I’M NOW A PROUD VW CALI OWNER!

A long time ago I promised myself that – when I would retire – I would buy a motorhome. Nothing seemed more beautiful to me than being able to enjoy my free time whilst traveling through Europe. From the moment I decided to buy a motorhome after my retirement, I was a regular visitor to motorhome fairs. The large Camper fair in Düsseldorf was at the top of my list. Nowhere else in Europe can you compare so many different types of motorhomes and accessories as in this beautiful German city. Only few times did I skip the fair. But when I was there, I was amazed by all that beauty. And after every visit I was looking forward to the moment that I could call myself a proud owner of a motorhome.

A proud owner. That moment comes far sooner than I had intended. Very very soon even, as I have decided not to wait to the date that I retire, but to buy one now. About three years earlier than originally planned. Yes, I still have three years to go until I retire, so I can’t yet enjoy my camper every single day. What I can do now however, is taking short or long weekend breaks with the camper when time (read: when work) allows me to. Putting my bike on the back, packing provisions and clothes and going ‘en route’. Of course, I could have waited another three years. However, by now I also know – from my own experience and the experiences of others – that postponement can sometimes mean that it’ll never happen. By own choice or by fate. So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned well, it’s not to procrastinate too much anymore. I learned the hard way that it’s a fact that I can’t beat fate. It’s also more than a fact that I can make my own conscious choices. Carpe diem!

Today is Friday, March 14, 2025. The day has arrived that I will pick up my own camper – my Volkswagen T7 California Ocean! It feels like I’m a kid again, like waiting for unwrapping my presents for my birthday. Such a blissful feeling you have when something nice is about to happen that you have been waiting for a long time. Because buying this camper is not just ‘buying a car’ or a ‘camping vehicle’. No, it symbolizes much more to me. It’s the feeling of freedom, boundlessness, choosing my destiny, meeting new people, discovering new places, relaxation, health… an infinitely long list that has nothing to do with the materialistic notion of ‘having a car’. In short, for me, the camper heralds a new phase of my life. So, I’m glad that I didn’t wait until after my retirement. Because now, while I still have a very busy and challenging job, an extra relaxation is more than welcome. This is the right moment! 

Throughout the process of “considering, deliberating, wondering again whether I should buy or not and finally deciding to buy”, my family, friends and colleagues were always emphatically and positively involved. Including in the first place my dear sister. What could be better than sharing this day with her. So, around noon on Friday March 14th, I pick her up and we get into my current car (which I will trade in for the camper) to ‘meet’ my new campervan. During our one-and-a-half-hour drive, we happily chat about a broad variety of topics. Not in the least about how fun it will be to be able to travel when and where you like. Time flies when you’re having fun, so before we know we enter the beautiful city of Amersfoort. But where I must turn to the right, I see that the total road is blocked. Why they had to decide that they needed to renovate this road just as I wanted to drive on it, I don’t know. In any case, my current car has quite a problem with this road closure. The navigation system makes frantic attempts to convince me that I should drive on the closed road. Not such a smart idea! In the end, the system understands that this will not work. To then send us into a residential area where we completely lose our way after five minutes. We decide to ignore the navigation system completely, so that in the end we arrive at our destination with only a short delay. Upon entering the dealership, we are immediately warm and enthusiastically welcomed by one of the employees of the Volkswagen Camper Centre in Amersfoort. Despite the delay, we are ultimately fifteen minutes early. Whereupon we are offered a delicious cup of coffee, and we install ourselves at the large table to ‘recover’ from the long ride. After the necessary administrative handling (the ownership of the current car has to be transferred), the moment has finally arrived: other than in a photo, I am seeing my new campervan for the first time ‘life’.

There she is! ‘She’, because I decided to give her the name ‘Cali’. Well, perhaps a strange thought to provide a campervan with a name. However, I have never claimed that I am completely normal. The sight of ‘Cali’ brings a big smile to the face of both my sister and me. What a beauty of a campervan! In the dual tone colours dark blue (bottom) and white (top) she is completely radiant. The dark rims complete the picture. We are quiet for a while, and the VW employee lets us enjoy the first impressions. I’m stunned that this VW is mine, I can hardly believe it. But what is standing in front of me is really my ‘property’ from now on. My passport to even more freedom and fun.

 In the next four hours, we get an explanation of almost all functionalities and possibilities. Including the practical do & don’t tips for handling the Cali. It’s a good thing I had already read the manual beforehand, otherwise it would have made me dizzy. Because this Cali has an almost endless list of features. I think that it’ll take a while before I have understood and tried everything. Fortunately, that’s part of the fun! With a ceremonial ‘bottle of wine’ and some other goodies, after many hours, we close-off the explanation session and I finally get the keys of my Cali. Ready to head back home again! But before that happens, my sister comes up with the bright idea to ‘baptize’ the Cali with the bottle of wine we just received. “Like,” she says, “you always see on TV when a new boat is launched.” I don’t have to explain that we don’t do this in the end, such a shame to have a big dent in the Cali right away. And last but not least, also a shame for the wine, I prefer to drink it myself!

 Whilst the roller door of the garage closes behind us, I take a seat in the Cali with my sister. After the fun and exciting explanation, it is suddenly very calm and quiet. All impressions during the last hours were not only very pleasant, but also very intensive, and tiring in a positive way. I notice that I need to relax for a while before we start the journey back to the south of the Netherlands. A long, relaxed yawn emphasizes the feeling I have now: tired and at the same time very happy and satisfied! After some fiddling with all the buttons, setting the driver’s seat and the steering wheel, I am ready to hit the road. I only now realize that this is the first time in my life that I have bought a car – in this case a campervan – that I have never test driven before. I had seen the Cali many times at the various fairs so far but had never driven it myself. The driving experiences I had up to this point were limited to the many videos of car journalists that I had seen on the various websites. And they were all without exception praising the driving characteristics of this new Multivan. Since I have owned several Volkswagens before, I fully trusted that the quality is good. So now, for the very first time, I am going to experience for myself how it feels. 

Already at the first meters of driving, where I try out various manoeuvres, this Cali T7 feels completely familiar. You may sit a little lower than in the Cali T6.1, but from my ‘seat’ I can look over all the traffic in a very pleasant way. As if you are driving a large van. For me, in terms of seating and height, the new T7 is on par with the T6.1. However, I quickly notice that the driving behaviour of the new version is completely different. You don’t notice that you are driving a large Multivan. It also doesn’t feel like a van at all. No, my Cali feels like a ‘normal passenger car’: comfortable, quiet, enjoyable. Only the ‘shifting’ (it is an automatic) takes some getting used to. In the car I just traded in for my Cali, the shift lever (also an automatic) was on the right side of the steering wheel. On my first attempt to set the Cali from ‘neutral’ to ‘reverse’, I turn on the windshield wipers, as this was the handle that I’d used until now in my previous car. Which led to a thunderous burst of laughter from my sister, which spontaneously made me laugh out loud. After some fiddling with the windshield wipers, I finally manage to find the correct ‘button’ on the dashboard to get the Cali moving. To be honest, I will probably still use the wrong lever regularly. Driving the same car for years apparently brings about a certain automatism. 

During the whole ride back home, I have a big smile on my face. The long process that started with the intention to buy a motorhome one day has come to an end. How I will enjoy this beautiful campervan! When I get home, I will first get to know all the functionalities of the Cali. And give all motorhome and camping equipment a place in one of the many cupboards and storage places. For this evening there is however only one thing left for me: to reminisce about this beautiful day and go to sleep in time, to get started with the Cali tomorrow, fully rested…