Moving into a van full-time.

Hi all,

I’m seriously considering this. I’ve saved up around 50k. I have Spanish residency. I’m single with no kids (and no house). I’ve been in the rent game for a while, and maybe I’ve spent around 25k in 4 years in Spain. I work remote throughout the year, and tend to spend summers in the UK/ROI.

I’d almost certainly buy a Spanish-plated vehicle, because that’s where I’d spent most of my time and it’s probably better than having a UK plate in the rest of the EU. I think a VW camper-sized van would be too small to live in FT, so I’m looking at larger vans, around 6m. I think I’d want a shower and heating if I was going to spend significant amounts of time living in it.

Is it a crazy idea just dropping like 55-44k something either new or almost new? If I lived in it for 2-3 years, I guess I’d save a significant amount of rent money. I’d probably do a lot of housesitting in-between so break it up a bit and save money elsewhere. I don’t really make a lot of money, maybe around 1600 euros a month average, which is okay for Spain. In Spain, vehicles — especially campers — seem to retain their value fairly well. How much of a liability is putting such an amount into a van (fully insured, obvs!).

But what is the reality of living in a van? How much can you get away with just parking in the mountains or remote places? I’ve been doing research and people said they get Starlink and just base themselves in a single place for a week or so and the move on, but it sounds like they’re based in the US where there’s a lot of free camping and just way more remote places than Europe. Spain is quite strict on wild camping, but I see a lot of vans/motorhomes around the place.

I always wanted to live on a yacht but Brexit and the 90-day rule, plus my qualifications no longer being accepted in Spain, have pretty much ruined this, so a van seems a more feasible way to live, plus its a lot more mobile than a yacht and probably cheaper overall to keep. I need fast, reliable internet and my job involves a lot of meetings, so I can’t really work from cafes, etc.

For someone who knows nothing about this, I’d really love to hear from anyone living or who has lived in a van, ideally in Europe, and can give some advice and/or useful resources to start researching this properly. I’m not too sure about buying new or second hand. Sadly, I’ve got zero skills when it comes to building my own. I think I’d rather buy something decent and then possibly sell it within 2-3 years. I’m used to spending a lot of time on my own.

Advice welcome!

Cheers,

FM

I’m not quite sure how a van gets around the Brexit issues that a yacht faces?!

Anyway, I lived in the UK, on a farm in a 6m motorhome for 2 years with my wife whilst we were doing a barn conversion. We had a decent shower etc (really not sure how you’d not have this as a pre requisite?)

In Spain, it will get very very hot inside the van for a large portion of the year I’d imagine! They’re bad enough in the UK! Which would point towards Aircon, and thus, an electric hookup.

You need to think about stuff like storage and how you’re going to get water, empty toilet, empty waste water and do laundry. We could do all of the above, plus plug in to electric at the farm, much harder to do if you’re ‘wild camping’. Moving around every few days becomes a chore, even when you’re doing a tour rather than just every day life.

There’s pros and cons to it I guess…..I’ll be honest, as much as I love our motorhome, if we were to live in one spot again, I’d buy a caravan, not a motorhome. Obviously not as flexible to move around in then though.

In terms of resale, living in something for a few years will wreck it….. I read somewhere that the ‘life expectancy’ of a motorhome is 700 nights use…..so less than 2 years. Ours isn’t dead, but it’s only 3.5 years old and is a hell of a lot more worn than the stuff of a similar age that has had standard recreational use.

Not sure I understand. At the top of the post you said you had Spanish residency and then later you talked about the 90 day rule.

We have a 6m van. Plenty people seem to do it but you’d need to be a lot more organised than us. I’d probably want somewhere to stash stuff I didn’t want to bin but that would clutter up the van the rest of the time. It would be a lot easier in Spain/south of Europe than UK from a weather perspective. I know a couple who lived in northern Scotland in their van through the 2nd lockdown – they managed by finding a friendly farmer who let them park it a barn. Made a huge difference to the temperature. Another couple local to us were forced out of living in their van 2 winters ago (parked next to the house they were building) as they just could keep their water supply from freezing.

I think my starting point would be looking at the internet options and trying them before looking at vans.

My only other thought is that i think I’d want to want to be in a van. I mean I’ve got to want an outdoor mobile life style.  I think doing it to save money would get old quickly

@alpin will be able to advise!

Whilst the Spanish residency entitles him to live and work in Spain, he’s still British and therefore doesn’t benefit from free movement elsewhere in the EU. Or at least that’s my reading.

Davros has it right!

“I read somewhere that the ‘life expectancy’ of a motorhome is 700 nights use…..so less than 2 years.”

That’s an interesting point of view, but what’s going to wear out really? Cupboards and stuff?

Yeah, I’d be doing this a lifestyle change really.

I’ve been living in a medium-sized Andalusian city for 4 years; maybe it’s time for doing something different.

Like I say, it seems like a nice way to live, especially if I was able to do regular housesitting.

Not really helpful, but an excuse to post this:

Other half and I did it for 2 years with dog in 7m motorhome. Europe is amazing for vanlife. Mix of wild camping, Aires and campsites. Morroco too if you want to live really cheaply. Don’t agree on the 700 nights thing. Obviously things do break but it’s not the the whole van is going to collapse. People live in really old vans full time. We joined motorhome fun it’s like stw for motorhoming but more gammony! Really useful for info though and read Tams threads he’s full-time.

So stuff that wears out……seat covers, mattress, door hinges, water pump.

Thanks, myti — maybe I’ll repost there too and see what comes back. I didn’t think about Morocco, but that could be an option too.

The idea of putting my bike and kayak on the back and going off exploring is very appealing. Maybe I should look at cheaper vans, but there’s also the issue of size and reliability and the need for a relative amount of comfort for living in something for longer durations.

Definitely hope Alpin can share his thoughts!

Can’t help with this but interested in your lifestyle. Where is Andalusia do you live and what do you do? I’m nosey.

I’d recommend posting or reading on the ‘vanlife uk’ facebook group as it’s full of people who do this very thing so will have different perspectives on the rest of us who continue with the rat race and carry on paying mortgages etc. I’d think most of us will say don’t do it because we don’t do it and there’s a reason we don’t do it so you need both sides of it.

I’d echo what GolfChick says – social media is full of a lot of crap about how good #vanlife is, so you need to read what those doing it really say. Good and bad bits.

Good luck. Vans are expensive, been looking/wondering myself for weekends.

Personally I would spend a decent amount and go big as you are comfortable with because living is not like holidaying and the last thing you want when you’re in the middle of nowhere is hassles with breakdowns with the vehicle or the van utilities such as heating, fridge etc.

Definitely go for it as sounds like you have nothing to lose and no major ties. Very jealous of the residency and like Frank interested in where you live. Seriously thinking about a future somewhere in Andalusia oneday after falling in love with it during our vanlife spell. 

I quite like some of the Liveration Youtube video’s, Kev from PMBA is on there somewhere.

We don’t live in our Sprinter but are hoping to do some long trips eventually, possibly along with some house/pet sitting/campsite running/chalet hosting. Hopefully this 90 day thing will change by the time we retire.

Best of luck to you.

We have a bit of a love thing going on with Andalucía. Holidayed there on and off for 15 years it so, just back from Gaucín last week. Have spent a lot of time in Montecorto. Proper Spain.

No experience myself, but a good friend did it for about 4 or 5 years recently.

He’s handy and converted the vehicles himself – but ended up settling on a Movano-sized van as the best compromise.

I’m reasonably familiar with Andalucia myself, and it would seem like a better place to do it than southern UK – but would the heat in the summer be an issue?

Still not sure of the amount of time you can now spend in Spain. Is it only 90 days now?

Travelling around Spain for a few years sounds great – but being stuck in a van in the UK for 9 months, not so great!

And if you’ve managed to save £50k from your ‘not so great’ wage already I’d say it puts you ahead of most in the game of life! 🙂

Living in a van can be really grim when it’s not optional. It won’t all be postcards and instagram filters, especially when you’re on your own. Bored and lonely. You’ll have some fun but it’ll be balanced out put it that way.

If your going to live in a van go as big as you can. I’ve spent lots of time in Andalusia parked up in remote spots or small villages. Small village I just go to the bar or cafe nearest my parking spot and have a coffee or beer. They know you’re there so say hello and give them some money.

With 50000 I’d look at getting a house if I was out there permanently.

If you do buy a coachbuilt van I’d only look at the German manufacturers like Burstner, Carthago, Knaus, Westfalia etc.

In my experience all that stuff like cushion foam, hinges, swivel plates is much more hardwearing and practical from the Germans. Good spares support too.

They’re pricier but hold their value far far better than the lesser makes.

Having owned a T6 camper and worked in it for bit…..space is such a big consideration from a work point of view. I know you’re looking at bigger, but having a permanent work base for me is so important. Working on a laptop all day for a week gets very annoying. I need my space for keyboard, mouse and additional monitor. Also this may only count for my setup, but also think about the seat you will use for working. I really wanted a proper chair. 8 hours a day on a standard campervan seat and table gets painful!

The idea sounds great, but really think about your working space and how that will work for you. I would love to do it, I completely get the wasted money in rental issue.

Some sound advice, thank you!

Marin, that would be the long game, hence why I’m concerned about keeping most of the money. As I said, it seems vans in Spain keep their value pretty well. Second-hand newish vans seem to go for similar prices to new. Did you ever get any hassle about just pulling up in villages?

I’m reasonably familiar with Andalucia myself, and it would seem like a better place to do it than southern UK – but would the heat in the summer be an issue?

Pretty much, you could drive up high to the Sierra Nevada to escape the worst of it, but I’d spend the summers in the UK/ROI anyway.

To those ppl asking, I just do random jobs online, a bit of teaching, editing, proofreading, and examining. I live around the Granada area — some months I make quite a bit more, some a lot less. Andalusia is a fantastic place to live, there’s something timeless and nostalgic about the place. I can’t quite put my finger on it — and yes, I was lucky getting out of the UK and taking advantage of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Only ever got hassle one night near Madrid on my way home so just drove on. My only incident in 13 odd years of sleeping in my van. Not full time van lifer I must add. I spend my time in Sierra Nevada so lots of alternative life style types anyway as you must know. I think some of the quiet villages are happy for extra business and if you’re not making a mess they seem pretty relaxed about it all. All places from Granada, up into the mountains and over to Motril were good for me. Good luck, you’ve picked a great area to hang out in.

A friend of mine has lived in a van in the Uk for just over two years since getting divorced and selling his house. He is a member of a local gym which covers the showering issue. For around 18 months he just moved between several parking spots in the same town and never got any hassle. He then came to an arrangement with a farmer to park the van on his property and so only moves it occasionally.

I think the thing that he enjoyed least was washing clothes at a launderette but, other than that, he seemed to really enjoy it.

Marin, did you have any problems with theft? Did you worry about the vehicle much if you went for a ride/hike/etc?

Thanks again (and to everyone else who’s contributed).

We felt anxious initially about leaving the van all day for big hikes or rides with your whole life inside especially when it was all shiny and new but it wore off and we have never had an attempted breakin in 4 years of motorhoming in France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We do go for secure parking spots if we’re in a big city such as Seville and also check park for night app reviews about a potential stop over.

We spent a fair bit of time around Granada and Orgiva. Absolute vanlife heaven imo!

I’ve been living in a self converted XLWB H3 Ducato for so years now.

I’ve German citizenship so the 90 days doesn’t affect me… If I were only allowed to stay for 90 days in the EU then things wouldn’t be quite so rosey.

But what is the reality of living in a van? How much can you get away with just parking in the mountains or remote places?

Mostly, it’s bloody awesome. Finding water can be difficult at times. Laundry day once every 4-8 weeks depending on the weather.

In the last two years we’ve only paid for overnight parking twice. Two nights in Portugal where the GF needed a decent WiFi connection for work and once in Parma for peace of mind.

Never had a problem in Spain despite being there for six months. Loads of places to park up, especially away from the coast. And at this time of year the higher you go, the cooler it is. Could easily spend all year in Spain. The country is massive, so varied and generally empty.

read somewhere that the ‘life expectancy’ of a motorhome is 700 nights use…..so less than 2 years. Ours isn’t dead, but it’s only 3.5 years old and is a hell of a lot more worn than the stuff of a similar age that has had standard recreational use.

Some vans have cheap fixtures and fittings, but should last more than two years.

It’s one of the reasons that I converted our van myself. I’m a carpenter with the luxury of a fully kitted out workshop with access to cheap(er) wood, but it’s still doable in your driveway if you wanted. Extra insulation that most conversion companies skimp on…. And yes, even in hot countries, as well as cold, you’ll want the van to be insulated.

Don’t have a shower inside the van. Have the pump shower sack thing from Decathlon and it works a treat outside using biological soap. In winter just add some warm water. If you’re shy you can string up a tarp between the rear doors, but rarely bother. We’re mostly parked up away from people and places.

We tend to spend at least five days in most places we stop, although we’ve just been dragged away (appointment with friends) from a place we’ve been parked up at for just over four weeks. Saves diesel and riding to the nearest supermarket (in the last case 70km round trip and 600m of climbing) gives you something to do and keeps you fit.

Our home cost a bit under 50k€ including a brand new and all the interior, although excluding my labour. Used to be paying 1200€/month on rent. Think just existing in Munich was costing us just shy of 2k a month before you indulged yourself on a meal out or did anything.

Our costs now are ~1500€ a month and that includes all tax, insurance, fuel, food and drink, repairs/servicing (on both van and bikes) and a meal out once or twice a week.

GF works with her laptop and earns enough to more than cover our current outgoings. I had a couple of months work last year in Finale and have something lined up for next month in Munich.

Startling works well.

Try living with minimal stuff and see if you can handle it.

Keep a slush for emergency repair and accommodation during a repair.

You don’t need starlink….. Unless you’re in Germany where network coverage is shite.

4/5G coverage is pretty good* and sim cards are cheap.

*writing this from 1800m up in the Venetien Alps.

I think I would go cheaper van and try to rent houses, take jobs with accommodation etc so that I meet more people & community. I also think full time van life is tough.

I was ok with my stuff in the van but had very little of value in it apart from 2 bikes.

One of the most liberating things I’ve ever done is go through everything I own and decide whether I really wanted it or not.

Freed myself of all the crap I don’t want or need.

We’ve kept a table at a friend’s place and I’ve stored my cargo bike with a mate. Otherwise the GF has a box of “stuff” at her folks.

Everything else we own is stored in the van….

Four bikes (two enduro, two gravel), kites, Snowboards and camping gear.

Still got far too many clothes that I don’t or haven’t worn.

I’d put 1/2 the savings into a 2 bed flat (50-60k not overly flash)on the coast or somewhere you like and mortgage the other half then look at a van or boat (the uk may get all the qualifications recognised again) for arsing about.

I think the secret is not going overly mad on the house on cost and size, you want something that’s easily maintainable when your older and you’ll have a permanent Spanish base(address) and be on a padron.

Converting a van in Spain is way different than the uk, doable but the vans are expensive and you have to watch the classification of things as a lot of commercial stuff has to have an ITV(MOT) every 6 months.