Wander logo

Van life in the UK

The good the bad and the wtf!

By Steven SteelsPublished 4 years ago 6 min read
1

Van lifers are a special breed... or breeds! Modern van lifers are usually those who have woken up from the 9-5, work till you drop and do as society tells you paradigm. Most are environmentally aware, minimalists and prefer to see the world one journey at a time rather than how it's shown on a computer screen. And they are proud of their home on wheels and love to show off their latest build concepts.

There are other van lifers however. Some are those who have lost everything and live in their van because they have no where else to go. Some are those who just can't be bothered working and find more nefarious ways to make money and live.

But generally true van lifers are great open minded people who have chosen to enjoy life on their own terms. I'm one of them.

If you are seriously considering a van life then there are a few very important concepts you need to think through before taking the leap.

1) Why do want to live this lifestyle? Is it because of all the 'beautiful van life' videos on youtube or is it something you have always wanted to do?

2) How will you support yourself? Full time/ part time work? Find work on the road as you go? Work freelance online? Become a social media guru? Or maybe you can live comfortably off your pension?

3) What kind of home on wheels do you need and can afford? Will you build one yourself or buy a factory produced motorhome? How much room do you need? Is it just you or an entire family? What facilities do you want? Some people seem to be able to do without a shower, toilet etc personally I don't know how they do it, I built my van with the intention of being able to live totally self reliant, self sufficient. My van is small but I have a toilet, shower, solar power, kitchen, bed, desk and even a recording set up for my voice over work, so I don't need to be hooked up to live as I'm used to.

4) You need to think carefully about parking or camping or wild parking etc. A lot of people online make out that it's easy just to drive around until you find a nice parking space and settle there for a while. That's not the case at all, especially in the UK. The UK is infamous for being very unfriendly towards van lifers, especially where the government is concerned because you are not providing the normal taxes and mortgages, and to them being free spirited in reality is frowned upon except on paper!

More on parking and where to live!

Where you park, live, reside is all going to be up to what kind of life on the road you want to lead. The above picture shows a camper on the road hiding in plain site, just one of the options of where to live in your van; those options are as follows and you really need to consider this before you take the van life plunge!

a) Driving around looking for places to park for a night or short stay can not only take up a lot of time but also can be very unsafe or even unfriendly. UK house dwellers really don't like van dwellers and will be the first to smash windows, report you to the police or just offer a few lessons on verbal abuse. The general public here are not very open minded and really don't like to accept people who choose to live differently from the norm. So parking on the road needs to be done tactically. Firstly don't litter, leave any rubbish lying around or dump any grey water any where in the area. Secondly don't make any noise or disturb the peace in any way. Thirdly only stay one night and don't park there again for at least a week. If you can do all that you should be ok for one night as people will think you are just there visiting or something.

b) Wild camping and off the beaten track. This is most suitable for those who are financially sound at supporting themselves on the road and don't need a permanent base. Those people would be retirees, self employed people that can work online or those lucky enough to have a wad of cash to burn or are on holiday.

c) Living long term or short term on campsites. This is most suited to those who have a permanent or temporary job in a set location. You can get a season pitch from a campsite club which even though works out to about £12 a day including hook up and hard pitch, still works out much cheaper than renting a room in a shitty house somewhere. Or you can do the drive around looking for parking spaces for 3 days a week and 4 days a week stay on a campsite.

d) Pubs and restaurants. Most pubs and Inns in the UK will let you park in their parking lot over night if you are staying for dinner and drinks, but unless you are rolling in money don't expect to do this more than twice a week!

e) Pubs and restaurants 2. Quite often if you work for a pub or restaurant you can find a nice parking spot in their out of the way car park, presuming the boss lets you. I did this for 9 months while I was working as a chef and 1 day a week (my day off) I would go to a campsite to charge up the battery, empty the loo and fill up my water tank. It was a good time and comfortable.

f) Lastly, work for a campsite! This is what I am currently doing. I'm contracted for 30 hours a week and I am provided a staff pitch which includes water, electricity, washing machine and a view by the lake! However this is seasonal so it will normally only last from March to November and after that you can have two options. Option 1 is to spend the British winter time traveling or staying in the south of Spain (membership discounts). Option 2 sit a site for winter. This doesn't bring you any pay but you get to look after a site by yourself or with one other couple which still gives you a pitch and amenities for free.

In Summary.

Van life is not for everyone. It takes a certain mindset to be able to rid yourself of all 'things' that aren't essential for creating a good life. You need to be able to cope with being alone, you need to be able to cope with small space and you need to be able to be someone who appreciates the ability to chill out with out feeling guilty. If you can do all those things then the next step is to go buy a van, either pre built or build one yourself. And if you plan to build one yourself then stick around for my next story on the essentials for building your van! Below is a video I made of my self built van, which I love! Peace and happy travels!

Written by Steve Steels

travel advice
1

About the Creator

Steven Steels

Steve has had a life of stories, from an officer in the Navy to a touring drummer/ singer to scuba instructor and hypnotherapist!

Steve now lives full time in his self built motorhome while touring Europe as an amateur archaeologist.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.