Before we bought our van (Part I)
“The adventure begins...”
It was a long time until we found Attie.
Picture for drama. ahah.
They were dark days.
Truthfully, it was part finances, part situational, part fear.
Whatever it really was, it left a lot of time to dream.
We dreamed Of adventure.
And we dreamed about owning something that was completely ours. For us, that dream was to have a campervan.
We want to be able to go wherever we want, whenever we want, do whatever we want to do. And just be.
Life is too short to do things you don’t like doing.
So, whilst we were saving up for our little box on wheels, we planned.
we saved everything we discovered in A OneNote notebook.
And called it the ‘Van Of Attack’.
OneNote is really just a note-taking application. We found it was an amazing system that we could use to capture every idea related the van.
On OneNote, we could write our to-do lists, add pictures or lists of items we thought would need in the van, and store all the information we came across from a myriad of different resources about vans.
This research gave us an insight into the knitty-gritty details of vanlife.
Eventually, a library of information about vans started to form.
But there were a few key resources that really helped us understand exactly what we were getting outselves into:
videos
It is mesmerising all the content on Youtube. We watched it all until our eyes were square.
The volume of content was mountainous.
But it helped us so much. We got a sense of life on the road. The fun times, the struggles, how to design an electrical system (honestly, we actually still don’t really understand this).
We quickly realised there is no right way to build a van. One person could do something in the van one way and swear it was the best way, and another could do the complete opposite and swear that was the best way too.
With a tendency towards over-thinking, it quickly become overwhelming.
However, the positive thing from these videos was that they normalised the lifestyle of living in a van. Our dream felt way less weird, and way more attainable.
It was also all very entertaining, and also motivating!
The world of vanlife videos is an incredible resource, but it must be used wisely to avoid becoming befuddled!
A few of our favourites:
Down-to-earth Canadians and van life veterans. They have driven around the world in their self-converted vans, getting very creative at times solving all the inevitable problems that come up in life on the road. They also run a chai tea business, and it’s pretty damn good!
Marie and Dom are Canadian frenchies. They have so much fun, you can’t help but smile as you watch them. Their van is gorgeous, and seems to have all the gadgets and gear you could possibly want. Follow along with them, and you’re in for a chance of winning pop tarts (although they may or may not be broken — check out their channel to see what I mean).
Antoinette Yvonne is a solo female traveling in her luxury van, Zion. She is hilarious, very knowledgeable, and has immaculate sense of style. She also has an air fryer in her van! I’m already nagging PB about getting some luxury items in the van (guess we better get better at that electrical).
They are the happiest people; very honest and real. They’ve had some pretty heavy life experiences. So they are really living life to the fullest in a bus (and a few other vehicles), and having way too much fun doing it. Quote: “If you’ve got a dream, never let anybody hold you back from it.”
Photo by @eamonandbec
ARTICLES and blogs
There are heaps of articles online now. The authors are so generous with information, diagrams, anecdotes, and opinions on products.
This is one of the most informative resources, as these authors usually talk about a subject in detail, and often show the process step by step.
However, a lot of it is American, so does not always translate to life on the road in Australia.
A few of our favourites:
Brown Bird & Co have some amazing resources. Their van designs are beautiful and unique, with live-edge bench tops and other raw materials. Plenty of inspiration on their website.
The Vanual is a van manual; a guide to complete freedom. It is a user-friendly way to walk through a DIY of a van, from prep to finishing touches. A great resource for novices to get ideas of what to do and where on earth to start.
These guys left London to hit the road and work remotely. They have travelled everywhere, and document everywhere they go. You can actually download the plans from their van, and even get the exact same products that they use. Great as a starting point!
One of the best resources we have come across. The information is so detailed, and they include videos to visually represent what they explain in the article too (great for visual learners!). It seems like no topic is off-limits, so you get a great overview of the good and the bad of van life.
An all-in, a little far out, wholesome approach to vanlife. They share so much about the stages of converting a van including van selection, insulation, the build, and more. They have some gorgeous diagrams and plans, which you can purchase from their store.
Photo by @faroutride
There are so many more, you really could just keep reading and reading forever!
The socials
We read tons of conversations, stories, and how-to’s on [insert thing you need to know how to do] on all the social platforms.
Sometimes, there is nothing better than anecdotal evidence about a product, method, or technique.
We have read about topics like how to install a cabinet, how to use the roof vent, or how to install sound deadening (and whether or not you even should!).
I would even take screenshots of the conversations I thought were interesting. I would put them into OneNote with titles like ‘Solar’ or ‘Need to Know’. For example, we did not know there was a maximum legal weight of a vehicle, and going above it can compromise your safety and those on the road, and your insurance coverage! Now we do—Thanks Luke.
We also read about creative tips and tricks, like making a cardboard cut-out of the cabinetry in the van to get a sense of the spacing before you build the real thing. Brilliant @stokeloafvan.
A few of our favourites:
A place where for all things vans/mobile homes. It is specific to Aussies, so it is relevant to those converting and living in vans in Aus. Very, very useful. Of course, they are all opinions, so just take everything with a grain of salt!
Bec and Gary are living the ‘wonderful, terrifying, slightly bonkers’ van life. They have travelled Australia in their Big Red Van (an old postie van). Drooling over their pics.
Paris and Lovell are full-time van lifers. They talk money mistakes, and the systems to reverse financial damage. Their approach feels real and transparent, so it feels like you are getting an honest look into vanlife. Very cool people.
Peach Wood Co.
B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. custom made vans. If we could get even close to something like that in our van, we’d be stoked. Just appreciation for natural wood. The craftspersonship is incredible.
Photo by @peachwoodco_
Conversations with people in the know
We also consulted with friends, family, and acquaintances — anyone who had a van.
We asked about the good aspects and things they wished they could change.
I don’t think we will ever get it right, but it’s awesome to hear about the lived experience from people in your circle.
One friendship that has really made an impact on our view of vanlife is with Britt and Nathan (The Wanderingwoodys), who did an amazing build in a Mercedes Sprinter and travelled the world in it. They are knowledgeable and very experienced, so we had a lot to learn from them! They have had some incredible adventures, and are starting what might be their biggest one yet (see their stuff for the inside scoop).
Photo by @wanderingwoodys
There are a lot of resources we discovered in our dreaming phase. But there are a few more things we are glad we did in this stage.
What We Did to Understand Van Life (before we bought our van):
Understand the unglamourous side of Van life.
We had experienced some of these ourselves as we travelled in various rented vans (read more here: Pre-van phase Part II). But we really tried to see past the glamour, filters and inspo pics, through to the mess, the constant cleaning and issues with food, safety, toilets, storage, pets, the weather, and more. I think you would be in for a big shock if you only focussed on the ‘good’ side of vanlife, rather than the all the realities which are part of the adventure too.
Scour Carsales.COM
Early on, we signed up for alerts on Carsales.com. When we finally had the funds to buy a van, we were looking at Carsales almost daily. Sadly, prices got crazy during COVID-19, so we just sat back, hearts sinking as we watched the prices climb higher and higher. But everything happens for a reason, because we finally purchased our van Attie in Oct 2021 (more on that to come!).
Making Our Own Library of Resources
We are so grateful for all the information out there. We have found some incredible resources (including the few listed above, but also many more!). We have taken bits and pieces from various places, and will hopefully add it all together in a way that is uniquely Attie.
As always, there are things we wish we didn’t do in this phase. In the interest of honest, here goes.
What we wish we didn’t do For Van LIfe (before we bought our van):
Compare our journey to others.
Other people seemed to be able to make decisions so quickly, build the most amazing layouts, take the most amazing pics. I still get jelly about this. But we have to remember to step back; we are here just trying to enjoy the process, and experience freedom, flexibility, and the vanlife adventure.
Wait.
I wish we had been able to buy a van the moment we finally had the funds. We just weren’t in a position to get into the market. I guess it wasn’t meant to happen any sooner than it did, and I am in love with our van now. But it would’ve been so great to spend all that time that Dan gave us in lockdown, converting the van.
Forget to research the actual build.
We accumulated heaps of information, and our OneNote notebook was looking good. But actually, we felt so clueless when we finally got our van. Building the van? Putting that theoretical knowledge into practice? Eek. You just don’t know what you don’t know. But we probably should’ve tried harder to find out more about the actual build!
It has been a whole different experience since we (finally) got our van Attie.
We quickly realised our prep probably need more prep. And that we had a HUGE learning curve ahead of us.
But, we are loving the journey of figuring it out in our attempt to convert the van as complete novices.
Guess we are in for some trial and error.
(except for the electrical, definitely sourcing an expert for that one).
Our van Attie—it was definitely quite the process to get here.