We had a dream to convert a van into our little house on wheels to travel around when we want and where we want. Unplanned as we did with our rooftop tent.
As we saw a big community online that converted vans and toughed 'Hey, I'm handy so...let's try this'.
So we started to make a list with what we want, what to expect, budget, offgrid or not,... .
Who are we?
We are a couple that loves travelling. Most of the time you can find us in the mountains. In the summer and in the winter. We love to hike in the mountains and groom some slopes during the wintertime.
Steven
Born in the 80's, so almost 40 years old and a biomedical technician in an university hospital in Belgium.
Loves electronics, traveling, snowboard and climbing.
Evy
Almost 38, IT specialist in the same hospital. Loves reading, traveling, climbing and go out eating. She's my partner for almost 20 years.
What do we want in the van?
If you start to plan your van, you must make choices. What is more important for you, what isn't?
Do you want a shower or a toilet? You want enough space to sleep or more space to sit?
We wanted the next items:
Toilet
Getting up at night and going to a toilet on a camping isn't fun. A toilet is a must-have.Bed
We wanted a bed that is always there. Not a bed we had to make every evening. If you wanted to read or watch a movie during the day the bed must be ready.Kitchen
A kitchen of course is necessary if you want to cook.Fridge
A small fridge for cooling our foods and beverage during summer and winter.Energy
If possible some solar energy. We wanted to be off-grid.
But it was a must-have in our way of travelling. Later on we needed the electricity to get the heating running.Heating
For our winter trips we would need heating. But even in summertime you could use some warmth, especially near glaciers.Water
For prepping food we need water. A small amount of water would be handy.Van
And of course a van. You have to consider the size of the van. A small van means less possibilities to give everything a place. With a larger van it is more difficult to park in cities but you have more space.
It was a big search the plan all these things. You need option during the search so look for different heaters, toilets,...
Not only the size but also the price will make the decision for you.
In the next part we will discuss our products we used.
Our instagram account :
van.9000.gent
If you want to peek already to the van build.
Steven and Evy