Campervan Lifers

Living in a van usually means learning many things the hard way and quite quickly too, may we add! However, you simply figure it out as you go because the experience is different for everyone.

We wanted to create a place here to share our knowledge and insights with like-minded people from the van life community. We’ve been there, done it and learned all the dos and don’ts you could think of.

“Our focus is on being adventurous and bold and using tech to help our vans be more efficient and work better for us.”
That’s why we have a section dedicated to van tech & hacks. We want a van to suit both our lifestyle and work needs. There are some wonderful tech advances out there for vans and we want to share these with you, so you can decide if you want to implement them in your van too.

As van life is so human we share stories from people living on the road which will support and inspire your van life journey. Discover the best places to visit, the realities of van life (good and bad, yep!), what you can’t live without and what was surprisingly easy to leave behind.

What makes this way of life so special is the amazing community that’s developed around it. You can meet someone for the first time and before long you’ll be exchanging stories like old friends!

By sharing everything we know about converting a campervan, living on the road as well as interviewing people from the community, our goal is to make van life more open and accessible for anyone who wants to live life on their own terms.

Our Guiding Principles & Writing Ethos

High quality, helpful content.
Adds value, what we write adds value and we aim to cover different points of view.
We are reliable and our facts are correct.
We offer expert knowledge and insights into camper vanning and van life.
We are part of the van community and we foster connection and share our knowledge.

Our Campervan Crew

Ollie

Ollie’s all about off-grid living and loves exploring the natural world in his tent while tackling challenging, long-distance mountain bike routes far off the beaten path across the UK, Europe, the Caucasus, and North America. With a degree in Oceanography, Ollie spent three years working in London’s music industry after university

“But it didn’t take long for him to realise that the 9-to-5 grind and crippling rent just weren’t for him. ”

After a year of living on a canal boat in the city and getting a taste of financial freedom outside the typical “bricks and mortar” lifestyle, he decided to take a leap of faith. Ollie handed in his notice to pursue a life shaped by adventure, practical skills, and sustainable living.

“Eventually settling in Cornwall, he converted a VW Crafter, ‘Tage’ (Tar-Geh), into a campervan in 2020, using skills from a carpentry apprenticeship and hours of meticulous research. ”

He has called it home ever since. Living nomadically has given Ollie the flexible lifestyle he craved. These days, he splits his time between working as a seasonal tree planter in Scotland, building adventure-focussed vans, and advises others on their conversions – drawing from his unique experience living in his van throughout harsh winters deep in the Scottish Highlands

“The shift to van life has opened doors to study and work on the road, advancing his career in forestry and gaining in-depth knowledge of off-grid technology. ”

With his unique lifestyle and skill set, Ollie aims to inspire and help others take the leap into van life, whether by building their own off-grid setups or refining their campers to suit their needs.

Adventure Level: 9
Van Living Level: 1 standard conversion, 1 self-build house truck
Self-Build Level: 100% DIY
Countries Visited: 4
Bandit Level Unlocked: Chief Bandito

Simon

I’m an experienced ‘van-lifer’ having lived and worked on the road and converted vans from VW type 2 and up. I’m looking to start a new project in 2025, sharing the highs and lows of setting up a stealth camper to explore the UK and beyond!

I have discovered wild park-ups from Cornwall to the Midlands, Norfolk to the North Downs, so I know the rigours and rewards that travel delivers in the UK. I’m up for adventures in Europe, but I want to do it in style, in comfort, and on budget, so I can make it a sensible and sustainable lifestyle choice.

The attraction of being off-grid and under the radar, chasing freedoms, breathing clean air and seeing sights reserved for early birds, or open dark skies for night owls, drives us all on. It doesn’t come without difficulties and technical challenges, but with patience, and clear steps we will get to the good stuff!

Adventure Level: 9
Van Living Level: 4 Van Builds
Self-Build Level: 80% DIY
Countries Visited: 17 (Wales counts)
Bandit Level Unlocked: Almost…

Dani

Dani lives with her partner and their converted campervan in Bristol, UK. When at home in Bristol, they love spending weekends in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and on beach trips to Devon. To add to the collection of van trips, they have also completed a fabulous 5-month van life sabbatical tripping around Europe. Outside of van life adventures and trip planning she works as a developer for a renewable energy company.

Adventure Level: 8
Van Living Level: 1 van build
Self-Build Level: 100% DIY
Countries Visited: 21
Bandit Level Unlocked: Almost…

Victoria

Victoria assists with website management, content creation, analytics and website performance. She has been trained and has experience in areas of website design & development, digital marketing, SEO optimisation, SEO guest posting, SEO auditing but most of all, she believes that you have to connect with your audience and provide authentic and useful information.

She loves the outdoors and likes climbing to the top of things, mostly because she loves the challenge of doing so. She has been on a few campervan trips and loves the idea of being your own captain, deciding where you want to take your home and exploring the less trodden path. She also loves the idea of not having to pay for accommodation (or that much) and being able to save money by preparing your own food.

“Life on the road in your camper not only has a sense of freedom but you are dictating the terms and being able to do more with what you have. ”

Getting started with Van Life

Planning a new campervan conversion? Or perhaps you’re after some epic van life upgrades and modifications to make life on the road feel a little more like home? We’ve got in-depth guides on how to convert a campervan and ways to get the most from living off-grid, as well as insights from the van community on how to embrace van life culture!

Let us take you through the journey of fitting out your campervan and not making annoying mistakes, like these,
adding too much weight to the build (either with the materials used to furnish inside or packing it to the gills with stuff!)
– building out cupboards too far
– have an inadequate power supply (batteries drain quickly and solar can’t keep up)
– plumbing that leaks (you don’t want to run out of water in the middle of nowhere!)
– put a lock on your drawers and storage, so when you’re going around corners everything you own won’t explode out across the van!
These mistakes all use up your cash and not in a good way! We’ll help you avoid first-timer van mistakes and even if you are experienced, these will still be useful.

Also, you’re maybe thinking that you don’t need things like a shower (cold showers really aren’t too much fun!), hot water or perhaps a composting toilet but these things really make van life much more comfortable and enjoyable. Let’s face it, we are all going to need a shower and preferably a hot shower when we’ve been on the road a few days. It also makes you and your camper van much more self-efficient and functional.