How To Travel While Living In A Van

After traveling through Europe and becoming an expert at remaining friends with my travel companions, I decided I was up for a bit of a challenge. I traded in the well-worn Eurorail for the wild open road of New Zealand. My trusty friends were swapped for a boyfriend. And instead of checking into a different hostel every night, we spent the majority of the evenings sleeping in our van.

When you're traveling by van, it's easier to go a little slower and take in some breathtaking vistas.

Our 1991 Toyota Lite Ace had a bed built into the back and Andrew and I spent nearly three months touring New Zealand’s North and South Islands in good old “Vanny” (I know, our creativity is astounding.) After covering hundreds of miles and surviving seemingly endless breakdowns, I think it’s safe to say we mastered the art of van living. Here’s what I learned:

Be Kind to your Ride

Less than a week after forking over $1600 for Vanny, she broke down, leaving us stranded on the side of the road. It took nearly what it cost to buy the van to get her running again, and we soon learned the importance of keeping our wheels happy. Regular services and oil changes became a priority, as did a well stocked box of emergency supplies such as jumper cables, water, oil and energy bars. We learned the hard way that you should always sign up for a road side assistance program such as AAA before you hit the road; they charge a much higher joining rate if you’re already broken down when you make the call. And countless horror stories of passports being snatched from cars were enough to convince us to never, ever leave anything valuable in the van.

Be Organized

When you’re living in a 7X4 foot space, being organized is key. Unfortunately, “organized” is neither Andrew nor my middle name. But without fail, the days we were at each other’s throats always coincided with the days that the van was a mess. It turns out clutter made us cranky. So we decided to always make an effort to pack up neatly, keeping essential items like guide books, sunscreen and cookies towards the front of the van for easy retrieval. And yes, cookies are essential. Never underestimate the importance of keeping your blood sugar up.

Master the One Pot Dinner

Cooking dinner while on the road is the easiest way to keep costs down. In an effort to keep the kitchen wear in the van to a minimum, we bought an inexpensive picnic set that came in a backpack and included plates, silverware, and most importantly, wine glasses. Our cooking cooking gear was a pot, a pan, and a couple spoons. I mastered one pot meals such as chili, chicken soup and stir-frys. And, as leftovers are impractical when you don’t have a fridge, I became skilled at eye-balling portions and not making extra. If I did, we either had to throw it out or eat until we felt ill. Which brings us to a bonus tip for living in a van– pack stretchy pants!

Treat Yourself to a Night in a Hostel

Candace expresses her dismay as "Vanny" is taken away to the "great parking lot in the sky."

After backpacking through Europe, I never thought I would think of a night in a hostel as a treat. But after countless nights in a tiny van, you’d be surprised at how luxurious a real bed can feel– even if it’s in a room with 20 other real beds. Every once in a while I was overcome with the urge to drive to a city, eat dinner in a restaurant and sleep in a building. An occasional evening in a hostel was a great way to meet some new people and momentarily shake off my hippie-living-in-a-van persona.

Enjoy the Ride

Even though sleeping in a van can be cramped and cold, it gives you an amazing amount of freedom. You can go where you want, when you want, without having to worry about schedules or reservations. For an excessive planner and worrier such as myself, living in a van was an invaluable experience. I let go. I relaxed. I enjoyed the ride. After all, getting there is half the fun.

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Tags: AAA, car camping, hostels, New Zealand, North Island, road trips, South Island, Toyota, Toyota Lite Ace, van camping