Inspiration in Iceland 

We first experienced Vanlife in Iceland, the land of ice and fire. Our trip was planned for October (2018), and after much deliberation, we decided the most effective way to see the island in a short time was by campervan! So that’s what we did – we rented a small camper (A Nissan NV200 if you’re interested) and managed, in 6 days, to drive the whole ring road of Iceland. Where we experienced whales, volcanos, glaciers and an ever-changing landscape. It was an inspiring, mind blowing and magical experience that got us totally hooked on Vanlife!

So, we bought a van

Upon our return to the UK the planning began in earnest. We started putting money away whenever possible and got things underway for our self-build! We chose a Ford Transit Connect LWB Hi-top. This was super affordable at £2400 and meant we had enough space for the two of us – we’re both pretty short FYI.

In March 2019 we bought our van and began building immediately. We also quickly got away on our first wildlife adventure – going away for the day to see Red Squirrels. Not long after, we had our first weekend trip, going off to see Atlantic Puffins and sleeping in a sleeping bag on the plywood floor we’d installed. The conversion was hard for us, as total novices. But it was even harder when we just wanted to go away to nature every weekend! Our van is now fully converted into a wildlife wagon and, despite a midnight breakdown in the Lake District, the van is now in Ireland, where we live together. 

We absolutely love having our van and it is the perfect machine for transporting us to the wild and  closer to nature. It gives us the freedom we need and not having to book anything or lots of planning ahead we are able to really take every opportunity to get out and explore.

So, how does a van bring you closer to nature?

For us there are three main reasons why having your own camper is great for witnessing nature:

1. Late nights and early mornings

Some of the best wildlife spectacles occur first thing or just after the sun sets. In the morning, animals like red squirrels can be out on the ground searching for nuts and seeds. In Summer, evenings bats come out and fly around catching insects. These moments are far easier to catch if you park your bed a two minute walk from the event making it so much easier to make those early starts or late nights.

2. Your own personal hide

Animals tend to be pretty cautious of humans, and rightly so. But, if you’re sat silently in your van, you don’t offer too much of a threat and you could end up with a much closer wildlife encounter than when on foot. So, parking up on the woodland side of a car park, you might end up with a buzzard two meters from your window – giving you the epic close-up shot you’d never thought you’d get!

3. Getting further into nature

Being able to go off grid has many advantages. The peace and quiet is amazing. But, another advantage of not being restricted to sleep in hotels/AirBNBs is being able to get even further into nature. By setting up camp miles from civilisation you can really get to the wildest parts and immerse yourself in pure, unspoiled nature. Bliss. 

For your mindset

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or full time Vanlifer you can make use of your own wildlife wagon to get stuck into the natural world. I cannot praise the magical healing powers nature has on your brain – giving yourself a peaceful hour in nature can do wonders. So, with that in mind, you can use your van’s nature superpowers to take you on a wildlife adventure. We share this world with some of the most amazing creatures and there really is a special buzz when you get a glimpse into their world. We hope that you can use your van to get to know nature and you can share your stories with us on our social channels.

By Connie & Nick - We Are Vanimals

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*Blogs are opinion based by each writer*