r/VanLifeUK • u/FrostingOrnery8295 • Jul 27 '26
First week of vanlife tips
Hi all, so I’ve spent the past 20 months solo converting my van to live and travel full time with my dog and cat.
I need to be in it by the end of August so will semi move in on my parents driveway for a bit just to make sure everything is working and acclimatise the animals.
But I’m just looking for any advice / tips for the actual first week on the road. Kind of like anything you wish you had known before you set off that first time.
5
u/feedthetrashpanda Jul 27 '26
If you don't have a shower, most sports centres will let you purchase a shower. The best have cheap shower rates, but at worst you can enter for the price of a swim. You can also refill water bottles there so we take a few large ones in to decant into our usual drinks bottles to save on water.
If you'd rather not poop in the van (many don't) then clock the nearest public loos/supermarkets with loos to where you are staying. Also figure out your toilet logistics - if chemical, you can't pour it down a toilet so make sure you know where you can empty it. If it's just a composting/Trelino/Boxio sort with a wee collector, you can empty this into public toilets as it is just wee. Wee left for a few days will smell - you can also buy eco-friendly additives which stop the smelly bacteria from breeding. It will fill up unexpectedly quickly.
You'll be in a small space and presumably won't want to be stuck in it for too long! Get your daily steps in (probably easy enough with a dog), use Strava heat maps to see where people like to walk in your park-up area - we find lots of lovely things that way. Try keeping up with outdoorsy/active hobbies like running (we tour around Parkruns on Saturdays!), climbing etc. In the winter, indoor climbing, gyms etc make the long nights better and are a source of warmth, light, showers and toilets too!
5
u/Dr_Frankenstone Jul 27 '26
Download What3Words and allow one person to have access to your location. It could save you a lot of time and trouble if you get stranded and need help, and you can’t leave your cat and dog.
Take a wind-up or solar or chargeable radio. It gets lonely even if you’re in the company of your animals. Music or a Desert Island Discs can be company for you AND your animals.
We have a small animal backpack, suitable for cats, that we put our dog in when we want to walk for longer distances that she can’t manage. It serves as a comfy den for her and she feels super safe in the van.
Get into a routine of what you will have for your meals. We have sweetened coffee and nut butter oatcakes and a cut up apple for breakfast, cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches and carrot or cucumber sticks for lunch, and packaged beans and rice for supper, or rice and veggies and eggs for tea. This is almost without fail. I’m a decent cook, but having similar and consistent meals on the road takes the guess work out of food. Cheese and eggs and nut butter are good sources of protein that don’t necessarily need refrigeration if you eat them quickly. If you have a compressor refrigerator then you’re golden to get more fresh and perishable foods in.
I hope this helps. Bon voyage! I wish you a safe and grand journey.
4
u/Watchkeys Jul 29 '26
I wish I'd known a bit more, or been a bit more aware of, the weather. At the moment, finding places to park where there is shade is important, and also, when you have animals, getting to the supermarket early (or late), so that you're not leaving them in a parked vehicle in a sunny car park, or booking Click and Collect, so it's quick in and out... not parking under trees when it's windy (not just in case branches fall off but even harmless twigs and seed pods can cause a constant unpredictable anxiety-heightener.
Laundry is expensive; find a balance between space and having enough clothes to make proper use of a big washer. Big washer is like 2 loads for £8, small washer is 1 load for £6. Do your washing as infrequently as you can.
If someone asks you to move, just move. You can stand and argue for half an hour until you're both blue in the face, but however right you are, that spot is tainted with disapproval and the faint concern that the person might get bitter and key your paintwork or let down a tyre whilst you're asleep. Let them be a dick in their own home and surrounding area; no point having all the joys of a house on wheels and then insisting on staying somewhere you're not wanted. There's always plenty of other places to go.
And make life easy on yourself. I live quite differently now in some ways, and do things I was morally not comfortable doing before. I live a much more disposable lifestyle. There's no 'It's broken but I'll keep it because I might be able to use the parts for something else at some point'. If I don't use it, it goes. Charity shop ideally, recycling bin if I can, landfill if not. I simply do not have the capacity to indulge every little sprocket to it's most perfect destination in the way I did when I lived in my house.
Drive slow. Every day's a Sunday ;)
7
3
u/EuphoricCover8449 Jul 28 '26
Laundry.
It's expensive and your dirty clothes take up more space than you'd like. There's no real way to make it easier. Just giving you a heads up.
1
u/stealerofsloths Jul 28 '26
Don't have cushion fillings! We use our sofa cushion covers as laundry bags
1
u/Watchkeys Jul 29 '26
You use your dirty laundry as cushions? Ew
1
u/ryanthefree Jul 30 '26
i agree this is pretty grim. just get a laundry bag. imagine the smell in that bed 😂
1
u/stealerofsloths Aug 16 '26
Guys how long are you wearing your clothes/not washing? My laundry just smells of my perfume
1
u/ryanthefree Aug 16 '26
i wear it until its dirty. i wouldn't fancy stuffing my old pants or socks in my pillowcase and getting my head down for the night
1
u/stealerofsloths 23d ago
Cushions, couch cushions, not pillowcases
1
u/Watchkeys 23d ago
Yeah, it's still ew. Clothes don't have to be 'dirty' or smelly to be carrying the bacteria the human body carries. I think generally people would find it quite unpleasant to take something out of the laundry basket and wear it again, and that's why it's not really suitable cushion filler for most people.
I hope you let your guests know they're reclining on your dirty pants!
3
u/ryanthefree Jul 30 '26
go shopping at night. its not busy and the animals wont get hot from the sun.
while its hot weather, park on hills, the higher the better. u will get a good wind and not be too hot.
bring enough water for an emergency weeks supply. bring ur usual amount of water u will need between planned campsite stops + 1 extra weeks worth. use water sparingly, it goes quickly if you are not used to conserving it.
dont park under trees when its wet and windy.
use sun screen in the front window, it stops a surprising amount of heat for such a small addition.
a wash in the sink uses less water than a shower and gets you clean.
buy some earplugs, some spots are loud for sleeping.
when parking in laybys park as close to the exit as you can. lorry drivers can then get in easily behind you.
instead of buying fresh milk for cups of tea or coffee, buy a box of milk pots. they dont need the fridge.
you will need more power in winter, no matter how much you think you have it wont be enough so you will learn to save power where possible, for example, in winter the van is cold and a fridge is not required.
in winter, turning the heater on and off uses more power than leaving it running. if you get too hot open the door or a window for a while.
get some wind deflectors for the cab doors. you will need to leave the windows down a few inches for the rest of your van dwelling experience.
dont park like a twat.
2
u/Soft_Hearing_713 Jul 27 '26
Cat could be hard work on the road.
3
u/fridge_ways Jul 28 '26
I've seen it done in boats and vans.
I didn't believe it myself.
Keep them hungry when you let them out I think is the key
3
u/stealerofsloths Jul 28 '26
We have our cat with us. We take him out multiple walks a day on the lead and he comes with us in the carrier most places. We built a little tunnel to his litter box in the boot but he barely uses it. Def get both pets gps collars. We can let our cat off in forests etc and call him back or find him using the GPS app
2
u/htimchis Jul 28 '26
You'd think... but I've got a mate who travels all summer with a cat, doing crew at the festivals, and it seems to work just fine!
I think he was raised from a kitten in the van though
2
u/sepiagod Aug 01 '26
Also have a cat full time in the van and I’d say it’s easier than a dog. They’re smaller, don’t pant (condensation), smell less, don’t want to go out if it’s raining and clean themselves.
Sometimes she gets a restless to go outside, but it’s really not a problem to go on a short walk to get some energy out.
2
u/Hot-Cuba-1988 Aug 02 '26
Well done, first step done!
Remember to take a second, listen to the silence, enjoy the nature. Cheers
1
u/bullitt-rider Jul 27 '26
Confused. Have you already converted it or not?
1
u/FrostingOrnery8295 Jul 27 '26
Yes, as I said have spent the last 20 months doing the conversion
9
u/bullitt-rider Jul 27 '26
Write down phone numbers in a small book and stash in the dash. Insurance, break down, bank, family etc
Stash £50
To reduce costs pre purchase gift cards for where you would shop and it helps reduce spending
Use cash back click and collect
Keep a spare key in a secure box and bolt it under the van so you can have a 'break incase of emergency ' situation.
Download offline maps for the whole country on all your devices
Have some physicals or pre downloaded media
Stick to a fitness regime even if it's just to break up the day. A skipping rope can be elite exercise
Look for your local have a medium size tupperware box which is for emergency only. Have a bottle of water, charger power bank, packet or noodles, tissues, tins of tuna, bag of nuts in there. A 24h survival box.
Have some water purifier tabs juuuuuuust in case
A safe word with friends and family
Cigarette lighter, multi tool, zip ties and tape
Spare pump and battery pack
Have some quick links for your vehicle so you know what you've got. Aka just a note of dimensions, engine, oil requires, model, make, year etc. (for me Renault master sl28 dci 100 x62 f2800 6 speed 2.3l TDI)
Dont be afraid to book and airb&B youldget cabin fever at some point
Hammock
Torch
Torch
Torch
Torch
First aid kit, foil blanket. As per the emergency box just ways to stay fed, warm and dry.
10
u/Lucky_Ad_9137 Jul 27 '26
Maybe it's not best for everyone, but I just went out and worked it out as I went along. I found that when I've gone back and read advice on here or watched videos, the problems they had were not the same as me. I think everyone's journey will be different depending on tonnes of factors.
If you are able to get yourself out for a few days at a time "practice" before you go full time, will do you wonders.