Joanna Welburn and her husband purchased 40 acres of land on Vancouver Island about a year and a half ago with a goal clearly in mind. “We are building a farm from the ground up,” says Joanna. The farm consists of two acres of old growth forest and a 15 acre cottonwood plantation which the couple is clearing one acre at a time. They’ve also had to bring in hydro and have a well dug. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of expense.
Joanna has thought about renting out camping spots to supplement their income, but, “I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about doing that, how I was going to advertise it, get the word out,” she said in a phone interview. Then, on Facebook, she discovered Campertunity.
Campertunity is the brainchild of Guita Yazdani and Nora Lozano. This is how they explain Campertunity on their website. “We want to give campers the option to camp beyond crowded parks and away from stressful bookings. With Campertunity, campers can book on private land, avoid expensive re-sales of campsites and easily book a camping vacation.”
Joanna registered with Campertunity last spring. At Mac’s Boondock Ranch she offers a large campsite with a firepit and garbage disposal. She’s garnered a five star review from a happy camper, who enjoyed easy access to local attractions in the area and also the privacy, fresh from the garden tomatoes and the farm animals.
For its services, Campertunity collects 10 per cent of site rentals
Campertunity has on-farm campsites registered from several BC locations and across Canada.
—Shirley Byers