Picture your ideal backyard and magnify it into a vast valley of wildflowers or transform it into a serene beach with crashing waves – that is the oasis some people have created for themselves by taking their life on the road. Van life is a growing lifestyle among adventurers who convert old buses and vans into whimsical mobile homes ready for wherever the wind takes them.
Founder of ‘Van Clan’, – an online community and content page for van conversion lovers and travel addicts – Brandon Saltalamacchia, told Bored Panda that the first allure of Van life is the freedom it gives, “People want freedom to escape the ever daunting bills, stress, and constraints of “real life”. The thought of having a minimalist lifestyle for a little while is certainly an aspect of living in a van that intrigues many newcomers, and it’s certainly true.” These tiny houses utilize economical space design to fit all the necessities one would find in a normal-sized home. Ovens, closets, beds, and fold-out desks they all fit in the living quarters of these gorgeous mobile dwellings that would make Marie Kondo proud. The other obvious benefit, according to Saltalamacchia – cost. “All you need to sort is insurance, food, and gas, and then you can go anywhere your heart desires, all while taking in the ever-changing world around you,” he said, adding that cost is the most common question they receive on their page. Scroll down below to see some of these fantastic houses on wheels designs and don’t forget to upvote your favs!
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#1 We Expect That It Will Take About 2 Years Give Or Take To Complete Our Trip Across The U.S. And Canada
We are so excited to finally be on the road after first purchasing our bus 2 years ago! Our build took a year and a half to complete.
Image source: going_boundless
#2 This Is The Coolest Bus Ever
To answer everyone’s concern how do we keep everything still while we are moving – we use Velcro tape! Thus, after a few attempts of driving the bus, surprisingly everything stayed as it is without taping it. Gotta thank the soft air suspension of the bus
Image source: big_little_life_, big_little_life_
#3 One Of Our Favorite Parts Of The Bus Is Her Fully-Functioning Kitchen
#4 Our Sweet Bus Is Starting To Look More And More Like A Home!
Our sweet bus is starting to look more and more like a home! We are almost at the finish line. We absolutely cannot wait to move in
Image source: happyhomebodies
#5 School Bus Coversion
I really enjoy designing alternative spaces and giving them a new feel and life. When I first got my bus it was an old yellow bus just like the one most of us probably took to school. With some planning and imagination, I turned it into my home. Most of the time, I forget that ‘I live in a bus.’ It just feels like home to me
Image source: navigationnowhere
#6 I Won’t Say I Don’t Love The Escape And The Pleasantries Of Traditional Accommodation. But I Can Say That For Now Vanna The Van Is Home
Image source: the_wayward_blonde
#7 Everyone Meet Atlas (Sprinter Lwb High Roof). He Is My New Home
It’s been a long time getting to this point and I am super happy with how it turned out
Image source: palmtreesandfunnythings
#8 This Is Our First Van We Ever
This is our first van we ever had in Australia, we had to cook outside rain or shine, you couldn’t stand up inside and we shared a single bed for a whole year! This tiny little home started our love affair with life on the road, it gave us a crash course in alternative living and the kind of freedom that tasted bloody beautiful! We discovered a life which was possible if we put our minds to it, one which was at times.. really hard but worth it every damn time! A life we had been dreaming of
Image source: slownsteadylivin
#9 We Converted A 1966 Greyhound Commuter Bus Into A Cute Mobile Home
Image source: glatts
#10 We Were Living In A 5000 Sq Ft House Sick Of Living The “Normal” Life That Everyone Thought We Should So We Packed Our 4 Kids Into A 250 Sq Ft Converted School Bus And Headed West And We’re Loving It
The house is a blessing to stay in but there are so many things about our bus that we miss! Beyond the obvious… the fact that it is “our” space… cleaning 250 sq ft is NOTHING compared to a normal sized house! It takes the family 30 mins to pic up our whole bus versus a few hours getting a home nice and clean…I feel like I can’t keep up!
Image source: Gabriel and Debbie
#11 How I Converted A Rusty Cargo Van Into A Unique Mobile Studio
It cost me $12k and took 10 months on and off. All together about 3 months straight work
Image source: zachboth
#12 First Project – Volkswagen T3
Image source: oleyworkshop
#13 Somedrifters
This build has been quite a process. Most of the time it’s excitement, dreams and drawings, but there have been countless moments of extreme frustration and major setbacks. A 6 month project has turned into two years. We have sold our home, lived in our parents house, just sorta circled around looking for things to do while expecting the bus to be finished just around the corner.
Sometimes it’s felt like the worst idea I’ve ever had, like a never ending problem machine that’s going to take me down with it…like something I shouldn’t have tried… …and then there’s days like these.
Where the fog breaks, and I get a glimpse of the future, of the bus finished. Of my lil’ lady and I’s life on this beautiful dream machine.
Image source: somedrifters/
#14 My Cozy Adventure Rig
Note: fireplace is a low heat electrical and is at a safe distance from curtain – no threat to start a fire
Image source: Modifeye
#15 My New Home
Carl’s conversion is in full swing. I can’t believe it’s actually happening! Can’t wait to start exploring
Image source: michelle.lawrencee
#16 This Build Was Done For A Firefighter Out Of Toronto
Image source: Paved-To-Pines, pavedtopines
#17 This Car Means Everything To Me And It’s Crazy How Happy I Get Putting All My Money And Effort Into This Home
Whenever I look at my van, it’s like falling in love over and over again. Sometimes I just can’t believe that I built it
Image source: susicruzz
#18 Our Home On Wheels
We are definitely not experts, we’ve been working it out as we go (eg. when we hit the road the only tools we packed were a hammer and a tiny screwdriver – which I don’t recommend doing if you plan to drive any car, let alone a vintage Kombi, around Australia
Image source: elisecook
#19 A Couple Late Nights And A Few Too Many Mcdonald’s Runs And We Have A Cabin On Wheels Complete
Image source: Paved-To-Pines, michaeljourneys
#20 Living The Van Life And Inspiring Everyone To Get Outdoors
Image source: ourvanventure
#21 Room With A View
Image source: marcelvibes
#22 It Feels So Good To Finally Be Done With It. Now It’s Time For The Best Part, Seeing The World In It And Decorate It With Bits And Pieces From All Over The Place
Image source: thelifeofdjango
#23 We Transformed This Camper Van In 6 Weeks With Only £1000
The van rebuild was a real labour of love, they wanted to create a relaxing and happy environment. A place where they could really feel at home. They had no idea what an arduous task it would be. They worked tirelessly night and day, for 6 weeks. With very little spare money, they had to learn new skills and become resourceful. Building everything themselves from scratch. Scott became a carpenter, plumber and electrician and Ellie a seamstress, painter and decorator.
What they achieved is a touching tribute to their Florence, a dream that never came true. Sometimes the dreams that do come true are the ones we never even knew we had.
Image source: Ellie Morgan
#24 I Had So Many Requests For A Room Tour Of Our Build, So Here It Is
Kick off is the view from the sleeping/living space including our loved „entertainment area“ the cubic mini. The burning fire adds so much warmth to the whole place and makes it super cozy. It was important for us to keep our build spacious. There is a real cabin feeling inside. On the left is our kitchen counter with sink and quite a bit of storage space underneath. Since we wanted to use a portable gas stove to be able to cook outside as well, we didn’t build a fixed one into the kitchen area. In the drawers, we have dishes, food supplies as well as our freshwater tank, our compost toilet, and our 200ah batteries. The whole build is done by ourselves, and you probably can tell we are not carpenters, so we just call it style
Image source: wetravelbybus, wetravelbybus
#25 Then And Now. It’s 2 Years To The Day Since We Picked Up Our Little Van. Looks A Wee Bit Different Now
Image source: camperdreamin
#26 Think We’re Nearly There
Image source: georgeholliday, madeontheroaduk
#27 Home Sweet Home
We have finally hit the road! After 5 days of non stop designing and renovating we finally have our new home for the next 3 months 😻🚐 Can’t wait to share the interior with you guys and our months of adventures 👌🏼❤️ The first night at this beautiful spot was a success and I’m already in love with the states and this van … (and yes, this home will be up for sale at the end of our stay)
Image source: cleocohen
#28 Our Firetruck. Dwelling Through Europe With My Sister For Over 8 Months
Well, we don’t have a toilet. Sometimes that makes things a bit complicated. But it also makes us really creative, and we have a funny reason to ask people for help. So at the end that is working out fine. We did some isolating, but during the winter it still gets pretty cold. We have a heater only after an hour or two it is too much for the batteries. Besides that, I’m pleased with the setup
Image source: lucepukie, lucepukie
#29 In Two Weeks We’ll Be Setting Out For Our Journey To Alaska. We’ve Added A Few Finishing Touches To Our Little Home
Image source: chuckthevan, chuckthevan
#30 A Little Glimpse Into The Home We Tuck Ourselves Into Each Night
Image source: freeandaddicted
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