Wereldreizigers.nl
Home » Travel tips » Life after 12 months #vanlife | Our best #vanlife tips

Life after 12 months #vanlife | Our best #vanlife tips

And then suddenly it's over, 12 months #vanlife just end. We are back home and it seems like it has all been a dream. Twelve months of freedom swept out of our minds to make way for "normal" life... You can read in this article how we experience life at home after 12 months of vanlife and what we want to give you.

More @vandemics

(1) #vanlife DIY | Which campervan do you choose if you are 2 meters tall?
(2) How do you build a motorhome in a month? † DIY bus camper
(3) Self-build motorhome | 5 things we'll do differently next time
(4) DIY bus camper | The 7 camper features you want too

#Vanlife @Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
#Vanlife @Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Time flies when you're having fun

It's amazing how quickly a year goes by. Our vanlife adventure started in November 2020. As newbies, we plunged into the adventure, not knowing what to expect. Of course we have traveled before, but we had never experienced this experience where you are so dependent on each other and on nature.

At the end of October (2021) we came home again (in Amsterdam) and the crazy thing about being at home is that you after your trip You are no longer together 24/7 and life close to nature suddenly becomes very far away from you, with the result that it is very difficult to imagine what it was like again.

#Vanlife @Albania
#Vanlife @Albania

From one adventure to another

As is always the case with us, we plunged from one adventure to the next. For example, when we returned home, we immediately sold our beautiful house on wheels, so that we could get started with a renovation of our apartment. We are now fully prepared for this and have also started working again with our "old" employers.

#Vanlife @Sardinia, Italy
#Vanlife @Sardinia, Italy

Looking for memories

Don't we long for our #vanlife life? That certainly is! Every now and then we look at each other and suddenly realize that it is a very hard transition that we should give ourselves some time to get used to. At another moment we think melancholy about all the beautiful places we have been and scroll through the photos, looking for memories.

The ultimate #vanlife place @Croatia:

Still, it's nice to be back in The Netherlands to be close to our friends and family. A real baby boom has taken place among our friends and how nice it is that we can finally see all those proud parents in person. And how nice is it to be able to put shoes for Sinterklaas together with our nieces and nephews!

Holding on to the #vanlife thought

Is #vanlife suddenly completely wiped out from us? No, not that. We try to hold on to our more conscious – minimalist – lifestyle, in which we more often choose second-hand products and when we buy something new, we mainly opt for good quality. In addition, we try to walk as much as possible, make more conscious choices in planning appointments and live less hurriedly (the latter is really a challenge!). Every now and then it is still a bit of a search for how we can best apply this in our city lives, but by continuing to remind each other it will probably become easier for us in the future.

#Vanlife @Andalusia, Spain
#Vanlife @Andalusia, Spain

Is Vanlife something for you?

If you are also planning to take on the #vanlife adventure, we can only say: DO IT! It's fantastic, and yes every now and then you're disappointed with a full toilet, a car that won't start or a poorly chosen place to sleep, but it's all worth it. 

Our best #vanlife tips

We have listed our best vanlife tips for you so that you can get the most out of it. The tips below really made the difference for us.

1. Park4Night

You really can't live without this app as a vanlifer! Here you will find the best places to sleep, camper facilities and honest reviews from other vanlifers.

2.Komoot

This app is packed with the most beautiful hikes in the areas you visit. The walks are accessible for different levels and the app ensures that you can never lose your way.

3. The Toilet Bag

Perhaps a bit of a crazy tip, but we were able to get in Eastern Europe really not without. We had made a bag (sewn ourselves) in which our cassette from the toilet fit. At the moments when we could not find a discharge station, but we could find a toilet at a gas station, the cassette went into the bag and we took it inconspicuously inside to discharge.

4. Solar panels

If you, like us, want to live off-the-grid as much as possible, then you really need solar panels. With the help of two solar panels on the roof, our battery was always full and we could always charge our laptop/phone and make smoothies in the morning.

Solar panels on our #vanlife bus
Solar panels on our self-build #vanlife bus camper

Also read: Flying solar panels – The danger that lies on the roof of your motorhome

5. Start from the good of people

It's impossible to prepare for every situation you might find yourself in. For example, we really couldn't predict that our car would stop on Friday afternoon just before christmas and would end up at an overpriced garage.

In the end we were fantastically welcomed by lovely people who even managed to arrange for our bus to be towed to a cheaper place and worked hard to get us back on the road before Christmas.

If we hadn't put so much faith in our fellow man, our bus would probably still have broken down and our bank account looted. Our best vanlife tip is therefore: be open to the help of others and assume the good intentions of your fellow man!

Bye bye bus!
Bye bye bus!

More @vandemics

(1) #vanlife DIY | Which campervan do you choose if you are 2 meters tall?
(2) How do you build a motorhome in a month? † DIY bus camper
(3) Self-build motorhome | 5 things we'll do differently next time
(4) DIY bus camper | The 7 camper features you want too

fordtress-vandemics

vandemics

VANDEMICS - Adriaan & Sandra
From Life in Pandemic Times
We travel Europe with our little camper from named Fordtress!
One year sabbatical
Currently in Spain

Seen a mistake? Ask? Remark? Let us know in the comments!

Would you like to receive great travel tips and extra benefits every month? And did you know that we give away a monthly world map to our subscribers? All you have to do is leave your email address below and you will have a chance to win every month!

logo-world travelers-grey-1
Translate »
5 Shares
5 Shares
Copy link