“In 2015, my girlfriend and I decided to live in the Rockies for a whole winter,” owner Olivier Marcoux tells us. “We used our first van as our home as we traveled south on the west coast all the way from Vancouver to San Diego.
“It was a three-month road trip that resulted in many happy moments, including the news that we would have a baby nine months later!”
That’s right, the couple has tons of happy memories in their van, including finding out they would soon be parents. “My girlfriend announced to me that I was going to be a father on the shores of Oregon, near a lighthouse at the furthest point west in the continental US,” Olivier shares. “It was beautiful and we stayed there for an hour or two staring at the sea and smiling at what the future was bringing us!”
That first rig was pretty simple. “At that time, we were really down to the basics,” Olivier explains. “Econoline E-150 with storage, roof racks and minimal RV equipment (as our needs were simply a place to crash and store our nine pairs of skis), four bikes, longboards, etc.”
That said, the couple didn’t stick with that super simple rig for long. “Following that, we had our kid and needed a bigger van. In 2017 we bought a vintage camper E-350 with all the amenities of a normal camper. We had a fridge, a stove, and a fan. We did two road trips with our newborn in it and then sold it. He was 7 months old at the time.”
Some would have been done with van travel at that point, but the Marcoux family just can’t stay away. “A year later we bought a camper in Mexico that was plated with Quebec plates and brought it back to Quebec, traveling for over 2.5 months,” says Olivier. “I kept receiving messages from friends wanting to rent the unit. I realized there was an opportunity there, so on my way back (I think we were in New York), I created my Outdoorsy account and posted the link to my rig on my Facebook wall.”
That was the beginning of Bromont Campervan, a business that grew faster than Olivier could have imagined. “People started booking six months in advance the day I put the ad up,” Olivier recalls. “Now I have seven vans fully booked from June to mid-October, and I’ve made around $150K.”
The best thing Bromont Campervan has to offer customers? Experience. “The more I travel, the more I can share insight that makes the life of my clients easy,” Olivier explains.
“For example, we have a lot of small families that rent our vans. When you have kids, I usually suggest cutting the amount of traveling you do down to half of what you would do without the kids, especially when the kids are very young. This gives you more quality time and less stress over getting somewhere or traveling a certain distance.
“In the end, the itineraries of many families have been enhanced—making the trip a positive experience for all—just because we traveled with kids in the past and had that bit of advice to give.”
This might be the advice Olivier gives parents, but he says it’s actually good advice for those without kids as well. “Even without kids, people tend to think the more they drive, the better the outcome. Cutting down the distance or adding a few days to your trip can really help change the pace and help relax. No need to rush!”
Another example of a way Olivier’s experience can help his customers? Knowledge of the area he serves. “We know a lot of clients who will want to visit iconic spots like the Great Lakes (Ontario), Gaspésie, Côte Nord, and Saguenay,” Olivier tells us. “Along the way, many spots can be missed if you are renting from someone who doesn’t know the area well. We have clients from Europe that book the vans without knowing anything about the spot except the info Google gives them.
“It’s one of my favorite things to help them get the best trip by putting their itinerary together.”
All About Olivier
Favorite morning beverage: “Latte.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Burritos.”
Music you like to play on the radio: “The local stuff.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “Monopoly.”
Favorite season: “Fall.”
Last photo you took: “My kids on top of Bromont Mountain.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “South of Europe.”
