2024 Campervan Rental Season- Wrap up!
As the 2024 “busy” season wraps up here at Q Campervans, we thought it would be nice to share some of the experiences that both my renters and I had through-out the year. Of course it is always bitter-sweet when the season wraps up. On one hand we are so sad that not as many renters are out exploring the beauty of Canada and the USA (is quite cold here in the winter). But also, the stress of ensuring that every renter has the trip of their life is lifted from our shoulders. Both times of year bring different benefits. During the winter, Q Campervans is hard at work building more vans, both for rent and for sale. However, we still want to look back at what was this year!
If you are interested in renting a Q Campervan please use the button below to book your next dream road-trip from Vancouver, BC. With that being said, let’s recap the 2024 rental season! Enjoy!
Henry with the northern lights in the background. Manning Park, BC
One of the first amazing experiences that we had across North America in the beginning of May, was the northern lights! Sweeping across the continent there was a gorgeous display of colours in the sky. It usually takes quite an intense geomagnetic storm for the lights to show up in southern BC, but my renters were in the perfect spot to observe the Aurora Borealis in Manning Park, BC! Of course, the lights were better in person, but I thank Antonio and Ilona for doing their best to capture the lights with Henry!
Although we had 6 campervan rentals ready for the 2024 season, we decided to add Jayne to the fleet in March! Building commenced on March 12 and was complete by May 17! We would have been finished quicker, but given our busy season began in May as well, it was difficult juggling both the conversion and getting renters on the road! (the photos below are in gallery format, click the arrow to see more!)
In mid-May we had our longest rental ever of 51 nights. A lovely couple came from the Netherlands came to explore everything Canada had to offer. Lenny had the privilege of being their companion. Before they left back to Europe, they hung some mini wooden clogs on the mirror, solidifying Lenny being a dutch van from now on! They had an amazing trip and took some incredible photos of their experience. Furthermore, they were so pleased with their time in a Q Campervan, that they offered to write us a blog post that other Europeans can use to plan for a North American road-trip!
I am always thrilled when I take a trip in one of my vans. This time, in early June, I went down to southern Washington, via Leavensworth, with Big Blue for a short 3 day adventure! I stayed at completely free campsites that I found on iOverlander. Both of which were right beside rivers allowing for endless hot water showers. I went down to check out a MBA program at Walla Walla University that would also allow me to play collegiate basketball again! Unfortunately, the program dates didn’t line up for it to be feasible… However, that didn’t stop me from going on a couple great hikes and seeing some beautiful sights. Here are some photos from my trip!
To switch gears a bit, I had quite a few things left behind from my renters that I shipped back to them! This included but was not limited to rings, passports, dirt in a bag, panties, socks, books, pants, blankies, and much more! It always makes my renters happy when they feel they’ve lost something valuable, and then I find it! Often international renters leave behind food which my constantly hungry self easily takes care of ;).
Later in June, I had the famous and amazing @flossys_wonderland take Henry out on a trip for her honeymoon! They are British, but currently live in Amsterdam, so the beauty of the Rockies absolutely blew them away! She made some great content of her experience and trip on her page. I even have a few bookings for next year already lined up because of her! If you guys are interested in travelling or even just lifestyle content, make sure to give her a follow. Genuinely good people (her and her husband!)
In terms of destinations that my renters visited, Banff and Jasper will remain the most popular places to visit. Vancouver Island is a very close second with Tofino being the top town to experience. Whistler, Okanagan, Oregon Coast, Victoria, and Southern BC were some other notable destinations. However, I did have people visit other incredible places! Some of the longer trips with my vans included:
Fred: Vancouver- Jasper- Yellowstone (WY)- Washington Coast
Fred: Vancouver- Los Angeles and back
Jayne: Vancouver- Whitehorse (Yukon)- Juneau (Alaska)- Vancouver Island
Lenny: 51 nights visiting almost all of BC, the Alberta Rockies, and Washington
Lenny had a great time most of July cruising around with two sisters (Julia and Meike) from Germany. Despite having their own van that they travel in regularly back home, they chose my van to travel while in Canada. The trip went so smoothly and their van instagram page was filled with Canadian scenery. They mentioned that their parents (who also travelled with them) rented a larger RV and it was riddled with problems. I am so glad that Lenny treated them well in contrast! If you want to see a reel they made about their time with Lenny, click here. Also, be sure to follow their instagram page @driving_bernie.
In late July, a tree was chopped down by BC Hydro near my house and cut into perfect rounds for firewood. This gave me the idea that I should offer firewood add-ons in addition to renting out my vans. So I got to work chopping up the rounds and now I have a GINOURMOUS stock of firewood for the 2025 rental season. This also got me thinking about other things I can rent to enhance my customer experience. So next year 2 person inflatable kayaks and paddle-boards (SUPS) will be available for rent with all my vans! Be sure to add them to your rental!
In August, a mom and her 2 kids took Marvin out to Vancouver Island to explore the coastal beauty of British Columbia! She had purchased a delivery to the YVR airport to make everything even more convenient. Although she was nervous about driving a larger vehicle, she mentioned that it was very easy to drive and got the hang of it super quickly! On their trip, they went surfing, explored beautiful beaches and saw a rare phenomon of Killer Whales/Orcas rubbing their bellies on the rocks in Telegraph Cove! Truly a memorable trip and incredible renters for my business!
Killer Whales/Orcas rubbing their bellies on the rocks in Telegraph Cove.
Now I am a man of honesty and transparency. All of the above is all the amazing things about this year, however, I run a travel business…. nothing is always perfect. Mechanical problems are the one thing in my industry that can never be completely eliminated! Luckily this year we did really well to minimize large breakdowns and when they did occur, we ensured my renters were safe, problems were dealt with quickly and efficiently, and all parties were happy with my service! This is a big source of pride I take in the service I offer to my renters. They know if anything goes wrong, I am there. A somewhat comedic and also potentially divine example of this occurred in one of my last rentals of the season! Let me explain…
It all started when I had my last rental of the season with Jayne. The renters took her out to Banff and were having a great time until a spark plug blew out (common problem on the 2002 Ford Econoline engine). I was able to quickly get them towed to Canmore Ford and because they had to be back in Vancouver the next day, I paid for their transportation back. Thus, Jayne was left in Canmore. Later, when I had a gap in my rentals, I flew out to Calgary and bussed to Jayne. The purpose of this was to bring Jayne back to Vancouver. However, I made a little trip out of this and did some camping and hiking for myself :) However, I did need to be back relatively quickly, so I packed up my stuff and made my way along highway 1 early one morning. There was a traffic stop at 8 am just outside of Golden, BC. I got out to stretch and I thought I saw one of my other vans up ahead… I dismissed that notion, thinking the chances of that would be sooooo low. Finally, traffic started to move after about 25 minutes and I started Jayne up again. I slowly approached the van I saw from aways back and sure enough it was my renters in Lenny on the side of the road with their hazards on! My stomach sunk because I hate when a vehicle has problems. Now remember, these renters have NO CLUE that I am all the way out near Golden (8 hour drive from Vancouver) and they didn’t have cell service in that area. I pulled my van up beside them and tapped on their window. They turned their head to see me and it took them 5 seconds or so to process that the perfect person to help them was standing outside their window in this remote place!! It was incredibly funny and most likely shocking for them. I quickly diagnosed the problem. They simply left the key in the ignition to run the radio (which also charges the house battery in the back) thus draining the starter battery. Thus, they simply needed a jumpstart. I got out my jumper cables (each van has a pair) and boosted them. They were on their way within 5 minutes! Here is a snippet from their 5-star review they left me on Google, “In some cases he can guarantee a 24/7 full service with express roadside assistance like we had. We will never forget that 😃”. I am not sure whether they are Christian or not, but this was one story that I believe was a God moment. The chances of me (the owner) being at their door, the moment they have an issue, is a divine intervention in my opinion. God is amazing.
Here is some pictures from their trip and during/after the incident described above!
Finally! In mid-November I decided to sell the OG and Legend, Henry. This van was the first van I built that jumpstarted my company. I researched endlessly the best way to build this campervan, and it was the prototype for the rest of my business. I took a huge risk switching from financial auditing to become an entrepreneur, and Henry made all of this possible. I am so grateful for all the memories that Henry has facilitated. He holds a special place in my heart despite him being with a new owner now!
A trusty companion. He served me well :) Thanks Henry!
Well, that’s probably a good point to stop. Thank you so much for getting to the end of this blog post which wrapped up my 2024 rental season. If you would like to book your trip with my company, please use the button below.
Thanks again!
-Quennel Anderson
