Living in a Van (and exploring the world with it)

Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’ otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.
Ian Fleming

I’m a fan of the tiny house movement, but I also follow interesting related movements like van dwelling (Reddit link). While tiny houses seem to be a great way to live in your own four walls on a budget (and with a strong focus on what’s important), they are not exactly made for exploration. They weigh too much and require a strong vehicle to pull them (and to stop them!).

But there are people who live in their vans and who have made cool modifications for this purpose.

For example, have a look at this video of a “normal” van transformed into a camper van to explore Europe:

Their website is relaxedpace.com on which they also describe the van conversion. And they have realized some beautiful ideas. 🙂

Or how about this van from vandogtraveller.com?

Looks “normal” (“stealth”) from the outside, but it has a bed, shower, toilet, kitchen and the like inside:

Very impressive. And it doesn’t stop there.

Mike Hudson from vandogtraveller.com, the person who converted this camper van and lives in it, has recently published a book called “From Van to Home”. I had a quick look at it and while I’m not sure that I will try out to live in a van, it looks really useful. The creativity and attention to detail is impressive. He covers everything from the tools, the preparation of the van, the interior shell, bathroom (shower/toilet), kitchen, bed, water/gas/electrical system, storage, and the like.

In any case, also have a look at his blog. I’m not sure everything is in the book, e.g., how to install parking sensors. But having all the directly relevant info in that book — yeah! 🙂

I think the only thing that bugs me regarding van dwelling is that living/traveling in a van does require gas (well, diesel). But it gives you a home on the road. And unless you’re couch-surfing, that’s one of the most expensive things when traveling.

So yeah, really, really interesting. Lots of the concepts tie in beautifully with tiny homes and liveaboard ships. And the limited space … beautiful constrains for creative solutions. 🙂