Park the Bus, Take the Vespa: 5 Reasons This Fall's Prize Comes as a P

Paid advertisement from VanLife. VanLife is the sponsor of this giveaway and wrote this article to promote its own prize and membership.

Park the Bus, Take the Vespa: 5 Reasons This Fall's Prize Comes as a Pair

A restored orange '69 VW Bus camper for the campsite and a matching Vespa for the coffee run. Entries close November 12.

The orange Vespa parked in front of the orange and white VW Bus among hay bales and pumpkins — The Grand Prize comes as a pair: a restored 1969 VW Bus camper and a Vespa painted to match.

You have found the spot: a lake, an overlook, a quiet site at the end of a dirt road. The chairs are out. The light is perfect. Then somebody remembers there is no coffee.

Now there are two options. Pack up the whole camp and drive the van into town, or go without. It is the small, unglamorous problem that rarely makes it into the photos.

This fall's VanLife giveaway answers it directly. The prize is not just a van. It is a restored orange 1969 VW Bus and a Vespa painted to match it. Here are five reasons the pair makes sense.

Reason 1The Bus is where you stay

The headline prize is a 1969 Volkswagen Type 2 Bus, converted into a camper and given a custom orange repaint. Outside, it has early split window styling, round headlights, chrome VW badging and period-style wheels. Inside, the back of the Bus is set up as a rear living and camping area. In other words, the Bus is the campsite, not the shuttle.

Reason 2The Vespa means camp stays camp

Once the Bus is parked and leveled out, it can stay put. The Vespa, custom-painted orange to match, covers everything else on the list: the bakery, the farm stand, the hardware store for the tent stake you forgot, a lap of town in the evening. One vehicle for staying, one for going.

The orange Bus and Vespa among hay bales and pumpkins — Bus and Vespa together, set up for a fall weekend.

Reason 3The inside is built for more than one night

The camper interior has fold-down sleeping accommodation, interior storage, a table and diamond-stitched rust-orange cushions, with a curtain at each window. Pull the curtains, fold the bed down and the Bus becomes a room. That is what makes a second or third night realistic instead of a stretch.

Looking forward through the prize Bus from the rear bench: a folded blanket, a table with orange flowers and curtains tied back at the windows — The view forward from the back bench.

Reason 4The gear handles power, signal and food

Three things can cut a camping weekend short: a flat battery, no signal and a warm cooler. The $5,000 travel bundle covers all three, plus music:

EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Plus power stationIncluded

500W solar panelIncluded

Starlink Mini kitIncluded

Dometic CFX5 75DZ dual-zone electric coolerIncluded

JBL Boombox 4 (orange)Included

These brands are listed to describe the bundle and are not sponsors. The Official Rules let the Sponsor swap in a substitute worth the same or more.

The travel bundle on grass: solar panel, power station, Starlink Mini, cooler and orange speaker — The bundle, unpacked.

Reason 5One winner gets the whole set

There is a single Grand Prize, and it is not split up. The Bus, the Vespa, the travel bundle and a $10,000 cash award all go to the same person. The Official Rules put the approximate retail value of the full package at $100,000.

Park somewhere beautiful. Leave it exactly as it is. Take the Vespa for coffee.

Five reasons · One prize

See the Bus and the Vespa side by side

See the Bus & Vespa →

No purchase necessary. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Open to legal residents of the US and Canada, 18+ or the age of majority. Void where prohibited. Ends 11/12/2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Official Rules

Behind the engine lidWhere the Bus keeps its engine

The Bus is rear-engined. Its 1.6L air-cooled flat-four lives at the back and powers the rear wheels through a four-speed manual. Up front, the driver gets the classic VW dashboard and instrumentation.

The open rear engine compartment of the prize Bus, with the air-cooled engine inside and pale blue paint around it — The air-cooled flat-four, mounted at the back.

Practical notesTwo vehicles, one set of paperwork

Winning a pair means thinking about both. The Official Rules award the prize vehicle "AS IS" without warranty and note it may not pass every state's safety or emissions inspection. Checking local inspection rules is the winner's job, and it comes before accepting.

Registration and licensing costs for the automobile are on the winner, and so are other expenses of accepting or using the prize that the rules do not mention. For the Vespa, look up your own state or province's rules for riding a scooter. Taxes apply to the full value, and US winners receive an IRS Form 1099.

The fine print, in plain EnglishHow entering works

Members are entered automatically. An active VanLife membership includes automatic entry into every VanLife giveaway, alongside the other member benefits.

Anyone can enter for free. Mail a hand-printed 3" x 5" card as described in the Official Rules. Each mail-in entry counts as 10 entries. Mail-in entries must be postmarked by November 12, 2026 and received by November 17, 2026.

Paying never improves your odds. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning, and odds depend on the number of eligible entries received.

Restored Bus + matching Vespa

The last day to enter is November 12

See the Bus & Vespa →

What is VanLife?

VanLife is a membership club for people who love the open road. Members get:

Cash back when you shop at more than 6,600 stores
Trees planted every month through your membership
Digital wallpapers for your phone and desktop, included with membership
Discounts on VanLife merch for Silver members and above
Automatic entry into every VanLife giveaway while your membership is active

Membership starts at $15 per month, renews monthly until you cancel, and can be canceled anytime from your account. Past winners are listed on our winners page.

You never have to buy anything to enter. There's a free way to enter by mail, described in the Official Rules, and a purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

The short version

A restored 1969 VW Bus camper in bright orange, rear-engined with a 4-speed manual
A Vespa scooter painted the same orange
Travel bundle: power station, solar panel, Starlink Mini, Dometic cooler, JBL speaker
Plus a $10,000 cash award, all going to one winner
Package ARV: $100,000
No purchase needed; free entry by mail
Entries close Nov 12, 2026, with the winner picked on or about Nov 18

Common questions

Does one person get both the Bus and the Vespa?

Yes. The Grand Prize is a single package, so the winner receives the Bus, the Vespa, the travel bundle and the cash award described in the Official Rules.

Do I need a special license to ride the Vespa?

That depends on where you live, so check your state or province. Expenses of using the prize that the Official Rules do not cover are the winner's responsibility.

How do I enter without paying?

Put a hand-printed 3" x 5" card in the mail. It needs a postmark of November 12, 2026 or earlier and has to reach the PO box by November 17, 2026. Each card counts as 10 entries.

Is the membership a long-term commitment?

No. It renews month to month, and you can cancel from your account whenever you like.

Who can enter?

Legal US and Canadian residents who have reached 18 or their local age of majority. Employees of the Sponsor and the Administrator, and their families and households, are not eligible. Void where prohibited.

See the '69 Bus & the Vespa →