We want to spend our retirement taking road trips; The best way to do it has been found

The van seemed perfect until I actually used it. We recently sold it after months of trying and failing to get it to work for us.

I was very sad at first, but I learned a lot – and realized that we don’t have to give up on our travel dreams just yet.

The van didn’t fit our needs – or our bodies – well

The first time I pulled the trailer out, I stayed overnight in a cousin’s driveway to see a concert nearby.

Since we were mostly between his house and the concert grounds, we only spent a few hours sleeping in the van. We felt tight and didn’t rest well, but chalked up the unwanted night to excitement and thinking we just had to get used to it all.

Our second outing the following week was the real test. I attended a four-day music festival with no access to running water or electricity. Our van was more packed this time, filled with things like a large fridge, a grill, a large jug of water, lounge chairs and our bags.

The small space felt crowded. During the festival we found ourselves constantly moving our stuff outside so we had room to fit inside the caravan and then bringing it back inside so it wouldn’t get stolen while we were watching the shows.

Although I’m only 5 feet tall, I found myself banging my head on the upper cabinets. My 6ft tall husband couldn’t sit up straight in the van and the little time he spent inside was quite awkward and uncomfortable.

I also discovered that the van had a number of issues that the sellers were not transparent about, including a broken generator and microwave. In hindsight, I wish I had not taken their word for it and checked the van out thoroughly before purchasing it.

Even so, maintenance costs increased as we added more mileage to the camper. Plus we had to pay for insurance and figure out where to store it when it wasn’t being used.

We will still take trips, but we are not tied down to a large vehicle

In the end, it didn’t make sense to tie up the money in a vehicle that we only use a few times a year.

We sold the camper to a couple much smaller than us and were honest about all of its issues. Even after replacing the van’s tires, airbags, and windshields, we were able to recoup our investment.

And after doing some math, we realized we didn’t need a van to take the trips we dreamed of. We just have to be a little creative in our meal and lodging planning.

For now, we plan to drive our car and book cheaper accommodations with free breakfast. We’ll also save money on the road by packing our own lunches and snacks and packing them in a cooler.

We hope our motorhome suits the new owners better than us – and maybe we’ll cross paths sometime down the road.