If you follow this blog, you know that Maine is our absolute favorite place; when G and I first started dating back in 1995, we often spent our weekends driving to Maine and visiting the small towns dotting the coast. We fell in love with the coast and with Maine itself; 26 years later, we’re still making those coastal drives, and Maine still has our heart. One of these days, maybe we’ll hop the border and even make our home in “Vacationland.” While we love Maine year-round, there’s something especially beautiful about the coast in winter—the quiet, the stillness, the solitude (all the more appreciated these days!).

I have a list of blog post ideas to come, but I figured now might be a good time to show folks the inside of Tedda, our Travato. And what better timing, as this week marks the birthdays of both my Aunt Tedda (after whom our Travato is named) and my grandmother, her sister. I wrote about Nonnie and Aunt Tedda in this post, if you haven’t yet had the chance to “meet” them. Aunt Tedda, born Nov. 23, would be 112 if she were still alive and Nonnie 110. What I would’t give to hear their take on the world we live in today—I can only imagine what they’d both say! Of this I’m sure: Aunt Tedda would have totally rocked quarantine cooking, and Nonnie, a homebody already, would have been content with staying at home and watching her soap operas, following her “numbers,” playing solitaire, and eating ice cream. So in honor of them both, and Aunt Tedda in particular, here’s a peek inside Tedda our Travato!

When we decided to make the jump into RV-land, everything seemed to happen very, very quickly. Count us among the throngs gravitating toward RV life during the pandemic. Even after factories shut down for periods and supply chains had been disrupted, sales skyrocketed. In late August, we had decided on a Class B. A week or so later, we put a deposit down on a Winnebago Travato. We put our Eurovan up for sale and watched as its new owners drove her away. And two weeks later, on Halloween, we were driving Tedda home from the dealership.

In our search for a self-contained RV, we ruled out trailers and narrowed our options down to a Class B. Easy enough from there, right? Nope. Ever since our trip to the RV show, we had been drawn to two of Winnebago’s models: the Revel and the Travato—so much so that we’ve been keeping our eyes out for them on road and in campgrounds and admiring from afar…and then we made our decision!

After G and I went to an RV show this past January, we started thinking about the van that would eventually be our “next,” to follow the VW Eurovan. We dreamed—and decided we’d do our research and make the jump to a bigger rig in a few years’ time. After all, our van suited us perfectly! Sure, it didn’t have a kitchen or bathroom, but so what? After all, we’re camping! We shouldn’t feel like we’re staying in a hotel room or a tiny house…right? And then COVID-19 hit.