Lauren’s Van Life Journey
The answer I had been looking for
From a young age, I knew my passion in life was to travel; see new landscapes, experience different cultures, learn more about myself and the world around me. My desire to travel was so strong that I was determined to pursue it full-time after school, not really knowing how I’d make that dream a reality.
Fast forward to my final semester of college when I was scrolling through social media and came across a post of a woman living in a van. Prior to seeing that post, I had never heard of the van life concept, but I was immediately intrigued.
From that day forward, I spent countless hours researching van life, how to build out a van and even drawing blueprints. This was the answer I had been looking for.
It was time to buy a van
After a year and a half saving money and filling hundreds of pages with notes from my research, it was time to buy a van. I found a dealership, placed an order and waited 12-weeks for the van to be manufactured and shipped to the states.
Before I knew it, I was pulling off the lot in an empty cargo van that immediately became my home with just an air mattress, lawn chair and suit case of clothes. I explored new places, showered at Love’s Gas Stations, used public restrooms, went to cafes for wifi and taped paper towels over the windows at night for privacy. To most, this doesn’t sound ideal, but to me, I was finally living my dream.
Although I could see myself continuing to live out of the van in that manner, I was eager for a hands-on project that would challenge me and teach me valuable life skills. So, a couple months later, I decided to start the van build.
All I had was total belief in myself
Going into the van build, I had no prior experience building anything. I had never used power tools, done anything electrical, plumbing or carpentry related. All I had was total belief in myself and the mindset that no matter what, I would figure it out.
My very first project was cutting two 14” x 14” holes in the roof of my brand new van to install fans; followed by three giant holes on the walls and sliding door for windows. Next thing I knew I was adding insulation, furring strips, wiring my electrical system, building furniture, putting up walls and a ceiling, running water lines and the list goes on.
As a result, I have self-converted my van 100% on my own; from the research to the planning, buying, financing, executing and troubleshooting.
My mission to you
Not only has it been rewarding to watch my vision come to life one project at a time, but I’ve also enjoyed creating a step-by-step van build series on YouTube to help others convert their own van. My videos provide detailed explanations for every project, covering the what, how and why behind all my decisions.
My mission is to support you at any stage of your van build and van life journey. This includes sharing my first hand build experience on YouTube, showing what life on the road is like on Instagram and offering consultation calls to those looking for personalized guidance and support.
I want to thank you for being here and showing your support in return!