A Healing Road Trip with My Feline Family in a Modular Camper

There are a thousand reasons to buy a modular camper, but mine is simple: I am a cat person.

Just like life itself—one moment you may be riding high, the next you could hit rock bottom. A cat's fate can be just as unpredictable.

My feline family: a long-haired tabby, an orange cat, a Maine Coon, and a Scottish Fold.

I still remember the first time I saw the long-haired tabby. It was an early winter evening. My husband and I were returning from walking our dog when we passed a trash bin and came face-to-face with a cat searching for food in vain. Unable to bear those pitiful eyes looking at me, I decisively took her home. That was over a decade ago, and she has been with us ever since.

It was as if a ray of light had broken into fate—a stray cat finding a cat person owner. But I never expected that I would also become a modular camper owner.

I call myself a cat person through and through, so in the years that followed, I rescued another stray orange cat. Add to that the Maine Coon and Scottish Fold my son had entrusted to us for ten years while he was busy with work, and my husband and I now had a full team of four cats.

Before retirement, I loved to travel. When we traveled, my husband and I would leave the cats with relatives or friends. They were fed and watered without neglect, yet every time I returned, the cats seemed listless and lethargic, lacking their usual energy. I chalked this up to missing their owners. This became the reason I could not bring myself to travel.

Later, my son suggested we buy a modular camper, so we could take the cats with us when we traveled.

The Peak Life of Modular Camper Cats

In September 2020, we outfitted our van with the VanUnit modular system—a double bed, kitchen, and shower all included. Tool-free installation, no damage to the original vehicle, and seamless switching between camping and daily commuting. Nearly five years have passed since then. Now my four cats have grown accustomed to modular camper travel. Every morning after breakfast, they obediently take their seats, waiting to depart. The space is roomy enough for the cats to leap and move about freely. For their needs, we even bought deeper, lidded litter boxes to make bathroom breaks easier on the road.

When parked, the cats can get out and roam the surrounding scenery—walking, stretching, climbing trees, jumping fences, catching mice... living their peak feline lives. The four cats—the Maine Coon, long-haired tabby, Scottish Fold, and orange cat—each have their own distinct personality: some regal and commanding, others adorably playful. They fill my modular camper with a unique charm, and on the road, people constantly stop to say hello, drawn either by the modular camper or by the cats.

A Healing Journey for the Cats

I love to paint. When we park, I set up my easel and sketch the surrounding scenery. The cats also come over to pose as models. A passerby once remarked that the scene of a modular camper, an artist, and cats together was incredibly healing.

The modular camper journey was a true healing trip for the Scottish Fold. Before the trip, he had been diagnosed with a nasal tumor. His nose was constantly bleeding, and nasal polyps were protruding from his nostrils. The vet recommended surgery—opening up his nose and removing the polyps. I ultimately could not bear to put him through that and chose conservative treatment, sparing no expense on targeted therapy drugs. I have always felt that since the cat played with us as a kitten, we cannot simply abandon him when he grows old and sick.

With the medication in hand, I took him on the road. Perhaps it was the drugs working, or perhaps it was the moist southern air, but his nosebleeds truly improved. Seeing the cat like this filled me with relief.

The Modular Camper Set Me on a Journey Back to My Youth

The modular camper journey was healing for the cats, but for me, it was a journey back to feeling like a teenager.

In 2020, I had just retired a year earlier. Removed from the rhythm of work, I occasionally felt empty and melancholic. But ever since deciding to travel with the cats in a modular camper, that feeling has completely evaporated.

When I bought my modular camper, I chose a newer brand rather than a famous one. I believe in the sincerity and focus people bring when they are building something from the ground up. Just as I myself am embarking on a new chapter of life with sincerity.

When it comes to buying and enjoying a modular camper, I rely on no one but myself. The depth of research and homework I put into understanding modular campers is no less than when I first transferred to the technical department as a young woman. I read countless articles about modular campers, joined modular camper communities, and soaked up every bit of modular camper information I could find. This life keeps me energized and full of vitality.

Within a year of buying the modular camper, my husband and I have been to many places—coastal towns on the East Coast, the vast plains of the Midwest, the wetlands and swamps of the South, and the canyons of the West, covering nearly 12,000 miles in total. Because I used to be a truck driver in my youth, handling Ford and Chevrolet vehicles was second nature to me. My driving skills can hold their own against any male driver, so these distances pose no challenge.

On the road, I climb mountains, ford streams, join off-roading trips with young people, wearing helmets and hiking boots, competing with the younger generation. This life makes me feel like a teenager again. Back during my time at the transport company, I was recruited as a stunt driver. In the beginning, I practiced day and night, fearless of falls and bruises, pulling off one impressive performance after another.

Next, my travels with the cats will continue. We plan to drive the modular camper to the national parks of the North, venture into the western wilderness, and embark on cross-country journeys. When the time is right, I also hope to cross Canada with my husband.

I am deeply grateful to my cats for opening the door to modular camper life for me. I feel that this life has given me back my youthful spirit—open horizons and an open heart make me as brave as I was in my youth, rather than truly aging, shutting my eyes and ears to the world.