After returning from our Portugal trip, we both felt our thirst for freedom was temporarily satisfied. With the VW Grand California sitting in the yard constantly reminding us of our trips, I started thinking about where to store the van when we weren't traveling. As winter progressed and snow accumulated, our townhouse yard space dwindled rapidly.
After pondering for a few days, I decided to offer others the chance to experience the same kind of adventures that had recently excited us. Our perception of motorhoming had been revolutionized, and I believed the same could happen for many other young people. So I listed the van for rent on MyCamper. To my surprise, bookings started coming in soon, even during the darkest time of winter.
Company growth
I had resigned from my previous job about a year earlier, wanting to experience life more freely. The first customer encounters were truly wonderful. It was also great to see how your own actions could directly influence the success of things.
Toward late spring, the feeling of becoming an entrepreneur grew even stronger. I also spent a long time brainstorming a suitable company name with Jessika. One evening, while hiking in Nuuksio, Jessika came up with the name Vanstoori, and it felt right immediately. The name combined English and Helsinki slang in a fun way.
Finding suitable premises proved challenging. Eventually I settled on a temporary but functional solution: renting a tall single-car garage share in Hakkila, Vantaa.
First big purchase
With the premises sorted, it was time to expand the fleet. I found a Benimar-brand motorhome in Tampere that was a couple of years old but had only been driven under 5,000 kilometers.
The pickup trip to Tampere was exciting. The interior was luxurious and spacious. On the highway, a scary incident occurred: a large ice slab broke loose from the front of the roof and fell directly onto the windshield. Fortunately, no permanent damage was done.
Once the van had been driven a bit more and the snow melted, the engine started performing noticeably better. We immediately began planning our first familiarization trip with the new van – with Jessika and the family's two cats.
