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Yep, I bought a van! Well, not just any van, it’s a camper van! You may be wondering why in the world I bought a camper van. Well, let me explain.
At first, tiny living was just a fun thing that I liked to look at on social media and Pinterest. Then several years ago, I noticed more and more individuals and even families making the change and “going tiny”. Television shows started popping up about tiny living. All of that made me believe that maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea and that I could really do it too.
Now, whether or not I can actually live tiny, well, I guess I’ll have to report back on that. Nevertheless, over the years I have loved looking at tiny houses, converted school buses (skoolies), vans, campers, RVs, any type of small structure to live in.
Fast forward to this year (2020). I recently purchased a 1988 Ford E250 camper van to travel in. My first step in living tiny! It’s actually still hard for me to believe that I’m making a dream of mine come true! Ever since I saw my first tumbleweed tiny house online years ago, I have had this crazy idea to live tiny.
A van wasn’t always my first choice though so let me explain further to answer the question: why did I choose to camper van to travel in?
I Want a Tiny House on Wheels.
First, I wanted a tiny house on wheels. I first discovered them years ago. A man had built a house that looked like a “real” house, just tiny…and on wheels. I fell in love! From then on, I was obsessed with tiny houses and tiny living.
I mean, check out the ones I saw at this tiny house festival back in 2018 in North Carolina! How adorable are they?!
However, they are expensive! And not to mention, not ideal if you plan to travel a lot with your home. So, then I began finding alternatives to the tiny houses.
Let’s Convert a School Bus!
I discovered that people were turning school buses into custom homes on wheels! At first, I wasn’t sold on them but the insides of some of the converted school buses were absolutely gorgeous! Then, there were skoolies at the tiny house festival I mentioned above.
After talking to a family that lived in their converted school bus fulltime, I was convinced.
You see, the family, well the Derek, the dad, explained that school buses were very strong and built to last. I mean think about it, school buses are used to carry children to and from school.
They are also government vehicles. They need to be safe and well built. After hearing Derek’s thoughts and explanation about why they chose a bus (even after they had lived in a 5th wheel camper), I was sold. I wanted to live in a big ol’ school bus! There was just one problem.
How in the world am I going to drive and park a full-sized school bus?! The biggest thing I’ve ever driven was my sister’s 4-door dually pickup truck and that was just around an abandoned parking lot. I was trying to learn how to drive a manual or a “stick” as some call it and that’s the only reason I drove her truck.
I like the room inside that a full-sized school bus offers but the thought of driving and maneuvering a vehicle that large gave me anxiety.
So, I began to think even smaller, in terms of vehicles.
I Want a Short Bus!
Shortly after discovering school bus conversions, I noticed that people were not only converting full-sized buses but also short buses. Short buses are usually used for pre-schools, handicapped students, or to transport students to activities. They are much smaller than a full-sized bus but still just as safe and strong.
This was it. I had found the tiny house I wanted!
For months and months, I looked for a nice short bus that would be ideal for converting into a home. After letting a few buses slip through my fingers, I became a bit discouraged.
During all of this time of looking at bus conversions and tiny homes though, I discovered another way that people were living.
Van Life
Amidst my obsession with tiny living, I found out that people were also converting vans into tiny homes on wheels.
Wait what?! People were actually living in vans?!
“Vans are just too small to live in. There’s no way that anyone can live in one.” Those were my initial thoughts about “van life”.
As I researched van life further, I realized that there were some awesome van builds out there and each one seemed to be a bit different than the last. People were converting everything from old, regular sized vans to brand-new Mercedes Sprinter vans.
I began to rethink living in a van.
First off, a van would be easier to drive than a large, long school bus, maybe even a short bus. If I decided that I wanted to blend in with other vehicles near me, it would be easier to do so in a van.
I finally understood why people were choosing vans to convert as homes.
One of the reasons that I remained hesitant about traveling in a van though is a little upsetting.
I didn’t want to give van life a chance at first because I was afraid of what others would think.
I let the thoughts of other people affect my life decisions and dreams. After debating for a while with myself however, I began to realize that no one else’s opinion mattered in the end, and that if I wanted to travel and live in a van, I would! But now I needed to find one.
The Perfect Tiny Home
Shortly after moving back to Virginia, I was driving along one of the many backroads and I spotted it.
There, just six miles from my house, sitting in a driveway was a van, and not just a regular van. This was a camper van or a class B motorhome as some may know them. I had completely forgotten about this type of van/RV!
I went home and began my research on the camper van.
I found a few pictures of what the insides of them looked like. They were like mini RVs! Most have a bed, shower and toilet, kitchen, refrigerator, everything. If the inside of the camper van that I had seen in that driveway was anything like the ones I was seeing online, I knew I had to buy it.
But I still wasn’t quite brave enough to ask about it. I mean after all, buying that camper van would mean that I was getting ready to make a huge change in my life, one that I desperately needed but was afraid to face.
So, for almost a year, I didn’t inquire about the camper van. I just occasionally drove by it and wondered. I still searched online for other vans and buses but just kept thinking about the one right down the road. Finally, I could no longer stand it. I wanted to know more about the camper van.
During the year that I just wondered about the camper van, sadly, the owner passed away. That meant that the estate, including the van, would be handled by her daughter, which my family and I know. My sister first contacted the daughter and asked if she was interested in selling the camper van. She was! It was during the holidays though, so we didn’t bother her anymore about it again after the holidays.
I was afraid that the daughter would sell the camper van to someone else so I decided to just contact her myself. She was still interested in selling it and we set up a time to meet and look at the camper van.
Things were finally happening!
Wait, Maybe a Camper Van is Not The Perfect Tiny Home For Me.
The day finally arrived when I would get to see the camper van up close.
When the daughter opened the doors to the camper van, my heart sank a little. It was full of junk. I’m talking tools, papers, parts, clothes, everything. I figured the whole van was trashed. Then, as I stepped inside, I realized that nothing was seriously damaged. Yes, it needed major cleaning out and cleaning up but it wasn’t more than I could handle.
It was under the hood that worried me the most.
Did I mention that this camper van has set for several years and it wasn’t currently running? Well, I’m no mechanic but I know that not driving a vehicle and letting them set for long periods of time isn’t good. My dad and I inspected the outside a bit more and then started talking numbers. Finally, the daughter threw out a price for the camper van and I knew I had to take it.
I’m Taking a Chance on the Camper Van!
Still, my nerves got the best of me and I asked her if we could have some time to think on it. She agreed and then my dad and I left so we could discuss all of this further.
Ultimately, we decided that the deal was just too good to pass up and I contacted the daughter that same night and let her know that I wanted the van!
My dad, a friend, and I visited the van a few more times to see what issues it had and if we could get it running and drive it home. Sadly, we ended up towing it but at least it was finally at my house!
Immediately after the camper van was delivered to my house, my dad and I were out there working on it.
The first thing I did was clean out all of the junk inside. Just doing that made a major difference! I could finally see what everything looked like on the inside, and it wasn’t in bad shape. Next, I vacuumed. Again, the difference just vacuuming made was astonishing!
Seeing the inside clean has given me such excitement for this camper van and my future with it. There’s still a lot of work to be done on it but I can’t wait to continue with it!
So now that I’ve explained my whole obsession and thoughts about tiny living and van life, I want to answer why I ultimately decided to purchase the camper van and not any of the other types of homes I mentioned.
The Big Question: Why Did I Choose a Camper Van to Travel In?
After much research, I decided that a smaller vehicle was a better fit for me and the camper van is a great size.
I wanted to be able to stand in the vehicle. Many vans are too short inside for standing up straight. This camper van is tall enough for me to stand up in (I’m 5 feet 4 inches).
The camper van already had everything I needed inside. There was no need to build from scratch.
It was close to home and affordable.
To put it simply, it’s exactly what I was looking for.
Now, that I’ve found the perfect tiny home for myself, the next step is to get it ready for the road!
I’ll be sharing the process over on Instagram as well as writing blog posts so if you’re not already subscribed to my email list (subscribers get notified first, when a blog post goes live), you can subscribe here.
Would you ever live in a tiny house? What about in a van? I would love to hear your thoughts on tiny living!
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