First European Airstream ever sold reaches double digits – and is still going strong
Almost ten years ago the first European Airstream was sold – and a decade later that very same Airstream is still taking to the road and enabling its owners to travel the UK and beyond in true style.
Owners Jenny and Peter Verard, purchased the 2005 Airstream 503 just after they got married and have continued to use it to this day.
Of the pride and joy, Jenny, 68, said: “We wouldn’t swap it for anything else. Peter and I used to both work in the film industry, so we were used to seeing them being used by directors and producers. Then Peter read an article about astronauts using Airstreams after they returned from space [Mobile Quarantine Facilities, used to keep the astronauts contained upon their return to Earth].” It seems this was more than enough to enable the Verards to get one for themselves. Fortunately, Airstream was about to come to Europe.
When the pair bought the caravan, friends pushed the couple to take it on a practice run somewhere close to their North Wiltshire home, just so they could learn how everything worked with ease. Contrary to advice, the Verards had other plans.
“We drove non-stop into France,” Jenny went on. “We eventually stopped in Avignon – we didn’t even know how to plug the power lead into the electric post. But we loved it.”
The Airstream has proven to have been pretty reliable to the couple over the years, with the Verards main aim being to get away for a month every summer – often back to Europe from where they began their Airstream adventure; one of their favourite sites is in Brittany, where visitors can take a walk through woodland and then head straight out onto the beach.
So far, the couple has travelled through France, Spain and Portugal with their trust Airstream in tow. They even used the caravan to go to a wedding near Barcelona. With two dogs, the Verards have found exploring cities to be difficult, but really enjoy the long walks off the beaten path that their dogs have prompted them to take. The dogs have pulled the couple to explore places they would not have thought of going before.
“It’s that kind of freedom that sums up caravanning,” says Jenny. “Whether you’ve got an Airstream or a conventional white caravan, I think you’ve got a different outlook to other people. You don’t want to be trapped in a hotel. You want to explore. You can be independent and cook for yourself, and have your own space at the end of a long day.
“I absolutely love our Airstream, and for as long as we are able to, we’ll carry on.”
