Photo by Lubo Minar on Unsplash

Life on the Road

There’s been a trend in recent times towards van life. That is, living on the road in a portable home like a compact campervan or a more spacious motorhome. With rent spiralling and a growing tendency to embrace the ‘laptop lifestyle’, never have people felt more inclined to uproot and live on the road. Why would that be? Let’s look at a few of the reasons.

• Unparalleled Freedom: Imagine having the freedom to hit the road and go wherever you please? That’s what van life offers you. You don’t have to worry about being out of reach. Internet connectivity and mobiles mean you need never lose touch with your friends and relatives. Whether you want to go to the beach, the mountains or the Lake District, the world is your oyster.
• Escape from Spiralling Rents: Property prices have been increasing in recent years. In some places, rent for a single room has increased to over £1000 per month. A campervan can set you back quite a bit, but it puts you in the position of owning a home. Of course, you’ll need to spend money to maintain your van, but other than that, your expenses, month by month, should be minimal.
• Supportive Community: Vanlifers have a strong sense of community. See the posts on Instagram. That community spirit persists, whether online or offline. Join ths community and find yourself part of a nationwide family of vanlifers.

Freedom and Responsibility

Living on the road permanently isn’t for everyone. For couples with no children, or youthful retired people, whether singles or couples, it’s ideal. Even if you get your campervan out only for the summer holidays, you can still enjoy that sense of freedom that only the open road can give. Yet you need to be responsible, even if your lifestyle is more flexible and free. You have to make sure you’re travelling light. You must leverage your limited space to the maximum. You need only bring essential possessions on the road. You should also maintain your campervan and take care that the insurance is up to date. The Covid-19 crisis, with restrictions on travel entering foreign countries, have forced many vanlifers off the road for a bit. So a back-up plan is good to have, even if it just means having somewhere in mind to park for a longer period. 

Put Your Campervan to Work for You

If you own your own campervan and don’t use it for much of the year, it’s good to rent it out and make some cash for yourself. After all, a good camper costs around £50,000. People considering van life like to rent a campervan or a motorhome for a spell, to see how they get along. But as a precaution, your campervan should have appropriate insurance cover. You can use a market-comparing website to explore campervan insurance UK, where you can compare the products of different companies side by side and figure out which deal works for you. You can factor the insurance costs into the rent you get for your campervan, so your camper helps pay for its own insurance.