Have you been wanting to try out #vanlife but don’t want to rush headlong into buying before trying?

Camplify is the answer. You can try out a whole range of rigs before deciding on which one you like the best. It’s kind of like The Bachelor, but for camper vans, camper trailers and caravans.

What’s more, you may decide to be promiscuous and hire ALL THE VANS and display no loyalty whatsoever.

But truthfully, my first campervan love is Shelly from Real Campers. Let me count the ways.

The first thing I loved about her was the way she made Joey, my three-and-a-half year old smile. You have never seen a kid more excited about a vehicle, and that’s before he saw the TV pre-loaded with kids’ movies in the back.

We drove Shelly to BIG4 Easts Kiama on a Friday night – down the invariably terrifying Bulli Pass – and it was smooth sailing, all to the cheery Spotify soundtrack of the Bluetooth-enabled stereo.

Sleeping with Shelly for the first time was a bit awkward. Three people – including a long-limbed toddler – in a campervan bed is not the stuff of dreams but it’s certainly OK for a couple of nights.

But our love affair was back on track in the morning when her kitchen slid out and we made coffee together; a critical step in me being either, a) a heinous witch, or b) Snow White (Bluebirds singing, etc).

During the day, Shelly’s bar fridge kept our milk, mangoes and mummy’s wine cold.

Later that evening, Shelly connected to a Co-ax cable that we hired from park reception so that The Spark could watch the NRL semi-finals without needing to leave camp.

It rained that night but we were cosy and dry in our little bed (happier on the second night having adjusted to the space).

It wasn’t until the next day that I realised that Shelly has SOLAR PANELS on her roof so we didn’t even need to plug her in at the powered site. We could’ve gone completely AWOL and taken advantage of the shower head stored in the cupboard for bush showers.

I must admit to feeling smug as I watched all the campers around us miserably packing up tents when all we had to do was chuck in the camping chairs and slide the door closed.

Shelly gets a red rose from me. We will be going on a second date and, next time, we might even take Pepper because Shelly loves dogs!

Have you ever hired or driven a campervan? What did you like? Got any tips?