Jurassic Vans
Jurassic Vans is all about embracing nature, taking it slow, and adventuring wildly through building and renting out campervans, bold and rugged yet luxuriously comfortable and beautifully designed. Pier Journal had the opportunity to explore these gorgeous vans and chat with Nicola Jackson, the remarkable woman behind the business, to discuss all things campervans and empowerment.
Jurassic Vans are luxurious, homely, dog-friendly campervans, fully equipped with everything needed to explore the UK and Europe in comfort and style. With credit to Nicola’s impeccable taste, the vans are designed with a bohemian chic aesthetic, like luxury beach houses on wheels, complete with clever features such as pull-out shower rooms and sound-deadening cork tiles.
The campervans are ideal for collecting in Dorset to explore the South West, to drive up to Scotland or even further afield across Europe. But for those less interested in long drives, Jurassic Vans would also make for a perfect local staycation - to enjoy the coast and countryside of Dorset with the freedom and adventure of camping, but the comfort and convenience of a
holiday home.
Nicola’s inspiration for Jurassic Vans struck when she saw a fully equipped luxe campervan at a festival and knew she needed one. As an adventurous explorer who likes her home comforts, Nicola wanted one of these unique campervans and suspected that others would too. Rather than simply building one for herself, Nicola took a more entrepreneurial approach by setting up a business that enables her to build her dream campervans and hire out the experience to others when not using them for her own adventures.
What makes Jurassic Vans particularly special is that Nicola’s hire model is all about supporting the camper community. She makes campervan adventures accessible by providing memberships and courses for those who also want to build and hire out their own campervans, teaching members how to rent campervans safely and legally. Nicola is transparent about the costs involved in doing it properly and covers all the paperwork and protocols needed. In a market where there are few regulations for van builders and renters and no governing authority, Nicola is trying to lead the way for more responsible campervan hires.
And when it comes to safety and regulations, Nicola really knows her stuff. When she’s not wild camping in her favourite van ‘Spike’, or running the Jurassic Vans business, Nicola is a trained oil spill response specialist, teaching construction industry professionals how to correctly clean up oil and gas spills. As a young woman working in the construction industry, travelling to offshore vessels and often working on dangerous sites with heavy duty equipment (she was even the first woman to teach oil spill clean up in Saudi Arabia), Nicola is all about empowering herself and others with practical skills. With her professional experience in construction and having grown up in a family business that taught her renovation skills, she also teaches her ‘Empower Tools’ courses that cover the basics of hand and power tools and teach people skills such as how to silicon and unblock sinks.
So, it’s not just her campervans sparking inspiration for adventures, but a few minutes with Nicola and you’ll want to empower yourself with new skills and resourcefulness too! If there is anyone you can trust with your dream campervan adventure or supporting you to hire out your own van, Jurassic Vans is the place to go. jurassicvans.com
Website → jurassicvans.com
