Last week, on this first week of January, one of my lifelong dreams came true. I finally got the chance to live out my fantasy of driving along the coast in a classic VW Combi and it was better than anything I could have ever dreamt of.

We made our way out to Faro to Siesta Campers HQ to go pick our van and as we parked up our car at the garage, we noticed a beautiful blue vehicle proudly standing there on the parking lot, looking ready to out on an adventure. This must be our van, we both thought. Indeed it was.

Our travel companion was called Salvador, we soon came to learn. We were presented with all it had to offer, its little hidden quirks, loaded our stuffs, plus a surfboard and wetsuit for Adrien, and we were on our way to the West Coast. It didn’t take us very long to know that we had already fallen head over heels for it.

We spent the next day living the classic car road trip dream: driving at 80 km/h along country roads, manually rolling the windows down to feel the fresh sea breeze on our faces, Adrien giddily running away on wooden boards chasing sunset until it disappeared over the ocean’s horizon and me following closely behind, observing the beautiful sceneries surrounding us. We drove off the beaten track as the light melted away, finally finishing the day drinking wine and listening to the waves crashing beneath the full moon. We fell asleep watching “Looking for Sugar Man” and woke to the sun rising behind rocks over the sea, eating our breakfast on the beach, our toes digging holes in the sand. We drove to miradouro atop cliffs, feeling the wind gently rocking Salvador from sides to sides, it fitting perfectly within the peaceful blue of the sky and the fluffy clouds.

I had left Adrien to drive the van for the first day, too busy looking out of the window at the sceneries passing us by and day dreaming to concentrate on anything else but that, but he insisted that I must try it out too, so I happily obliged.

The feeling of being behind the wheel of a camper van is incomparable with any other car driving experience I’ve had before. The look on people’s faces when they see your van approaching and the little waves and thumbs up received were heartwarming and infectious.

You instantly feel like time doesn’t matter anymore, that your travel isn’t about the destination, but the journey. 2020 could not have started in any better way.

*I reached out myself to Siesta Campers for this collaboration and they offered us a complimentary rental of Salvador with pick up and drop off in Faro. They also offer rental of surfboards and wetsuits and a lot more things you might need on your trip!