Welcome to your in depth look at how the Sonsie’s eat on the road. We are Emilly & Michael and we are travelling around Australia in our van, Pep. Along for the ride is our 3 year old son, Hunter, and our labrador, Shadow. We’re exploring, we’re laughing and you can bet we are eating! Everything you could possibly want to know about how we cook on the road can be found below. We’ve even included a few delicious recipes for you. You can keep up to date with our travels on Instagram and Youtube – @sonsie_life.
Food is a large part of our lives and fueling our bodies with nourishing food is extremely important to us. Contrary to what many may think, if you have the right set up, cooking on the road is not too different to cooking in house.
So what exactly do we eat?
It’s all plants baby
Our family of three eats a vegan, predominantly whole foods diet. Fresh produce, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains. Hunter has been vegan his whole life and doesn’t know any different. The benefits we found when switching to a plant based diet were incredible and we are never looking back. Reduced inflammation, better sleep, increased energy are just a few benefits that we experienced.
If you need wholefood recipe inspo then head here → www.emillysonsie.com. We have over 170 whole food recipes that will keep your family happy on any occasion.
We try to eat seasonally in the van as the produce is not only fresher but it is also cheaper. In winter we reach for the oats, warm curry dishes and soups. In summer it’s all about freshness; smoothie, salad sandwiches, fresh platters & buddha bowls.
Cooking on the road
As long as you have a fridge and cooktop then you can really cook anything. We have the added benefit of an oven as well which means roast veggies and cookies are up for grabs on a regular basis. We always make sure that we have the fridge and pantry stocked to the brim. This enables us to cook whatever we feel like for lunch and dinner and to be as creative as we feel like in the kitchen. As the van is a small space we try and eat outside as much as possible and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Picnics are a given and finding a beautiful place to sit can make the meal even more enjoyable.
Our essentials
Fresh produce is the absolute key to have on board the van. You can guarantee our fridge is filled to the brim with colour and that we have about 10kg’s of bananas and potatoes just waiting to be devoured. Spices are essential for cooking any dish especially a curry or dahl and we just can’t go past nutritional yeast either for that nutty cheesy flavour. There is always a selection of pasta and canned legumes as well. Variety is key when travelling with a toddler. It’s super important to have plenty of options on hand for him. Having fruit on display in the van (or in your home) is the best way to get kids interested
Check out our YouTube video where we show you exactly what is in our pantry and what we always have with us on the road → https://youtu.be/jXKLoZ3MAFE
Let them help
Kids in the Kitchen. For so many reasons letting your kids help you in the kitchen is essential.
It keeps them occupied while you’re cooking so you’re not having to multitask.
It gets them involved, and puts them in control of their plate making them more inclined to eat their food.
They learn new skills, like chopping and grating and they get to use maths and literacy.
More importantly though they boost their creativity, independence and teamwork as well.
We could go on, but we’ll stop there. Embrace the mess and enjoy the cooking experience. It’s well worth it.
Winter travel has proven a little difficult and some mornings we haven’t even had enough power to boil water. We chose to have our van run completely off solar power and not have any gas on board. This was to make it safe when cooking with a toddler. However, this means during the cloudy, overcast and wintery days Pep can sometimes run out of charge over night. We just have to be mindful about how we use her power. We found that if we have good sunlight during the day it’s best to cook dinner in advance and then just quickly heat it up at night. In summer none of this will be a problem and we’ll have all the power we could dream of.
We hope we have given you some valuable insights into how we live on the road and the food that we cook and eat on a regular basis. To inspire you to cook more on your travels and explore some amazing vegan food we have 4 recipes to share with you!
One pot dinners will forever be a winner in the van. Less dishes and a whole lot of flavour is what we like best! Method Except for the spinach and peas, place everything in a pot and cook on a medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed and a…
Hunter is our resident snacker. Sweet or savoury he’s all over it so we always have some freshly baked cookies on hand for a 3pm pick me up. Method Preheat the oven to 180°C Add the dates and boiling water to a bowl and let soak Place the oats, cacao…
Perfect with pasta, in a lasagne, as a dip, and with fresh potato wedges. It truly is your everything sauce and will quickly become a staple with your family. Method Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Try and not drink it…it’s truly that delicious. Serves…
Cold winter mornings call for giant bowls of oatmeal with all the topping. This simple oatmeal is sure to keep you feeling satisfied all the way till lunch! Method 1. Place the oats, coconut, water and sultanas in a saucepan and heat on a medium heat until the water…
Here at Van Life Eats we take kitchens almost as seriously as we take food, so here are 10 fantastic van life kitchen ideas to inspire you.
We asked 10 vanlifers about the kitchens in their vans, and their favourite aspects of them, so sit back and prepare to be inspired with van life kitchens ranging from beautiful simplicity to stunning intricacy.
The Van Taste
Vicky’s van is a VW crafter which she has travelled around Europe in and for now she is settled in Germany. She creates some amazing meals in her van kitchen, so amazing in fact that she has written and released her own cookbook.
She considers the kitchen to be the centrepiece of her van and it’s clear to see why, a bright and airy kitchen which is fully fitted out to be a perfect home from home – who needs a house?!
This van kitchen is fitted out with a Dometic Sunlight oven, fridge & freezer, an amazing array of spices displayed beautifully, and a fab area next to the sink giving space to dry dishes. The most has been made of every piece of available space.
Favourite Kitchen Gadget – A multi-function tool from Kitchen Aid which can whip cream, cut herbs etc. Also a waffle iron which can be used on the hob
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Savoury waffles with spinach for breakfast, pasta with garlic, tomatoes & shrimp.
Max, Mona & Sam have a self converted Fiat Ducato L3H2 and are in Germany, they love hiking and enjoying nature. Their kitchen is fully set up with a cooker with 2 hot plates, hot water boiler and a fridge with a freezer.
The dark colours in their van kitchen create a really beautiful modern look and they love their large sink, no need for one pot meals in this home on wheels.
They have a very quirky feature in their van which is the back of their kitchen which is made of steel, they have allowed it to rust to increase character.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Everything in their kitchen is super useful, but their favourite gadget is their Omnia stove top oven.
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – No particular favourite, they prefer to shop locally in markets and make whatever takes their fancy from what they have bought, but do have a particular love for fresh fish & seafood.
Bree has recently been undertaking a van conversion and the kitchen in it is so amazing we had to include it in this list. Hottie (the van) is a 1979 coachman leprechaun and Bree states aspects of the kitchen make this van feel like a home in more ways than one.
Before
After
The main focal point in the kitchen is the amazing sink, which is not only deep enough to wash a whole load of dishes it also has a removable drying rack and chopping board.The water system comprises of a freshwater tank, 12v water pump and a propane water heater, ideal for getting that washing up done.
Although campfire cooking is a favourite of Bree’s this van kitchen is fitted with an oven and a 4 burner stove, which is the favourite feature in this van kitchen, and the ORIGINAL fridge/freezer unit. Over the oven is a vent hood which is yet to be used until the button to operate it is discovered!
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Although not technically a gadget, the firm favourite here is a cast iron griddle pan, which can be used for a range of meals and is attractive enough to be left on the stove top when not in use
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – As Bree and Hottie are yet to begin their travels together the only thing that has been made is some super quick ramen – we look forward to seeing what recipes they come up with when their adventures on the road begin.
This self built conversion in Australia is all about using the little touches to make vanlife as homely and comfortable as possible and it all comes together to achieve that perfectly, plus it’s the only van we’ve seen with a barn door!
The van is a 2015 Renault Master LWB which includes a bathroom, the kitchen looks modern yet homely, a balance which isn’t always easily achieved. The kitchen is set up with a 2 burner stove top & an LG microwave, a fridge and freezer, plus a hot water system using a 12v pump and hot water tank.
As well as the barn door another quirky feature is the self built table that can be used as a dining table but also spins round to double up as some extra counter-top space when preparing meals.
The owner’s favourite features in the van kitchen are the soft close cupboards and drawers, as well as the beautiful splashback which looks like tiles but is actually waterproof vinyl wallpaper.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Coffee machine
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Curry or stir-fry
This is one of the quirkiest and most unique van kitchens we have seen so far,and one of the best things is that it’s available to rent if you’re in Germany! This particular van is a Fiat Ducato with the facilities to cook inside the van with a 2 burner hob, as well as having a mobile one burner hob if you wish to cook outside, there is no running water but there is a mobile sink so you can really do the dishes with a view while outside.
A solar powered fridge is fitted with a small freezer for the ice cubes you will be needing for all those cocktails
The main feature of this van without a doubt has to be the unique shape of the counter, round surfaces are not easy to create in a van. It makes the kitchen feel extremely spacious and is very eye-catching to say the least. Everything in the van is handmade to a high standard with good quality materials and we can understand why this van has been so popular on their Instagram.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Espresso maker
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – This was a difficult decision and Freddy said everything his girlfriend creates is delicious but if he had to pick it would be pancakes for breakfast.
This van build is a total inspiration and it would have to be considering Tom has his own Van Build Consultancy business, he has had a number of years as an experienced kitchen fitter and has used these skills in his own van kitchen. Pair this with the fact that his partner Sarah is a professional vegan chef, you just know this pair mean business when it comes to a van kitchen.
This fully fitted kitchen means their creative juices can really flow when creating meals with the minimal constraints that may normally be faced in a van kitchen. Their van is a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI LWB, and the kitchen set-up in this van is phenomenal.
The water system is comprised of a 100l fresh water tank with a pump, and a Truma Combi 4e which provides the kitchen and bathroom with hot water.
If that wasn’t enough they also have a Berkey water filter meaning if they are low on water when on their travels they can fill up their water supply from a natural water source and filter it so they have fresh drinking water readily available again.
They are not limited by cooking facilities either having a Thetford Triplex grill/oven with a 3 burner stove, a 35l fridge and a 35l freezer tucked under their bench seats. On top of that they have an extra deep sink with a retractable hose tap making washing the dishes or vegetables a breeze.
Their van doesn’t come without its own quirky features, these include their repurposed wicker basket system and a telescopic dual bin system, and the copper elements add the finishing touches. Their favourite features of their van are the bamboo worktops & their oven.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Tom has admitted he would be lost without his daily smoothies and so the Vitamix blender is their must have gadget, even though it is juicy on the power, this was all taken into consideration with the build.
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Cooked breakfast to get the day off to a good start!
If I tell you pink is my favourite colour it will come as no surprise that Thom & Lucy’s van is one of my favourite van kitchens ever! They are currently travelling in their home country, the UK, with plans to travel Europe when the restrictions from Covid19 are eased. They have a cute, homely build for which they have used many elements from their flat and they tried to use recycled and rehomed items as much as possible.
Their van is a VW LT35 MWB, the impressive kitchen is the first thing you see as you step into their beautiful home on wheels. They really enjoy cooking so always have a well stocked kitchen and they have cooking facilities aplenty.
A single burner is attached to the sink letting them make their all important cups of tea, they have a 2 ring burner camping stove which they can use inside or out, the van kitchen essential of an omnia oven, a Trangia for camping outside, and last but not least (the bit we’re really jealous of) a pizza oven!
As you would expect their well kitted kitchen comes with a fridge that has a removable freezer, essential for providing them with ice cold drinks after their hikes.
Homely touches are what this van is all about and there are a number of personal touches such as a picture and a soft toy made by Lucy. A touch of quirkiness is added with the cupboard handles, which were found in Lucy’s parents garage, spray painted gold and added as finishing touches to the kitchen cupboards. Our personal favourite is the seat belt sticker, which we think has also been a firm favourite on Insta.
Their favourite kitchen features are the colour (I have to agree there), and the amazing splashback tiles which are sticky vinyl floor tiles, so no chance of any breakages while on the road! They also love their bargain worktop which they were lucky enough to nab from Ikea, so much to love in this van!
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – As you would expect in this well equipped kitchen, there are too many to choose from. Thom and Lucy have whittled it down to a bottle opener, knife sharpener, steamer & hand blender.
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Lucy’s favourite is mushroom Taco’s, Thom’s favourite is paneer curry and they love to make fresh bread in their omnia.
Marie and Dom travel in Vanessa a 2014 Ram Promaster 136” high roof, and their modern well organised kitchen is just dreamy! The colour scheme is gorgeous and one of their tips is to colour match horizontal surfaces (e.g. darker ceiling, work-top and floor) and then use a lighter colour for the vertical surfaces (cupboards).
Their cooking facilities are made up of a Ramblewood 2 burner stove, which is their favourite item in their van kitchen. To ensure their van stays well ventilated when cooking they have placed a fan over their kitchen unit, and their large counter-top means preparing meals are a breeze. They also have a JetBoil which boils water in no time at all!
They have a very energy efficient fridge which is nicely tucked away on a pull out shelf. Everything has its place in this super organised build each plate, bowl and utensil has its space in specially designed pull out drawers, and each item has its own cocoon to avoid noise and breakages when on the road.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – Marie & Dom decided one thing they could not live without are toasted bagels, because of this they purchased a GSI stainless toaster to ensure they could get their fill while on the road. They also start every day with a peanut butter and banana smoothie, so their magic bullet was an absolute necessity.
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe -In the winter a vegetarian chili is a once a week favourite, in the summer months its a vegetable & tofu saute, topped with cilantro & lemon juice.
Next up is Melli & Tino with their van Ferdinand. Their van kitchen has a classic country feel to it with lots of homely features & a magnetic board in their kitchen to attach momentos from their travels.
Their self built van is a Peugeot Boxer L2H2 with running water set-up and a fridge with a freezer. They are really pleased with the overall look of their van and love the country look they have created, the table on the end of the kitchen can be put up to create some extra work space or an outdoor cooking area.
When creating their van build they ensured they had plenty of storage space and have utilised the kitchen area well to ensure it stays looking clear and uncluttered.
Favourite Van Gadget – Omnia Stove top oven & Skotti grill
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Bolognese casserole
Last but by no means last on our list of 10 van kitchen ideas is this 2019 Ford Transit high roof van. This van is shared by Brit & David and their doggy Pepper, who even has her own little doggy dining room in the van kitchen!
Their kitchen is fitted out with a two burner stove, chest refrigerator and a gorgeous hammered copper sink, which gets well used for the dishes and puppy baths!
They have some beautiful features in their van, those with a keen eye may have noticed the epoxy resin board which was made by David, and comes in handy as a charcuterie board for the ultimate van life meal.
Coffee is an essential item in this van kitchen and so it comes as no surprise that their favourite features revolve around it with Brit’s being her Nespresso machine and David’s being his electric kettle.
Favourite Van Kitchen Gadget – They have been using their spiralizer lately, really enjoying zucchini noodles which they feel are a great addition to a light & nutritious meal. This gadget is pipped to the post by their cast iron skillet, which we agree is a vanlife essential.They cook most of their food with it and said it’s super versatile.
Favourite Van Life Kitchen Recipe – Grilled chicken with fresh green salad is their most eaten meal, but their favourite (including Pepper) is when they get the stove top popcorn on the go, ready for movie night with their projector screen.
Hopefully you have enjoyed a look into these beautiful van kitchens and have found some ideas for your own van or van build. Keep an eye out for future articles on inspiring van life kitchens, yours could be next!
Sian and Scott of the_peri_pot are a Scottish couple who are travelling around New Zealand in their recently purchased van, Alec. Sian is responsible for the majority of the cooking and she comes up with so many culinary delights. We love every one of their posts on Instagram, check their page out!
What country are you based in?
New Zealand
How long have you had a van?
Around 5 months
Why did you choose your current Van?
We are originally from Scotland with no experience living in a campervan so we wanted something as comfortable as possible. A toilet and a shower were a must for us. We spent around a week looking at various vans and saw this and fell in love with it and it ticked all the boxes.
What is your favourite feature of your van?
The countertop oven we bought to replace the microwave that was there
How do you spend your time in your van?
Full time
What has been your favourite experience in your van so far?
Being able to go wherever we want whenever we want. We have parked up in some pretty incredible places.
What has been your worst experience in your van?
I wouldn’t say we have had any ‘bad’ experiences… Yet… For me, getting used to a much smaller space than what were used to, especially in the kitchen was a massive adjustment. When I cook everything is everywhere. I have had to learn to manage that ? Scott’s was almost going off the road hitting some black ice
Describe your van kitchen setup…
We are very lucky as we have an amazing set up. We have two gas rings, a gas grill, a fridge with a tiny wee freezer, a countertop oven that you could cook pretty much anything in. We have almost all the pots, pans, cake tins you would ever want (Scott would say too much) and also a great Dutch oven for campfire cooking
What is your favourite van kitchen accessory and why?
My nutri bullet
What couldn’t you live without in your van and why?
Again, my nutri bullet. I use it all the time
Do you have any first hand funny van life stories to tell?
Scott decided to drive down a cycle path, had a fight with a low hanging branch and managed to rip one of our roof hatches off. I saw the funny side… Scott maybe not so much.
You can catch up with Sian and Scott through the social media links on their profile. Don’t forget to try their recipes and give them a big thumbs up!
To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.
What wild food is safe for foraging whilst on your van life adventures?
Whilst out on your adventures you are more than likely driving through nature’s very own food market with a huge variety of free food.
Living van life and in particular whilst out wild camping in your van have you ever considered what plants and edibles are surrounding you whilst you tuck into that pot noodle?
Ever since I was a child I have been curious and tempted by the berries on bushes and the mushrooms growing on trees, being a parent now I feel how nervous I must have made my own parents back then!
In this article, I want to enlighten you as to what food is safe for foraging whilst on your van life adventures.
Disclaimer
You need to be very careful when picking wild food to eat, and if you are unable to identify the plant or mushroom then you must NOT eat. Do not even try it! That’s right not even a nibble!
There are many poisonous plants and mushrooms and even the slightest touch can irritate your skin and can cause mayhem inside your body and can even be deadly. Some plants and particularly fungi can be very hard to identify!
You’ve seen “Into the wild” right?? (If not watch it now, one of the most influential free spirit, travel movies of all time).
Is it legal to forage food?
In the UK and many other countries it is illegal to dig up any root growing plant without the landowners permission. On common land you may pick fruit, leaves, flowers, foliage and non protected fungi for personal consumption only. Harvesting for resale is strictly illegal.
For foraging this requires you to research the land that you are picking from and if in doubt consult the local authorities or the land owners and ask for written permission.
Due to the dangers and legal aspects involved in picking wild food,this article is for you to reference to only.
The best way to forage wild food
The best way to forage wild food whilst living van life is to get yourself a good foraging guide book so that you can reference and accurately identify all potential wild foods, thoroughly research the land you intend to harvest from and come prepared with some good wild food recipes.
There are many foraging groups and courses you can attend to get a more in-depth knowledge from an expert and if you are serious about wanting to get to know the many many edible wild foods filling the countryside then I would highly recommend this. It’s a perfect van life day out!
For UK based courses and events I recommend this website.
Responsible foraging
Foraging is rapidly growing in popularity and foragers must be aware of the possible environmental impacts involved in picking and gathering wild food.
It’s vital to always respect nature, wildlife and also other human beings. We are all dependants on food and taking food from the wild can have a huge impact on nature.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is completely illegal to commercially forage, meaning you strictly can not resell your gathered foods. Only pick what you intend to cook in your van and eat immediately.
Know what you are picking
To save valuable countryside foliage you should know exactly what it is you are about to pick before you pick.
Picking a plant or flower only to realise when you are back in your campervan that it isn’t the food you wanted is simply irresponsible and highly damaging to nature.
Get a good field guidebook and make sure it meets the exact matches before you even touch it let alone eat it.
There are many species of plant that can contain a sap residue that can be toxic to your skin. Be careful!
However, a toxic to humans plant will certainly have its role in nature’s game and if you mistakingly pick something it will eliminate it’s role with the ecosystem.
Don’t pick it all
This isn’t a reason to leave some on the tree for the next forager, this is a vital requirement for the next crop to flourish and for many forms of wildlife to survive.
Seeds, flowers, roots all have the biological chemistry to reproduce for next season and if you dig out the roots, bulbs and even cut away too much stem then this may well be the end of the plant altogether. Therefore leaving less food in the wild for animals and impacting the ecosystem.
Learn the correct way to harvest each crop in its unique way.
Commonly the best way to harvest a plant is to cut the leaves and leave the stems in place so that future leaves may grow back. The same goes for flowers.
Know your soil
There are legal compilations on most land these days and I highly recommend that you research the land that you are foraging from.
You must know the land thoroughly before you forage not only to save you from legal fines and convictions but also to know if the land has any contaminations.
High levels of pesticides, herbicides and PCBs, for example, could be toxic to your health!
Obviously you won’t have a full kit of soil testing equipment in your van but you can learn a lot from a phone call to the local authorities who will not only give you permission to forage but will advise you if it is safe to do so on that particular patch of land.
What kind of wild foods are edible?
The most common edible wild foods to forage on your van life adventures include mushrooms/fungi, fruits, herbs, flowers, roots, nuts and seeds.
All very commonly found on most wild land and there’s a variety of recipes for just about everything.
Playing it safe is recommended for beginners and you can enjoy classic recipes such as nettle soup, dandelion honey, chestnut soup and elderflower cordial, but if you really want to get stuck into nature’s menu then you should seek guidance until.your are highly confident.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are possibly the scariest wild food imaginable to most. With there being so many species and so many being poisonous, eating them is a risk you shouldn’t take lightly.
This certainly isn’t the article to tell you what mushrooms you can and can’t eat but I will inform you on some safe common mushrooms found in most wild areas that are great to learn about first.
Mushrooms can be very hard to correctly identify and getting it wrong could leave you very uncomfortable during the night in your van and potentially make you very ill!
Any foraging course will introduce you to the most common and safest mushrooms first. Only when you become more experienced and knowledgeable should you expand your mushroom foraging list.
Here are my 3 recommended wild mushrooms for foraging as a beginner.
Chanterelle Mushroom
The chanterelle mushroom has an aromatic and firm texture. Great for slow cooking and stews with plenty of liquid.
The chanterelle can easily be dried and frozen for storing.
The best season to pick the Chanterelle is between July and October and can be found in damp acidic soil around deciduous or coniferous trees.
Penny Bun Bolete Mushroom
The penny bun bolete is a very common mushroom used in cooking due to its strong mushroom flavour.
When dried out this mushroom is perfect for soups and sauces. Younger species can be used raw and served up in a salad.
The penny bun bolete can easily be dried and frozen.
The best time to pick the penny bun bolete is between July and October and can be found in most woodland areas.
Parasol Mushroom
Another strong flavoured mushroom once again ideal for soups and sauces.
The cap is the only edible part of the parasol mushroom as the stems can be very tough and not very pleasant.
To store this mushroom you should freeze it.
The best place to find parasol mushrooms is in open woodland areas or pastures and is often found in groups.
Flowers
Flowers are one of the easiest wild foods to forage and one of the best wild foods to forage for beginners.
Unlike mushrooms and wild greens, flowers are much easier to identify.
As with all wild food there are intoxicating flowers and often whilst the flower may be edible the stem may be poisonous. By default consult your field guide book before even touching the flower or stem.
Wild flowers can taste sweet, bitter, peppery and spicy and can really jazz up a huge variety of meals.
The best food to make from wild flowers is usually soups, teas, spreadables and they also make a great addition to a salad.
Here are my top 3 recommended wild flowers to forage.
Dandelion
Dandelion flowers can be found everywhere growing in fields around mid spring time.
The yellow petals are sweet but the green parts can taste quite bitter so it’s best to discard those parts.
Redbud
Redbud is another flower that appears in spring and can be found easily. Often by the side of roads and in woodland areas.
You’ll see that the Redbud purple flowers are amongst the first to appear in spring and eventually cover the tree.
Redbud flowers look pretty and taste amazing.
The best part is the fully opened flowers that taste slightly sweet and a little tart.
Avoid the bitter buds and pick the opened flower early morning when they are at their freshest.
Violets
Violets are very common in cooking and the flavour can be found in a large variety of foods, particularly sweets.
Violets can be found all year round but they flower in the early spring time.
The best place to find violets is in most woodland and hedgerow areas. Look in the shaded areas.
They are of an unmistakable purpley blue colour with green heart shaped leaves.
The roots and seeds of the violet plant are toxic so make sure you only pick the flowers and leaves.
Use the flowers for flavouring and the young leaves can be used in a salad.
Wild Greens
Wild greens are increasingly growing in popularity not only for the foraging chef but also for professional gourmet chefs. There are so many really tasty wild greens to be found out there.
Many of the usual supermarket stocked greens are growing wild outside your van but with so many wild greens looking similar to one another you must be very cautious not to eat something poisonous. Always consult your guide book and if unsure then leave the plant alone.
Another safety aspect to consider is to be sure you are not about to consume a plant that has been treated with chemicals. Some plants such as dandelion are often sprayed with weed killer type chemicals. Typically this would be plants found in parks and garden areas.
Wild greens are very nutritious being packed full of vitamins and make great additions to salads, casseroles and soups. Often you can simple drizzle some olive oil and tuck in.
Some of the most popular and best wild greens to forage are lambs quarter, dandelion and nettles.
Lambs quarters
Lambs quarters is very similar to spinach and is actually even related to it. The leaves should be cooked to take away the bitterness as when it is raw.
The goosefoot shaped leaves are light green and lighter underneath, they have a jagged edge to them. The plant is usually about 1m tall but can grow as high as 2m. They produce a small green flowers in small clusters on top of the spikes.
Lambs quarters can be found across the globe usually around river banks, forest clearings, fields and in gardens.
Lamb’s quarters contain oxalic acid particularly when eaten raw, it is recommended to eat in small quantities. Cooking the weed can remove the acid.
Dandelion
The dandelion weed is very common in just about every grassy field. Fortunately it’s often hated by gardeners and you won’t come across any complications in picking them.
You can eat leaves and roots as well as the flowers of the dandelion plant. Add the slightly bitter leaves and the roots to make a delicious salad.
Dandelion weeds are extremely high in vitamin A and K and have a vast array of healing properties as well as other health benefits. These nutrition benefits as well as the ease of obtaining the plant make them one of the best foods to forage for vanlife.
Nettles
The thought of even touching nettles can be daunting, how about eating them?
Nettles are actually considered a prize pick for foragers and yet another highly nutritious plant with healing properties. Nettles are said to increase energy levels as well as lowering stress levels. They are also said to be good for your kidneys, hair and nails. The perfect nutrition for van life!
The big question that’s rattling around in your mind is how to pick and eat the nettles without getting stung?
The best way to pick stinging nettles is to use gloves and place them into silicone bags immediately. When back in the kitchen use tongs and during the cooking process this will defuse the sting.
Nettles can be cooked and treated in the same way you would spinach. Steamed and sautéed as a side dish, include them in soups and stews and you can even make a medicinal tea with the water used to boil the sting from them.
The older parts of the plant particularly the stalks aren’t very edible so the best part of the nettle to eat is the top three pairs of leaves.
You’ll find nettles in just about every woodland, park and all over the countryside. They are easily identifiable and you can always brave it and touch them to see if they live up to their name. If in any doubt leave them alone. (Golden rule of foraging)
Other edible wild food
Whilst spring and summer time proves good for foraging leaves and flowers the autumn and winter is where you can start foraging wild food such as berries and nuts.
Be wary that there are many poisonous berries so be very cautious and experienced and never pick with uncertainty.
Wild berries make an excellent choice for jams, syrups and sauces.
Some popular wild berries include:
Raspberries
Blackberries
Rosehips
Elderberries
Bilburry
Hawthorne Berries
Rowan Berries
Nuts can often be roasted and make an excellent choice sprinkling over breakfast or for making your own granola.
Some popular wild nuts include:
Hazelnut
Chestnut
Beechnut
Walnut
Down by the sea
The coast is easily one of the best places to forage wild food. Not only for sea fishing but also all the delicious plants and shellfish that grow around the water.
There is a variety of different seaweeds, plants, crustaceans and shellfish ready for the picking and you will find this wild food scattered around the rock pools, cliffs and when the tide is out you would be able to literally fill bags of wild seafood.
Coastal foraging is very popular with van life and is certainly a subject to be covered in more depth by someone far more experienced than myself. I eat very little fish and seafood and I would love to see someone experienced step forward and write an article on vanlifeeats.com.
You would probably want to read this article on getting rid of cooking smells in your van if you are cooking fish!
Conclusion
As long as you follow the golden rules of foraging wild food, you will find the world full of a variety of delicious wild foods to forage and this goes hand in hand with van life and wild camping.
If you are unsure leave it alone
Consult a reputable guide book
Research the land for legal rights to forage
Be wary of pesticides and weed killer treatments
Being out on the open road all the time means you will be driving through nature’s very own free super market so I’d highly recommend having a wild food pocket field book on hand in your van. I’d even advise on taking a foraging course which is actually a really fun thing to participate in whilst on your adventures. Take a look at this site for UK courses.
My recommendation on a good foraging guide is this book.
I hope this article has brought you more awareness of wild food and has given you some inspiration to get out there and try something new. Wild food has amazing health benefits!
Lockie and Ash are an Australian couple on a tour of Europe in their van Tommy the Transit and are currently exploring Austria.
Staying healthy while living vanlife is of the highest importance to them, and these are highlighted on their instagram account easyeatsandexercise You can also see their travel adventures on their page lockieandash
What country are you based in?
Austria
How long have you had a van?
10 months
Why did you choose your current Van?
the right price and condition
What is your favourite feature of your van?
Our shou sugi ban kitchen bench
How do you spend your time in your van?
Full-time
What has been your favourite experience in your van so far?
We started our van build in a random parking lot in Andorra whilst we were there trying to get it registered. We got sick of waiting and were so excited to start the build, we found a nice quiet spot near a construction site. The workers were so lovely and let us use there power and even lent us tools. They couldn’t speak much English at all, but would come check on our progress multiple times a day and were so happy to have us there.
What has been your worst experience in your van?
Having car troubles in Andorra all whilst in the process of trying to register our van in a foreign country where little English was spoken.
Describe your van kitchen setup…
We have small fixed kitchen with a small sink and 2 burner gas stove. It has an extension piece on either side allowing us to utilise space when we are not cooking.
What is your favourite van kitchen accessory and why?
Our fridge is hands down the best thing we ever bought! Its a Dometic CoolMatic CRX 110 fridge/freezer. It has enough space to fit a 7 day grocery shop and a freezer big enough to freeze our meat and on occasion bananas to make smoothie bowls and nice cream!
What couldnt you live without in your van and why?
I think the Toilet. We have a Dometic portable one that has a flush function and close door trap. No smell and easy to clean. When living full-time in your van we think its a necessity.
Do you have any first hand funny van life stories to tell?
We are Australians who moved to Europe to travel and live the van life. Corona hit whilst we were living the winter season in the Austrian Alps. We currently are parked in our Austrian friends backyard and they refer to us as their Australian refugees
Find Lockie and Ash on YouTube
You can catch up with Lockie and Ash through the social media links on their profile. Don’t forget to try their recipes and give them a big thumbs up!
To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.
In order to really show off your van life eats you should really learn how to photograph food with a mobile phone inside a campervan.
These days the cameras on mobile phones are amazing and can take some incredibly professional looking photograhs, of course if you have an all singing and dancing DSLR you probably have a good idea what you are doing anyway.
Giving the space limitations of van life, you simply won’t have enough space to store photography lights, tripods and large soft boxes so it can really be a challenge to make the shot look professional.
The secret in taking professional food photographs on your mobile phone is in knowing how to use the advanced phone camera settings on your phone, being able to use as much natural light as possible and knowing how to compose your shots.
In this article I am going to talk you through each setting on your phone, van life composition and give you a blueprint of how to photograph food with a mobile phone inside a campervan.
Pro mode
Before diving in and taking photos you need to turn your phone camera settings to “Pro mode” right now! Get familiar with what each setting does and practice on anything in front of you.
It’s never very nice when you’ve taken so long taking the photos that the food then becomes stone cold and not as enjoyable to eat after the shoot. Be warned, you will most likely need to reheat it or eat it only warm.
Most cameras these days will all have the same settings but I am going to reference a completely free app that I use to take my photos with – Adobe Lightroom CC.
With this app you can quickly and easily access the pro features that will take your photos to the next level.
If you don’t want to try it then you can still access most of these settings using your default phone camera.
Shutter Speed – SS
This is often a setting you won’t need to worry too much about with food photography as it is a setting to adjust the length of time the photograph is being taken for. As food is nearly always static then you will only need to adjust the shutter speed to suit the lighting scenario.
You do have one very nice advantage of taking photographs in your campervan and that is the availability of natural light.
Opening the side door every time you take a photo will let floods of natural light in and this will allow you to set your shutter speed to a nice fast setting that will give you a nice crisp photograph.
There are some food photographs where you might want to capture the feel of motion and that is shots such as pouring sauces or liquids.
Having a fast shutter speed will freeze the motion of the pour and give a crisp motion, having a slower shutter speed will give a smoother capture of the motion of the pour. It will add more mood to the photo. Get creative and practice!
When adjusting the shutter speed it will then alter the amount of light that is let in for the photograph, therefore you need to compensate this. Some cameras will have an”aperture” setting but this is rare on a phone so I will move on to adjusting the ISO.
ISO
ISO is the setting that will brighten and darken a photo. Increasing the ISO number will progressivley brighten your photo. This will give you the option of shooting in dark environments and be able to take photos without the aid of a tripod. However, increasing the ISO comes at a price as it will deteriorate the quality and add noise.
As detail and texture is an important factor in food photography, I will advise that you try and keep the ISO number as low as you can possibly get away with.
With the Adobe Lightroom CC app you will want to keep the slider as far to the right as possible giving you an ISO reading of as low as 45.
If you want to give your image a gritty effect then you could try playing around with high ISO numbers and fast shutter speeds but remember you can always add this type of effect afterwards.
White Balance – WB
White balance is what determines what is true white within your photograph in different environments such as daylight, cloudy, fluorescent light and incandescent. It will affect the colour temperature of your photograph but most importantly it will help obtain the true natural colours.
Food is often colourful and vibrant so it’s important to get this right but thankfully you do have some adjustment in the post production editing stages.
You will see several settings under WB and this relates to what environment you are shooting in, simply select the lighting scenario that fits best.
Some Pro mode mobile phone cameras will have a slider to adjust the white balance. This usually ranges from 2300k (cooler) to 10000k (warmer).
You may also find that you have an eyedropper tool that allows you to select a white object within your environment to tell the camera what white should look like.
Before you take your main photo simply hold up a piece of paper and select that as white and viola your colours will look natural.
AWB (auto white balance)
This setting will take a reading from your lens and automatically set the white balance accordingly.
This is great if you are only taking one shot but if you are taking multiple shots you should consider setting this manually to keep the colour temperature even and consistent across every image. A valuable tip for when it comes to bulk processing your photos!
Aperture
This isn’t always a clear setting on a mobile phone and is usually always only visible in the advanced settings.
The aperture is the size of the hole in the lens shutter that lets the light in. The larger the hole the better for focusing on single objects in the foreground and the smaller the hole the better for focusing on multiple objects and background detail.
The larger the aperture is how you obtain an in focus object with a nice blurred background, which can be fun to play with when it comes to food photography. Be careful though as this is yet another setting you can’t fix in post production. Once it’s blurred it’s blurred!
This is yet another setting that will let more light into the photograph so compensate this with your ISO and shutter speed settings.
Lighting
Learning how to photograph food with a mobile phone inside a campervan does have its limitations and lighting is definitely one.
It’s unrealistic to consider traveling with much if any professional lighting equipment as it can be heavy, bulky and power consuming.
Make the most of the natural light that can flood through your van when you open curtains, shutters, skylights and best of all the main van doors. This will give you the perfect lighting to get some beautiful food photography within your van.
Shadows
One of the biggest problems you will come across is the shadow of your hand and phone looming over the food when you want to take the photo.
Usually this is when you would counter the light direction with an additional light source so you may need to experiment with closing the backdoors or closing a curtain to balance the flood of light. Don’t forget the direction of the shadow will change depending on what time of day it is.
I have a very small battery powered LED light that I use as an occasional night switch. This comes in very handy as a subtle fill light to hide that shadow. Remember not too harsh a light source or it will blow out the highlights in your photo.
You would angle the fill light to the side and above of the image in a position that moves the angle of the shadow down and out of view.
Avoid flash
Whatever you do, keep that phone flash light off. It will never give you a professional looking photograph and will over expose all of the highlights in your shot and you will lose texture and detail!
Camera effects
Avoid at all costs! You can always add an effect afterwards but you won’t be able to remove them if you shoot with an effect already active!
People like to see food look natural and edible. Effects will honestly make your food look less desirable.
Composition
How to arrange a plate of food for the perfect photograph?
In order to get the best composition for your van food photography you need to consider the height, shape and quantity of elements within the composition.
Does your recipe have many elements that sit alongside the main dish? If so then you will need to plan both your arrangement and camera angle to suit. Perhaps an overhead shot would work well to fit all the elements in-shot.
Some shapes simply will not work with a side on shot whilst others will only work with side on shot. I will cover angles in more detail in a moment.
Rule of thirds
What is the rule of thirds? Maybe you’ve heard of this, and you may well have seen the gridlines on your camera screen or viewfinder, I will now explain what they are for.
The rule of thirds is a set of guidelines that separates the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically leaving you with 9 guidelines to guide you in placing the eye catching elements of your photo.
It can work particularly well for arranging the composition of your shot especially in food photography.
The aim is to place the most eye catching and most desirable focal points in one of the areas where the guidelines cross. This could be the centre of the dish for example.
Another use for the guidelines is the horizontal and vertical guides. These are never dead center as this isn’t deemed as an interesting focal point. These lines work very well for lining up with table surfaces.
You can often toggle the rule of the thirds on and off within your camera phone settings. I personally leave them on as they help me think about the composition a little more.
Camera Angles
What are the best camera angles for photographing food in a campervan?
Being in a confined space such as a campervan can be restricting on what angles are possible when photographing food. There are 4 best angles to consider when photographing food in a campervan.
45 Degree Angle
This is probably the most common angle to photograph a table of food at, but is actually very challenging to do on a mobile phone.
The standard lens on a camera phone is usually a wide angle lens so unless you either get in really close or use the zoom feature your 45 degree shot won’t look right.
To get the best 45 degree angle photographing food with a mobile phone camera you should pinch zoom your camera ever so slightly to bring the lens out of a wide angle. Using the zoom feature on your phone can deteriorate your image quality so only zoom in very lightly!
It’s possible to get a very professional looking shot at this angle.
Shooting Low
This is a similar style to the 45 degree angle shot but when the spread of food on the table allows it you can lower the camera to a slightly lower 30 degree angle.
This will allow you to bring further depth to the arrangement of food on the table and it can also give you some creative opportunities to capture some out of focus background showing off some of your campervan interior.
Shooting low will involve having flat plates on the table and is almost not a viable option with bowls as it will be hard to see over the top and into the bowl where the yum is hiding.
Shooting Straight-on
This is another great shot for including the background of your campervan.
The straight on food shot is a classic for burgers and sandwiches and can help give the sense of height to the food.
The horizon lines we spoke of earlier for the rule of thirds can be essential here. Keeping the horizon lower than central will give the photograph it’s height.
The Overhead Shot
The overhead food photo is another classic and is used time and time again for blogs.
It is often a very fun way to arrange the table with scattered vegetables, sprinkles of salt, little pots of sauce and a screwed up tea towel for example.
A busy and almost messy collective can look hearty and homely and make a very interesting shot.
The overhead shot is a great shot to do inside a campervan as it can make a much less invasive shot should you need to avoid having the clutter of your van in frame.
This shot is the most challenging when it comes to shadows. Be aware of the shadow of your hand and mobile phone creeping in over your dish!
Setup your food arrangement next to or under a window to get the most amount of natural light. I even open the side door to really brighten up the inside of the van.
Mix it up
With these 4 different angles you should have enough of a repertoire to keep your photo angles varied enough. There’s nothing worse than repeating the same shot over and over again.
Keep it interesting and make each shot stand out from the last!
Arranging the table
This is one of my favourite parts but can be very limiting in a van. It’s not like you will be carrying a varied selection of plates and bowls to mix up your arrangements.
I am always scouting the charity shops for rustic and interesting pots, plates and bowls but when I am busy moving around in my van then I don’t carry everything with me and my shots tend to contain the same grey or yellow bowl.
Still it’s a lot of fun scattering chopped ingredients around the table, screwed up tea towels and making the table look like there’s a mini banquet going on.
Keep it interesting and use that rule of thirds to keep the focus on the main show feature (main dish).
Keep it clean
Cooking in a van or anywhere limited on space is a challenge to keep tidy and clean. If you are going to photograph your culinary skills then you are going to need to be extra organised.
Nobody will want to see spills, smears and greasy fingerprints in the photo. Even for the most rustic of shots!
Before you start any cooking ensure your van is tidy and you have plenty of space to prepare, cook and of course photograph.
Check your phone camera lens
This has been a mistake I’ve made in the past and it can really ruin your shot if not noticed early enough.
Greasy fingerprints on the lens! Keep checking and wiping the lens regularly.
If your shot looks blurry and not very sharp, the chances are there was a fingerprint on the lens!
Additional Equipment
What is the best equipment to buy to photograph food with a mobile phone inside a campervan?
I can keep this short and sweet as I hope the above knowledge has explained to you how you can take amazing photos with “only” your mobile phone.
You just dont want to carry all the gadgets in your van and cause clutter, weight and risk of theft.
However, there are only a couple of additional accessories that come in handy and our space-saving enough to pack away neatly without weighing much at all.
Remember I spoke about shadows invading your photograph? Using one of these reflectors is ideal for being able to cancel out the shadows caused with your light source only being thrown in one direction.
This 5 in 1 solution will also act as a diffuser that you place against your window softening and evenly spreading the sunlight.
I often find that I need to lower my shutter speed in order to get a better quality image or to capture some smoothness to the photo and the only way to avoid camera shake is to mount the phone on a tripod. Make sure it is long enough to reach the table and angles you want!
It also comes in really handy for video should you be lookng at filming your recipes.
Summary
Taking a good photograph of food on a mobile phone in your campervan can be a simple as a quick capture before you tuck in.
If you are looking to really impress then following this guide will certainly help you take your van life food photography to the next level.
To summerise how to photograph food with a mobile phone inside your campervan:
Learn to use the Pro mode
Utilise as much natural light as possible
Avoid ALL in-camera effects
Use the rule of thirds
Practice each of the 4 common angles
Be tidy and organised
Keep your lens clean!
I have been a photographer for the last 11 years. 7 of which a full-time professional photographer. Since starting van life I no longer wish to carry expensive cameras and equipment and I now only shoot on my camera phone.
If I can help with any tips or tech feel free to ask away. I love chatting photography.
The best way to eliminate cooking smells from your campervan is to maintain a steady airflow with a suitable ventilation system. There are also some great natural options of neutralising cooking smells from your van, so get cooking.
Whether you are a full-time van-lifer or a part-time van lifer enjoying your van for weekend trips and holidays, one thing is for certain, van life gives the freedom to travel, park up and take in amazing views with a good meal and a nice cool drink.
However, one of the realities of vanlife is that your kitchen is also your living area, your bedroom…. you get my drift. This means that the lovely aromas from the food you have been making in your van may not smell so appetising when they are clinging to your bedclothes as you climb into bed or the clean clothes that you put on the next day.
This article is going to address what you can do to ensure you minimise the smells of cooking in your van and how to get rid of smells if that is unavoidable.
Cook outside!
One way to really make sure your van doesn’t smell of cooking smells is to not cook in it! Use a camping stove or bbq to cook outside, this may even encourage you to be more adventurous with your meals.
However, vanlife doesn’t mean that we are always parked up in those insta-worthy locations with no-one else within a mile’s radius.
Sometimes the reality of it is that you are parked in a driveway, car park or residential street trying to be stealthlike and the last thing you want is the world and their wife to see you attempting to heat up a tin of baked beans while in your underwear.
Jokes aside though, it is not always easy or safe to cook outside, so this may not be an option for all.
If you are on a campsite though, definitely make use of the communal cooking areas. You may just find some new friends along the way!
Ventilation
Cooking in a van is not always the easiest thing to do, space and cooking facilities can be limited and adequate ventilation is not always possible.
It would be easy to think all you needed to do was open a window and job done, unfortunately this is not the case. Just cranking open a window can make the breeze carry the odours of your cooking across your van and actually make the situation worse.
It is better to have as many doors and windows open as you can rather than just one to help create a cross breeze and minimise the smell, it is unlikely to be completely successful though.
Also as we have mentioned above, you may not always be in the situation where it is suitable to have your doors and windows open and so this is not going to help. As well as smells lingering, the heat from cooking can actually cause condensation in your van which can lead to further problems such as mould.
The best option for ventilating your van adequately is to have a vent above your kitchen area which will help with both of these problems. A brief overview of different types of vents to have in your van is below, please also see our more in-depth article for more information on campervan ventilation here.
Skylight vents
These can be placed above the cooking area allowing in extra light and expelling heat and the smells from cooking out.
Most skylights are double glazed so they do not allow heat to escape when shut and they have bug screens for when you need it open.
These types of vents do not usually have a fan in them though, so while they will not drain your power, they will also not be able to help regulate the temperature of your van or give optimum heat and smell removal.
This leads us on to our next option..
Vents with a built-in fan
These are going to be better options for ventilation as you can choose which way the fans will rotate either pulling fresh air in to cool the van down or pushing air out which is particularly useful when cooking to help eliminate the smell and heat within the van.
These are quite often remote controlled and are usually easy to operate, the disadvantages are they do use power (albeit not much).
They can also be noisy which may not be an issue when you’re cooking up a storm but may well be when you’re lying in a stuffy van trying to get to sleep.
So all in all it is worth ensuring you adequately ventilate your van, not only will it stop any smells lingering it can also stop condensation, which may lead to mould and can help to regulate the temperature in your van.
Sometimes no matter how well ventilated your van is, the smells just cling on to everything (smelly fish – we’re talking to you!) So we are also going to discuss different options you can use if ventilation isn’t enough.
Ways to remove cooking smells
If you find your clothes or bedding are holding onto cooking smells it is not the easiest thing to be able to wash them in a van and it’s not feasible to wash them daily so you need a different solution.
Some have suggested using plastic sheeting to cover your bed and clothes, and while this probably does help limit the smell getting into them it is probably also quite tedious to do each time you want to cook.
A different option is to hang the offending item out in the nice fresh air to air out a little, this may not banish smells completely but it’s going to smell better than it did before you started.
Some people may reach for the air freshener at this point, which as well as not being good for the environment probably isn’t the best for your health either and can actually be overpowering in such a small space.
A quick search on the internet reveals how to make natural air fresheners and these are much better to use than the chemical-laden ones from the stores. Plus you can add whichever essential oils you like to make the scent personal to you.
Baking soda is good for absorbing scents as is vinegar so many of the recipes you find will include these, if you’re planning on creating an anti-bacterial one then you will most likely need to get the vodka out! Here are some of our favourite combinations:
Lavender & chamomile – this a particularly good one to spray on your bedding as it has calming and relaxing properties which can help you to drift off.
Lemon & basil – this is a good all-round spray as it creates a crisp, clean smell so is great for getting rid of unwanted odours.
Mint & orange – This scent is a good one if you need a bit of invigorating, so probably not the best just before you go to bed, but perfect after cooking that delicious van breakfast.
If you have essential oils with you on your travels another good way to neutralise those cooking smells in your van is to soak wooden clothes pegs in essential oils and then peg them up!
By the time the sun is setting you may be wanting to set the scene to gaze across a candlelit table into the eyes of your loved one and so scented candles are a win win right? Creating some ambience as well as getting rid of those dinner odours!
No candles available? No problem, use an orange!
Peel an orange while keeping half of the skin and the middle part in-tact so you have a little ‘boat’, fill the skin halfway with olive oil and then when ready light ‘the wick’ not only will it smell lovely and natural it can be added to your food waste afterwards.
There are also chef’s candles available which are really great for neutralising cooking smells, not all of them are fragranced so if you’re not a fan of fragrances then these could be for you.
Natural ways to banish cooking smells
If you’re already on the road when a cooking odour disaster strikes, do not fear because you may already have everything you need to get your van odour free in no time at all. Here’s a list of our favourites.
1. Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda is very versatile and has lots of uses when on the road so it’s well worth having in your van pantry.
To use it to get rid of cooking smells you simply need to fill a bowl with it and leave it to absorb the smell – magic!
You can use it for so many things after, such as getting rid of the smell from shoes (handy if you’ve been on a long hike!), mix it with water to make a paste to soothe insect bites, put in dirty pans overnight and wash with hot water the next day for them to come up beautifully clean. It really is a cupboard essential!
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are great at absorbing smells, if you cut one in half cover in salt and place in a bowl on the side it should absorb those smells in no time!
3. Coffee grounds
‘Proper’ coffee fan? Then you may have leftover coffee grounds to hand, these are really good at absorbing odours, just leave them in a bowl on the side and job done. Not only will the cooking smells disappear but your van will have the lovely scent of roasted coffee.
The coffee grounds have other uses too, they’re good for deterring insects, particularly ants.
Coffee grounds can also be mixed with coconut oil to make a good exfoliating scrub for those of us lucky enough to have showers in our van.
4. Vinegar
White vinegar can have lots of uses too, one of them being absorbing smells, leave in a bowl on the side in the kitchen to soak up any cooking odours.
It can also be used when making cleaning solutions and is good at getting sticker residue off, so handy if you’re taking stickers off your van.
5. Cinnamon
Boiling up some cinnamon sticks for 5 minutes and leave to cool which will fill your van with a pleasant aroma and no more nasty cooking smells. If it’s Christmas time you could even trade the water for wine and enjoy some mulled wine – providing your not the designated driver!
As a final note if your fingers are smelly from cutting up onion or garlic rub your hands in salt or coffee grounds prior to washing them and those lingering smells will be gone and your hands nice and soft!
That’s it folks – our tips for getting cooking odours out of your home on wheels. We hope these can be of use to you, if you have any tips of your own then please comment below.
From preventing damage to keeping safe, healthy and hygienic it’s important to ensure your campervan has adequate ventilation and you know how to ventilate a campervan correctly.
The best way to ventilate your campervan is to ensure there is a sufficient air flow within your campervan. This will involve the installation of air vents and fans to ensure fresh air can be drawn into your campervan and hot air expelled.
Whilst living in a tiny or compact space such as a campervan it’s in your best interest to keep the climate within your van comfortable. Knowing how to ventilate your campervan is equally as important is knowing how to insulate your campervan.
Knowing how to control the humidity and internal temperature in a campervan can really make your van life experience or camping holiday alot more comfortable.
This article is designed to guide you on the best way to ventilate a campervan as well as to look at some of the various different ventilation options available.
4 Reasons why you should install ventilation
The 4 biggest reasons you should install a quality ventilation system within your campervan are:
Climate regulation – keeping your living space at a comfortable temperature.
Reducing condensation caused from cooking facilities and a build up of moisture in the air.
Keeping the air healthy to breath
Eliminating bad odours
Climate regulation
It can really get hot and stuffy living in a small space such as a campervan. With poor ventilation and insulation it can actually become quite unbearable!
During a hot night it always feels like a good idea to leave a window open but this isn’t always a safe option as it could encourage an intruder.
If you have a good ventilation system in place you can not only sleep in peace knowing you are safe and secure but you can also sleep peacefully in a comfortable climate within your van.
Fitting a campervan ventilation system and installing it correctly will control the climate within your van not only for night time but even during the day.
Hot air is less dense than cold air so naturally the hot air will rise towards the ceiling of your van. As this builds up it can really make the air turn clammy and really quite uncomfortable.
Fitting a ceiling extractor fan will suck this hot air straight out of your van.
Reducing condensation
Condensation can be seriously harmful to your van as well as to your lungs so you really do need to know how to prevent condensation in a campervan.
Having a humid climate in your van means you have a lot of moisture in the air, moisture means damp and damp means damage.
Rust is one of the biggest killers of vehicles and is certainly a big thing to avoid!
Leaving a window slightly open sometimes just isn’t enough and having a well ventilated campervan with the right kind of vents installed in the right places you can keep a good circulation of air flowing through your van and eliminate humidity and condensation.
What causes condensation in a campervan?
The main causes of condensation in a campervan are:
Breathing – The warm breath you expel from your body will instantly rise and condensate when it hits a cold surface. The human body expels approximately 200ml of warm water vapour per hour!
Cooking – The gasses burnt during cooking in your van (particularly propane) will rapidly leave vapour in the air of your van. This warm moisture will rise and when it meets a cold surface it will turn into a liquid form and start to drip all over your van.
Hot water – Washing the dishes, washing your face and body and boiling the kettle will create steam which will instantly create moisture. It can be one of the fastest ways to condensate your van up.
Condensation is caused when the moisture in warm air meets a cold surface. An example would be when you breathe warm breath on to a cold glass window.
Of course this condensation then starts to drip into the lining of your van and can cause serious rust damage.
Another outcome of condensation is the growth of mold and fungus which is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria which takes us on to the next section about health…
Healthy air flow
Damp inside your van can cause a whole host of problems but can also cause some serious and even fatal problems to your respiratory system.
Mold spores can be very small and so fine that when breathed in it can cling to the inside of your lung and continue to grow. This could develop into breathing problems that could even cause long term damage and even be fatal.
Fungus and mold is also a perfect environment for dust mites to breed and develop. These then contaminate the air and get into your lungs and even into your furnishings and bedding.
Despite the issue around moisture and mold, other health issues can become an effect of bad climate control within your van. These are mood swings, tiredness, fatigue and even depression.
Let’s not also forget that you may be travelling and living a van life adventure and you will want to keep your energy up to enjoy your travels!
Eliminating bad odours
Living in a tiny space such as a campervan usually means you are surrounded by a variety of bad odours. These could be emitting from your dirty laundry, your food waste and worst of all your toilet!
These smells can greatly increase in a warm climate!
Having the right kind of ventilation in your van will help keep a constant flow of fresh air coming into your van and expel the warm fragranced odours.
What are the best methods to ventilate a campervan
There are several methods of ventilating your campervan ranging from zero cost with basic ventilation to a more costly and more advanced fan based ventilation system.
Open a window
The most simplistic way to reduce condensation and keep the air flowing in your van would be to simply open a window.
It’s the cheapest option although not the most practical.
A window open a few inches isn’t really going to be that effective in getting much air circulating around your van. It will however help let some of the warmer air out through the gap.
Leaving a window open overnight can be a risk and be an invite for a break-in. It doesn’t feel good when you are trying to sleep whilst worrying about the possibility of an intruder.
The other risk to consider is overnight rain. You never can really tell when a rain cloud might pass over and you will end up with a damp seat or possibly get water into your electronic system come morning.
However, if you do not have a very good ventilation system on your van, opening a window or two should be the very least that you do.
Tip – Install wind deflectors. These will help hide the gap of having your windows open.
Pros
Cons
Zero cost
Not as effective as other solutions
No modifications to install
Security breach risks
Helps hot air escape reducing humidity and condensation
Weather dependent
Risks of water damage
Louvred air vents
This is also another cheap option and is quite straight forward to fit. However, you will have to cut holes in the side of your van.
By fitting louvred air vents to your campervan you will be able to safely and securely keep a consistent air stream flowing through your van.
Cosmetically they look good and can give a professional appearance on the outside as well as on the inside.
Louvred air vents can be left open at all times continuously keeping a steady flow of air both day and night and no matter what the weather.
The effectiveness of louvred air vents is superior to the basic opening of a window but is still only a minimal solution.
Tip – install a fly screen behind each vent to avoid any creepy crawlies staying the night.
Pros
Cons
Low cost
Not as effective as other solutions
Basic installation
Involves cutting holes in your van
Helps hot air escape reducing humidity and condensation
Can give a “campervan/motorhome” look which may not be desirable to vanlifers
All weather usage
No security risks
Rotating roof vents
A considerably more effective ventilation option for your campervan would be to fit a rotating air vent to your van roof.
The rotating air vents will suck the hot air from within your van which will greatly increase the circulation of airflow.
Rotating air vents are easy to install to a campervan, even if you have a ribbed roof. Cutting into your van roof will still be required.
As roasting air vents are powered by the wind, they aren’t always very effective. When you are parked up on days with little to no wind you may find they do not even work at all.
Over time the bearings inside have been known to become noisy so when you purchase one be sure to look for a silent or low noise model.
Pros
Cons
Low cost
Not as effective when stationary and no wind
Basic installation
Involves cutting holes in your van roof
Helps hot air escape reducing humidity and condensation
Can become noisy over time
All weather usage
No security risks
Discreetly hidden on the roof
Skylight roof vents
Certainly one of the best air vents for a campervan is a skylight roof vent. Not only do these provide a great circulation of air for your van but they also double up as a skylight providing a lot of natural light.
Roof vents are so effective due to the size of the vent. When the hot air in your van rises it has a large opening in which it can escape.
Basic models require no power and are relatively easy to install but the more advanced models come with a built in fan and will require an electrical feed to power them.
Pros
Cons
Doubles up as a skylight producing natural light
Can be quite expensive
Large and very effective
Involves cutting holes in your van roof
Helps hot air escape reducing humidity and condensation
May require professional installation
All weather usage
Low security risks
Discreetly hidden on the roof
What is the best ventilation system for a campervan
The best ventilation system for a campervan would be to install two fan powered roof vents. One vent drawing in air from the outside and the other extracting the warm air out of your campervan. Each fan would be installed at opposite ends of your van.
Recommended products
These links are affiliate links which means Amazon will give us a small perctenage back for each sale. This helps us in running the site and for future Van Life Eats events. It will cost you nothing extra to use our links.
These are products we either use or are used by our fellow van life friends and we can happily vouch for the quality of each product.
Life on the road can be tiresome at times and finding the time to prep a good hearty meal can become challenging. Van life without a fridge is a common occurrence and having the right foods stocked up in your campervan cupboards can make eating on the road a lot more nutritious and just simply a whole lot easier.
With much of daily life generally revolving around long drives, you do not have to sacrifice great food or eating well just because you are in a van.
The best foods to store when you are living Van Life without a fridge are long life and non-perishable foods such as freeze-dried, tinned and sealed food. Without fresh food, you can still eat tasty and nutritious food without a fridge.
Whilst fridges are great for extending the life of things like butter and milk, not having one can actually encourage you to eat a lot healthier as you do not have an option of preserving fresh foods.
When selecting food for your van, it is important to pre-plan your weekly meals, and no doubt you will still require fresh ingredients from time to time, so plan your meals and shop visits wisely. There are a few key factors to consider when picking out food supplies.
Longevity
As mentioned before, van life without a fridge can really impact the number of days you can safely keep food for consumption without it going bad.
Try to buy foods that can last a week, or at least several days, without being in a fridge.
This will give you enough time to eat them before they spoil, which helps to save money – nobody wants to be throwing food away or making unnecessary waste.
Freeze-dried and tinned foods are great options in terms of longevity as they can notoriously keep for several years.
Be Mindful of Your Health
Now obviously this should always be the case, but when you are living a van life adventure, it can seem like a good idea to just stock up on junk food, live off service station food and take out food. But stop!
Try and make sure your store cupboards have some healthy snacks on board for when you are feeling like picking at food.
Whilst planning your shopping list, make sure there are vegetables involved somewhere. Fresh vegetables will usually keep for 3 or 4 days in a mild climate, but if its really hot and you really cant store vegetables then the tinned ones can be nutritious too so include those instead.
Keeping your nutrition up will help you enjoy your travels and give you more energy to keep the pace fast.
Flavourful
This is pretty self-explanatory, but the food you buy should be the food you enjoy eating.
To avoid tasteless bowls of nothingness, invest in some dried spices and herbs. They keep for several months, usually in glass bottles, and can pack punches of flavours into all sorts of dishes.
Aside from the obvious salt and pepper, things like garlic granules, onion granules, chilli flakes and dried paprika can add delicious flavours to otherwise bland dinners. They can also substitute perishable food that you are unable to store like onions, garlic or fresh chilli.
Having some long-life staples to hand is always a great idea too as they can be supplemented with some more perishable, fresh foods that can be picked up as and when they are needed.
Van life cooking can be challenging, but it can also be lots of fun, and it is easier than you might think to maintain a tasty and somewhat balanced diet whilst on the road.
Grains
One of the easiest foods to keep when you are living in your van, grains last absolutely ages and are often super filling, and warming, depending on how you have them.
Oats and cereal can be super long-lasting staple for the cupboard. Try spicing up your oats with spices such as cinnamon and or adding some dried fruit and nuts for a hearty breakfast.
Rice, pasta and couscous are filling options for a range of meals. Whether you buy the quick cook kind or the sort that you only have to heat up, both types last several months. Add some seasoning along with some tinned veggies, meat or fish for a delicious, balanced meal on the move.
Be sure to dispose of your boxes and store within Tupperware boxes to avoid any unwanted guests such as mice or ants, as well as to save on space in your van.
Living van life without a fridge, tupperware boxes will be an essential way of storing your long lasting campervan food.
Fruit
Whilst most fruit tends to have a shockingly small window of opportunity where it is ripe enough to eat, before going soft of horrifyingly black (yes, bananas, we are looking at you), a great option for fruit in your van is the dried kind.
A great way to get the feel for fresh fruit without buying it fresh is through picking up the tinned kind. From pear segments and kiwi chunks to wedges of apple prunes, you can get a huge variety of fruit in a tin these days so be sure to buy your favourites.
Tinned fruit can also be a substitute for fresh friut and make amazing and nutritious smoothies.
Try and avoid tinned fruit in syrup as this can be a very unhealthy sugar overload!
Dont forget that there are a lot of fruits that do not need to be refridgated such as apples, bananas and oranges so be sure to include these in your shop and store them in a cool spot within your van.
Vegetables
Root vegetables are great long lasting vegetables and will survive a week out of the fridge providing you have a cool shaded place to store them.
Onions, carrots, kale, potatoes and parsnips are some of the best ones to buy as they do not require a refrigerator.
Vegetables certainly arent off the menu when you are living van life without a fridge!
As with fruit, tinned vegetables are a useful alternative to fresh ones as they last a long time. These days you can get so many vegetables in a can – from mashed potatoes, peas and sweetcorn to beans, carrots and ratatouille.
Protein
Whilst proteins are generally a little harder to store, things like eggs can easily be kept outside of the fridge, despite what your mum might tell you. American eggs sometimes require refrigeration, but the majority of eggs in Europe do not need to be kept in a fridge. If you think about it, they would be in the fridges in the grocery store if they needed to be kept there, wouldn’t they?
Canned goods like peas, beans, pulses and lentils are all terrific sources of plant based protein and easy to keep on the road. The base of some great van life recipes, some legumes such as chickpeas or cannellini beans, can be mixed with some rice and a tin of tomatoes for a filling dinner full of flavour.
An easy to store, simple to prepare option that can often be eaten by itself or stirred into another dish is tinned fish.
Fish such as tuna or salmon can be drained and mixed into a range of dishes, or mixed with something like mayonnaise for a sandwich filling.
There is always the smellier fish, such as sardines and mackerel that you could also pick up, although you may want to avoid eating something so stinky in such a small space. (More on that later).
Dairy
One of the trickier foods to store, especially without refrigeration, there are a handful of nifty alternatives you might want to consider.
Powdered milk is an option and long-life milk, which does not need to be kept cold, can last months.
Though many cheeses should be kept cool, some of the harder ones, such as Parmesan, do not need to be refrigerated.
Van life without a fridge doesnt mean van life without cheese!
Starch
Whilst it might not be the longest lasting food to have around, having a good old fashioned loaf of bread can provide you with a whole host of breakfasts, lunches and dinners on your travels. Be it in the form of baguettes, bagels or a plain loaf, investing in some bread can make even the most meger of meals seem filling, with it being a great addition to a can of soup.
For a sweet take on the sandwich, opt for a chocolate spread filling or maybe peanut butter. Both of these are good options as they do not need to be kept in the fridge and last several weeks.
Freeze Dried
Freeze dried food can be a good way to get your carbohydrates for the day. Pasta mixes that you tear the top off of and fill with hot water, stir and leave for a few minutes are quick and warming meals.
There are similar things available involving rice and noodles too. Adding your own seasoning to any of these can make them flavourful and filling dishes.
Sweet Treats and Desserts
While they maybe a little more unconventional than a humble slice of cake, desserts can come in a range of forms, some of which are perfect for van life. If it’s on the shelf in a packet, chances are it has a long best before date on it!
From golden syrup sponges and sticky toffee puds, to lemon cake and gooey chocolate puddings all of these can easily be found in grocery stores and are super convenient treats that are easy to store and have reasonably good best before dates.
Whilst some can be heated, many can be consumed by removing the lid and tucking in your spoon.
Snacks
The good news here is that the majority of snack food, unless you only snack on fruit, is actually pretty good to take on the road with you.
Things such as popcorn and crisps can be good snacks to pick up as they do last a while and can satisfy many cravings, though of course be mindful of how much of these you consume, as they are not the healthiest options.
Granola bars are also a great snack to have around as they can provide you with energy throughout a busy day.
A simple bar of chocolate is also good to have to hand as who doesn’t love a treat every now and again?
General Tips
As we referenced earlier, be very careful what you cook in your van. You essentially need to sleep just a few feet away from where you have cooked your food and will not want to go to bed smelling like dinner or worse wake up smelling of your dinner!
Plan your meals in advance. As space is somewhat limited in your van, if you buy a packet of pasta or rice for example, plan a few dishes around that and buy things that will compliment each dish, that can be reused. If you pick up some bread, plan perhaps lighter meals that can be fleshed out by the addition of a slice of bread.
Always make sure you have a few staples in your cupboards, just in case you are not able to get to a grocery store as soon as you might need.
Long life foods that work in a multitude of dishes are the best picks; think along the lines of tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables and rice.
Get bottles of your favourite herbs and spices, plus some salt and pepper – you won’t regret it.
Finally, meals that can be cooked all together in one pan are your new best friend.
They’re some great options for rice box meals that come packaged together with sauces and seasoning. All you need to add is some water and some meat or vegetables if you so wish. These boxes are useful, super quick to cook and easily store for several months.
Conclusion
Not having a fridge doesnt have to mean boring tasteless tinned food all the time. With careful planning of your meals it can be delicious and nutritious!
Think ahead of your meals and avoid living out of service station fast food!
If you are still set on installing a fridge and want to know the best fridge for a campervan then check out this article.
We will be including some no fridge long-lasting ingredient meal tutorials on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to not miss these when they are broadcasted.
Whilst the choice of many Van Lifers is to keep a van life oven simple and low cost, there are many options available to help you conjure up some incredible meals that people wouldn’t believe was van-made.
To find the best oven for Van Life you need to take into consideration a few things. The type of food you like to eat, the kitchen space available in your van and the type of fuel you want to run your Van Life oven with. With the right equipment, you can cook incredible meals in the simplest van kitchen.
If you are living in a van 24/7 and you aren’t rich enough to eat out every time you want a hot meal, then having some sort of cooking device in your van really is important and is something you need to look into. It will allow you to have cooked meals whenever you like. In this article, we will look into what cooking equipment is available out there and what we recommend you should look into buying.
The Ridge Monkey Toaster is an amazing piece of cooking equipment that allows you to cook just about anything on it.
It is essentially two frying pans that are on top of each other to create an enclosed pan. This makes it easy to simply turn the pan over to cook your food evenly.
One of my favourite advantages of the RidgeMonkey toaster is how it greatly minimises any oil or food splashes that you would get from a regular frying pan.
It is reasonably small in size, so I suggest purchasing the XL version to suit cooking for two people. You can easily get two chicken breasts cooking in this.
The amount of meals you can cook using this device are endless. All it needs is a basic heat source such as a stove top.
If you are out of the van, you can even use it on campfires or fire pits. If you don’t have a hob and are trying to live a more minimal life this versatile cooking pan is a must!
This is a popular device amongst those who travel around in vans. It’s also one of our favourite kitchen accessories!
The Omnia Stove Top Oven is a circular tin that sits on your stovetop and is very versatile in what you can cook in it.
Omnia describe this kitchen accessory as a ‘bread baking and oven cooker’, which goes to show how it can be used to cook a variety of dishes. Can you imagine being able to make cakes in your van? ?
The Omnia website has a variety of recipes as well so that you are able to get a lot of ideas for what you can use the oven for. It is definitely worth checking out here!
If you want to be able to cook amazingly delicious slow cooked food from the comfort of your own van, then this device will be an absolute game changer!
The hay box / dutch oven technique has been used for centuries. It is an insulation technique that is used to cook food over a period of hours, which then results in a slow tender cooked dish.
The idea is to conceal the heat within an enclosure made of a material that has minimal cooling, thus when hot food is placed within, it reamains at suitable temperature to slowly continue the cooking process.
One of the best things about this device is that it uses little to no power at all to operate! The only use of heat or gas is at the beginning when you first cook to the desired temperature you need the food to be at. After that, it can just be placed in the box and it will cook itself.
This means that it not only saves you a lot of money, about also a lot of time as you can just leave the meal to cook and head off to do other things in the day whilst you wait!
Solar ovens allow you to cook anywhere without the use of any electricity or gas.
The solar oven uses heat from the sun to cook your food. As the sun reaches temperatures of up to 288 degrees Celsius, you are able to cook, bake, steam and roast a meal in under 20 minutes.
This makes them not only very environmentally friendly but also great for van builds with minimal fuel sources.
The solar ovens themselves are relatively lightweight which makes them a great option for vans and is also ideal for those who spend a lot of time outside of their van.
Solar ovens can vary in price and vary on how efficient they are but if you are the hands-on type, a simple google search will show there are DIY options where you can make one yourself.
The Vogvigo solar oven is the perfect size to suit Van Life and not unusably small like some other brands can be.
We have always been a big fan of the Kampa brand. Affordable and you always get a lot of bang for your buck! The Kampa Roast Master is certainly no exception.
It has a two burner stove top as well as a powerful two shelve gas oven, making this ideal for just about any recipe requirments both in and out of a van.
Although its advertised as a portable oven we found its not that easy to lug around so we would recommend this as a more semi to perminant feature of your van life kitchen.
2 in 1 combo hob and oven
Combines compact size, portability and cooking power
Stainless steel insulated shell
Porcelain enamel hob top
Hob with two powerful, fully adjustable, brass burners – up to 1.6kW each
Matchless ignition – just turn the control knob to ignite hob or oven
Lid and windshields protect burners in windy conditions
Sleek and super space saving this hob is very poular with the more compact van builds.
The glass lids double up as an additional work surface either side depending on whether you are washing up or have something on the hob. This is incredibly useful when you are limited on work surface space. Another use for the glass lids is when they are up they act as a splashback guard to stop oil and even water splashing.
The sink has a depth of 152mm which is perfectly suitable for most pots and pans and the built-in tap is small and adjustable as to not get in the way whilst washing up.
Split (2 part) glass lid
Hob/s output 1 x 1.0 kW; 1 x 1.8 kW
Gas consumption 204 g/h
Gas supply pressure 30 mbar
Quality features 2 heat-resistant safety glass lids, detachable chrome pot grids, enamelled burner caps, Piezo ignition, safety ignition system, AC 540 siphon, rubber seal, with hole for tap ( 39 mm)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 900 x 152 x 370 mm
Built-in dimensions (WxD) 793 x 307 mm
Weight 5.8 kg
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has helped you decide whether you need an oven or whether you can get by with other cooking equipment that is available out there.
Take in consideration how much space you have and what will work best for you. Each piece of equipment listed above varies in price and efficiency so do some research in what you are willing to put money on and whether you will actually use it whilst you are travelling around in a van.
Before you go and spend out, dont forget to ask on our forums here
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
We are using affiliate links in this post to help fund the running of the website and for other plans we have for Van Life Eats.
As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!
For those living or travelling around in a van, fridges are a hot topic and something that can be considered very important.
It’s nice and often essential for most to be able to keep food and drink cold and allow yourself to buy things such as cheese and milk that need to be kept in a fridge.
The best fridge for a campervan is one that suits the size of your van, the designated space and runs on a suitable and efficient power source. Installing a fridge in your campervan can be an investment and save you money with less food waste.
For van life, space and efficiency are a huge barrier and are things that need to be cherished. There are so many types of fridges to choose from, so it can often be challenging to know where to start.
Fridges are one of the most expensive costs in the world of van life travel, so it is important that you get it right. To help you do this we have gathered information and created a list of the best campervan fridges.
Firstly there are three different types of campervan fridges that you can get. One is called a compressor fridge, another is a three-way fridge or finally a thermoelectric cool box.
Two-Way Compressor Fridges
A two-way fridge, also known as a compressor fridge, is similar to the type that people have in their houses. Although this is the case, it doesn’t mean you can just buy any old refrigerator for your van. This is due to the fact that a normal 240/110V house fridge or even a mini fridge is always going to use way too much power that you van batteries can deal with.
Two-way compressor fridges can run off 12/24V as well as mains power that may be provided at a campsite electrical hookup, hence the name two-way. This means they are perfect for vans as they don’t use too much power and are easy on your batteries.
The compressor of the fridge only turns on when the fridge rises to a specific temperature, so they are saving energy too in that way. They are safe and easy to install and are very reliable and efficient.
Three-way Apsorbtion fridges
Three-way fridges also often referred to as absorption fridges are true to their name as they can run in three different ways. Either from a mains supply at 240/110V, using 12/24V electric or by using LPG gas.
If you are travelling in a large group and in a large vehicle then this might be the best option for you. This is because you are able to get much larger three-way fridges compared to compressor fridges or thermoelectric cool boxes.
As this type of fridge runs off the gas supply of your campervan, it is also completely silent, so if you don’t want a noisy fridge in your van then this is the one for you.
Gas fridges are long lasting and efficient; however they are not very easy to install. It is highly recommended that you get it installed by a gas safe technician, as if something goes wrong and there is a gas leak in your van it can be extremely dangerous.
Another downfall to having a gas fridge would be that you are going to use a lot more gas and therefore costs will be higher.
Thermoelectric Coolboxes
The final choice for a van fridge is a thermoelectric cool box. These are particularly good for those on a budget.
They aren’t quite as sophisticated as the other two options and work by using electricity to remove hot air from within the box. This type of fridge is great for those that are travelling in a van for short periods of time. However, a massive downside to them is that they will not work as well in warmer climates and won’t get as cool as the other van fridge options.
Some electric coolboxes can be quite power consuming and you may find that these types of fridges just arent suitable if you are stationary for even as long as one day!
Now you know the three different options of fridges for vans, we will now go through some of the best available fridges you can buy.
The Waeco CRX50 is a 50-litre compressor fridge and includes a 4.4 litre freezer as well. This means you can also have frozen food stored away and even ice!
The fridge measures around 50 x 38 x 53.4 cm and is designed to fit under your counter. It is designed to look like a fridge that you would find in a home with the door on the front. It weighs around 44kg and draws about 40 watts of power.
It is a highly efficient fridge that works brilliantly with a solar electrical system.
The Dometic CoolFreeze CFX 35 is a fridge freezer and is very compact. It is so compact it can even sit between the two front seats of most vans. This allows you to free up more space for storage or extra living space, which is perfect for smaller vans.
The fridge measures around 69.2×39.8×41.4cm and weight at around 17.5kg.
It has an internal LED light which makes it perfect for night time and it even has a USB charging point for your smartphone.
It has an internal capacity of 32 litres and be used as either a fridge or a freezer, you get to decide.
The Mobicool MCF40 is substantially cheaper than the other options on this list. This is because it is a thermoelectric cool box.
It measures up at 58.4 x 36.5 x 44.6 cm and weights at just 3.2kg. Meaning it is extremely easy to transport and lift.
The Mobicool MCF40 is actually designed to be portable, which allows you to easily take it out with you on any trips you may be going on.
It can carry up to 38 litres worth of food and is designed to store 21 drinks upright. It runs off of 12V electrics and can cool temperatures up to 18ºC below the outside temperature.
Next we have the Dometic Waeco CD-30 Drawer Fridge. It is a great option for micro campers and those in smaller vans.
It measures at just 44x25x73cm and can be fitted up to 1.5m away from the fridge if you are sturggling for space, changing its measurements to 44x25x56cm. This makes it perfect for fitting below a seat withing the living space of your camper.
The Dometic Waeco CD-30 Drawer Fridge weighs just 19kg and can store 30 litres of food. It has a safety locking features to so that the draw stays secure and won’t open whilst you are driving around.
The Dometic CDF-11 portable electric cooler has an excellent cooling performance even at extremely high outside temperatures.
It can store fresh food and drinks effortlessly and even has a removable wire basket and divider that can make organising your fridge easy.
It has a user-friendly digital temperature display that is suitable for solar operation. It holds a large capacity but is small inside which makes it perfect for smaller vans. This fridge freezer is more suited to people doing shorter trips in their van that long term.
Lastly, we have the Smad compact refrigerator. It has a large capacity which makes it great for those that are travelling and living in their van permanently.
The fridge and freezer sections have separate compartments.
This refrigerator cools quickly and evenly, and it will keep ice frozen solid and foods perfectly chilled.
It is totally silent running and has a vibration free operation. It is excellent value that will bring years of quiet, reliable use.
The drawer is designed for your fruits and vegetables, which always keeps them fresh.
The separate freezer compartment chills your ice cream all summer, and the included ice tray can make ice cubes to keep your drinks cool.
The shelves can be removed or adjusted if you want to organize taller things. And it also offers convenience for cleaning.
Final thoughts
We hope that this article better cleared up what types of fridges are available for your van and what makes and models you can look into. Make sure that you take into consideration the size of your van, what power you want it to use and how much food you want it to hold before making your final choice.
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
We are using affiliate links in this post to help fund the running of the website and for other plans we have for Van Life Eats.
As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!
Cooking inside your campervan can be incredibly similar to that of cooking inside a regular full sized home and with the right setup you can replicate almost any recipe.
To cook in a van you need to have the correct campervan appliances and utensils along with the correct hygiene and safety considerations. With that in mind you can cook delicious, exciting and nutritious food in your van.
The obvious differences between regular house cooking and van cooking are all the added limitations, hazards and repercussions of cooking within your van.
Having your entire home on wheels is a luxury when it’s done right and knowing how to cook within your van can be a make or break your van life experience.
Get it wrong then you could end up with damage to the interior of your van, and possibly even a very serious accident!
You’ll need to learn how to install and operate your cooking equipment safely and learn how to ventilate harmful gasses and prevent lingering odours to say the least.
Hopefully this article will give you an insight into what is involved in making food on the road an extremely enjoyable part of living van life and enjoying your getaways in your van.
Limitations
Two rings, two pans and limited water and gas.. whilst this is fine for a simple pasta and sauce dish you will need to be strategic and well organised to be more adventurous with your recipe.
Water
Whilst it’s important to wash your hands after handling food, particularly raw meats and washing salad leaves for example, if you run that tap for too long you could well end up draining your tank in no time at all. From my experience and I’m sure many van lifers will agree, sourcing water is one of the biggest inconveniences of Van Life!
Pre wash your leaves and vegetables before you start cooking, this will reduce the chance of you running out of water midway through cooking.
Use antibacterial hand wipes for cleaning your hands in between certain foods.
Reuse water when possible. Is there water left on your kettle? This would be ideal for rinsing your fruit and vegetables.
Ventilation
It’s imperative to ventilate your van properly whilst using gas burning equipment. Most gasses when burnt will emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and this can be extremely harmful to your health.
Aside from the harmful gasses emitted from the equipment you also have to consider the cooking smells that linger afterwards. Cooking fish for example can linger for days afterwards and really get into your clothing and even your bedding etc.
Cook with a window open.
Have an extractor fan or vent installed above your stove.
Ensure your clothes are packed away safely in your storage compartments.
If you cook in your van regularly, use an air freshener regularly. We love the natural ones
We have more information on ventilation in this article.
Workspace & Clutter
Living in a tiny home of course comes cooking in a tiny kitchen, with limited space for chopping and preparing.
Occasionally you’ll take a pan off the stove and need to place it somewhere and if you aren’t tidy and well organised this could be extremely dangerous!
Prepare your workspace prior to starting your cooking.
Wash up anything in the sink before you start cooking.
Make sure your pots and pans are easily accessible and nothing is going to fall out of an overhead cupboard mid way through cooking.
Check your water level!
Don’t cook in a messy van!
Gas & Electricity
It’s entirely possible to cook almost anything in a van but you will need to have the correct facilities to do so and these will require the essential power to run it.
Mains powered ovens, microwaves, toasters etc can be very power consuming on your batteries. If you are stationary without any hookups then you may not have enough power to run these items.
Whilst many service stations across the globe can provide you with a gas refill, it’s important to know that not every country standardise the same gas regulators and bottles.
Calor gas which is very standard in the UK is not available in Europe so you may need to ensure you have an alternative such as Campingaz
Ensure you have enough gas and or electricity to power your appliances and don’t get caught out!
Perishing foods
Your cooking experience and diet can become limited due to the types of food you can store.
Many vans do not have a fridge or suitable chiller installed to prevent the perishing of food and this can really limit what you can cook in a van.
Purchasing fresh food daily can be considered as a luxury to many, especially when living as a minimalist. It is also a huge annoyance having to go out to a shop every day and can really limit where you park and stay, especially when wild camping.
Having this limitation on food can restrict you to only cooking with freeze-dried or tinned foods. Pretty boring if you ask me!
I actually believe it’s an investment to install a sufficient fridge. It will allow you the option of shopping weekly as well as being able to save leftovers to the following day. Huge savings, less food waste and won’t encourage you to overeat!
Food storage
This is something incredibly important and not just because it keeps your van pantry nice and tidy. Food kept in cupboards and not stored correctly can (and probably will) invite some not so friendly visitors to stay. Mice, Ants and even Rats are a common problem for many mobile homes such as caravans and even campervans.
These pests will not only eat your stored food and spread germs, they are very likely going to cause serious damage to your van. They will eat through the wires and potentially leave you stranded with a hefty mechanics bill!
Store food high up if possible
Store food in plastic tupperware boxes
Food waste
Another topic around the bad smells is what do you do with van food waste. It’s not as straight-forward as putting it in a bin.
Whilst on the move you may not get to a public refuse bin so soon and may find you have to sleep with a stinking bag of waste nearby. This is even worse when you are in a hot country and food can rott so much quicker! Do you really want to wake up to the smell of yesterday’s dinner?
When it comes to draining liquid from your cooking be very mindful of what slips out into your sink.The odd pea or chunk of tomato may sit in the pipe and before you know it you have bad smells coming from your sink!
Store your waste in a sealed bag, and then within a bin with a lid.
Be careful what you put down your sink and empty your grey water regularly.
The common van kitchen setup
Most vans have some means of cooking and this can vary from a basic single hob cartridge stove to a full 4 hob combination oven.
The most popular style of cooking appliance in a converted van is the two ring stove top. This can often be combined with a sink unit and glass lid that doubles up a work surface.
These hobs are gas powered and so will require a safe gas installation with the necessary ventilation. Ensure this is checked and marked as Gas Safe by a qualified gas engineer.
When an oven is installed within a van, again this is usually gas powered and so a suitable gas safe installation should be carried out and inspected.
Ovens are usually flush mounted into the workspace.
The water system is usually powered through a simple 12v water pump that fits in line with the water pipes leading from water tank to tap. It’s often wise to install a filter in the line too.
Storage of food is often located within overhead lockers or cabinets and the cooking utensils within lower storage units.
Summary
Once you have taken the above into consideration there is no reason why you can’t cook amazing food in your van. This whole website is about showing how amazing van life food and cookery can be. Take a look through what other van lifers are cooking and get inspired about spicing up your van life culinary experiences.
We are proud to introduce our first featured vanlifers, Chris & Shelby, travelling full time in their 1989 Dodge B250 van Luna and not forgetting their trusty travel companion Hagrid the Bearded dragon.
What country are you based in? United States
How long have you had a van? We’ve had it for over 4 years, and have been traveling full time for a year and a half.
Why did you choose your current Van? It was affordable, already a camper, and we were anxious to get going! We thought it would be a quick remodel. But we had to tear it all out and start from scratch! Lol.
What is your favourite feature of your van? Ooh! This is hard! Our comfy bed? Our bookshelf? Or maybe our big map of America, where we track our travels with map pins!
How do you spend your time in your van? Full-time
What has been your favourite experience in your van so far? Besides experiencing the incredible locations our van has taken us to, we have loved the drives, and Shelby reading Harry Potter out loud to Chris. And it is always so neat to get to a boondocking spot at night, and wake up the next morning to see the beautiful location for the first time, while we enjoy breakfast with our morning coffee (Chris) and tea (Shelby).
What has been your worst experience in your van? We don’t have air conditioning, so being in warmer climates and dealing with the heat in our van has been rough. It’s always at least 10 degrees warmer in the van. Our Fantastic Fan does help a little bit!
Describe your van kitchen setup… We have a covered sink with running water (from an electric water pump), a covered two-burner propane stovetop, a pull out cutting board, and a magnetic spice rack ( ). And we have cupboards for food and cookware.
What is your favourite van kitchen accessory and why? We LOVE our trusty little kettle! We don’t have a hot water heater, so we heat all of our water in our tea kettle on the stove (mostly for washing dishes and making tea and coffee ).
What couldnt you live without in your van and why? Shelby cooks a lot, and we buy a lot of fresh produce, so our Dometic fridge is a life-saver! We only need to grocery shop once a week, and can stay longer in awesome boondocking locations.
Do you have any first-hand funny van life stories to tell? While boondocking on the Pacific Coast Highway, a drug dealer in a truck camper slammed on his brakes, peeled over, leapt out, and immediately offered Chris a job. And to prove he had the money to pay him, he opened a door and pulled a wad of cash out of his cat’s litter box, while the cat stared into Chris’ soul. Although the drug dealer was nice, Chris did not take said job.
You can catch up with Chris, Shelby and Hagrid through the social media links on their profile. Don’t forget to try their recipes and give them a big thumbs up!
To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.
The best campervan kitchen gadgets are space-saving, practical and lightweight. Here is our finely selected van life kitchen gadget checklist.
Campervans, converted vans and even motorhomes all have the same problem when it comes to the best kitchen setup, and that is size!
Having a practical campervan kitchen is equally as important as having practical equipment within it.
As van life foodies ourselves we hate the thought of other van lifers sacrificing good, nutritious meals to cook and eat whilst travelling due to a lack of knowledge of these van life kitchen essentials.
Before we delve into the our list of the best van life kitchen gadgets here are a few things for you to consider whilst you plan your ultimate campervan kitchen setup.
Weight
Speaking from experience, it’s amazing just how quickly the weight within your van builds up. Keeping the weight of your van as low as possible will keep your van running costs down and reduce clutter within your cupboards.
As a foodie, I’ve tried having cast iron pots and pans and fancy crockery of all shapes and sizes but it’s just not practical. My van now consists of plastic cups and plates, silicone bowls and stackable pots. Less clutter, less weight and less internal clattering around.
Stackable items
Unless you have a huge RV then you are probably limited on kitchen cupboard space. Thankfully there are more and more items available these days that are designed to be super space saving and also low cost.
It’s worth checking out some of our recommendations for stackable camper van kitchen items. Having a nicely arranged kitchen cupboard makes your on the road cooking experience a zillion times better!
Collapsible items
On the same page as stackable, it’s equally important to invest in some collapsible kitchen items. It all aids in having tidy cupboards and items at hand whilst you are cooking away.
Clattering
When you are on a journey in your van, the sounds of your items clattering away in the back really does grate on your nerves. Particularly pots and pans, plates and cutlery!
Thankfully the world of silicone and it’s heat resistant properties has transformed the sound of kitchenware available for your campervan.
Most of the collapsible items are made of silicone so these are lightweight, space saving and noise free. Win win win!
It’s worth investing in silicone coated or bamboo kitchen utensils for your van. Trust me!
Cleanability
Certainly one of the worst chores of van life is washing up pots and pans after cooking. Being limited on space and splashes going everywhere, it’s worth taking advantage of the items that make cleaning up after yourself easier and less stressful such as nonstick and easy wipe.
Hard-wearing
It’s happened to all of us I’m sure, leaving a cupboard upon and upon entering a corner..CRAAASH!
Make sure the items in your van kitchen are hard-wearing. These items usually state that they are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Multi-function
Some of the best kitchen gadgets are the ones that do multi-function tasks. This is a huge advantage to building a practical van life kitchen.
Once again it’s all about space saving and keeping the clutter and weight down.
So that’s our advice for you to consider when purchasing items for your van kitchen.
As van life foodies and given the nature of the website we run, we speak with hundreds of van lifers across the globe and discuss kitchens, food and recipes daily. With this knowledge in mind here is our essential van life kitchen gadget list.
You’ve probably heard everyone raving about this buy now and quite rightly so!
Chips, pizza, and cake are amongst the delights made easy for you to cook within your van with this gadget! Certainly a game changer for any van life kitchen!
It’s a simple ergonomic ring shaped pot that sits upon your stove and relies purely on the heat from your hob to cook evenly within the ring. Steam is then disspersed through the side vents to ensure you aren’t left with a soggy mess.
With only three parts in the box, it’s super simple to setup and start using instantly. There is also a free recipe book on the Omnia website.
We’ve seen some of the most basic van life chefs achieve some fantastic dishes when introduced the Omnia to their van life kitchen.
This dual sided, enclosed pan is yet another van life kitchen game changer!
It comes in two sizes and we would suggest the XL models as it’s the perfect size to cook for two.
Being multi-purpose, made of a lightweight die-cast aluminium and with a non stick coating it definitely ticks the box for being campervan kitchen friendly.
Simply cook on one side, and without having to open up the lid and let the heat out you can just flip the entire pan over and cook from the other side. This helps with a faster and a more even cook on each side.
Originally designed for fisherman for cooking fish, but this eventually ended up being branded as a sandwich toaster simply because it does such an amazing job at toasting a sandwich. The versatility of the RidgeMonkey is awesome! We have cooked chicken breasts, steaks and even omelettes and frittatas in ours!
We were often asked how we power our blender in our van, and although ours was 240v we totally understand the importance of minimising items running off the inverter.
With this in mind we asked around and found we were introduced to the Zyliss Easy Pull. Wow! Yet another game changer!
No more bits of onion on the floor, no power, less work surface required for chopping and easy to clean. Best of all my protein shakes and smoothies no longer have a hint of onion!
The Zyliss Easy Pull can coarsely chop by giving it 3-5 pulls, finely chop at 8-10 pulls and even purees at about 12-15 pulls. Don’t worry, it’s not a workout to pull as it has a great action on it!
Not really a gadget but certainly a van life kitchen essential.
As I mentioned earlier, I used to have all the fancy plates of all shapes and sizes simply because I loved making my food look fancy. I totally don’t miss the breakages, the clatter and clutter and now ride with minimal noise coming from my cupboards.
Treating your kitchen to a nice bamboo dining set, will give you a nice edge on presenting you food and also plays a role in helping the environment with an eco friendly solution.
Unbreakable Wine Glasses
Another upgrade essential for me personally. I spent two years drinking wine from a beaker. Rock n’roll right?
We had a valentine’s dinner in our van once and I borrowed two glasses for us to drink from and guess what! Smash!!
These virtually indestructible wine glass changed all of that. For the low cost that they are, I wish I had just done it in the first place. Now it feels more like I’m drinking a proper glass of wine!
How cool are these! When I saw these I had to get them for the van and they are used every time I cook from a recipe, and when I am not cooking they are folded up in my cutlery draw.
The scale weighs/measures in the following units: gms, lbs, ozs, fl.ozs and mls. It will weigh a maximum capacity: 5 kg/176.4 fl.oz/11 lb/5000 ml. More than you are ever likely to need Inna van.
If you are following recipes then these are worth every penny!
I don’t have the largest amount of work surface in my van and quite often I need to place a hot pan or hot kettle somewhere.
Having a silicone mat out whilst you are cooking will allow you to safely place hot pans on the table or sideboard without the worry about scorching the surface.
The ones we use are also really handy to use as a hot handle gripper too.
Again not necessarily a gadget, but coming from a full time van lifer with a passion for cooking, this is an essential.
To Summarise
Here are my top recommendations to spice up your van life kitchens.
I can think of so many other nifty utensils and items that I use in my van and I’m sure I’ll be posting more about those soon, but for now there you have my top 8 essential Van Life kitchen accessories.
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As you probably know, it won’t cost you anything extra, but will help us out loads!
When travelling and living in a van, it’s important to maintain a high level of health and a strong immune system. Here is our guide on how to stay healthy whilst travelling van life.
Its often a question “how do you stay healthy whilst living van life?” You are living in a confined space with little space to store food, storing rubbish and food waste, you most likely have a toilet right next to you, and its just more challenging to keep clean and hygienic.
As a qualified nutritionist, personal trainer and full-time van lifer, I have written this article on the best ways you can maintain a healthy lifestyle whilst living in your van.
Air Flow
This is a really important factor in maintaining a healthy quality of air within your van. When using night heaters your van can build up condensation or even mould within areas of your van and this can even be quite fatal to your health. Breathing in the microparticles of mould can easily get inside your lungs and cause respiratory diseases possibly leading to fatality!
The best way to keep healthy air circulating in a van is to keep a window open in the front of the van and one in the back, this will keep a steady flow of fresh air. During cold conditions and you are using your night heater it is a good idea to leave the front windows open an inch or so. This is especially important when using propane heaters as when propane burns it leaves moisture in the air.
Healthy Eating
Eating healthy whilst travelling and working from you van can be a challenge at first. If you are new to van life and just starting out you will notice very quickly how different your usual routines and comforts become.
It suddenly becomes a lot more important to plan your meals, ensuring you have enough water and even making the effort to get up at a reasonable time.
Whilst it may be easy for you to store freeze-dried pasta, instant noodles and tinned food, this won’t be giving you a very healthy balance of nutrition whilst living the van life. Bad food choices will lead to low immunity from illnesses and general tiredness. Even worse you may be living off of fast-food restaurants and be seriously harming your health and cholesterol.
Eating healthy whilst travelling, and doing long periods of time in a driving or passenger seat is imperative! You are going to want to keep your energy levels high in order to enjoy your travels and maintain a healthy mind.
It is worth investing in a quality fridge so that you are able to store fruit, vegetables and meat for longer-lasting perishable food and ensure you have adequate cooking facilities.
One of my favourite cooking facilities is my slow cooker. It drains the battery very quickly so it is not something I can ever use whilst stationary, but I usually do around 2 to 3 hours of driving a day, and the slow cooker works perfectly when I am driving without risk to the battery. This gives me a delicious and nutritious meal to look forward to most evenings.
Keeping your food choices as nutritious as possible is going to be your key to keeping focus, keeping your energy levels up and also helping with your quality of sleep.
It’s so easy to stop at a fast-food joint on route, maybe you haven’t prepared anything to have or don’t have the energy to cook a meal etc…. well it’s a long slippery slope to losing focus and failing hard on your healthy lifestyle upkeep, and before you know it you are tired in the day, too lethargic to go for a hike etc. Poor diet has a lot of evidence of causing depression, and being alone with your thoughts in a van is a dangerous place!
Keep an eye on your balance of nutrients and vitamins. Be sure to keep those leafy greens in your diet! Vitamins such as Iron, B6 and Magnesium will play a huge role on your quality of sleep. Consider taking supplements if need be.
Here are some tips on what’s a good nutritious snack to eat no less than 1 hour before sleep
Bananas – Although associated with energy, Bananas do contain high amounts of Magnesium which will help you relax. They also contain serotonin and melatonin which will help you switch off with the light switch.
Kale – Rich in Iron, calcium and B6.
Fish – Tuna or Salmon are good choices which are high in Magnesium and Vitamin B6
Walnuts – Walnuts contain high amounts of tryptophan, this is an amino acid that enhances sleep and helps with the bodies production of melatonin, which is the hormone that relaxes you and helps with sleep cycles.
Fortified Wholegrain – Rich in Iron
Cherries or cherry juice are a great way to boost Melatonin levels naturally
Be careful you don’t overdo it with your vitamins, especially B6 as you may feel nauseous. ie.. Don’t take supplements if you are already getting a good nutritious meal in.
Another great tip is to prepare your meals in advance. Cook up an extra days’ worth in the pan and store it in your fridge. That can act as a healthy lunch or dinner the following day!
As you can tell from the article so far, keeping your nutrition up is important. It will give you the strength and the energy boosts you will need to make the most of your adventures. Try avoiding high carb, high protein, high fat or any fancy diets right now, stick with a good balanced high nutrient and energy-boosting balanced diet.
Vegetarian & Vegan Diets
If you do not eat much meat or you choose a vegetarian or vegan diet, it is important to make sure that your diet is varied so that he or she gets all the nutrients for growth and general health.
Energy – Particularly on a vegan diet, foods that are nutrient-dense may be needed to give them enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. You could try avocados, tofu, bananas and nut and seed butters (such as tahini and cashew or peanut butter). For extra energy, you could add vegetable oils or vegan fat spreads to foods.
Protein – Good choices of protein include lentils, beans, soya and soya products, milk, cheese, nuts and eggs and they’ll need 2 to 3 portions of these a day. Iron – Meat is a good provider of easily absorbable iron so you will need to try alternative sources to ensure you are getting enough. Foods that provide iron include wholegrain cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, bread, fortified breakfast cereals, dried apricots and figs. Remember vitamin C helps our body to absorb iron from non-meat sources so try to include fruit and vegetables at every mealtime.
Calcium – Whilst travelling you may be more active than usual and its always a good idea to get enough calcium to support your bones. Milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, some dark green leafy vegetables such as kale all provide calcium. Fortified soya drinks, as well as other dairy alternatives, often have added calcium but remember to check the label.
Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 is typically found in products from animal sources. Milk and eggs are important sources of vitamin B12 for vegetarians. For vegans, who eliminate animal products, useful dietary sources include fortified foods such as some fortified breakfast cereals and yeast extracts.
Don’t forget to enjoy the delicious foods available in different regions of where you are travelling!
Water
There are so many reasons to drink water including losing weight, improving skin condition and looking and feeling younger. You should make water your number 1 choice of drink when you are feeling thirsty.
The human body is made up of 60% water and almost every single cell in our bodies require water to function correctly. When you’re dehydrated, you can’t function at your best and may be sluggish or have trouble concentrating, imagine what that’s doing to your organs, your skin, and your brain! Also, your body can’t flush out toxins or regulate itself as easily. By not flushing out these toxins you will be more susceptible to sickness, disease, weight gain and premature ageing.
Here are just some key reasons to drink plenty of water:
Water helps boost metabolism and increases your fat-burning rate
Drinking water with a meal helps reduce overeating and reduces bloating
Water increases your physical activity performance
Water improved your brain power
Water reduces stress and improves mood
Water can make your skin look good
Needless to say, if you want to be healthier and feel more energetic, drinking water is one of the easiest things you can do.
It is recommended to drink more than 8 glasses of water per day and for those that are particularly active and or live in a hotter climate, you should drink considerably more.
If you find it hard to remember you could try and make it a habit to drink a glass every morning upon waking and then with every meal throughout the day. You should even keep to hand a bottle of water to drink at all day long.
Washing and Showering
Personal hygiene is always important and washing in a van is certainly more challenging than usual. Some van conversions have a built in shower and as great as that is it comes with a lot of added hassle of filling up water tanks ever so often.
If you are travelling along coastal beaches you can often find a shower on the beach. This is also handy for filling up water!
Depending on what the weather is like and how secluded you parked, you could use an outdoor shower and even a solar heated pack to get a warm shower. This is obviously not something you can do by the road side or in a public car park.
Most campsites have showering and washing facilities so sometimes its worth parking up at one of these every few days. Its so refreshing when you get the chance to fill up your water, have a good shower and even use the laundry services!
A very popular option amongst van lifers is to join a gym. In the UK I use PureGym who have over 260 gyms across the country. Chances are you are never far from one. The US alternative is Planet Fitness who have nearly 2000 gyms across the US!
Dare I say it but wet wipes are an essential van life necessity! I use these for everything including a full body wipe down every single day if not twice!
Exercise
Whether you like it or not, keeping active is important for our health and being in a van all day, driving, working or just chilling isn’t going to do you any health favours.
My advice would be to make sure you include 1 active activity daily, that is all you need for a basic level of maintenance to your fitness. I enjoy fitness and I spend 2 hours a day with my routine but then I am not only looking for health benefits but also for muscle and strength gains. Not for everyone!
Here are some suggestions on a daily activity to maintain a healthy active lifestyle with Van Life.
Go for a walk This can either be a brisk short walk or a long slow walk. Walking is great for your cardiovascular system and will help boost your metabolism and great for clearing your mind. Get out and explore!
Go for a run As above, running is a great way of burning calories, raising your heart beat, building up your immune system and strengthening your bones and joints.
Performa 30 Minute workout Exercising and building or toning your muscles can help your body burn calories – and can increase its metabolic rate. Muscle tissue requires up to 9 times more calories to maintain than fat tissue so in just a short 30 minute workout, you can set yourself up to continue burning calories throughout the rest of the day!
Having some exercise equipment in your van can be a great way of toning up and keeping fit. There’s a lot of portable, store-able and effective exercise equipment you can add to your van. Here is a list of my top 5.
Without question these are one of the most versatile and effective forms of exercise equipment available. They are small and you don’t necessarily need them to be super heavy. Having a couple of 6/8kg kettle bells on board will unlock a huge variety of effective exercises.
The resistance band is another form of equipment that has versatility in the wide range of exercises you can perform with it. Tone-up, build muscle, burn fat, and just about anything is possible with these. Not to mention they weight nearly nothing and can be stored even in a small drawer.
TRX straps are used to build, flexibility, muscle and core strength by completing body weight calisthenic exercises. You may have seen personal trainer vans in local parks with straps attached to the roof?
Skipping Ropes or Jump Ropes are an effective way of toning the muscles in your lower body and core. Specifically targeting your quadriceps and your hamstrings. It’s also an extremely effect cardio workout for fat loss.
Yoga mats are a foam mat that you can lay out on the floor and perform a wide variety of calisthenic body weight exercises. They roll up and can be stored in the tiniest of space.
Conclusion
To summarise my health and fitness rant here, I want to stress the point that you are out travelling and there’s a whole world to see. Keep you body healthy and your mind active and you will enjoy your van life experiences so much more!
Considering Van Life? Here is some information on how much money van life costs to start up and to sustain.
Van life costs can vary depending on what van you choose and where you want to travel to. A typical van conversion can easily cost you around £10000. Here I will explain a few details that will outline the common expenses.
Lets assume you are starting from scratch and looking to know how much money to save to get started with a Van Life lifestyle.
Buying a suitable van
There is a huge variety of different vans out there for you to chose from. Some already converted and some even factory built as a motorhome already and equipped with all mod-cons.
The main key factor when buying a used van is to buy a reliable one. Trust me you don’t want to end up breaking down in the middle of nowhere and you will be doing some distance in your van.
Check the service history and receipts
A regularly serviced engine is usually going to give you a longer lifespan. Check the paper work for regular services and oil changes.
The MOT advisories are a good indication on forthcoming repairs that may need to be carried out. Check over the last 5 years to see if anything was flagged up and if so check for a receipt to see if the advisory has ever been repaired.
Its also useful to look for the age of the batteries as some motor homes or camper vans can have as many as 4 batteries and these can be expensive to replace.
If the van has any gas appliances installed, check that the install has been carried out or signed off by a certified gas safe engineer.
I personally would be very cautious of buying a van, converted or not, that doesn’t have reassuring history. Could you imagine spending all that money converting a van and then find a terminal problem. Ouch!
Have a mechanic or engineer take a look if you are not confident
Even if you have to pay for a professional mechanic to take a look its worth it. Buying a van to travel in will be expensive and is an investment. Do not hold back on getting it checked over properly.
Buy a van with an MOT
This almost goes without saying. Why would someone sell a van without an MOT. The exception would be that you could be buying it to fix up from scratch, therefore you would know exactly what you are doing already and not even need to read this post.
If there is a genuine reason such as a license to drive or tax issue then it could be worth making a deal with the seller that you take it for an MOT at your cost and if all is well you will complete the purchase.
Check forums for common faults
Forums and social media groups are a perfect place to research your potential van and you can even ask what typically goes wrong with that make and model of van.
Be wary of opinionated replies, as it is common for people to have opinions on certain makes!
Be rust aware!
Rust is the biggest killer of vans. Once rust starts its very difficult to contain and usually the only way to deal with it is to cut it out. Check under the doors, under the side on the van and also on the inside of the wheel arches. As per the previous comments on checking forums, definitely look up common areas that rust on that particular model of van.
Converting your van
How much does a van conversion cost? Do not underestimate just how expensive a full van conversion will cost. It is usually around the same cost of what your van cost you in the first place. Much of the expense comes from the wood involved for the flooring, the cladding on the walls and ceiling, and the materials for the insulation such a celotex. On top of these essential materials you will be amazed how much money you spend on hidden materials such as screws, paint, sealant and even tools and drill-bits!
It is essential that you make sure your van is well insulated, and lined with a heat reflective foil. This helps with not only keeping warm but also with keeping cool. If your van is poorly insulated, even the smallest gap can let a huge draft in and rapidly cool your van in seconds.
By spending more time and money on a quality insulation, not only will you be comfortable at night but you will also be reducing condensation problems that lead to damp, mould and rust problems.
Once you have spent out on the insulation materials, you will need to look at flooring options. This can be quite expensive depending on what you want for your flooring.
Carpet flooring in a van is not recommended, it becomes damp easily and mud will get everywhere. It is far better to look at wooden, vinyl, or lino as a van life flooring option. These types of flooring give you the option of wiping and sweeping clean and also are far better for sealing in water. Sure go ahead and get yourself a nice mat to keep your feet cosy.
If you are building a toilet / shower area in your van, be warned at the cost of waterproof plastic cladding that would make up the walls.
Plumbing costs can be quite pricey too! Depending on whether you are hoping for hot water as well as the cold as hot water heaters can be expensive and must include adequate ventilation.
Once the basic essential of your conversion are complete, the cost of the mod-cons can also add up, particularly if you install a fridge!
How much does a van conversion cost? I would honestly say that you should expect to spend at least £4000 / $5000 / €4500 on a basic conversion. If you are looking for a high quality conversion you can double that!
Insuring and taxing your van
How much does it cost to insure a converted van? This depends on the type of van conversion you have but a great tip is to look in to changing the class of your van to “motor home”. This will give you both cheaper insurance and cheaper tax, however this comes at a cost of ensuring your van looks like a motor home. In order to pass these regulations you will need to cover your van in motor home style graphics so that is identifiable as a camper van. This takes away from the stealth camping options as it will be a lot more obvious that someone is inside.
For travelling through various different countries you should check with your insurer that you will be covered to drive in those countries. Additional costs may be necessary to even cross through borders. On that note, always make sure you have with you at all times:
Your driving license
Your V5C ( Registration Document)
A current MOT certificate
Your insurance certificate
Your passport
An international driving permit (if required)
Quitting your day job and hitting the road
The thought of quitting your day job is always going to be daunting. You will potentially be a salary down and you will either be eating in to your savings or you will be confident that your online business is going to provide you enough income to afford your adventure or possibly just your nomadic living.
The best advice is to NOT quit your day job until you have IN DETAIL worked out your finances and have an in depth plan to maintain your living and running costs.
Maintaining your van
General running costs of you van in comparison to renting or mortgaging a house is significantly lower. so long as you have your van regularly serviced and have good knowledge of previous work carried out, then you should find maintenance costs fairly low. However, the maintenance costs can really catch you off guard if you are not prepared. I would always recommend you hold back some savings. You never know when you might get a tyre puncture or a battery die on you.
Batteries can can fail during the cold weather as well as not maintaining an adequate charge. They aren’t cheap to replace either, at least not the quality long life ones! The worst thing is that they show no real signs of failure and just stop working! There’s an unexpected couple of hundred to fork out!
Definitely make sure you have breakdown cover. If your van doesn’t start one morning at least can get the help and support of a mechanic. Worst case, should they not get you started, they will tow you to the nearest garage for repairs.
Keeping your engine and serviceable parts regularly maintained will ensure that you have minimal maintenance costs and give you a reliable ride on your journeys.
Maintaining your living
Just like the maintenance of your van, you are going to need to maintain your own lifestyle needs. From keeping warm to keeping hydrated, there are still going to be costs involved.
Gas
Its not that easy to know when your gas canister will run out. There are some gadgets out there that give you an indication but they are never that accurate. Personally I like to have a standby bottle for when it does run out, especially when I was running a propane propex heater. The last thing I ever wanted was to get caught out on a cold night with no heat! Usually the gas canisters have a one off cost and you exchange the old canister for a full one at a lower refill cost.
Water
Water is the bane of van life! Like me you will find you are forever looking to top up your water. It runs out so quickly! Usually friends and family wont mind you topping up when you are visiting, but otherwise the hunt for water can be a serious annoyance!
Many fuel stations have a paid meter where you can top up but its not usually clean drinking water so you will need a quality filter inline with your water system. I recommend a double filter to be on the safe side if you are drinking water from fuel stations, roadside taps etc.
I used to find myself drinking bottled water most of the time, which I hated because of the environmental impact from the plastics, but since investing $52 / £40 / €42 in my double filter water system I now really enjoy the clean purified water from my own van tap.
Heating
I have owned various different heaters in the past but my favourite and most efficient has been my eberspacher. The diesel heater itself will cost you around $1600 / £1200 / €1400 and can be challenging to fit if you chose to do it yourself, otherwise you will need a skilled engineer to carry out the fitting. Yes they are expensive in the first place but, the overall by the time you have spent money on an alternative such as a Propex night heater alongside regular refills of propane, the Eberspacher eventually works out as a cheaper alternative. Not only that but it uses diesel from your main tank so you always have a good indication on how much fuel you have to power it and you wont need to keep topping up your gas which is an annoying inconvenience at times.
Saying that, the Propex night heater is a great heater and only costs around $790 / £600 / €710 but is also quite challenging to fit unless you have some technical experience. Do not forget to get it signed off by a qualified gas safe engineer!
How much does it cost to start Van Life?
The cost of starting van life can vary depending on the size, age and the quality of your van and conversion, but I would estimate that you would be looking at about $6500 / £5000 / €6000 for a quality used van with service history and low mileage. The conversion would then cost you $6500 / £5000 / €6000 again to get your van insulated with basic mod cons.
Buying a pre-converted used van is an option and could cost you significantly less but you should budget $10’500 / £8000 / €10’00 for a reliable converted van suitable to travel and live in.
Looking for a place to park up for night? Here is my first hand experience to the last few years of Van Life and where to park for the night.
I remember how I felt that very first time I ventured out on my own, looking for a “non campsite” urban place to park up for the night. I very quickly realised just how scary and intimidating it was! I moved several locations that very night and the dream and visualisation of parking up in a serene location was instantly shattered! My first location that night was one I was very excited about staying and parking up for the night. It was out in the country, up high in the Surrey Hills. I knew of a little parking spot I used to go to in my youth, tucked away off the main road with a stunning view of the night sky and the moonlit rolling hills. The thought of waking up to one of the UKs most beautiful views was so exciting!
After parking up my beloved T4 camper conversion “Betsy” I climbed in to the back and started to make it cosy. Within 5 minutes I started to feel quite anxious! The silence was actually incredibly loud! The slightest sound seem to freak me out! Call me a wimp but I entirely bottled the over night stay and decided it would be far better to head in to town and park in a residential road where I wasn’t so isolated and would blend in.
Once again I was parked up and making myself all cosy. I had a tea on the brew and I was in my pyjamas. Not a particularly nice view of peoples houses and other parked cars. I had the curtains closed and had the light as low as I could as I was very conscious of being lit up from the outside. Once again I started to feel anxious! People walking past would make me freeze and turn the lights off completely and it was long before I was compelled to darkness and silence! Is this really how VanLife is going to be for me? In my pyjamas I climbed in to the front and once again drove away!
Finally I found comfort in parking up the same road as where a family member lived, where I found a little bit of comfort and a feeling of familiarity and security.
Years down the line I have not only become a little braver, but I have also picked up on some little tricks here and there that make choosing a park up a lot less daunting and help you embrace the freedom and find that passion to a lifestyle you will love!
The Law
First and foremost you need to be aware of what laws govern your freedom in the country that you reside or are travelling within. Here in the UK there is no law against living in a motorhome or campervan but there are many restrictions as to where you can park and sleep. It is strongly suggested you research thoroughly with the authorities of the country and region in which you are travelling in to avoid prosecution.
Many carparks these days are controlled with number plate recognition cameras and limit you to the length of time you can remain parked in the carpark, and more often than not you will be required to sign in your numberplate inside the premises such as a pub, supermarket or hotel to prove that that you are a guest or hold custom.
Parking illegally will result in prosecution, clamping or even being towed away. You must always respect the parking regulations of all countries and regions that you are staying at and avoid any legal conflict. Some countries can be tighter on prosecution than others!
Is it illegal to drink alcohol and sleep in my van?
Most countries all hold the same law on this and it is strictly a no. Being caught drunk in your van and having the keys in your possession will almost certainly get you taken away in a police vehicle and charged with being in control of a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The only time you will be ok to do so, is on private land with the owners permission such as a driveway or camp site. Be aware that a public house (pub) car park is quite often not going to be allowed, and is often a place that the local enforcement will purposely look for RVs, vans, and campervans.
How to find a good park up
Finding a good spot to park up for the night can vary on how stealth or discreet your van is. If your van blends in with other parked vehicles it can be a lot easier to find a spot and get an undisturbed nights sleep. For those vans that are obvious camper vans, you need to be more strategic in finding a suitable stop for the night.
Park Safe!
Parking a vehicle whilst you are inside it, you should always be very cautious how where and how you are parked. Whilst you may think it safe to park on the road in busy surroundings, be sensible. Do not park close to corners or on busy roads where you could get crashed in to.
Do not park in the shadows of quiet car parks, this is an invitation to being broken in to. Most of the time when thieves will be startled they will run away, but its not worth the risk of damage or even worse should they become aggressive.
Oh, and if you are parked on the edge of a cliff, don’t forget to put the hand brake on!
Finding that serene location is always the van life dream right? Falling asleep to the sound of owls in the woods or waking up to the sound of the ocean. So how do you find the ultimate van life park up? Thankfully we have a great community of van lifers and we all share our favourite locations. Here are some of the best Van Life and RV Park up apps available.
Park For Night With over 60’000 locations across the globe, the Park For Night App is certainly one of the most popular for the UK and Europe. Parkups include, car parks, off track parking and even farm shops. Check it out here…
iOverlander Rapidly growing globally iOverlander has a GPS database of not only great parkups but also facilities such as water fill-ups and camping and RV specialists. Check it out…
Parkopedia Claiming to be one of the most accurate parking websites and app with 89 Countries 15000 Cities and 70021549 Spaces! Wow! I have personally found this app great for the additional details it provides. For example my van is a high top and height restrictions can be cause continuous parking problems for me. Parkopedia lists opening times, fees and restrictions. Check it out…
FreeRoam The ultimate parking app for boondocking in the United States. FreeRoam lists campsites, park-ups and facilities across the US. Id love to see this app spread out Nationally. Check it out…
Another great way of finding van life park ups is to join Facebook groups such as Campervan Overnight Parking group. With over 80’000 members its great to be able to ask about locations and recommendations of a good park up. Embrace the Van Life community as everyone is always so helpful and enthusiastic to your adventures.
Campsites
Are campsites a good place to park for Van Life? I know this is something we try and avoid, as you have to pay, and it takes the “Van Life” away and makes you feel like you are just camping. One thing we can’t ignore is that we regularly need to empty a toilet, fill up our water tanks, do our laundry and also have a good freshen up ourselves. Campsites are just ideal for a full van life freshen up.
Some campsites in national parks offer some of the best area views and host a “wild Camping” option which will allow you to park up away from other campers, perhaps by a lake or backing on to a scenic field etc. giving the illusion of wild camping, safely and with facilities nearby.
So after living several years in a van now I believe that I have a bit of knowledge to be able to advise people on what van life is really like. I know it’s a cliche but van life really isn’t for everyone. there are a lot of life’s simple luxuries that you’ll have to learn to live without such as regular showers going to the toilet privately even just being able to have a little bit of privacy with your partner.
People decide to live that life for various different reasons but often the case is due to the cost of living in the modern world in tied down to mortgages and renting. some people are able to just jump in a van and afford to live a life of adventure travelling. Personally I ended up falling into van life after a marriage breakdown and having a little option other than renting a room or lodging in somebody else’s home. I like the idea of having my own space making my own mess and even more appealing being able to park and pretty much live anywhere I wanted.
I’m not going to lie it was daunting and very scary to start with and I actually found it quite depressing. found it difficult to choose where to park I found the places I did choose to park to be noisy with zero privacy being conscious of making noise and people calling police I was conscious of being broken into I was conscious of people knowing I’m in my van sleeping, which made it very hard to get a good night’s sleep. I was generally very lonely.
I had to call upon the help and support my friends and family who were very accommodating allowing me to pub in the drive or in the street where I found comfort in the familiarity of my surroundings.
After few months I got used to it and remembered to buy bottled water. I fitted gas so I was able to keep warm and my full camping stove allowed me to have hot drinks and warm food. I even got used to walking around on my knees as I couldn’t stand up in my beloved Volkswagen T4.
By this time I was now a lot more adventurous as to where I parked I have made sure that my curtains cover the whole window tinted my windows to make sure no light would leak out I used headphones for my TV on my phone for entertainment I actually became very cosy and very at home in my tiny space.
I am lucky enough to work remotely so I am able to work anywhere in the world with my laptop and my 4G internet connection so I do spend lots of time in my van. This does mean that I require a lot of facilities such as water. I drink a lot of tea and I need to go to the toilet and of course electricity to power my laptop and music.
This is where I hope my first-hand experience in living van life and overcoming difficulties making life on the road possible will really help others, especially helping with expectations of what van life is really like.
How social media portrays van life
When I look through Instagram looking at other people’s van life journeys and adventures, it’s always the same overly saturated photos turquoise oceans cliff top views sleeping with your back doors wide open lazing around all day in a thong or overly tight cut down jeans, it does make me a little jealous because I am I’m sitting here ear in the same pair of jeans I’ve worn all week and I haven’t got the heart to cut them down as I fear I would get cold legs from this horrible draught around my side door seal. My curtains are closed so no one can see what I’m doing I’m and when I do peak through the curtain I have a lovely view of a car park and a brick wall. It’s not through lack of money it’s purely to do with wear my family commitments line my friends and my loved one live.
Van life influences promote the lifestyle glamorise the lifestyle through intensive photo manipulation video edits and of course only documenting the fun aspects of van life. You never see the hours they spend on the laptop editing content to increase followers subscribers likes and of course increasing their revenue. Van life is certainly trending at the moment and a lot of people are misled as to what van life really entails. Social media vanlifers use content as a major aspect of their revenue and there is nothing wrong with this this actually a very exciting way of making money but what is important is that viewers are aware that there will be equally or probably more days of hardship involved in living from a van. Seriously who would want to watch a YouTube video of a vanlifer holding in a turtle head frantically looking for a public facility!
Just don’t be drawn in thinking it’s a glamorous lifestyle with day after day of adventure, there really are sacrifices you will need to make.
When it comes to living in a van hygiene is certainly one of the most challenging obstacles to get right. From going to the toilet to brushing your teeth and to washing your clothes these are all all important hygiene routines we all need to maintain. Running water isn’t the simplest facility to install in your van, and it’s amazing just how much water you will go through on a daily basis. Depending on the size of your van and the facilities you have included you may or may not have a toilet TN ind up having to pee he in a bottle or having to to venture outside in the dark at night with a shovel to bury your poop! For those who do have a toilet equipped even then you have to put up with chemical smells or worse! and then you have the hassle of finding somewhere to empty it!
Physically washing becomes a challenge, especially without a running tap, filling up a bowl of warm water and having water splash everywhere. It’s even a challenge to dry a damp towel after having a wash! Wet wipes can be a real lifesaver in having a quick wash down.
Brushing your teeth without a sink? Where are you going to spit? Carefully aiming in a bottle or cup? Maybe you’re going to spit out of the window and annoy the locals? Even when you do have a grey water tank underneath your sink that greywater really can start to smell. You will need to regularly change this bottle or disinfect the inside to stop the smell.
Washing your clothes inside your van is near on Impossible! Yes you could fill up a tub of warm soapy water, but it doesn’t half make a mess inside your van. Unless you are able to wash your clothes outside on a sunny day where you can also hang them up to dry, then you are almost certainly going to need to visit the launderette. Personally I spend an hour at the launderette every Sunday morning listening to love songs and chatting with some grannies.
Generally the best solution all round for hygiene is to maximise your use of public facilities. Join a gym, park near it and use it for regular showers and a full freshen up. Have familiarisation on which service stations and stores have toilet facilities.
As you can probably imagine there are times when this can be a massive inconvenience!
By far the biggest inconvenience is when you need to fill up with fresh water. Here in the UK you’re very limited to where you can do this. Some petrol stations such as Sainsbury’s have free water that you can use to top up, most graveyards have a tap that you can use although I have never felt quite comfortable topping up from there, and then you need to consider the filtration of the water. Is it really filtered to a drinkable standard?
You should definitely consider a filter for your system. Some filters available even allow you to filter rivers and lake water to a drinkable standard.
Personally I am just a pain in the butt to all my friends and family and often turn up for a catch-up, and a oh.. may I pretty please top up my water?
Toilet
As mentioned previously, it’s always best to make regular visits to public facilities and minimise the usage of the toilet in your van (if you carry one) for two major reasons: the smell and also the hassle of emptying the toilet. You can not simply empty it anywhere, especially if you use chemicals to eliminate odours and break down the waste.
For chemical toilets you have only a few options to empty it:
Designated camp site waste disposal facilities – this option usually involves a fee or even an overnight camp pitch. It’s certainly the most ethical method as you know your waste will be treated correctly as per environmental responsibilities. One major problem is that camp sites aren’t often open all year round, leaving you with less options during the winter season.
Public toilets – not necessarily illegal or any thing wrong with emptying your waste cassette in to public toilets but it’s certainly frowned upon. Does it really make a difference if it’s from a container or out of your own body directly?
If you get seen by a caretaker of a public toilet carrying an obvious toilet cassette chances are they will say no you can’t. There are however, more discrete public toilets that are vital to keep mapped for your conveniences! What you must also bare in mind is many car parks that house these toilet facilities have height restrictions. If your van is a high top then your options are once again limited!
What do I do? I contacted my local all season campsite and managed to make an arrangement that once a week to visit the disposal unit. I don’t do this every week entirely as I once again rely heavily on my relatives to be accommodating for this hassle and empty in a downstairs toilet. Be careful! These loos can drip and leak blue, red or green chemicals or worse still, human waste! Maybe only ask of you know they have an outdoor or ground floor toilet!
Housework
Arguably this is a regular chore for any living space, be it a house or van, but when you are living in a tiny space such as a van, even the slightest bit of clutter can ruin your feng shui and make your home look a right mess.
Wet or muddy shoes can leave a trail of splatters everywhere! Even having a space to leave your dirty shoes or where to hang a wet coat can be a hassle.
I am constantly sweeping the floor with my dustpan and brush. I also go through so many floor wipes!
Washing Up
Washing up in a tiny sink can be challenging. Water splashes everywhere and marks the walls. There’s little space to leave the dishes and pans to dry and unless you have a spare pair of hands to dry as you go, then you’ll end up further spreading water. It’s best to wash, dry and put away as soon as you’ve finished eating.
This hassle actually ends up putting you off cooking and encourages convenience food!
Accumulating Clutter
No matter how minimalistic you try to be, you will accumulate more and more belongings as time goes by. Books, clothes, shoes, gadgets, kitchen utensils.. it just happens. The amount of times I’ve made my van look pristine and then come back after shopping with new things and had a hard time finding a place for them to go. My clothes draws have now filled up to the point where everything is crammed in, I have books tucked down the side of the sofa, I have a box of gadgets, chargers and leads stashed under the sofa. Like I said, it just happens.
You almost certainly need to have a storage unit, room or garage on rent in order to store these accumulations. Christmas is coming where’s the decorations? Probably not stored in your van. Also there’s presents coming your way, better make some space!
Keeping Warm
Without investing in a quality van heater, in cold weather you will suffer! Before I had my diesel heater I was wrapped in a cold-weather sleeping bag with a heavy duvet and blanket on top. It was horrible in the winter! I did not want to get out of bed, and working was near impossible to do! I used to get myself to a warm coffee shop ASAP, although I was able to get on with work, it made the Van Life side a lot less enjoyable.
Mental Effects
Many vanlifers give up after a couple of years, not only because of the inconveniences, but also for the mental toll it has on you. It can be a lonely place, you may spend a lot of time on your own in your own mind, you will be questioned on why you live in a van and be made to feel like an outcast. It really can make or break depression and anxiety.
It’s not all bad…
I’ve mentioned a lot of the down sides and inconveniences of Van life here as I’ve wanted to put across the point that most of the time your van is a mess, you are always on the scrounge, and chores are challenging. The photos on Instagram or the adventures on YouTube just don’t capture this side of the lifestyle.
There is of course so many up sides to Van life not to be ignored!
The obvious is the freedom, parking up wherever you want, low-cost living and flexibility of where you decide to live in the world. Home is where you park it right?
My favourite part of Van life is whats influenced me to build this blog, remote working and online business. It really has opened my eyes as to how money is made in this modern age. Without the freedom and clarity that Van Life brought to me I would most likely be working in an IT job earning a standard UK wage. How life is different after building my online business and various revenue streams.
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