van conversions only have the front 3 seats), and a proper bed for us all
Bongos were imported from Japan but haven’t been manufactured for over 20 years which means most Bongos are a tad older. Ours is 27 years old, but the benefit is they have been loved and well looked after. On researching we understood they have delicate cooling systems, and are prone to rust, but apart from that they are solid vehicles. And as long as the bottom has been sealed, and there is a coolant alarm installed, then that should be caution enough. They also have some amazing features for their age – electric blinds, electric pop top, aircon and electric door closure and are all automatic making for easy driving.
The best things about owning a Bongo, apart from those listed above are the ability to be spontaneous! Everything stays in the van, so we can literally drive off at a moments notice. We have also loved being able to have lunch and dinners (hot or cold) out and about which means there is no rush to get home for tea-time and have hangry kids! We’ve parked up and cooked pasta in the car park before spending the evening on the beach! And for lunch, your picnic sandwiches stay cool in the fridge until you need them. You can even brew up for a fresh coffee on the go!
And it would only be fair to outline the things that aren’t so great about Bethilda….
- she does guzzle fuel – she’s 27 years old! Fuel economy was not important back in 1997
- the space available is small – you have to pack light, be tolerant of the rest of the family, and hope it doesn’t rain day after day.
- there is a small hatch which the kids climb through to get into their bedroom, a trap door that they sleep on top of. Both positive and negative, but once they are up there it’s hard to get them out if one of them needs the loo and the other is asleep (positive, they put themselves to bed!)
But that’s it – she’s done 4500 miles since we’ve owned her, a few quirks of her being an older lass, but it’s given us a great adventure whilst we are in the UK for a while – not to mention also a house and a car!