It’s always awesome to read an Outdoorsy success story. That said, while most people are able to rent their rigs right away, there are times when getting to the point of success takes a bit of perseverance. Camping enthusiasts Michelle and Anthony Basurto are a great example of this. Fortunately, they tried and tried again and found the success they had been hoping for.
The Basurtos got their first pop-up travel trailer as a project piece. “Our budget for our first pop-up wasn’t much, so we ended up with something old but in good shape,” Michelle tells us. “Why not renovate and bring new life?” And that’s exactly what they did. It was lovely, and they knew just what they wanted to do with it.
“We knew we were going to rent pretty quickly after we purchased our first pop-up,” Mrs. Basurto says. “We like to be able to share the joys of camping with others. After looking into the different websites available, we decided that Outdoorsy was the most user-friendly for both owners and renters.” So, the couple listed their newly renovated trailer on Outdoorsy.
Unfortunately, that first attempt at a rental business didn’t go over as well as they had hoped. “Our first pop-up was posted to Outdoorsy for a few months with absolutely no action,” explains Michelle. “It was discouraging! However, we got a lot of interest in purchasing our trailer rather than renting, so we decided to sell. Our remodel was a hit—just not in the rental game.”
You’d think that would be the end of that, and the Basurto couple would move on, but that wasn’t what happened at all. In fact, the couple quickly jumped back onto the saddle. “After our first trailer, we decided we had a great time renovating them together and ended up buying our second fixer-upper,” Mrs. Basurto tells us. “By the time we finished this one and had it posted, COVID-19 hit. This time around, we decided to just let the ‘trailer stuff’ be and see what happens. In these uncertain times, we had no clue what to expect.
“Well, waiting to see what would happen was the right call,” continues Michelle. “At the end of May, we still hadn’t sent our trailer out on a rental, but June was totally booked. As we got to June, July then filled up, and at this point, we were turning so many people away that we decided to get our third pop-up. This would be our third renovation.”
That third trailer has also been a huge success. “We’ve had ten rentals so far on The Traveller and two rentals for our newer trailer, Wanderlust, which has only been posted about a week,” shares Michelle. “We’ve made roughly $1,500 in about a month and a half.”
It may have taken a bit of work to get there, but the Basurtos are now successful rental business owners. They get to share their gorgeously renovated trailers with others and make some money doing it. Best of all, they get to pass on their love of camping.
As Michelle put it, “I hope we help our renters create memories!”
All About Michelle
Favorite morning beverage: “Coffee.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Grilled corn on the cob.”
Music you like to play on the radio: “Country or Christian.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “Aggravation.”
Favorite season: “Spring.”
Last photo you took: “A pic of my fruit trees looking happy.”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal? “Wolf.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “Montana.”
