Living in a Van
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In the summer of 2018 I moved into a van with the intention of experimenting with and investigating an alternative way of living, and that’s what this project is all about. When you only glimpse at living in a van it seems to have some very obvious drawbacks, like a lack of space or where to do your laundry but as I have found out over the last few years there are plenty of benefits too.
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Before…
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The introductory video to this project
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…and after
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When I first bought the van I had been travelling for 16 years, and I spent most of that time on the road sleeping in hotels, tents, on peoples floors or sofas, I had never owned a property, I had owned one car in my life, for about 6 weeks and I had not even officially rented a place. I saw the housing market as part of the trap, the invisible bars that prevent people from living their lives to their full potential but I still wanted somewhere to call my own and somewhere to call home, so the van became an affordable way of achieving this without getting ripped off or conned by the banks.
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You can watch my Cornflake Traveller Introduction video, for more information about my travels or try Cornflaketraveller.com
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Corn Flakes in India
Introducing the Cornflake Traveller
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Corn Flakes in Namibia
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I jumped straight in, both in a metaphorical and a literal sense, 2 months after having the idea I had found the van I wanted and moved in. I insulated the floor and built a bed, then went on a road trip around Europe to get some work done on the van in Poland and to film some ancient sites in Germany. On my return to the UK I finished the insulating, put a skylight in and then had to stop for the winter months. Winter was great fun in a metal box without any heating.
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Getting the bed finished
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Finishing the insulating
Our film about the German sites we visited
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Ready for Winter
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I have now lived in the van for more than 2 years and I absolutely love it, so much so that I want to promote it and educate the younger generations. I was covering a lesson in school earlier this year. I was given a PowerPoint slideshow and required to teach the kids that they only have 2 options in life; rent or buy. That was the message of the lesson and it made me realise the importance of educating about alternative options for living.
Hence the birth of this project. I intend to make a series of videos that show why I love it so much and inform people how they can do it themselves. I will include the process of the conversion, tips on how to live more comfortably, a typical day in my life and I want to show the advantages; such as no council tax, free electricity and the sense of freedom it gives me to be able to move my living quarters. I also want to show the community of Van-Home-Owners that we have met, and will meet on the road, as they are generally very happy and peaceful people.
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There are challenges to the van life but with more and more people living like this, the more accommodating the system will have to become towards Van-Home-Owners and the more comfortable the life style will be. I propose that people living in the van are more connected with the nature and natural world, I can park on the beach, in the woods, on top of the hill, in the port and that’s just a few in my area. Van-Home-Owners have less interference from wi-fi and the effects of electrical cables running through their houses. They have more time to relax, reflect and appreciate what is important in life and to look on the bright side, the van might be cramped but at least I don’t lose my stuff and I don’t need to go upstairs for anything. The most significant and tempting fact for so many people out there will be the cost of living. It can be as little as £100 a month, not counting petrol but including roadside assistance, insurance and tax.
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I now plan to sell this van and use what I have learnt to design a new one with an interior that is more suited to my needs; swivel chairs, more windows and solar panels for example. I would also like to make videos about the new van and the progress I make with it so stay tuned, the van life is not for everyone but it might be for you. Please join in and share ideas in the comments, somebody recently suggested to me that I could get an allotment to grow food, which is something I intend to explore.
And if you do decide to become a Van-Home-Owner yourself just know it took me more than a year to properly feel at home living in a van so be patient and give it time.
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