The second journey · June 2024

Carinthia & Tyrol. The first tour in our own van.

After Iceland, we converted a black Mercedes Vito into a camper ourselves. In June 2024, it took us through Carinthia and Tyrol—our first journey in our own home on wheels.

June 2024

After Iceland came our own build.

Iceland had shown us how liberating camper travel can feel. Back home, renting was no longer enough. With a Mercedes Vito, a few sheets of timber and plenty of ideas, we built our first camper.

In June 2024, we converted the Vito into our first home on wheels. Pull-out modules provided space for boxes, cooling and cooking gear. A bed sat above, with a small kitchen at the open rear. It was simple, practical and far from the build we have today. But it was ours.

Our first journey in our own van took us through Carinthia and Tyrol. We camped between forests and mountains, cooked at the rear, slept beneath fairy lights and set out from campsites for glaciers, mountain lakes and narrow gorges. Every day showed us what worked and what we would change next time.

This tour laid the foundation for our own PlanB_Van. The Vito showed us that freedom does not depend on the perfect vehicle, but on starting with what you have. Everything we had experienced in Iceland and put into practice in the Vito later shaped every detail of the VW T5.2.

Carinthia & Tyrol 2024

Ten images from our own build to the first Vito tour.

Timber modules, a camp kitchen, mountain landscapes and the moments when an idea became our way of travelling.

Self-built Mercedes Vito interior with pull-out timber furniture and cool box — **Our first DIY build**Bed, storage, cooling and kitchen were built by us.

Black Mercedes Vito beside a quiet forest road — **Just take the turn**The Vito took us to where forest roads and new ideas began.

Mario preparing breakfast at the Mercedes Vito's self-built kitchen module — **Breakfast at the open rear**Cooking, making coffee and already standing in the heart of nature.

Sleeping area with pillows and fairy lights in the self-built Mercedes Vito — **The first night in our own van**A simple bed and fairy lights were enough to feel at home.

Glacier, mountain lake and high alpine landscape beneath a blue sky — **A view into the world of glaciers**Carinthia and Tyrol showed us how big an adventure close to home can be.

Black Mercedes Vito at a campsite in front of high mountains — **Our place between the mountains**The Vito became our base for days outdoors and evenings at the campsite.

Mario sitting in front of the open Mercedes Vito with its self-built rear interior — **Our first outdoor living room**Improvised, cosy and just right for our first summer on the road.

Narrow wooden walkway through a dark rocky gorge — **Through rock and narrow passages**Narrow walkways led deep into the gorge.

Mountain stream and wooden walkways between mossy rock walls in a gorge — **Water, timber and rock**Not only the roads, but also the paths beyond them stayed in our memory.

Vast high alpine landscape with glacier and turquoise mountain lake — **The view that stayed with us**This first journey made one thing clear: we wanted to travel like this more often.

Our first DIY build

Not bought, but planned and built by us with simple means. That is how our first camper came to life.

The first real test

Carinthia and Tyrol immediately showed us what was practical in the van and what could be improved.

The foundation for Plan B

Everything we learned with the Vito later went directly into the build and equipment of the VW T5.2.

“We did not yet have the perfect camper. But we had our first own build and finally a reason to simply set off.”

PlanB_Van · Carinthia & Tyrol 2024

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