Are we mad?
People are often surprised when we tell them that we live full time in our self-converted van. And maybe we are? Living in our van allows us to have flexibility and freedom to work and travel around the world. However, we are fully aware that whilst this way of life is becoming more popular, it is still far away from the norm.
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To many people, the thought of raising two children in a van can be quite terrifying. Yes, it has some challenges but the truth is it also totally incredible. We have had so many experiences in our van as a family such as living off grid in a field and our 3 month European road trip.
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I am here to let you know that van life with kids isn't as scary as it may sound! ... I promise!
Are you thinking about van life with kids? Perhaps you are thinking about getting a van for trips and holidays or perhaps you are thinking about making the jump into full time van life? If you are, be sure to check out these blog posts:
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If you are just here to be nosey about how we survive van life with two kids then read on!
Raising children in a van
When we first purchased our van, our boys were 5 years old and 8 weeks! It took us about a year to design and convert our van so by the time we headed off on our first adventure, baby was a year old. For the next 2 years we used the van to travel and explore the UK on weekends and holidays. This gave us a big settling in period for the boys to get used to van life. By the time we moved into the van full time, the boys were so used to spending time in the van that it was a smooth transition into full time van life. When we first moved in, to them it was like one big holiday!
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Organisation is key
Living successfully in a small space requires organisation. Every item in our van has a home and it is important that they return to their homes after use. It is surprising how a few items left our can suddenly look like carnage in a van. We are not the most organised people and we do find ourselves having to work hard on this. Having a selection of gadgets like packing cubes, personalised toy bags and a label maker really helps!!
Less is more
Downsizing into a van required A LOT of brutal de-cluttering. In order to move into our self-converted van, we had to get rid of about 90% of our belongings. This process makes you realise how much 'stuff' your children accumulate in the short years they are with you. We donated boxes of books, toys and clothes to various people and charity shops. Stuff they did not need.
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During our time living full time in the van, we have realised that children do not need stuff. Now they have a small selection of books, games and toys, they are actually playing with them more than what they had when we were living in the house.
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Even if you are not moving into a van any time soon, I recommend having a brutal sort out of those toys!
Rituals
Don't worry, I'm not about to go all witchy on you. However, whilst bathing in an ancient spring, we met an incredible nomadic family. We had only just began our nomadic adventure ourselves and we got chatting for ages about travelling and living in a van with kids. They too had the most adorable toddler and had always lived this life with him.
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One thing they shared which really stuck with me was their use of rituals. The family opened up about a ritual they do which helps them say goodbye to a place they have visited. This helps the child to let go ready to move on to the next place. I instantly fell in love with the idea, and whilst we haven't adopted that ritual, we have developed some of our own.
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My most important ritual is selfishly for myself but its vital in setting myself up for the day. Living in each others pockets in a tiny space all the time can be tough, therefore I always take time to have 10 minutes outside on my own with a coffee. During this 10 minutes I try and ground myself and focus on breath work. A little ritual like this can really make van life with kids a lot easier!
The Great outdoors
We have a little saying in our tribe which is we live outside, we just sleep in the van. I think it's a perfect way to describe our van life experience! I mean who wouldn't want to spend their days exploring hidden caves, beach treasures and glistening waterfalls?
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Our boys spend the majority of their time exploring outdoors. It very much sets the scene for our worldschooling provision. Instead of sitting inside learning about things from books, we are getting out there and immersing ourselves into those things.
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When living and travelling in a van you need to expect to be spending the majority of your time outside. If that isn't for you then definitely have a rethink about whether van life is for you.
Living space
We often get asked about how we deal with privacy whilst living full time in the van. The truth is, there isn't a lot of privacy. Emotions at times are laid bare for all to witness and experience and as a family we learn to support and help regulate these emotions.
When designing and converting the van, we made sure that everyone had their own sleeping space. Therefore everyone has their own 'safe space' if they need some time alone to chill or reset.
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We also installed a curtain mainly for privacy when using the toilet, however it acts as a great barrier if you need to sit alone and take 5 minutes. Everyone in the van knows to respect the privacy of the curtain!
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Truth is, no matter what your living space looks like, it is all about tuning into the family and learning to empathise and respect other's privacy when they need it.
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I'll save the parent alone time privacy chat for another post...
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About 4intheVan
We are a family of 4 living and travelling full time in our self converted Luton van.Â
Our aim is to provide other families information, guides and top tips to help them on their next adventure, whether that's world travel, van life or home education.