As I write from the bridge bar of the ferry Ciudad de Barcelona, on my way to Italy for a few days with family, I can't help but look at the 1 cm scar on my right thumb. It's a mark that reminds me of a camper van trip when I was a child.
I remember that moment clearly. I was about 8 years old, and my family and I were exploring the Alps in Italy and Switzerland. Playing with a small pocketknife I'd found in a camper van drawer, I cut myself while opening it. It was one of the first times I'd unintentionally injured myself while doing something I shouldn't have been... but always driven by an insatiable curiosity for the new, even if it was a bit risky.
Did you know that, of all the experiences a child has during their first 10 years, 80% of their clearest memories throughout their life are of family trips?
For me, all my childhood memories have something in common: 4 wheels, the house on our backs, and an immense passion for discovering the world. I took my first trip in my dad's Fiat Westfalia camper when I was less than a year old.
I was lucky to grow up in a family that valued the different, the exotic, and the faraway. My parents always found a way to help others, acting with honesty and kindness in everything they did. They taught me that, in everything you do, there is always something beyond yourself.
Have you ever stopped to think about why you do what you do? Do you remember when we were teenagers and questioned the meaning of life? In the United States, they call it «purpose.» That «Why» of your life.
Bruce Chatwin, the British writer and adventurer, also asked himself this in one of his best-known books: «What am I doing here?»
Throughout my professional career, managing businesses and teams to provide the best customer service, I've asked myself this question many times. And in 2023, after three years working at one of the largest camper rental companies, everything became clear: my purpose was to help everyone who, like me, is passionate about camper travel and wants to live that experience easily, affordably, and on a daily basis.
Mistervan is not just my «why,» my goal. Mistervan is my memories, my values, my vision.
Mistervan is me... and you are too!
PS: In the end, I beat my dad: my daughter's first camper trip was when she was only 28 days old!