Budgeting - It can be difficult to set or stick to a budget when costs are so varied in different places. You could find yourself spending much more than expected in certain locations. Laundry - Campsite laundry facilities can be expensive.
A cheaper option would be to use a large bucket with a lid placed in the shower cubicle. Drying clothes could be a problem as campsite tumble dryers can be expensive, too. Time and space to yourself is practically impossible to achieve. And if one of you snores, well Mess and untidiness - Unless kept under control, general messiness could become more of an issue when living in cramped, shared space.
Weather and seasons - Be prepared to wrap yourself in blankets and develop a tolerance for low temperatures, especially in Europe during the Winter. Wall cavity insulation is not available for motorhomes, and neither are open fires on chilly Autumn evenings. It drives him to distraction. Of course, you can, if you want.
Motorhome, Campervan and RV travellers are obliged to cook, eat and sleep within the confines of the vehicle. If you are going to Europe, the Eurocamping blog has a wealth of useful information on a range of practical concerns, including what to expect when you take your home to any country in the EU. One couple has actually made a cottage industry out of their lifestyle as full-timers. Since , they have been full-timing around Europe.
Theirs is a particular situation. They are not short of cash and they are extremely well organised which is not to say over-organised — they simply appear to have an admirable level of control over their budgetary information. They divide their costs into Fixed and Travel Spend. They track costs and enter everything into an itemised spreadsheet, so they can re-adjust expectations about budget and spending as they go along.
We don't stay on sites. One particular item commonly mentioned as being essential is an ACSI card. It is valid in countries throughout Europe. There are festivals and meetups all around the world we were planning to go to our first one this summer, but sadly, it has been cancelled.
You know that feeling when you make a meal for the first time and it turns out better than you expected? Somehow it tastes better knowing everything that went into it. Well, besides the odd shop project in school. It was ours. We made it with our own hands. We measured and cut and drilled and sewed. There is a pride that comes with building something — especially something you can live and travel in — that is unrivaled.
Most of us will never have the opportunity or desire to build a home. So building a campervan is pretty much the closest feeling you can get to the pride one must feel when they finish constructing a house. I love planning a trip as much as the next person, but there are times I just get the urge to hit the road and go. With a campervan, the possibilities are endless. You can take your campervan to a city or get deep in the backroads. You can go on remote and epic adventures, or you can get fancy and have a night on the town.
Traveling in a campervan allows you to go at your own pace. And it gives you the flexibility to change your mind at any point along the way. Not into the whole flying by the seat of your pants thing?
And depending on your campervan build, you could very easily go off the grid for a few days or even weeks at a time. We love camping. None of these things are an issue in a campervan. All issues you may have with traditional camping are solved. Think again.
But… where would I shower? Well, there are plenty of answers to that , but if you really wanted, you could find or build a campervan with a full shower. But… I have kids. Oh, there are plenty of vanlifers out there with multiple children. It can work. And why are we embarking on this adventure for the second time? Katie: I love that everything in a campervan is an adventure. Even the little moments — cooking a meal with an epic backdrop or waking up in a forest to the sound of birds chirping — are ones we will remember vividly.
Ben: I like the freedom that comes with a campervan. We can just take off with no plans or reservations and see what we feel like doing along the way.
We have TONS of resources on converting your own campervan and living the vanlife. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Van Life for all the answers to your most burning questions, or read some of our favorite articles below.
Interested in engaging with others about all things vanlife? Join our Vanlife Facebook community! Did any of these surprise you? What do you think would be your favorite part of van life? Great post, your experience tells us how exciting, thrilling it is to live a life in a van but at the same time it is not all easy and trouble-some. Still this is an experience that you need to do at least once in your lifetime.
Thank you for sharing such valuable content! Took about 3 weeks, Now Im looking for a newer cargo van have lots of Ideas, it was a blast. Needed to see if I would enjoy this type of life,. This is such an incredible post! I have always wanted to do something like this but have never had the time nor the money, but it seems like such a fun experience!
And these photographs are all gorgeous! Thanks so much, Amy! This article reminded me of last year and our honeymoon adventure with a van in South America. I would trade nights in a 5star hotel with a campervan immediately… Saving up for a new one currently! This is amazing! I would absolutely love to travel in a van… the wake-up views are so inviting.
I love that you breakdown misconceptions in this post. It certainly makes you realise there are no excuses! The biggest appeal, as you mention, is that it makes everything an adventure — even everyday tasks or shorter journeys become more interesting and adventurous.
Love it! Guys this is so epic and such an inspiration!! We totally get the feeling of overwhelm! But I think people forget that van builds can be simple if you want. We did our first one in less than a week with literally no building experience or tools of our own. I love this, so inspirational. It looks so cozy and I would love just curling up in there with a hit drink and a blanket on a rainy day with the door open watching the world go by.
If you are thinking about a campervan conversion, check out the website of our friend VanDog Traveller , who writes inspirational stuff about his own van conversion and shares diy campervan tips and tricks. Can you live in a camper with your other half, in a confined space full time?
Or manage alone if you are a solo traveller? You have to give up a lot to achieve your dream of permanent motorhome living. We sold our house and almost all of our possessions. A good question to ask is whether you think you can do without all the trappings of your previous life? For us, the campervan lifestyle and the ability to travel where and when we want is worth far more than any clothes, cars or possessions could be but not everyone feels the same.
Do you want to live in a camper van or motorhome for the right reasons? Really dig deep and ask yourself and each other whether you are running away from work, family issues, money problems or whatever else is going on in your life? What do you want to achieve from living in a motorhome? You could tour Europe in your motorhome without a plan but will get so much more from your experience if you understand the why.
How will you finance your motorhome life? It will always cost more than you think, but the cost of living in a motorhome in UK and Europe is still so much cheaper than living in a house. The pie chart below represents our motorhome costs for travelling and living in a motorhome for a year in mainland Europe.
You can find out the details and our top tips and hacks for saving money here. Living in a motorhome permanently in UK will be more expensive due to the cost of campsites and lack of aires and easy wild camping, you may also have to pay to use services which are generally free or very cheap in Europe. Of course, you also have to take into account the cost of your motorhome, campervan or RV…whichever you decide is right for you.
Are you happy to be away from family and friends in the UK? Can you accept that they may not all be delighted for you a sad reality of following your dreams? People often contact us to ask us questions about the legalities of full-time campervan living. So, is it legal to live in a van?
There is no specific law preventing you from full time motorhome living in UK or Europe, as long as you follow the specific vehicle and residency laws of the country in which you are living or travelling. In the UK this means you need to be a resident, so have a British passport or other entitlement to live there.
Your motorhome or campervan must be taxed, insured and have a valid MOT. You must also follow the correct rules regarding where you park or stay in your motorhome, whether thats at on permanent motorhome sites, wild camping or RV living. You can find out more about the rules and laws regarding wild and free camping in the UK for motorhomes here.
Travelling in Europe has become more complicated because of changes to freedom of movement for UK citizens in Europe. It is still possible to travel full-time on the continent, but you can now only spend 90 in every days in the Schengen area. This means leaving European countries we are familiar with, and heading for Morocco, some of the Balkan countries, and Turkey. You can find out more in our post about motorhoming in Europe after Brexit.
You will need a UK fixed address for your driving licence and V5 document and this address will also need to be used for motorhome insurance, so think carefully as some parts of the country will increase your premium exponentially due to high risk factors. The only way to achieve this is to use a relatives address.
And what about motorhome insurance? This is a complicated and often mis-quoted and mis-understood area and may well change once the UK has fully left the EU.
Read our guide for the facts about full-time motorhome insurance. Back-packer insurance tends to be the best as it will cover you for up to 24 months. This policy also includes more sports cover as standard than any other we have seen.
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