Slide-in Camper Van Becomes Mobile Home After 5 Years and Over 80,000 Kilometers.

Tags:Slide-in Camper Van,Camper Van Living,Retirement Life

Lao Ma from Wuhan has been living in his vehicle for five years. His slide-in camper van has become a mobile home for him. Over the past five years, they have traveled more than 80,000 kilometers, visited more than 200 cities across China, and fully enjoyed the magnificent rivers and mountains of the motherland. Every April, Lao Ma and his wife return to Wuhan for a short rest.

To See the Outside World

Lao Ma is 63 years old, of medium build, with slightly dark skin from frequent sun exposure. When he was young, Lao Ma and his wife Ms. Zhang ran a home appliance business, working day and night and overtaxing their health. In 2019, his wife was hospitalized several times, and with their son’s support, the couple decided to "retire together" to see the outside world.

Twenty years ago, when Lao Ma and his wife first started their business, his wife dreamed of traveling around the world in their van after retirement. After traveling by private car for some time, they bought a slide-in camper van in the spring of 2021. The van is fully equipped with a refrigerator, air conditioner, TV, and washing machine, giving the couple a mobile home. Lao Ma said living in a slide-in camper van is like being migratory birds.

In summer, they go to Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Xizang; in winter, they head to Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan. So far, they have visited more than 200 cities nationwide. They stay in each city for a period to deeply experience local customs and traditions. Even when back in Wuhan, the couple mostly lives in their slide-in camper van, spending no more than one week at their home each year.

I cannot control the length of life, but I can decide its width. Traveling across vast lands, meeting people from all over, thinking every day about delicious food and fun places, wandering around markets, and enjoying scenery have improved their mental and physical health. Previously, Lao Ma weighed less than 60 kilograms due to work fatigue. After years of relaxed living, he now weighs over 65 kilograms and has a good appetite.

Living in a Slide-in Camper Van Is Convenient

Last Spring Festival, they celebrated the holiday with fellow camper van enthusiasts in Kaiyuan City, Yunnan Province, and were warmly welcomed by locals, who even brought them vegetables. "They said they were grateful for our spending locally."

The couple’s monthly pension totals more than 7,000 yuan, almost all of which goes to their life in the slide-in camper van. Lao Ma said their son has his own career, and they have some savings. In recent years, with the change in people’s consumption concepts, the price of slide-in camper vans has dropped, and national and local policies have promoted the development of the slide-in camper van consumer market, which is gradually gaining popularity.

In fact, besides popular scenic spots with camper van camps, many places in China are perfect for slide-in camper van trips, such as the sparsely populated Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Xizang. With a slide-in camper van, you have a mobile shelter, making travel very convenient. Moreover, the local food in these remote areas is okay for one or two meals, but hard to get used to long-term; cooking by yourself in the camper van is much more convenient.

Many people only visit Sanya when traveling to Hainan, at most Haikou and Boao. But Hainan Island has far more to offer. Although not large in area, Hainan Island has a coastline of more than 1,580 kilometers with beautiful scenery everywhere—it’s hard to explore thoroughly and enjoy fully without a slide-in camper van.

For travelers eager for in-depth tours, ordinary self-driving cars have limitations: they are restricted by terrain and landform, making itinerary arrangements somewhat restrictive. By the sea, the main attraction is watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Sunsets are easy, but sunrises are difficult, as many scenic spots do not have sea-view rooms where you can watch the sunrise from bed. Getting up early in the morning and traveling far from a hotel to the scenic spot is quite tiring.

So with a slide-in camper van, parking it by the sea makes watching sunrises and sunsets from bed a reality. What’s more, a slide-in camper van is a movable sea-view hotel, not limited to one place—you can go wherever you want.

Next week, the couple will set off again. They plan to live in their slide-in camper van until they are 70 years old, and also intend to take a long-distance trip to Europe in their beloved slide-in camper van.