How to Transition to Van Life
The benefits of van life are obvious. If you work from home anyway, why not spend your life on the road traveling while earning your living? It’s an enviable digital nomad lifestyle. But if you’ve never lived and traveled in a van before, you might wonder where is the best place to start.
Make it Comfy
For a van to be a mobile home, you need a place to sleep. Most van homes have a bed made from a foam mattress. Foam mattresses are the best because they are light, easy to handle, and aren’t affected by moisture and temperature changes.
Install your custom mattress in a suitable place in your van home. Some people have a fold-down bed, so the mattress doubles as seating space. Others have a fixed bed with drawers underneath; this is also popular and means you have permanent comfy bed space.
Organize Cooking Facilities
Van life should be comfortable and practical; ideally, you don’t want there to be any difference between the levels of comfort you enjoy in your home or in your van. That’s why cooking facilities are a high priority. You need somewhere to cook, eat, and wash up afterward.
If you’re scratching your head trying to work out how to organize cooking facilities, there is an easy way. Head to your local thrift store and pick up a used sideboard. A sideboard can be used as a cooking range with a few modifications. A water pump can be installed for running water.
Make Plenty of Storage
Needless to say, you need plenty of storage, especially if you’re on the road for long stretches of time. In addition, you’re going to need storage for clothing, shoes, books, devices, and tins of food, so factor this into the van’s design at the planning stage. There are various ways to create storage.
If you opt for a fixed mattress bed, you will undoubtedly have some storage facilities underneath. This space can be used for clothing, sleeping bags, books, or anything else you need to keep in your hold. There are also some innovative storage methods you can make using ropes.
Have a Bathroom Plan
Van life should be comfortable, but it should also be practical. With this in mind, you need to organize a bathroom that’s functional and doesn’t smell. Of course, your bathroom space will depend largely on the type of van you have and how much room you have to work with.
If your van is on the larger side, you can build a compact bathroom space at the back with a small door. These bathroom facilities normally have vents and sometimes have a shower. If your van’s a bit smaller, you can make do with a portable toilet that doubles as a seat.
Make it Homely
Make your van a home from home by introducing some of our favorite plants, knick knacks, and books. Okay, so this isn’t exactly a high priority when building your van, but it’s not something you want to be without when you’re on the road. So make the van feel like home.
