Top 10 Vandwellers tips
Weigh Your Van
You might have tried to keep count of the individual weight of the items that you’ve used to build your off grid home, but do you know how much your van weighs? If you have a UK category B driving license, then you’re able to drive a vehicle that weighs up to 3.5 tonnes and not a gram over. If you’re caught being over your limit in a different country, then the only way you’re setting off again is by dumping bits of your beloved home until you reach the right weight. Don’t risk losing bits of your hard work, weigh before you set off.
Measure How High And Wide Your Van Is
“How high is that bridge?” “I don’t know. You reckon we can fit under it?” “Yeah. Get a good run up, and we’ll be fine.” Now for everyone new to living the van life, that’s not a conversation that you ever want to be having. Nine times out of ten it will end in tears, with you losing your solar panels if you’re lucky or the entire roof of your van if you’re not. Measure everything, and then stick your parameters into a sat nav like the TomTom Go Camper. The Go Camper takes into account your vans height and width and chooses the best roads for you, leaving you to get on with the drive and not worry about decapitating your tiny home.
Pack The Necessary Safety Equipment
Do you have the mandatory equipment in your van that you need for the country that you’re visiting? Do you have your reflective jackets and headlamp deflectors that you’re required by law to have while driving through France, or the fire extinguisher that you need for driving in Poland? Read up about the places that you’re visiting and don’t leave anything to chance. Having a good understanding of where you’re going means that you will be prepared for every eventuality; that’s what these van life tips are here for. Follow this link to get your own AA Euro Driving Kit.
Stock Up On Snacks
Driving hungry is the worst, and nobody wants to get ‘hangry’ on roads that they don’t know very well! Do yourself a favour and take this most important of vanlife tips on board; make sure that you have plenty of nutritious snacks/unhealthy chocolate bars on board before you set off (I’d favour the latter option).
Pack The Propper Tools
Don’t leave yourself in a position where you’re in the middle of nowhere without the means to carry on adventuring. With YouTube and your vehicles Haynes manual you should be able to fix most little problems at the roadside, providing you’ve got the right kit stored away. Pack some axle stands and a jack so you can change your tyre at the side of the road. What happens if you’re spare breaks? Get an Emergency Puncture Repair kit to be on the safe side.
Power Banks Are Your Best Friends.
One of the UK Van Life Hardest Bits that we’ve encountered is when the sun runs off behind clouds or chooses not to appear altogether. That’s where power banks can be your best friends. This is one of our most important vanlife tips so listen up. Take two or three on your trip with you and charge them up from your solar on sunny days, then save them for when your batteries are looking pretty low or when you’re in the middle of a forest, etc. Use the sun wisely and stock up on energy every chance that you get. Check out our list of the best power banks for some purchase inspiration
Get Van Life Travel Insurance
Van Life Insurance exists, and it can be yours for just $37 a month. SafetyWing insurance doesn’t require you to have a static base, so it’s perfect for the digital nomad that works on the road or is in the middle of a long-term travel trip with no specific end date. It’s a rolling contract, and you can cancel or extend any time that you want. Check our SafetyWing to get your policy set up today.
Categorize Your Notes into Sections
Each notebook can have multiple sections, just like the tabs on old-school spiral notebooks. In the web app, sections appear as tabs listed vertically under your notebook’s name, and in the desktop app they appear horizontally across the top of the screen. If you’re a student, you could create a notebook for school and a section for each of your classes.
Protect Your Gadgets
If you’re a digital nomad, then your gadgets are how you make your income on the road. Whether you’re a YouTuber with a nice camera or a writer with an expensive laptop, you’re going to want to protect your items if you have a break in or you accidentally damage them. Protect Your Bubble is number eight in vanlife tips list, and they are the only gadget protection company that does 365 cover out of the country that you live in, so it’s worth getting a policy with them to protect the items that you care about the most. We racked up four items for about £17 a month, including accidental loss. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind!
