Van Life: Lessons from my First Road Trip.

Years of dreaming, months of converting and tweaking and Monty and I finally took to the road for my first road trip. Often people will say that you never really know if your van configuration is going to work for you until you hit the road and there is truth in that. A couple of test days remote working in the hills really helped me work out what worked and what didn't which really paved the way for a successful longer trip.

During my week long road trip along the Norfolk and Suffolk coast I really put Vivivanne and her configuration to the test. Add to that I had a work commission during the trip so really needed to be on the ball for that so wanted to make sure the van was properly organised - having ADHD can mean that I feel super stressed if my living space isn’t organised or is in disarray.

Generally everything worked really well - I was so glad for those test days as it meant when I hit the road I had things set up to make for an efficient space that worked for me!

Test Out Your Plumbing.

You want to make sure your water system is working wonderfully before hitting the road - dealing with leaks or broken pumps on the road isn’t how you want to be spending your time when there are forests to hike. Firstly, I found that as much as it seems to make sense at the time having your water hose that sits in your jerry can too long can mean the pump curls itself back up so it won’t sit at the bottom of the can. Since getting home I’ve actually tied a little weight on it so that it will pump up water in the bottom for those moments when you are getting right to the end of your supply. Also, a test day showed me my whole tap set up wasn't going to be the one for me - it was already in the van when I bought it and at the time it was a selling point for me, I thought the little copper set up was super cute but the radiator valve that turned the tap on and on was hard to undo when I had stuff on my hands and the whole things leaked! So I went for a beautiful brass tap that had water flow regulation and a lever on the top for easy use. I’m so happy with it.

Finally - it’s an idea to secure your pump wiring near the switch so that the wires don’t pull out the socket as you take the pump in and out of the jerry can - mine came loose so had to rewire the whole switch in a very windy car park - there was some swearing!

Is Your Electrical System Meeting Your Needs?

I learned very quickly on my test days in the van that it is best to have as many things as possible running off 12v rather that 240v from the inverter. I felt like I was fitting new 12v sockets most weeks! But my toolbox, heated blanket, laptop charger and USB chargers all run off 12v so I still didn't have enough sockets in the end - when my laptop needed charging I had to unplug the heated blanket which Monty was not impressed about! To see if your system is going to meet your needs write a list of all possible electrical items and whether you might be using them at the same time. No-one needs cold knees while they’re trying to watch Line of Duty.

Get Your Privacy in Check.

Those tinted windows aren’t so private when it’s dark outside and you’ve got your lights on. Make sure you have some decent curtains of blinds, especially if you are trying to be inconspicuous. I love my curtains dividing the cab and back but you can see a fair bit through them so ended up tacking a thick blanket to block out the cab for privacy. Again, a test run on an evening and having a walk around your van with the lights on should be a good indicator on how much more effort your need to put in to your curtains.

Make Sure You Understand Your Van’s Locking System.

When you go to bed at night you’re going to want to lock yourself in and not set off your alarm every five minutes. Get familiar with your vans locking system and figure out what you need to press on your fob to deadlock and/or disable your alarm. Your alarm is generally for any movement in the cab but it will pick up any curtains movement so you’ll want to try and disable that while hanging out in the back. Just a side note here - it might also be worth practising how to hop into your front cab if you need to drive off quickly for any reason. It turns out I can get into my drivers seat in seconds after a bit of practice and pulling a muscle while I did so!

Organise Your Van For On The Go.

Something I found incredibly brilliant is not having to pack everything away every time I wanted to change location. By setting your van up so everything is to hand but doesn't rattle while you drive will be setting yourself up for a much easier van life experience. I have my little pantry which is a wire bathroom caddy which satisfyingly slid in perfectly between my drivers seat and the side of the cupboard but then I added cork to the wire spaces to stop noise from the jars ratting in the wire.

Then along my windowsill I’ve screwed down 2 window baskets which I keep my enamel plates and teas in - these jars fit perfectly in them. Because they’re not metal nothing makes any noise as I drive and so easy to prep meals or serve food with it all out. They also act as a bit of a dish drainer when the plates and bowls aren’t quite dry from washing up.

I used to have a wire unit on the side of my tall cupboards but they quickly got changed to wooden boxes for two reasons - firstly the noise and secondly it wasn't an efficient use of space. I love these boxes because I can fit in quite a lot and they look warm against the dark blue. The boxes I bought are the smaller version of these ones - they seem to disappear and come back online regularly but if not there is another alternative here.

Check Your Access With Your Bed Out.

My water and waste jerry cans used to be on the left hand side of my kitchen cupboards and that quickly got changed when I realised that I still needed to access my kitchen stuff (saucepans, kettle etc) with my bed pulled out. So, however you can make it work make sure the stuff you need is on the side you can get into it if your set up is similar to mine. It might means extending your water pipes but believe me, it will be worth it!

Use a Turtle Bag for Holding Groceries.

With limited space in the van and very little cupboard space once I’d fitted the gas bottle I wasn't sure where I was going to keep groceries aside from my usual pantry items - loaves of bread, biscuits, coffee and vegetables. It turns out a turtle string bag or two hanging from the back of your seats will hold a lots of stuff, still look nice and will take up less space than having bags knocking about the floor.

Zip Locks are Your Friend.

Again, with limited space you don’t really want to be storing a load of Tupperware in your van. I discovered the amazingness of water tight Zip Locks during a recipe book shoot last year where the food stylist kept everything in them - sauces, curries, salads, cooked meats, muesli. As you know, I try and keep my single use plastic use down but Zip Locks can be washed out and used again and again. They will also save space in your fridge/coolbox.

You Will Adapt!

Getting your van to be super efficient for your needs will be a work in progress, but that’s the fun of it! Owning a van means you are always learning new skills, problem solving and basqueing in that sense of satisfaction of finding a solution. Because of the height of my van I have to cook on my knees so bought a nice soft shower mat for that purpose, I also learned that once my bed is out there’s not much else you can do but lay about so I bought a nice big back cushion to prop myself up for films. There will many tweaks along I’m sure and I’m looking forward to tapping into my resourcefulness and for what van life gives back these tweaks are a the smallest of compromises!

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