hi there: woman with van - advise needed please! (1 Viewer)

[rainbowgirl]

hi there all just joined!
i am back on the road after a 3 year gap - used to go on great adventures with my ex hubbie in our vw.
now i am on my own and just brought a fait diucato van and will be getting it done up as an when i have the money but for now its fine enough to get going in which is what i wanted.
any one have any good advice for a single girl traveller - just doing weekends and etc trips in the uk this year sometimes alone, sometimes with my 2 children and sometimes with a girlfriend.
also and this is a very girly question - i want to get the outside of "geraldine" (lol!!!) van totally painted in the most brightest colours with flowers and etc on it and where do i begin to look for someone to do this!?

any potentially useful advice welcomed
and a happy new year and happy adventures for us all in 2009
x

 

[Bulletguy]

i am back on the road after a 3 year gap - i want to get the outside of "geraldine" (lol!!!) van totally painted in the most brightest colours with flowers and etc on it and where do i begin to look for someone to do this!?

I'd be tempted to take the van to your local Art College and give students a totally free reign in design work.....assuming of course you accept whatever they wish to express? You would be getting a totally 'one off' design work done pretty much for free as well. Beats buying expensive stick on graphics which anyone can go out and buy!

 

[Pikey Pete]

I would leave the van as it is. If you plan wild camping you are just going to draw attention to yourself.
Stay invisible it's safer that way.

Pete

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[Wildman]

Hi and welcome to the site, don't forget we have a chatroom here as well, do drop by. now to answer your query re painting, art college sounds a great idea but.
Now I have no idea what you paid for the van, what needs doing to it or how long you intend to keep it, but once hippified it will reduce the value dramatically and future repainting would be tremendously expensive as it will need a lot of sanding to get a flat surface again. you could get it done with vinyl and that could at least be removed anytime in the future. Designs on Vinyl can be anything you can create on the computer. A secondary concideration is that you may well be refused entry to caravan sites and classed with hippies and travellers. Neither of which I have a problem with but others I assure you do. We look forward to seeing the photos.

 

[scotjimland]

A secondary concideration is that you may well be refused entry to caravan sites and classed with hippies and travellers. Neither of which I have a problem with but others I assure you do. We look forward to seeing the photos.

I tend to agree, also, it would undoubtedly attract unwelcome attention which you may want to avoid if you are travelling alone..

Whatever you decide, good luck and safe travels .

Jim

 

[Kaya Koyu Walker]

Get the best of both worlds and ask the Art College if they'll do the job using vinyl.

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[Elijay]

Stay Invisible

You don't want to invite trouble.

My heart would love to to tell you to have a whacky van.

My head tells you to blend in.

 

[rainbowgirl]

mmmmm im thinking about all youvve said the thing is i live in a house but indeed am a hippy - well of the modern kind! - so perhaps the campsite people will think im there to live or something! lol so may not let me in
yeh and wild camping i will draw attention to myself but wouldnt a campervan parked up bot exactly behidden anyway i mean with the vw we used to have you could "hide" it places but not my van!
thinking so much my brain aches!..........................

 

[Blisters]

Hi and welcome, we had our daughters bedroom painted by a mature student and the lecture they did a great job and it cost us a fraction of what it would have cost else where. Secondly I disagree with leaving your van plain, buy leaving it looking like a van you will put other motorhomers parking next to you and thus leaving you on your own and vunerable, surely by having it painted tastefully and shown on open forums like fun and fact people will reconise you and stop to talk alternativly paint it like and Hells Angle's van

graham n Kay

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[Pikey Pete]

How about something like this?:thumb:
Pete

 

[rainbowgirl]

How about something like this?:thumb:
Pete

wow wow!!!

thanks all yous for your replies ive had a good think and weighed it all up and i feel i just have to have it painted
i drove it for the first time today and considering "my other car is a citreon c1" it felt like a bus and i got achy arms!!! BUT was nice to drive and i feel so excited about the adventures we will have this year in her.
i think i will coontact a college and see what they want to do, what a great idea
x

 

[Brisey]

Hi Rainbow girl

This van belongs to, and was painted, by a guy who makes his living painting canal boats.
At the end of each job, if he has any paint left over he repaints another section.
He has a constantly changing colour scheme, the van is fully fitted out and he both lives in it and uses it to travel the country to his assignments. His main work is on canal boats but he told us he has done some work on vans as well. Can get you more info if you want it.

Brisey

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[pappajohn]

How about something like this?:thumb:
Pete

now that is a nice job Pete, it would blend in well at some of the muddier show meets......wont show the mud.

 

[pappajohn]

Hi Rainbow girl

This van belongs to, and was painted, by a guy who makes his living painting canal boats.
At the end of each job, if he has any paint left over he repaints another section.
He has a constantly changing colour scheme, the van is fully fitted out and he both lives in it and uses it to travel the country to his assignments. His main work is on canal boats but he told us he has done some work on vans as well. Can get you more info if you want it.

Brisey

Mmmm......would you park next to it though?

 

[scotjimland]

Mmmm......would you park next to it though?

You often see 'painted' wagons sitting on their tod when the rest of the aire is packed out.. Could be 'plus' point !

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[rainbowgirl]

You often see 'painted' wagons sitting on their tod when the rest of the aire is packed out.. Could be 'plus' point !

yeh it sure could :thumb:

 

[tofo]

wow wow!!!

thanks all yous for your replies ive had a good think and weighed it all up and i feel i just have to have it painted
i drove it for the first time today and considering "my other car is a citreon c1" it felt like a bus and i got achy arms!!! BUT was nice to drive and i feel so excited about the adventures we will have this year in her.
i think i will coontact a college and see what they want to do, what a great idea
x

this may help
if your intent on doing it yourself
i think the stuff is called rustoleum
if you google it you may find it

Link Removed

 

[upmarkethippy]

hi, I have to say that i love the whole idea of what you would like to achieve, but, as i am also in the two 'worlds' Hippy and normal, my feelings tell me to keep the exterior of the van motorhome looking with maybe a small Graphic on each side, then to completley hippyfy the inside. Thus keeping the exterior respectable for the normal world, and the interior which at festivals can creep out a little, as mad and colourful as you wish. See you at eco fest in June, Lincolnshire. you welcome to contact me for more details. Cheyne

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[TinaGlenn]

Hi Rainbowgirl,

I am inclined to agree with upmarkethippy, you can make the inside of your van as mad as you want but keep the outside a little more conventional, maybe just add some low key graphics to the sides. At some of our favourite wild camping places the "hippy/new ager" vans have sometimes been moved off where as we have always been left in peace. You won't have any trouble parking with other hippy/new ager types, we never have :thumb:

A very mad friend of ours has fully customised her caravan on the inside only, it is a psychadelic and glittery stomach churning surprise to walk into but great fun

Tina

 

[Sherpa]

Stick a blue light on top, and POLICE SURVEILLANCE TEAM on the sides