Van Life - The Beginning

At the start of 2022 we made a decision to put into action something we'd dreamed of doing for a long time. We embarked on the journey of selling or donating about 90% of our belongings, giving up our corporate jobs, giving up our house, buying a van and moving into it! This blog is an introduction into what we did, why we did it and how we did it.

First up - choosing the van! We'd wanted a van for ages and I found myself looking at van conversions quite often. But once we were in the process of choosing what would work for us, we decided to go for a 1994 Hymer B594. Its basically a Fiat Ducato van turned into a Hymer motorhome. The layout has a drop down bed over the front cab, nice big seats up front which can be folded down for the bed to come down. A dinette/kitchen area, toilet, wardrobe, lounge area at the back and lots of overhead cupboards and storage under the seats. Buying a motorhome obviously means its meant for living in and there wouldn't be any major work to be done, apart from making it our own. We drove to Cornwall and picked up Hymie - it was love at first sight and we finally owned our first home! :)

So why van life.... it has many advantages but also some disadvantages so I really want to keep it real in this blog. First off, there is limited space, so you really need to get on with those you live with! Luckily Carol and I make a really good team, but everyone needs their own space so we really need to respect that and in the summer its easy, as the outdoors is an extension of our home, but winter can be tough when its cold and wet outside and you might be stuck indoors! Also when issues arise its a case of calling on help or trying to fix things ourselves. Carols awesome with DIY and plumbing now! lol. It can be stressful finding park up's in certain places but the app Park For Night has definitely assisted us on our travels! Now onto the advantages as those far outweigh everything else...

The freedom above all else; freedom to live the life that we want to live and how we want to live it all on our own terms. Being able to wake up where-ever we want to wake up (within reason!), and being more connected with our surroundings. As people who love nature, there's nothing better than opening the blinds or the door and seeing the sea, or forest or something else that makes our hearts sing. Another advantage is living a simple life. Less belongings, less material distractions from what's important in life. More appreciation for each other, for what we do have, for the world around us. Never taking things for granted. Lastly, for me, I get to live my dream of being a full time freelance photographer! Something I'd been working towards for such a long time but hadn't fully taken the plunge until we moved into the van!

So, anyway, back to moving into the van and giving up the house and giving notice on our jobs! We had bought Hymie at the start of April, I gave 3 months notice on my job and Carol 1 month. We knew then we had a 3 month timescale to give notice on the house, sell everything or donate it and get Hymie in a shape we were happy with. We sold everything via marketplace, car boot sales or gave it away to family/friends and donated to charity. It was hard at first, I'm not going to lie, there was a lot I didn't want to give up. But when I really analysed why I felt that way, was it necessary for me to hold onto these things? No, it wasn't. It was a learning process for me of letting go.

In respect of what work we did to Hymie; the interior walls are white, they just needing brightening up as it was old and grubby, so we got some bright white paint and spent a few days painting. Carols step dad, Andy did a lot for us, from checking the van over and putting his skills to good use adjusting things, adding plug sockets and any other gadgets we needed - super handy! The flooring was the original, all dirty and old so we bought some nice new floor tiles from B&Q and our brother in law Josh kindly cut and laid them for us. We also ripped out the chemical toilet, opting for a composting loo meaning that we could technically empty anywhere that has bins/dog poop bins. No nasty chemicals to worry about! That was a big job and again Josh helped out, putting his carpentry skills to good use and building the structure. Carol put the inside parts together from a jerry can, a bucket and a urinal separator! The upholstery was a gross purple, again, just dirty and old. We gave it all a good clean then bought some cream covers from Amazon and it looked entirely different inside! We did it this way rather than proper upholstery as it so much cheaper and when they get dirty we can just take them off and pop them in the washing machine. Nice and easy! We bought cushions, rugs and Carol made some drop down curtains for the front. We had solar panels put on the roof and a new inverter installed, giving us plenty of power.... as long as the suns out! We were almost there. It was just a few finishing touches needed and we were good to go!

We moved in the van in July and began our adventure, having a lovely summer by the sea, exploring all over and making new friends along the way, living a similar simple life. Every day is an adventure, from the struggles to the joy we experience, I plan on sharing much more with you along the way so keep you eyes peeled for further blogs! If there's anything in particular that you'd like to know then please do get in touch as we are happy to share our thoughts and experiences!

Thanks for reading,

Emily x