“My greatest camping memories are of my grandmother picking me up every summer as a young teenager and traveling Oregon in her old farm truck,” George Marcom says. Marcom, an Outdoorsy owner and founder of AZ Adventure Vans, fondly remembers those summer nights spent sleeping under the stars and mornings spent fishing for breakfast. “We would spend the whole summer traveling to amazing places around our state,” he says wistfully.
Memories and experiences that special must be passed down, Marcom says, which was the driving motivation why he decided to pick up a van, pack up with his son, and head west into the wilderness to explore all the beauty our country has to offer. “We bought our first van last year for a father/son west coast national parks trip,” Marcom tells us. “We wanted a van because they go places large RVs can’t go. We spend our time off the beaten path, traveling gravel roads and boondocking on public land.”
What Marcom didn’t realize was that this was the beginning of a much bigger journey than he anticipated. “On our trip, we noticed rental campervans everywhere we went,” he says. “So instead of letting the van sit after our trip, we decided to give renting a try.”
And give it a try they did. Not only that, they did quite well after listing! “It took about a month to get our first booking [and] less than a week with our second van — which we just added,” Marcom says. “We started in late October and our earnings have increased monthly as we got good reviews. Our current bookings add up to around $2,500 per month. This has been enough supplemental income for my wife to quit her full-time job and stay home to run this little business.”
The secret to his success? Marcom claims it’s all in the dirt. “Most people don’t want their RV dry camping, boondocking, or going off paved roads,” he explains. “They don’t want their RV getting dusty and dirty. This is what we do and want them to do. We want people to explore away from campgrounds and RV parks. Our vans are set up for this, and we encourage it.”
“Our vans don’t look like rental vans,” Marcom adds. “They look like the adventure van our renters want to own themselves. We have a passion for van adventures. When renters ask us for suggestions on places to camp, trails to hike, or bike rental companies, we can give them our first-hand experiences.”
All about George Marcom
Favorite morning beverage:
“Coffee.”
Favorite campsite meal:
“Pancakes.”
Music you like to play on the radio:
“I’m not picky.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite:
“Frisbee.”
Favorite season:
“Year-round in Arizona.”
Last photo you took:
“New porta-potty. Don’t ask. LOL!”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal?
“Coyote — I love the howling at night!”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go?
“Anywhere with warm weather and sandy beaches.”
