When we began pursuing our dream of converting a van, we were reading everything there was to know about the process. From logistics like insurance and importing vans to the build-out process with solar and insulation, we found the following blogs to be the most useful with our van conversion.
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Logistics Of A Van Conversion And Life On The Road
Insurance | Click Here
If you’re traveling via van in Europe or the UK, though are from America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or the UK this is the best van insurance we’ve found as far as bang for your buck goes. It’s worth checking in and getting a quote. If the website quoting is down (as it was when we were looking) there’s a number to call for campervan insurance instead.
Traveling in the United States? Check out this post on getting your campervan insured in the US.
Interior Sprinter Van Dimensions | Click Here
If you scroll nearly to the bottom of this post, you’ll find interior dimensions of all different styles and sizes of sprinter vans. This is great for trying to map out your van conversion layout and deciding what size of van is right for you. It’s also a great source for knowing the outside van dimensions for ferry crossings and such, just be sure to keep in mind anything extra added to the top of your van build.
Vanlife Tip… Set up a floor plan with masking tape or boxes to get an idea of the size and layout of your van conversion!
Shipping a Van to North America | Click Here
We’ve done SO much research on shipping our van to the United States, and have yet to find a website more helpful than this post here. Armando and Mel do a fantastic job explaining and linking to all the different things you need to know about shipping a van to North America. This is an absolutely brilliant post!
What to Watch Out for When Buying a Van | Click Here
This post is somewhat hard to follow with no pictures and no spacing. However, it’s got some good information if you can get through it! The post highlights what to ask when looking for campervans for sale, and what to look out for under the hood and around the van.
Driving in Europe | Click Here
This blog is dedicated to helping you know the road rules and regulations for each and every country in Europe. Simply change the search tab to the country you want to drive in, and learn all about the road rules there.
Being from the United States, vanlifing in the UK and Europe, brought on some interesting challenges with knowing what different road signs meant, and what the main road rules were! This post came in handy time and time again with our campervan travels through Europe.
The Van Conversion Build
Making A Van Solar | Click Here
Dakota and Chelsea over at Traipsing About have done a fabulous job explaining setting up solar panels and even have links to what products to buy. With step by step instructions and photos, it’s a great resource!
Alternatively, we have quite a few solar posts as well!
- Choosing the Best Solar Panels For Your Van Conversion
- Solar Panel Installation Mistakes To Avoid
- 31 Steps To Installing Solar Panels On Your Campervan
- The Complete Solar Panel Kit – Down To The Nuts And Bolts Needed
- How to Connect Two Solar Panels to One Battery
More On Simple Solar | Click Here
Alexandra from A Girl and Her Van makes the solar process and set up look so easy! She’s got a “free” panel, which just means it’s not attached to the van roof and can be placed wherever the sun is. Definitely worth checking out for a simple process for solar power!
We used the “free solar panel” style on our van and loved that we could park in the shade, but then have the solar panel out in the sun! It’s great to play with angles too, making sure to get the strongest sunrays possible!!
Insulating a Van | Click Here
This post gives step by step instructions on insulating a van, includes what materials you need to insulate a campervan, as well as what tools you need for the job. There are even photos and videos of the entire DIY van conversion insulation process!
- How To Make Your Own DIY Insulated Campervan Window Coverings
- Our Minivan Campervan Insulation Materials
- How To Insulate Your Campervan Floor
Vanlife with Vantrails | Click Here
Okay, obviously we have to include our own page of vanlife how to’s and content. We’ve been living in the van for two years now, and share our campervanning experiences, how we built out the van, and simple recipes over on our Vantrails page!
Van Life Blogs
Campervan Life | Click Here
This is a blog dedicated solely to vanlife. It’s a place you can buy and sell vans and find post after post with information about converting your own campervan. There are even different forums to join to learn or share about nearly all things living on the road!
Vanlife Inspiration | Click Here
This blog is chock-full of great inspiration and ideas for living the campervan life or really just alternative living. Danielle and Mat’s content highlights others living life in an alternative way.
They also share their own stories, advice, and campervan explanations. Their website is a great resource for all things #vanlife!
Obviously, we’re sure there are other great #vanlife websites! If you know of one that would help other people in their van conversion process, leave it in the comments below! These ones we continually used during the beginning stages of our van buildout and wanted to share them all with you!
Now, stop researching and get out there and start your van buildout!
Don’t forget to apply for and use a new credit card before purchasing all your DIY van conversion gear! When using a new credit card, the points are tripled in most cases, meaning you’ll rack up so many points right away to earn free stuff! If you’re spending the money, you might as well make the money work for you!
