Driving Lightly: Our Journey Towards Sustainability

To feel connected with nature and wild spaces has always been at the heart of Siesta Campers. It’s the reason we started this journey over 20 years ago— and what continues to drive us as an independent, family-owned business.

But we also know we’re a travel company. And yes, we rent out fuel-powered vehicles. That’s a paradox we don’t shy away from.

Our fleet has grown steadily and organically to 114 vans across six hubs in Portugal and Spain, offering travellers from near and far unforgettable experiences. We pour our love for van life and craftsmanship into every build, restoring and converting some of the finest campervans on the road.

This Earth Day, we want to share how we’re working to lighten our footprint—not because we have it all figured out, but because it matters to us. We believe small steps add up. By sharing our values, we hope to inspire thoughtful choices and show that even small businesses can be part of the change.

Because if we want future generations to roam free in the wild, we have to protect it while we still can.

Electrifying the Journey Ahead

This year’s Earth Day theme, Our Power, Our Planet, calls for a global shift toward clean energy. As a company built around road trips, that message hits close to home.

In 2023, we introduced the Siesta Buzz — our first fully electric VW campervan. With a 300+ km range and fast-charging capabilities (5–80% in 30 minutes), the Buzz makes lower-impact road trips across Portugal and Spain not just possible, but comfortable.

With a retro-inspired design, fold-out bed, and custom pull-out camping pod, the Buzz is built for two adults to explore, relax, cook, and sleep in style. It’s our vision for a modern-day road trip — with a lighter footprint.

This is just the beginning. Electrifying our fleet is a long-term journey — shaped by infrastructure, accessibility, and demand. But the Buzz marks an exciting first step.

The Road to Sustainable Practices

When we look inward at our own operations, there are a few things we’re proud of and committed to building on.

🌲 Tree Planting & Land Stewardship

We don’t see offsetting as a silver bullet — far from it. It's hardly a solution to throw money at carbon credits and move on. That’s why our approach to reforestation is hands-on and deeply personal.

Every year, we plant trees through our Tree Nation program to help offset our van trips, supporting reforestation efforts in Portugal, Madagascar, India and beyond.

Closer to home, we care for 4.5 hectares of land in the Serra do Caldeirão— a once-wild forest in Southern Portugal devastated by fires and years of abandonment. This land is now a growing patchwork of cork oaks, medronho and alfarroba trees — native species we’re working to bring back, one sapling at a time.

Last year, we planted over 600 trees. This year, another 150. But it’s not just about planting— it’s about clearing invasive brush, setting up irrigation and giving young trees the conditions they need to thrive in a drought-prone region. Thankfully, record-breaking rainfall in recent months has given our forest a much-needed boost.

The work is slow and humbling, but this land means a lot to us— and we hope it will mean something to future generations too.

Want to get involved? We regularly host community planting days and are always looking for local forest guardians to help us nurture this space back to biodiversity.

☀️ Powered by the Sun

Our Siesta Campers HQ in São Brás de Alportel runs entirely on solar. The workshop where we build and convert every van is powered by 152 solar panels — a 39.52 kW system that supplies 100% of our energy needs. Sustainability isn’t a slogan for us. It’s wired into how we work.

🪵 Responsibly Sourced Materials & Waste Reduction

Our commitment extends to the materials we use and how we operate every day:

• Van Conversions: We use Vöhringer wood, produced in a carbon-neutral facility, in every single conversion build.
• No single-use plastics: All Siesta Campers are equipped with real cutlery, reusable dishware, and eco-friendly cleaning supplies— no throwaways.
• Portable toilets: We offer our customers the possibility to rent a chemical toilet to keep waste out of sensitive habitats when going wild in Portugal or Spain.
• Workshop recycling: We meet EU recycling standards and work with licensed waste management providers to properly dispose of materials.
• Code of conduct: We strongly encourage all travellers to respect the places they visit and follow a “leave no trace” philosophy.

♻️ Giving back to people and the land 

We believe in circularity— looking for ways to give things a second life, choosing restoration and regeneration over wastefulness.

At the end of each season, we collect used bedding from our vans and donate it to local charities, keeping 20–30kg of materials out of landfill last year alone. It’s a small gesture, but one that reflects our belief that sustainability includes social responsibility too.

And this year, we’re proud to share something new:

In our workshop, scraps from van conversions usually get tossed into the offcut pile. Claire, our co-founder (and artist at heart), started gathering the ones with character— the curved pieces, the quirky shapes, the ones that told a story.

That spark led to Wild Ink Offcuts, a small art project turning van build leftovers into something meaningful. Original drawings, hand-carved and printed onto wood offcuts from our workshop. Each one inspired by van life and the wilds we love.

They're not your average souvenirs. They're light on the planet, full of soul, and made right here in Portugal, from the very same wood our vans are built with.  

100% of proceeds go directly to our rewilding efforts in the Serra do Caldeirão — helping us plant more trees, restore habitats and regenerate land for the long haul. So when you take home a piece of Wild Ink, you're not just carrying memories, you're giving back to the land that made them possible.

Come Along for the Ride

We believe travel can deepen our care for the planet — not just by showing us new places, but by connecting us to the responsibility of protecting them.

Here are a few ways you can make your next trip with us more sustainable:

• Choose slower routes and take your time.
• Clean up after yourself and leave places better than you found them
• Pitch up at regenerative farms and small-scale projects and learn about their projects (we’re working on guides!)
• Travelling consciously also means spending consciously, avoiding ‘economic leakage’ where your Euros don’t support the local economy. Support local markets, cafés, campgrounds and local tours on your road trip.
• Support our efforts to offset your van trip by donating to our Tree Nation program.
• Pick up a Wild Ink print as a souvenir when you drop off your van
• Try the electric Siesta Buzz and be part of the future of vanlife!

Every small step — from planting one tree to switching one van to electric — is part of building a more sustainable, equitable future. 

When you book with Siesta Campers, you’re not just renting a van — you’re joining a community of explorers who believe wholeheartedly in treading a little more lightly.

We’re committed to keep doing our part — not perfectly, but passionately.