Bolli on tour: Jeana and Marvin escape the stress of everyday life with their T4

Tell us about yourselves.

We are Jeana and Marvin, we’re 26 and 25 years old, and we live in a small village near Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westfalia. I work in an office as an industrial clerk, while Marvin is an electronics expert. Since we met in 2015, we have used every free weekend and all our holiday to set off in our T4. At the moment, we are also renovating our house, so we look forward to taking time out with our VW bus even more. We call it “Bolli”, which is where our Instagram name “bolliontour” came from. Built in 1991, our T4 will be celebrating its 30th birthday in April next year! It is a California with Westfalia fittings. Under the bonnet is a 2.4 litre diesel engine with 77 BHP. Our T4 definitely has plenty of miles under its belt: 340,000 km so far.

What has been your best experience with the T4?

There are just so many! But definitely one of our best experiences was our trip through France and Spain in 2019. We were away for three weeks and saw so many beautiful places. One day, we didn’t really have a plan on where to go next, so I opened Google Maps and immediately spotted a little spit of land a few hundred kilometres away. Without really thinking about it, we just set off. When we arrived, we couldn’t believe our eyes: we were able to park the camper right on the beach. On our left was the sea, on the right a bay. And it was so quiet and peaceful. We spent a few wonderful days and nights there.

Why do you love your T4?

Our Bolli is more than just a car to us. It carries so many stories, experiences and memories that it really does have a special value to us. Our T4 has been in the family since 2007, when Marvin used to go on trips in it with his mum. We then bought it in 2015 and first gave it a complete overhaul. An old car like this definitely needs a lot of care, and really there is always something that needs doing. We’re lucky that we’re able to do most of the work and repairs ourselves. We just love being able to set off spontaneously with Bolli whenever we want and escape the stress of everyday life.

Why is the T4 your ideal travel companion?

The T4 is perfect for us because its compact size allows us to take it anywhere. Height restrictions would have prevented us from visiting many of the places we have been with a large campervan. Our folding roof is especially practical: when we want a bit more space, we just fold out the roof and the bus is tall enough to stand in. Kitchen, bed, electricity, toilet, shower – we have everything we need to live in our T4.