Book on how to build a campervan, motorhome, RV or overland truck or optimise any travel vehicle. Including digital planning tools.
This project will only be funded if at least €20,000 is pledged by .
I had a dream.
For more than 20 years I dreamt of travelling the world far off the beaten track in my own offroad truck. As a windsurfer und kiteboarder I yearned for all the windy spots around the world to try them out. I thought I would never be able to afford it until I had the idea of building a truck on my own.
At the age of 44 I did it. I quit my job, took the money I saved for my pension and bought an old army truck. I had no experience ... but I had a dream, a strong will and guidance from friends who were pros. Together with my wife Edith, we built an expedition vehicle with our own hands.
After the build our first trip lasted eight months taking us to Morocco, Western Sahara and on our way back home through Spain, Portugal and France. After that trip I wrote this book in German on how to build a campervan, a motorhome or even an overland truck. This was in the year 2010. My book first came out on a CD-ROM, but my customers asked for "a real book". So after 2 years I produced a hardcover-book. The first issue started in 2012 and had 350 pages. I did not only describe my build but also the reasons why I did things in a specific way and what alternatives would have been possible. So my readers can retrace my decisions and take other ones if they consider them more beneficial to their project.
Due to the great success of the book I had to publish a second edition in 2014 with 450 pages and the third one just came out a couple of weeks ago in April 2016, now with 512 pages, 39 chapters and more than 1200 pictures.
In the motorhome and overland community this book is known as the motorhome builder’s bible. We´ve got well over 100 fivestar testimonials of reader satisfaction and it has inspired hundreds of motorhome selfbuilders to do it on their own.
Here are some of the testimonials:
***** This book is a must-have for anyone considering building their own motorhome! (Joachim, Germany)
***** This Book is the best money can buy if you are serious about building your own (4x4) camper. It may not look cheap at first glance, but the effort that went into this book is enormous. (Remco v.d.V., Netherlands)
***** ... It’s worth every cent! You don't have to make all the mistakes yourself and you can find a lot of inspiration between its covers. To the point: Thank you Ulrich! (Thomas R., Germany)
***** This book is really an excellent aid to turn your dream of a 4x4 motorhome into a reality. We studied it in depth and, thanks to its guidance, we are now a big step further. Enjoy!!! (Jennifer N., Germany)
***** Well written and very informative especially because the author uses his own mistakes as an example. I was most impressed by the way he always explains why he made certain decisions. This helped me to determine whether I should do the same or find an alternative. This isn't just for people wanting to convert a truck, but also for anyone taking a serious interest in building or modifying any motorhome. There are many good tips, detailed graphics and it is well written making it easy to read and understand. All in all brilliant. (M.v.E., Switzerland)
***** So far I have built 2 motorhomes. It’s just a pity this book wasn’t around at the time because it would have saved me a lot of effort. ... This book makes me want to start my next project, but this time I’m far better prepared. Thank you, Ulrich (Norbert L., Germany)
Therefore we need your support to make the English version of the book become a reality too. If you help us produce the English edition, we will help you with all the information needed to build you own campervan, motorhome or overland truck. Ultimately, to help you save up to 100.000 Euros by doing it yourself. That’s more money in your pocket to fulfil your travel dreams.
Thanks for your support!
Ulrich, Edith and the whole team
Production: The good thing: Concept and the design of the book have already been done for the German edition. Part of the translation is also done, so there is only the need to do the final part of the translation, the editing, the layout of the English copy text and finally the printing. The latter is the most expensive, but if jointly we manage to raise just € 20.000,-, production costs will be covered.
Timing: Once the campaign has been successful we will need approx. two months for the translation, one month for editing and desktop-publishing and another month for the printing. So we can expect delivery of the hardcover book in October, and even a few weeks earlier of the e-book.
Other support: I´m pretty sure that there are enough people out there who are dreaming of a campervan, an RV or even an expedition vehicle. If you cannot or don´t want to back this campaign please support us by spreading the word among your friends, share it on facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram or any other social media platform so that we reach all those people dreaming of different travels or even an extraordinary life.
Our vision - could be yours as well: We experienced that the truck in front of our door changed our whole lives. I quit my job as a consultant for advertising agencies and concentrated fully on my work as an author which I can do from anywhere in the world. I also have written and published a business-book in German with the title "Wirtschaft und Liebe" - which translates as "Economy and Love".
This life-changing process took me aproximately five years. And now we are almost within grasp of our goal - to travel and work from anywhere in the world. This is our vision spurring us on to ever greater achievement. To build an overland truck will definately change your holidays and your travels, and it might change your whole life as well.
Risks:
Due to the fact that I have done the entire publishing process three times for the German book, I am really aware of the work behind and what is required to produce a book in high quality. It will be printed in Germany, but if there are many backers from the US we will do a separate printing in the USA.
Because of the fixed funding goal there is no risk for my backers. If we don´t reach the goal everybody will receive his or her money back. That´s the deal with Kickstarter.