Adventurous by nature, Jill Robins and her husband, Brad, lived in a tent for more than two months before renting a house when they moved to the Big Island from Australia in 2006. "We camped in different areas of the island and got to see every nook and cranny of it," Robins recalled. "It was an amazing experience! We enjoy camping because you live so close to nature and see things that you don’t normally see. One day we saw an owl, a donkey, goats, a red cardinal and lots of fish in the sea. Had we been staying at a hotel, the only way we would’ve seen all that in one day would’ve been on the Discovery Channel!"

In 2008 the couple settled on Oahu, where Brad worked in construction and Robins as a nanny. A getaway to Maui that year marked a major turning point in their lives.

"We rented a Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia camper and had the freedom to stay just about anywhere we wanted," Robins said. "We woke up to bird song, bathed in waterfalls and saw more stars than we knew existed. It was the kind of vacation you dream of when you’re sitting at your office desk watching your screen saver flash images of the most beautiful places on Earth."

A few hours into that trip, Robins knew she wanted to own a "Westy." "All I could talk about was how our van was going to be — plush, comfortable and cozy with the finest things it could carry," she said. "My idea was to convert the van into a nice hotel on wheels. We bought Daisy two weeks after we got home. She’s a real beauty — an extremely rare hardtop camper van — and she gave us the blank canvas for our company."

Hawaii Campers launched in January 2009 and has been on a roll ever since. It now has three Westies in its fleet. Brad keeps them in tiptop shape, inside and out. Robins decorates, shops, handles reservations and inquiries, and puts the finishing touches on each camper before it’s rented.

The vehicles are equipped with everything from kitchenware, linens and towels to a tent, a guidebook and map of Oahu, and a DVD player with a selection of movies. Dubbed the Family Fun Bus, Daphne also comes with games, crayons, toy rafts, bubble sticks and baby wipes. Tiki promises a romantic ride. Think chocolates, candles, wine glasses and a top-of-the-line Alpine touch-screen CD/DVD player with a drop-down monitor.

"We offer stress-free camping," Robins said. "You can cruise around Oahu, enjoying its beauty and grandeur, and not worry about having to head back to your hotel at the end of the day because your hotel travels with you! You can stay in a different place every night if you want."

In addition, the daily rates for a camper are cheaper than what you’d pay for a rental car and hotel room; you can cook your meals, saving money on dining out; and Hawaii Campers stocks its vans with beach chairs, boogie boards, snorkeling gear and a cooler, making it easy and economical to plan a seaside outing.

Perhaps best of all, van camping is a great way to bond with your loved ones because you’re sharing the entire experience together. Said Robins, "You’ve heard the saying ‘It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.’ That perfectly describes vacationing on Oahu in a camper!"

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.