We were recently chatting about van life vs motorhomes and why we chose the latter. It’s one of those conversations everyone seems to have, so we thought we’d share our reasons.
The truth is, our motorhome journey didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it started years ago with a dream and, in true Anna & Gaz style, turned into another expensive lesson. Looking back, that probably played a bigger part than we realised in why we ended up choosing a motorhome over a van.
We have this saying, “It wasn’t a mistake, it was just an expensive lesson.“ We don’t actually know if we believe it, or whether we just say it because it makes us feel better… but either way, it seems to work because we just keep making them.
Anyway…
The True Story of Why We Failed at Van Life
Back in 2019, we found ourselves being held hostage… joke! Just like the rest of the world, we were looking for freedom and found ourselves inspired by the van life community. It looked cool. A life of adventure, travel and freedom… this was the life we’d always dreamed of.
So, we did what any sensible couple would do. We spent the next few months researching, although we needn’t have bothered because we just did what we always do… convinced ourselves we were making the right decision anyway.
Eventually, we found a Ford Transit on eBay, tucked away down south, a whole six-hour drive from home.
But, as I said, we’d already convinced ourselves this was the one. So, naturally, we placed a holding deposit and set off.
Don't judge us... we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.
Van builds without any experience are totally overrated. I guess that sums up van life on social media… they only show you the good bits.
Not here… oh no. We show you everything, even if it comes at the cost of our own embarrassment.
We did our research. Looked at designs, electrics, wiring, what we’d need… the lot. We wanted that classic van life look, all wood, cosy lighting and the kind of build we’d been watching on YouTube for months.
The problem was, watching people who know what they’re doing doesn’t magically transfer their skills to you. Turns out YouTube makes it look a lot easier than it actually is.
It wasn't time to give up, it was time to learn, adapt and enjoy it.
Although we were making slow progress with the van, we were proud of what we’d achieved. Yes, we made plenty of mistakes along the way, but you have to remember… we didn’t have a clue what we were doing. We were just two people with a dream, trying to make it happen.
That’s just how we’ve always looked at life. As long as we’re trying to change it, make a difference, or achieve something, that’s all that matters. We’ll make mistakes, we’ll get things wrong, but we’ll learn, adapt and keep going. One way or another, we’ll come out the other side knowing more than we did before.
Anyway, enough of the motivational speech sh!t… I’m starting to believe it.
By this point, we’d been building the van for around six months before and after work, with a bit of help from Gary’s Dad (thank you!). Summer was coming to an end, and the thought of not enjoying all our hard work until the following year was something we just couldn’t accept.
So, we did what any impatient couple would do…
With no electrics and rattly cupboards, we chucked a mattress on the bed, packed a camping stove and set off on our first adventure. We travelled around the Lake District, hiked the fells and climbed the peaks. We felt truly alive.
It was at that moment we knew joining the van life community was the right decision.
We Knew It Was Too Good to Be True
Coming back from our adventure, we felt free. We finally had the answers to all our questions. This life was for us…
Or so we thought.
As winter started to cast its shadow over us, so did the MOT.
Failed.
Honestly, it’d be quicker to tell you what didn’t fail.
Just another fine example of an expensive lesson. Only this time, there was no coming back from it. The van simply wasn’t structurally sound.
Not because of the van build, before anyone starts pointing fingers… although, to be fair, I’m not entirely convinced our craftsmanship would’ve passed an inspection either.
Transit Vans: Rust with Optional Wheels
During the MOT, it was pointed out that the footwells had collapsed due to rust. Oh, and the supporting beam… not the technical term. You know, the bit of metal that basically stops the bottom of the van falling out. Yeah… that one.
Oh, and while they were at it… the suspension mounts, chassis rails, cab floor, door seams and pretty much anything else made of metal.
We’d fuc!ed up…
The dream was over.
Without getting into the costs… only to spare our embarrassment. We sat down, added everything up and, as much as we didn’t want to admit it, there was only one decision left to make.
It was time to call an end to our van life dream.
The Van Life Dream Was Just the Warm-Up
Well, we learned a lot during this whole process, including how to deal with a fair bit of pain. Granted… most of it was self-inflicted.
But it wasn’t just that. We started looking at the little things. The cost of building a van vs buying one, and before long we realised there wasn’t much in it compared to a motorhome. In fact, some of the vans were more expensive and had far less room.
Also, the little adventure we did manage to take left Anna wanting a few more comforts… which, to be fair, was completely understandable considering we had absolutely nothing.🙄
Still hurting from the van life experience… and the cost, we were reluctant to make another expensive mistake. Not that we ever doubted we’d make at least a couple more along the way.
This time, though, we wanted to get the big decision right.
So, we slept on it…
For another five years.
We finally woke up.
After a long sleep, a lot of dreaming and the occasional nightmare, we found ourselves back around the family table where all the important conversations seem to happen. Not logical conversations… you know the ones where we both somehow agreed we were ready to make another mistake.
So, we started looking for a motorhome we could finally call ours. Already built, a few added extras, no rust, no splinters and, hopefully, no tears.
This time, it was going to be ready for adventure, and we were going to enjoy every single moment because we’d earned it. We’d been through so much together.
And, for once…
It wasn’t a mistake.
Would We Make the Same Choice Again?
It’s hard to say what the future holds. We just know that after everything we’ve been through, and everything we’ve learned, we want to enjoy the lifestyle and the adventures without all the worries that came with a self-build.
That’s not to discourage you from building your own van. We just realised our ambition didn’t quite match our talents… and that’s OK too. At least we gave it a go.
What we can say is this… we had an amazing adventure in a rusty old rattly van with nothing more than a few simple accessories. So, please don’t let our horror story put you off. Everyone’s journey is different, and yours might be everything ours wasn’t.
So, whatever you decide, just enjoy the process. There’ll be good days, bad days and probably a few expensive ones… but it’s all part of the journey.
If you’re curious about what we took with us on our one and only van life adventure, we’ve linked it all below.
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27th Sep, 20°C 🌦️ Woke up this morning lacking motivation to write. Maybe it’s because we’ve not been away this month. Read More HERE… Also, …
