Surprise!
Ready for new adventures in Duke!
No, this is not a Vario. But it will be our home until we find one – and build it out!
When you don’t have a residency anywhere and you’re in between travel chapters, life can get tricky. Especially when you sold your last camper in South America after a three-year journey. We never planned to ship Thirsty Bella to Europe – where we intend to spend the next few years exploring – because it would be too expensive and it was not the right vehicle for that continent.
Thirsty Bella, the camper most of you are familiar with
As many of you know by now, Mark and I are looking for a particular camper, van, or chassis truck to turn into our “forever” overlanding vehicle. Indirectly and directly, we have been looking for this 4×4 Mercedes Vario truck for over a year, first in Chile, then worldwide, and now in Europe. We never thought it would take this long to find anything suitable.
And there was a very unfortunate turn of events during our search, which made us lose a lot of time and develop Plan B. But more about that in a future blog.
Another intricate matter is Mark’s immigration status. He can only stay in my home country of Belgium (where we arrived at the end of April) for 90 out of every 180 days. His annual health check-ups in the US take place in early August and Brussels would be the best city for him to fly out of, because I want to stay in my parents’ little house in Belgium with Maya during his absence. This meant that we needed a decent buffer out of those 90 days for him to return to Belgium. Therefore, we needed to leave the country for a few weeks in July.
Can you still follow?
But, how to leave Belgium and stay away for a while without a vehicle? Traveling by train with a dog and our belongings wasn’t the easiest of solutions, as we’d experienced in Portugal, Spain, and France this past winter. But, more importantly, how could we keep checking out potential Varios throughout Europe without our own transport?
So, in early June – since we needed time for all the red tape concerning vehicle purchases in Belgium – we had to start our search. Should we purchase a car (easier, more convenient, cheaper in gas, and the most affordable solution, but we’d need to rent homes again for who knew how many months) or a temporary camper (a hassle to purchase, expensive, poorer fuel economy and pricier diesel, and using funds needed for our Vario, but we’d have a home again and could hopefully save money on accommodation)? Which option would you pick?
That discussion didn’t take too long for us and soon we found ourselves scouring the web for second-hand campervans. I had always thought we’d go for something small and not too expensive. We did jump on an ad about a grey Fiat Ducato Chausson, borrowed my parents’ car for the hour-long drive, and checked out this low-quality build with a rusty engine block. Mark couldn’t stand upright in the van and the living space felt super tight. Yup, we got pretty spoiled with our roomy, well-prepared, and “condo-like” Bella in South America.
(As always, hover over or click on the photos in galleries to read their captions.)
We looked for something slightly bigger and I contacted an owner during our 12-hour wasted drive to Germany the following day, to check out another rusty Vario chassis. My questions were answered by 9pm that night and I found out there was urgency to looking at this van. A phone call was in order at 9:30pm, exhausted as I was from the long car journey that day.
Non-European residents can’t buy, register, and insure a European car, except in Germany. This will be the route we take with our phantom Vario, but for this temporary solution, we involved my dad to deal with the Belgian logistics.
So, that Sunday evening, you can imagine the look on the sellers’ faces when, at their front door, appeared a woman, her husband who didn’t speak Dutch, a big dog who was addressed in English, and a dad… ready to look at their camper.
Our eclectic group made it to the storage area of this attractive Fiat Ducato with a Burstner Ixeo Time it 586 build. The current owners had bought a new RV and were going to trade this one in, or sell it to us privately, by the following evening. R and C were a friendly couple, willing to help where needed, and the van was in great shape. It also came at a reasonable price, being from 2017 with less than 35,000 km (22,000 miles). Mark and I liked what we saw and purchased it.
What followed was one week of waiting for the guys to get the van inspected, a couple of hour-long trips to their province for paperwork and the takeover of the Burstner, and dealing with administrative tasks. Since the camper was totally empty – in stark contrast to us leaving Bella completely equipped and ready to go for the new owners – we also had to start buying cooking utensils, camping gear, tools, and bedding.
There was one awkward moment during the pick-up, when the sellers had stripped the camper even more than expected. We understood the vehicle was completely empty as they needed many of its contents for their new camper (like the gas bottles, a better battery and chargers, camping gear, …), but they went a bit overboard when they had removed parts that had been present during the viewing. Caught! Luckily, we were all adults about the situation and departed on good terms.
The camper had to be registered and needed new license plates, we arranged insurance and an extra plate (only one is provided by the authorities), and we had to get the vehicle weighed again to receive an official document stating that number and what we could add in personal belongings and food. Our campervan is allowed to weigh 3.5 tons, everything included. By then, another heatwave had announced itself in Belgium. It would be fun to improve, clean, fill, and organize our new home in 95/35-degree weather…
After all those administrative steps, we could officially drive the Burstner and give it a name. We used Temp already for a previous temporary camper in the year of T&T (Thirsty and Temp), when we needed a truck camper for Thirsty to not be homeless during Covid. That was a fancy one as well, hence we swapped it for the South America journey. Calling our current van Temp Two sounded weird.
Our first trip with it – since this was our car now – was to visit our friends Rosy, Peter, and daughter Yanou in Merelbeke. We shared stories and revealed the name of our new family member: Duke. After its model Ducato and because our new home appears very regal.
When we were about to leave our friends after a nice but hot afternoon, a neighbor showed up at the front door, forehead and nose bleeding profusely. She’d been looking at her smartphone while running and had – literally – run into the back of our camper, that giant white obstacle along the rural street. I swear, you can’t make this stuff up!!!
Not one day goes by without drama (I spared you the details of some other events this month) … Luckily, the woman was alright, but the mood had turned. Then, we discussed naming our camper after her, Pat, since she – literally – had christened our camper with her own blood. Eventually, we decided against that name change and stuck with Duke.
This last week, we have been sweating profusely to prepare Duke for the road. He is my 7th camper (not all of them had names), Mark’s 5th, and Maya’s 4th. 🙂
Let the new adventures begin and the Vario search continue!
Next up: Our second month in Belgium was an eventful one!
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs? Check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
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June 29, 2026 at 6:54 am
wow, an exciting update, you guys never give up and find a way. enjoy your time with duke!
June 29, 2026 at 8:07 am
I really like your camper! Can we ask how much it costs? Are Fiat Ducatos reliable and durable? Congrats on your new home?
June 29, 2026 at 10:06 am
Hi Marie,
Yes, you can ask how much this camper cost us. 🙂 I sent you a private message about that.
Fiat Ducatos are super popular and numerous in Western Europe. We totally blend in right now, which is quite the opposite of our South American cow rig. They are more modern than the Varios we are looking at, but not too new to have to deal with some diesel restrictions. Without getting too technical, it’s a good mix between electronics and old fashion (like a standard shift and no need to add AdBlue to the fuel).
I have no idea how durable the Fiats are. But the clearance is not great and it’s not 4×4, plus Mercedes vans would be more durable. So, while it’s a great camper for us right now, it could never replace what we are actually looking for.
June 29, 2026 at 9:58 am
Thanks, Beth. I actually have no idea what our alternative could have been if we gave up on finding a temporary camper, haha. I guess taking the train and renting apartments again. And we all know how much fun that was!!
June 29, 2026 at 10:30 am
Liesbet, Blast from the past… Marion from Zenna. are you sure Mark cannot stay in EU. If you are married he should be able to as the spouse of a Belgian. We are now in the Med sailing and a lot of Brits have got residency by one partner being European. Hope this works for you and good to see you still enjoying your adventures
June 30, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Hi Marion,
It’s so nice to hear from you. We keep thinking about you both each time we talk about or consider ever visiting Australia. 🙂
Two things about your statement/comment: First, I’m an EU citizen but not an EU resident, which might offer different policies. And the second, more important piece of information is that Mark IS allowed to stay in the EU for extended periods of time whenever he is WITH me. This law is called “freedom of movement” which is valid for EU citizens and their spouses when traveling together. It’s inside Belgium that Mark does not have that same right, since when I’m in Belgium, I am NOT practicing my freedom of movement, because it’s my home country. I hope that makes better sense. 🙂
June 29, 2026 at 7:34 am
For its size, it actually looks roomy. And she ran into your camper? Look up from your cell phone, stupid!
June 29, 2026 at 10:00 am
Hi Alex,
I can honestly claim that for a 6m (20ft) camper, this is the roomiest and most comfortable it gets. We feel spoiled!
And, yes, the woman hitting the back of our parked camper was a pretty stupid accident. But, you know, stuff like that seems to happen to us often. And, I’m sure she learned her lesson.
June 29, 2026 at 8:10 am
The new camper looks really nice! Hope you enjoy getting back out on the road and that you find your desired van soon.
June 29, 2026 at 10:07 am
Thanks, Lexie. It’s nice to be on the road again, no matter how brief it might be. We had to do something as the Vario search had become too frustrating and disappointing and we had a deadline. There is, however, another crazy twist which I hope to share next month.
June 29, 2026 at 10:29 am
Thanks for introducing us to DUKE. He looks a little beefier than thirsty Bella. I’m glad you caught the items that were removed before the sale was final. You guys know all about spotting fraud, even if it’s subtle. You say you left on good terms, which shows how gracious and resourceful you are.
Life is all about how you handle Plan B, making the best of every situation, which is how you roll!
June 30, 2026 at 12:18 pm
Hello Marian,
Believe it or not, but Duke is actually shorter in length, width, and height than Thirsty Bella and he’s much lower to the ground. Yet, the interior packs a punch regarding space and comfort.
The couple felt a bit bad after we pointed out what was missing/altered. I’m sure they didn’t count on us actually noticing. But it was more about the principle for us than the extra money we’d have to spend in order to replace their crappy pieces of equipment. When you show something during a viewing, it’s understood – unless otherwise mentioned – that whatever is there should be included in the sale.
Wait until you learn about why plan B had to happen and how it might revert back to plan A. Our life is full of twists!
June 29, 2026 at 11:42 am
Your lifestyle requires lots of flexibility. That’s part of the adventure. It’s amazing how much you can pack into the square footage. Duke looks like a great temporary home as you continue to search for the ideal long-term vehicle.
June 30, 2026 at 12:25 pm
Hi Pete,
You are so right, flexibility is key for us and it has been for over two decades. Sometimes, it’s easy to adjust. Other times, it’s a bit more challenging or exhausting. 🙂
So far, we are enjoying our time in Duke, now that we’ve hit the road again (for a month).
June 29, 2026 at 1:45 pm
I have no words. I am beyond excited, though, that you have somewhat settled on a van!
June 30, 2026 at 12:25 pm
Hi Jacqui,
You make me smile with your excitement and rooting from the sidelines! Thank you for that.
June 29, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Happy new camper, Liesbet! Duke looks very smart.
In Morocco, we were parked and stationary unpacking our shopping in a supermarket car park when we heard a thump which shook The Beast. A motorcycle had run into us. Fortunately (for him!) he just hit the tyre. Since we’re only 10m long x 3.85m high, perhaps didn’t see us!
We went outside to see him hopping around with a bleeding toe – he was only wearing flip flops.
We provided a plaster.
Thankfully, that was all the damage sustained!
June 30, 2026 at 12:27 pm
Oh no, Jackie. I had to snicker about your Morocco run-in. Yet, why am I not surprised that you had a similar experience with your truck? 🙂 I swear, our lives are similar and could be twin soap operas. The good thing is that all these episodes provide more than enough material to never run out of stories to write!!
June 29, 2026 at 5:48 pm
Oh, wow. That is so nice! The interior looks really comfy. You’re giving us ideas – hmmm 🙂 Congratulations on your purchase and launching the next phase of your adventure.
– Susan
June 30, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Hi Susan,
This is a super comfy and slightly fancy camper and we are enjoying the space so far. The living area is so roomy – it seats eight people comfortably – the bed is comfortable enough and the kitchen and bathroom are quite large. Yet, the rig is only six meter long. It’s like this thanks to the lifting bed.
We will keep you posted! 🙂
June 29, 2026 at 11:08 pm
Cool camper. Congrats!
June 30, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Thanks, Margie. Duke is so nice and comfy that I find myself not in a hurry about this Vario plan anymore. 🙂
June 30, 2026 at 12:22 am
So happy that you found a home on wheels. I love the name Duke and hope it treats you well for as long as as you need it before you can find the Vario of your dreams. Happy travels.
June 30, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Thanks a lot, Annie. I’m looking forward to enjoying this camper for a little while in Europe. It’s quite the adjustment for us – the new continent with all it’s strict camping rules and a new-to-us European RV – but we are enjoying it so far.
June 30, 2026 at 10:13 am
I’m so glad you didn’t stick with the name ‘Pat’ and changed it back to ‘Duke’. It just goes to show how dangerous mobile phones can be when you’re not paying attention to what’s going on around you.
The layout of Duke looks very comfortable and modern. Hope he takes you guys on many happy journeys over the time he is with you. Let (already) the adventures begin.
June 30, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Hi Hugh,
You are right about sticking with the Duke name. Like my friend mentioned: naming something after an accident is asking for bad karma. You’d be surprised about how many people we saw biking, running, and scootering while looking at their cell phones today on our walk in Holland. I’m so glad we grew up without those addictive devices!
Duke and been a pleasant new home so far!
June 30, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Wow, congratulations! Your new, temporary home, looks great.
July 3, 2026 at 7:52 am
Thanks, Anabel. It’s coming in handy to live on the road right now as we pursue our Vario search.
June 30, 2026 at 8:13 pm
Congrats on your new camper! Duke looks great. Safe travels and enjoy your summer adventures.
July 3, 2026 at 7:53 am
Thanks, Natalie. This summer will be focused on Vario research and work in Germany, but we hope to meet up with a few friends as well.
June 30, 2026 at 10:42 pm
Wow, it must be a huge relief to have your own “place” again! Duke’s more compact size looks as though it will be practical in your European travels, but I’m sure it will take you a while to get used to not having quite so much elbow room. Wishing you safe travels and happy times with Duke!
July 3, 2026 at 7:59 am
Hi Diane,
You’ll get a kick out of the irony of my next Vario story. I swear, you can’t make this stuff up and it’s better than fiction. Except for your fiction. 🙂
Duke is a typical European camper, which is good in some ways and not great in others. For example, we feel like real rookies, not knowing anything about European systems, rules, and behaviors, haha. But, we are learning.
This vehicle would never work as our permanent camper, because it’s set up as a weekend/vacation/campground rig. And it’s on a Fiat. For example, with Bella we could go 10 to 14 days without having to worry about refilling with water. With Duke, we seem to need water every four days and that’s with only taking one shower each in the middle of that period. And the solar could be better among other things. We just don’t have time and money to put into Duke (the idea was he would be an easy-to-use temporary home)mto perfect him, while we are focusing on our bigger Vario project.
Regarding the elbow room, Duke is awesome! For only being six meters long, it’s super spacious inside. Having an electric lifting bed is a huge space saver and makes our living room gigantic. The kitchen and bathroom are bigger than in Bella as well,myet hisjiverall footprint is smaller. 🙂
July 1, 2026 at 9:23 am
What a difficult decision you two had to make, but when it was all said and done, “Duke” was obviously the right choice based on the Vario search. The camper looks clean and well cared for (great photos) and we hope it turns out to be exactly what you need until that day when you find ‘the perfect Vario.” Love the story of the lady looking at her phone and running into your camper. Thanks for sharing. Jim
July 3, 2026 at 8:01 am
Hi Jim,
Despite some ironic developments lately, we are happy we bought Duke. He is the perfect temporary home right now, as we pursue the right Vario. Of course, living on the road on a new continent with a new rig doesn’t make our other projects any easier, haha. It’s another typical Liesbet and Mark situation. How can we make our nomadic lives as difficult – but cheap – as possible. To be continued!
July 4, 2026 at 3:54 pm
I’m so glad you got a new home. It is a little unsettling to not have a home, even if you have a place to stay.
The camper looks so — camperish. It doesn’t scream adventure, but I’m sure you can go all kinds of interesting places in it until you find your forever rig.
I like the name Duke! It is very regal.
I liked the pics of all your previous rigs. But you forgot the boats! That’s a lot of different traveling homes for one person to live in. We are on 3—or maybe 4 if you count the absolute failure of a Westfalia that we only spent a handful of nights in.
Looking forward to see where you go.
July 5, 2026 at 5:44 am
Hi Duwan,
This camper is a typical European RV. We sure blend in as we see “brothers” everywhere. It suits us just fine right now and Duke is serving the purpose we bought him for. On top of that, he is roomy and comfy. Believe it or not, but the space feels much bigger than in Bella. It probably is, because of the lifting bed. This is such a space saver and makes the living area huge. The kitchen and bathroom as spacious as well. It’s quite amazing that all this fits in a 6m (20ft) vehicle! It’s just not equiped for overlanding.
Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t mention the two sailboats we owned. Irie was actually the “moving home” we lived in the longest at eight years. I didn’t want to mix up the boats and campers.
We won’t be going far at the moment. Our priority is still finding and building out a Vario 4×4.
July 8, 2026 at 4:00 pm
Wow, you guys have been through so much! I’m so glad you found Duke for the meantime. You need a roof over you guys! And no drama would be nice too for a change, lol. 🥰
July 16, 2026 at 6:33 am
I love your sentiments and outlook for us, Debby. But our life is always full of drama. Pretty much every single day. It’s part of the lifestyle we have chosen, but it also feels like we attract bad luck, heatwaves, and things going wrong 75% of the time.
That being said, we are happy to have Duke as our current home, despite the big purchase price that was supposed to go into our future Vario…