The vanlife, foraging and lifestyle questions you've all been asking!
ABOUT ME
Do you have any wishlist or bucketlist items?
I’ve never been one to actually write down a bucket list but I certainly have things that I would love to do and places I would love to visit!
There are many things I hope to achieve in my lifetime and they vary greatly, but the most important to me is to one day own my own land and setup an eco village of like-minded souls. It doesn’t feel like something I will achieve anytime soon as buying land is so expensive but I guess time will tell. I’m always moving towards achieving my goals and dreams so I’m sure I will get there one day.
Outside of my goals I would say that this planet has so much to offer and I want to sample as much of it as I can. In order to do so I would like to visit locations that offer very different experiences. Some that come to mind would be the Amazon rainforest, Greenland, Tokyo, Canada and Mexico. You can certainly add them to my wishlist if you’re looking to buy me a plane ticket 😉
VANLIFE
Has living in a van made your life better or more challenging?
Don’t get me wrong, there are challenges living this way but there is no doubt in my mind: my life is better.
I work less hours, live more, achieve more and I’m healthier in both body and mind. The idea of going back to the rat race and paying for someone else’s mortgage makes me feel anxious and sad. I was not in a good place prior to vanlife and it was the remedy I needed.
What is the most challenging experience you've had so far?
There are a lot of minor challenges that I experience regularly that don’t really exist living in a house. Running out of water, finding somewhere to use a toilet and low batteries for example. However, I would say the most challenging experiences are often not directly tied to my lifestyle, there’s just an extra layer to some of them because of the nature of living in a van. Like being ill in a van is much worse than in a house.
The most challenging experience so far was the transition from my old van to my new van. During this period I was going through a breakup. Breakups are always hard but the added struggles of living full time together in a van made it very difficult. Trying to manage my funds, mental health, working remotely and living in a broken down van that was far from converted inside certainly added to it.
It was one of the most stressful and challenging experiences of my life but I’m out the other side and happy again!
How long do you stay in one place and how often do you move about?
If it’s with friends or family I can stay from a handful of days, weeks, or even months if the van is in need of repairs.
On the road I will never stay anywhere longer than three nights in a row but typically I will move each day, or two if it’s a particularly good spot and I’m not in anyones way.
Where is your favourite place to stay each season?
Can I answer Scotland for each of these? 😉
In all seriousness Scotland is my favourite place to travel in my van, parkups are much easier to find and it’s my home. I do love to spend some of the seasons elsewhere though.
Spring: England. Spring is much quieter down south so it’s a great time to visit places like Cornwall, Devon and the midlands that are typically very busy in the summer months. As much as I would love to make the most of the beautiful beaches down south, Spring is not the best time to get in the sea so I do miss out on some of the attractions. Perhaps I just need to get myself a wetsuit!
Summer: North England. Why? Because there’s no midgies. Go too far South and there are too many tourists. So I find this to be a sweet spot between the midgies and the tourists.
Autumn: Wales or Scotland. Autumn is prime foraging time and I like to make the most of this season. I’ve yet to spend an autumn in Wales but I know that mushrooms love it there and I plan to be there this year. Scotland also supports an abundance of fungi and looks incredible in the autumn.
Winter: Scotland. If you’re going to live through winter you might as well have a proper winter. Scotland certainly has that to offer. Head for the highlands and there is ice and snow. I do want to spend a winter in Europe soon, head South for those longer days and enjoy the Portuguese winter sunshine.
VANLIFE FEARS
How did you overcome the fear of moving into your van?
Considering the situation I was in I was more scared of not taking the leap. My mental health was in a bad way and I needed to do something about it. That’s not to say I didn’t fear some things. The idea of handing in my notice was certainly something that was hard to swallow.
I think it is important to assess the weight of the fears you may have if you’re considering this lifestyle. There are small fears, which, in my opinion, aren’t worth worrying about in the early stages. Things like ‘where will I find water, will I make friends on the road, what about bad weather?’ These are questions to ask once you are on the road and you will find the answers are never far away.
The big ones are the fears that really make you question if it’s the right decision. Questions like ‘how will I make money, will I feel safe, what do I do if it doesn’t work?’. I would recommend that you sit with these types of deal breaker questions and make sure you have some sort of answer to them. Ask members of the vanlife community about your fears, research them and best of all be proactive. Scared about someone breaking into your van: get additional security and accept that as a necessity when budgeting for your build.
How dangerous is it?
There are many layers to this question really. But if we’re making a direct comparison to living in a house then I would say it’s no more dangerous for me.
You could argue that living life on the road means a greater chance of a traffic accident but realistically I used to commute more than I travel now. So that wouldn’t apply to me.
Of course, I am a man and I know that this question could be answered very differently from the female perspective. It saddens me greatly that women walk the streets with keys held between their knuckles, that they carry rape alarms and are on edge in so many situations and environments. The same kind of caution is typically applied to vanlife and I know women to have extra protection in their vans and will more likely move on to a new parkup if they feel uneasy or have other vehicles pull in.
Whether it is more dangerous or not I am not sure on the statistics but (sadly) I know more caution should be taken if you’re a solo female vanlifer.
For me, I do not feel that this lifestyle is more dangerous. I sometimes think that I do stupid stuff and by having so much more time outdoors the chance of injury goes up but that’s not directly related to vanlife itself; I’m just a bit reckless at times.
Do you worry about the van breaking and not knowing what to do/being very expensive at the mechanics?
I do. It’s not a nice feeling knowing that your house can breakdown, catch fire or get in a crash. It’s a fear that is always in the back of the mind but as with the fears above you have to assess their weight and be proactive.
I have fire prevention, a dash cam and breakdown cover. These help me sleep at night and make sure that I’m not working up anxieties about fearing the worst.
Worrying is praying for what you don’t want.
MONEY
Do you need income?
Absolutely! I work remotely on the road as a graphic designer for a company in Cumbria. My lifestyle can be lived cheaply and as a result I only need to work two days a week.
What are your monthly expenses including what you spend for food?
I allocate around £200 a month for food & drink and a £150 for fuel. The rest of my bills (insurance, road tax, phone, mobile data & Spotify) mount up to £125 a month. I also allow around £100 for beer, takeaways and entertainment. In addition I also put aside around £150 a month for repairs, MOTs and servicing.
So, rounded up I would say I budget a total of £800 a month.
How do you get round the having a fire in your van with the insurance?
Not going to lie, I didn’t tell my insurance company right away, I was worried they would cancel my policy in the middle of the year and I would be stuck without insurance.
However, once my renewal came up I decided to ask the question and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was no increase to my premium or my excess. They simply specified that I must have a fire blanket and extinguisher. Can’t argue with that.
I’m insured with Adrian Flux, they are very supportive of people converting vans and offer insurance even if your van isn’t registered as a camper with the DVLA. Ask about their ‘Camper in Conversion’ insurance.
BUILDING A VAN
What advise would you give to someone that is just starting out on the self build journey?
Some people buy printed guides, but for me YouTube was my saving grace. I’ve even uploaded my own van build series as a means to give back to the community. It’s packed with tips and tricks and I share every step I took in order to turn my old battered van into a beautiful upcycled home on wheels.
Aside from YouTube I would say: Don’t doubt yourself!
I built my first van with next to zero DIY skills, a drill, jigsaw and a handful of simple tools. With lots of research and planning I was able to pull off the build. There isn’t a straight line in that van but if you’re aiming for perfection then you could always buy a meter stick and set square.
Personally I think he turned out great.
Was it difficult to build my home?
Thinking back on my two builds nothing stands out as particularly difficult. The key is to break everything down into bite size chunks, that way nothing seems too big or intimidating to tackle. I’ve certainly had moments in which I want to down tools and set fire to the van (looking at you silicon!) but I’ve always managed to push on through.
You don’t need to be an electrician or a carpenter to learn what’s necessary!
FORAGING
Who introduced you to the art of mushrooming?
I began foraging at a young age when my mum would take me out of walks ad teach me some of the safer plants and mushrooms to ID. We used to collect mussels from the beach, edlerflowers, chanterelles, wild garlic, berries and much more.
She is the inspiration that got me so interested in the natural world and I am so grateful that she shares her knowledge with me.
Where did you learn about it and is there anything you could recommend to beginners?
Outside of the plants my mum has shown me I’m self taught and have used an array of different sources to learn. YouTube is fantastic and I would always recommend WildFoodUK’s website and YouTube: he’s brimming with knowledge and a great teacher.
Literature is also key here. I will NEVER use one source to identify a mushroom. I’ll always watch a YouTube video, research a website and find the mushroom in a book to be sure I know what I have in my basket. My favourite book is the Collins Gem Mushroom paperback. It fits in my pocket and covers all the mushrooms I would ever want to forage. You can pick it up for £5.99 on ebay.
One day I will be bringing out my own foraging booklets and I look forward to sharing them with you!
Have you thought about doing a foraging weekend, mushroom recognition etc?
Every time someone asks me this I’m absolutely flattered! I do like to daydream about it but in truth there are several issues that lie ahead in regards to foraging workshops. A couple major reasons I haven’t done a foraging walk yet:
- I do not like seeing photos of picnic benches covered in 100s of specimens after someone has done a foraging walk and told all the attendees to gather up any mushrooms they see.
- I need permission from a landowner and I don’t have those kind of connections yet.
- If someone decides to eat a Destroying Angel on my walk I could be in a spot of bother.
- I do not feel that my knowledge is yet at a high enough level to conduct such a course.
However, I am always foraging, it’s not something I can turn off. So if you get lucky enough to find me out and about there is no doubt I will start filling your ear with foraging information.
For now I will stick to YouTube as my platform to spread knowledge and I plan on covering a lot more foraging in the coming months and years so make sure you subscribe.
MENTAL HEALTH & GROWTH
How do you stay grounded?
There’s an awful lot I could say here…oh wait, I made a video all about it! Check it for some useful tips and an in-depth look into the methods I use to keep myself grounded.
In short I typically use meditation, breath work, cold water therapy and good food. My hobbies also help, sometimes I like to disappear into the fantasy world of a game in order to relax and feel less stressed about things happening in the world around me.
How do you discipline yourself for future growth?
This is something I often struggle with. I have always found myself pushing forward but the pace at which I move seems to have it’s ebs and flows. Learning to work with this chaotic rhythm has helped me a lot,. Also recognising when it’s time to take a breather is worth it’s weight in gold as a burnout will always throw a spanner in the works.
Try to find your rhythm and be consistent. And most importantly, don’t be hard on yourself when you are struggling to push forward, take the time and look after yourself.
Well, there you have it!
That’s the most asked questions I receive about living in my van and my lifestyle.
If that hasn’t all your questions then you can drop a comment below, contact me on my social media accounts, or watch this video that the lovely Liveration created with yours truly.