By: Grady Linder - Founder, Voyager Campervans
Photos by: Bennett Young
As Minnesotans, we cherish our time in the outdoors. When I was growing up, I remember our family of seven, plus our dog, would jump into the family van and head out on amazing road trips and camping trips to places like Taylors Falls or one of the numerous destinations up north. I’m sure many Minnesotans can reflect on similar family memories camping in the Minnesota outdoors.
As I got older, I saw myself camping less and less and opting for easier and more comfortable travel options. But my love for the outdoors didn’t vanish — the problem was that camping options hadn't evolved with today’s consumer. RVs are massive, making them difficult to drive and they get terrible gas mileage, which isn’t great for our planet or our wallets. And tent camping? Who wants to sleep on the cold, wet, hard ground?
In 2017 I was working for an early-stage Minnesota-based cold brew start-up. We were looking to get the word out, so we spent the summer traveling across the country selling to retail stores and doing pop-up marketing events. After that summer I realized there was no better way to see the country than traveling in a campervan. You can simply pull up to a campsite and be cooking dinner in a few minutes, and then crawl into bed within a few seconds.
In the summer of 2018 I launched Voyager Campervans with one van that I had built out by a company out west. I thought that worst case I would have a cool campervan if the business idea didn’t work out. Fortunately, people loved the Voyager Campervan experience, and we have been working to expand our fleet ever since.
We’ve had people get engaged, elope and even take their very first camping trip ever in a Voyager Campervan. We’re currently renting our campervans in four U.S. cities, and we even sell campervan build-outs from our warehouse in South Minneapolis. Our customized camper vans have everything you need to comfortably live, sleep, eat and explore in the outdoors. It is truly the best way to enjoy the Minnesota outdoors.
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Read more of our stories in Issue 19 of Lake and Company.