How I Stay Loving Van Life
I bought my van back in April 2024 on the Aries Solar Eclipse, that is a crazy story itself so maybe I should start there.
Prior to having a van I used to love backpacking the world - so travelling with nothing more than a 60L backpack. Though travelling with my 40L carry on bag became my preference because it made travelling that much smoother.
When that came to an end in 2020 with Covid, I was living in New Zealand and after a break up at the end of 2020 I moved back to Perth and started from scratch again. Able to withdrawl $10,000 from my superannuation I bought my car Jazzy - a 2004 Honda Jazz for $3,000. She was the best little car, I loved her! She was so cheap to run and the back seats folded down flat so I put a mattress in the back and started doing little trips away in my home state of Western Australia. I got into taking photos of salt lakes with my drone and I found my love of car camping.
Why this backstory is relevant is because I think going from such a small, make shift set up and gradually updating it and then moving into a bigger step up allows me to love my van so much.
So I did that makeshift set up for awhile, then when I found myself on the east coast and at my ex boyfriends house, I asked him to build me a bed base for Jazzy so I could have storage underneath and no longer have to store all my shit on the front seat. He build me a liftable bed base with a slide out table (my design idea) and I LOVED it. I spent 3 months up in Northern WA into NT with this set up. No power, no fridge, just an esky that was usually warm and running off the pure vibes of freedom. What I loved about this setup is my car was so cheap to run, a tank of fuel only costing $60 and getting almost 600km out of a tank.
I wanted a van but in covid times they were ridiculously expensive, I decided I wanted to keep with this lifestyle part time so I bought a battery box, a fold out solar panel and a fridge which I put in a cut out section my bed. It was compact but again I loved it. Living out of a car is much easier in WA because of the lack of rain, I learn that after spending time on the East Coast.
I went travelling overseas again and I wasn’t really vibing it now the world had changed post covid so this is when I decided I wanted a van. My wishlist for a van was:
Toyota Hiace
Low KM’s - under 200,000km
Under $15,000
Built out and ready to go
At the time that seemed pretty unreasonable given the market but I wasn’t overly attached or even had the money at the time it was just all ideas floating around in my head.
I went ‘down south’ thats what we call the south west in WA and remembered loving on set up in Jazzy but also feeling really excited for a van - I recorded a video of me in this moment and I ended up in a forest just outside of Margaret River. I don’t know why but I went on marketplace and was looking at vans and there she was - Toyota Hiace, 144,000km, $15,000, but no set up. I thought that’s too much for no buildout. There was another one a bit cheaper with more kms but it had the subfloor done and a bed base. These were both located in Perth 3 hours from where I was so I quickly messaged the second one to try and line up a meeting, by the next morning it was sold.
I opened my mind a little bit and thought well maybe I can build it out myself or meet someone at work to do it for me - I always meet carpenters. So I got in contact while not being overly attached and we arranged a meeting for the next day, which coincided with my 33rd Birthday. On the way back up to Perth I called my mum to see if I could borrow the money if this was a thing and she said she would think about it. Upon arrival at the property to look at the van the first thing I noticed was the Kookaburra and Red-Tail Cocokatoo Feather stickers on the back… my spirit animals. Of course. It was a big fat YES in my body immediately for this van, luckily my mum had agreed to lend me the money and I bargained the seller down to $13,500, paid her a deposit and told her i’ll be back next week to collect it because I was going to Melbourne for a Silk Fans Retreat.
So I bought my van on my 33rd Birthday and I named her Billie- I got my 2003 Toyota Hiace with low kms for under $15,000. I think thats the basis of my overwhelming love for her - it was so aligned in the first place.
But now after all that backstory let me tell you how I stay loving this lifestyle after a year and a half.
Before I get into practical things I have to say that mindset work is probably the biggest hack to loving van life. If you’re living in a car or van out of survival then of course you’re not going to like it. But if you’re choosing it remember that you’re choosing it on the days that it is shit. Because some days, weekly or months are shit, thats just the reality of life.
It can be lot of logistics and brain power that goes into it but with that comes freedom from paying rent, and other major responsibilities that come with a house. Also if you are in a lot of fear about your own safety or if you’re ‘allowed’ to be free camping for example. then you will likely attract in those experiences to reinforce your fear. I listen to my body and to the energy I’m feeling in a place- whether in nature, or the suburbs for a bad feeling and if I do, I leave. So yeah, really doing some mindset work around this lifestyle is what makes it enjoyable - like they say, your life is only as good as your mindset.
If you’re building from the ground up - really think about your needs. Not what other people do on youtube or whatever, really think about a design you’d happy with. I really thought about the design and how I wanted it to function. After seeing how other people did it so poorly I knew I only needed a single bed - which I also wanted to function as a couch. I NEEDED to be able to sit up straight on the bed. I wanted to access everything inside without having to open the boot - I didn’t want a slide out kitchen because what if its raining? I also like my privacy. I didn’t want hard wiring just a battery box and USB charged things. I didn’t bother with insulation and it’s been fine. I wanted it to feel like a cozy home on wheels with character. So with all that said, really think about your design and what will work for you if you are building
If you’re buying, ask about its quirks… all vans have them
Make it homey - put up art, velcro on little knick-knacks on your tabletop, have living plants, a vase of flowers for when you find them. Just anything that makes it feel like home for you
Have nice bedding - I have linen sheets and a silk pillowcase, just because you live in a van doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things (budget permitting of course)
I’ve been in one area for most of the time in my van but within this region I move around a lot. I have the rule of having sleeping spots and hang out spots. I generally don’t sleep in my hang spots
HOUSESITTING - it could either show you the level of freedom you have OR show you, you hate van life. Lucky for me it shows me freedom. Some websites are Aussiehousesitters and Mindahome you need to pay for the year or there are also facebook groups. When I am housesitting I always use it as an opportunity to clean every inch of my van and do a complete reset
Don’t be afraid to use the local amenities - taps, showers, whatever just use them. No one cares
If you’re in an area for a while join a local gym to use the shower and to have something to do
Use the local leisure centre for showers if theres no beach ones
Have a pee bottle - trust me. I used to use a jar but it kept falling out and smashing so I bought a plastic water bottle with a wide enough lid, it’s annoying always having to find a toilet just to pee.
Weekly deep cleans of the van - particularly your fridge, it helps with power consumption
Wipe down all surfaces with a clove oil spray if you life in a mould prone area - mould can be on glass, fabric.. literally anything so just spray it and wipe it down
Frequently wash everything - mats, bedding, towels, clothing
Do regular van clean outs, getting rid of stuff you don’t use - it’s surprising but i’ve carried some stuff around for 1.5 years and haven’t touched it
Change things around that aren’t working or give a little revamp - Recently I changed my art work and the cupboard curtains - it changed the whole vibe
Mix up the scenery, stay in different areas - beach, bush, suburbs etc.
Vanlife apps - Wikicamps, Campermate. I also use google maps satellite to suss out places to stay
I realised van life can look anyway you want it to - you don’t have to justify how you do it to anyone