I think it’s fair to say 2020 didn’t really work out like any of us planned! We’d hoped to spend around 9 months of the year living in our van and travelling around Europe. In the end, however, I think we managed around 3 months or maybe slightly more. 

We love a bit of winter van life! We’ve spent two winters in our van and there’s nothing better than opening your door to a foot of fresh snow, just waiting for the hound to dive in to! Our very first trip in Genevieve (our van) was skiing in the Alps. Then we straightaway headed north to the Arctic for a month in Norway. We had a lot of snow and survived temperatures as low as -29.7ºc (that’s -21.4ºf for our American friends!).

Looking for the perfect gift for outdoor lovers or vanlifers this Christmas? Look no further! We’ve pulled together a list of some of our favourite products, some of which we already use and others that we’d love to try. Whether you’re shopping for an adrenaline junky, a weekend adventurer or even a travelling dog, we’ve got you covered!

It’s that time of year again! The weather is getting colder, it’s dark ridiculously early and you’re desperately hunting for all your winter layers. Unless you’re planning on chasing the sun this winter you’re definitely going to need some form of campervan heating to keep you cosy and comfortable.

The Lifesaver Jerrycan is a water carrier and filter in one. It’s perfect for life on the road as it allows you to take water from anywhere and make it safe to drink. It stores 18.5lt of water which is filtered as and when you need it, perfect for drinking, cooking and washing.

We’ve just got back from our first visit to Slovakia and we absolutely loved it. We’ve barely scratched the surface of this beautiful country and have a list of places we’d still love to explore. Besides the mountains, ice caves, castles and lakes the people are really friendly and the diesel is nice and cheap!

Germany is a great place to travel by camper van. Not only are there some really beautiful areas to explore but it’s also one of the easiest countries in Europe for van life. Read on for our hints and tips for travelling to Germany by van, including regulations for wild camping in Germany, how to find drinking water and road rules you need to be aware of!

Ah Ireland. How do I put this? If you’ve not been yet you need to go! Seriously, stop reading this (please don’t!) and go book a trip! Hitting the road is the perfect way to explore and there’s no better route than the Wild Atlantic Way.

Next up in our camper van build series is Piglet’s bedroom. We get lots of comments about her kennel area and we’re really pleased with how it came out. When designing our layout we went forwards and backwards on whether to have a dedicated space for our dog. Now that we’ve lived in the van we’re definitely glad we put some room aside for her.

Having a bathroom in your van conversion is one of the most hotly debated van life topics! Some vanlifers think they’re a complete waste of precious space whilst others couldn’t live without one. I definitely fall into the second category! In fact, the first thing I did when we bought our van was google Sprinter Van Bathroom. Luckily I was greeted with lots of inspiration and ideas, minor panic over!

We’ve spoken to so many people recently who have just finished, or are close to finishing their van conversion and looking forward to moving in to their vans and living the van life. We were in a huge rush towards the end of our build and a few finishing touches had to wait as we had a date we needed to be on the road by.

There are so many different reasons for getting in to van life. For some, like us, it was for freedom to travel more, for others it’s about seeking an alternative, off-grid lifestyle and for others still it might be to avoid high rental costs or mortgages. What ever your reason for living or traveling in a van if you’re anything like us you’ll always be on the look out for van life money saving ideas!