PaulnJulie
Age: 45-55
Member since January 2015
Active 50ish year old travelers
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We’ve always enjoyed travelling together. Whether to Sante Fe in the winter, Savannah in the spring, time living in Germany, racing in Oklahoma or New England or Scotland … travel has been something we’ve shared and been invigorated by.
But these adventures started at a distinct point in time … Paul and I decided to take a road trip in November of 2013. We have done other shorter adventures in the past, but this would be three weeks of traveling. We made up a loose plan to head down to New Orleans, make our way to Big Bend National Park in Texas and then wind our way back to PA. We filled our Honda Fit with all our gear, tents, running shoes, bikes etc.. and headed South. The trip went well and stirred up a desire in both of us to travel more
Paul’s parents have been travelling around Europe for several years in a camper van, an idea which became more appealing to him as time went by. He turned 50 shortly after we arrived home and announced that he wanted to buy a Sprinter van and customize it for traveling. I thought he might be joking but he actually bought a van via e-bay and that was that. I am glad he measured our driveway first because the van barely fits in it. The winter and spring of 2014, and later the early winter of 2014/2015 saw a huge amount of work to outfit the van with solar power, cabinets, bedding and more.
There is nothing better than exploring a new place to make you feel alive and present. It could be running the canyon trails in Texas, cycling in Colorado, wading across the Escalante River, camping under the stars, eating local flavors, swimming with the fishes, hiking the Wonderland trail. These are the memories I want to remain with me. I feel grateful for the possibility.
http://travels.equalarea.com
Skills & Expertise to Share
I am an artist/massage therapist, also host of airbnb for 8 years.
Paul is a computer software engineer(music software-Ardour) and he is an amazing cook. Paul also did our whole van conversion himself and is willing to share advice or any build information.
PaulnJulie's Pets
no pets but we enjoy other peoples
Favorite Boondocking Locations
Up on the Hill in Ontario was really nice and with friendly hosts
PaulnJulie's Hometown
At the moment our van is our home but we have lived in Philadelphia area most of our lives. Paul is originally from the UK and Julie is from Wisconsin
PaulnJulie's Guest Details
PaulnJulie's Rig
Rig Type: Class C
22 feet long
2010 Mercedes Sprinter NCV3 2500 170" converted by Paul. Roof holds 540W of solar panels to charge 505 Ah of AGM batteries which run: Isotherm refridgerator, Espar D2 diesel heater, PrecisionTemp RV550-NSP propane water heater, and a custom built computing rig for Paul's work. We rarely use shore power but at times it is needed in the winter with low sun. 40 gallons of onboard fresh water, dual propane for cooking + hot water. Outdoor shower (for now). Full build thread on Sprinter-Source forums is here: http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30991
PaulnJulie's References (4)
References from Guests (4)
Mind_the_Heart
Hospitable to no ends
So glad we had the chance to stay with Paul & Julie and experience their amazing hospitality and magical spirit, moments before they sell the house and get on the road. Until we meet again!
WWeathers
Quiet place close to the city. Wonderful host.
This is a great place to stay! Its close to the city without being too busy. Plus, you'll love the people. I feel like I left with more friends than I came with!
Rocketmanmark
Five stars for Paul and Julie
Paul and Julie provided a great spot for my little RV for two days. From their house I was able to take a bus into Philadelphia on July 3rd and 4th. It is a quick 30 minute bus ride to the center of Philly from their house. They also provided needed advice on visiting the city, since this was my first. A great host that is welcome anytime at my place. Visited several museums, took a bus tour, saw “Rocky”, “ The Thinker”, and many other works of art. Had a great Philly Steak Sandwich, ate at some pubs and street vendors. The weather in the city was hot, which was a good excuse for occasional icecream. A great stay. I was so hot that I was sure “The Thinker” was thinking about how to get some ice cream, not trying to solve some world problem.
Cath and Frank
So happy we stop by this place
We stayed at PaulnJulie for two nights. They live in a nice, quiet and friendly area that is a 15 minutes drive to downtown Philly. The Boondocking spot is in the street, but it is a private road, so almost no traffic and they can pass a cord for electricity. They also let us use there facilities wich was really convenient for us. These guys are great hosts, they know the city pretty well and gives you good tips for where to go. We were also lucky to get invited to a get together a neighbor hosted for Memorial Day. It gave us a chance to meet new people and to get to know our hosts better. We hope the visit us in Montreal!