Having found your way to my page, I can assume you own a van, are interested in owning one, or find the idea of owning one intriguing enough to want to read about it. In either instance, you’re looking for some subject matter to cast your gaze upon. Whether you’re seeking a guide to assist in converting your newly purchased van, searching for some inspiration to help you decide whether the van life is for you, or perhaps you’re like me and simply love sitting in the back of your van (with a nice view obviously), and reading whatever captivating campervan content you can get your hands on. Whatever your reason, look no further, this article will showcase some of my favourites.
The Van Conversion Bible
The Van Conversion Bible by Charlie and Dale lays down a methodical guide to the somewhat overwhelming task of converting a van into a camper. The book takes a pragmatic look at the researching, planning, designing, sourcing, and building of a campervan. The descriptions, diagrams and pictures help in understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing and ensure you have all the tools you need to manage your project seamlessly.
I used this book whilst building my own camper, and I loved how it managed my expectations for the build in terms of cost, time and professionalism.
You can buy The Van Conversion Bible here.
From Van to Home
Another fantastic van conversion book is From Van to Home by Mike Hudson, or some people might know him as Van Dog Traveller. This book gives a detailed guide to every step of converting a van. When he did his build, he had zero experience and so no knowledge is assumed in his book, making for an easy reference for any novice builder. Additionally, it has the advantage of being an eBook so you can interact with the pages and take it to the DIY shop with you. It is the perfect mobile van conversion reference guide.
You can buy From Van to Home here.
How to live in a van and travel
Furthermore, Mike writes another book based on vanlife and travel. His writing style is mirrored here and therefore continues to be relatable and down-to-earth. A great read.
Van Life
This book is one of the first I owned, and it is a great introduction to vanlife. The book looks at several categories of van and within each, he interviews an owner from the class of van. He tends to ask what van life means to them, how they converted their van and when did they buy their first van and why. He also asks about breakdowns, worst moments of vanlife, and the best bits too. Following the interview, he’s included an archive of photos of vans from that category and the conversions which he hopes will act as inspiration for your own conversion.
The van categories include Volkswagen T3’s, Volkswagen T2 and T4’s, Sprinter Vans (which in America, doesn’t just mean the Mercedes Sprinter), American Vans, Japanese Vans, School Buses, Small RV’s and Custom Campers, Truck Campers, and lastly, 4X4’s. What I love about this book is that it sways away from those ridiculously expensive rigs and conversions that are unachievable for the average person. Instead, he has focused on self-build vans.
You can buy Van Life here.
The Rolling Home Journal Or The Complete Vanlife Book Or The Culture of Vanlife
Callum Creasey, a popular van life writer, began with The Rolling Home Journal which showcased awesome stories of people living alternatively. The beautiful journals were published four times per year, but unfortunately the publication is no longer running. If you can get your hands on one of these, they make a great read. If not, you’re in luck, he also published a couple of books.
You can buy The Complete Vanlife Book here.
Or you can buy The Culture of Vanlife here.
Hit the Road
If you need a book to help push you towards making the purchase, Hit the Road is the book for you. For a long while, I held off from buying my van because I was worried that it wasn’t big enough, or reliable enough, or new enough. Yet, whilst reading this book, I realised that these worries were unfounded. This book contains page after page of adventurers that have gone before me, travelling all over the world in vehicles of all sizes, all ages, and all prices. What’s more, the people in this book are from all over the world, of all ages and all backgrounds. Once I’d read a handful of the stories within this book, my worries had evaporated. And once I’d turned the final page, I was ready to stop overthinking, get the next available van, and hit the road.
Hit the Road has a beautiful introduction that captures the essence of van life. The book is then complied of maps, pictures and a profile of the van and people who have been on numerous road trips. The book doesn’t go into huge amounts of detail of each trip, but simply aims to give an idea of the variety of vans, people and routes that are out there. Read this reassuring book now and start preparing for a trip of your own.
You can buy Hit the Road here.
Nowhere for Very Long
Every book I’ve mentioned so far is a coffee table style book with hardback covers and beautiful pictures, ideal for scanning through in your spare time. However, if you’re looking to read a little deeper into the life of a van dweller, then this is the book for you. Nowhere for Very Long is a beautifully written memoir of a woman living in the US. She takes a deep and honest look into her own life and the decisions she’s made. The book touches on her at a young age, her relationships and her escapism, which takes the form of her big orange van, Bertha. The content of the book is somewhat relatable and pushed me toward taking a deeper look at my own life.
Nowhere for Very Long is a different vibe to the other books I’ve mentioned in this post, but her well written book kept me turning the pages right until the end. There are some lovely messages in this book, and if you’re like me, you’ll be deep in thought when you turn that final page.
You can buy Nowhere for Very Long here.
Never Leave the Dogs Behind
Now, I’ve not got around to reading her second book yet, but the first was so good that I had to put it on the list. I’ll update this post with my thoughts once I’ve got around to it.
Advanture Magazine
I’ve already mentioned one van life-style magazine/journal in this post, and I was devastated to say that it is no longer available, yet thankfully, if you liked the idea of getting regular van life content, something even better has joined the scene. Advanture Magazine is a beautiful magazine published four times per year. The crisp paper pages are continually printed with stunning photography and awesome stories from the road. I couldn’t recommend this magazine enough.
If you manage to get hold of issue 10, you’ll find my own article ‘Anchored’. You can read most of what I wrote here on my website, but if you do manage to find issue 10, have a read and I’d love to connect with any fellow van lifers out there.
You can order the latest issue of Advanture magazine from their website linked here.
Living the Vanlife: On the Road Toward Sustainability, Community, and Joy
One final book I’d like to recommend is Living the Vanlife: On the Road Toward Sustainability, Community, and Joy.
You can buy Living the Vanlife: On the Road Toward Sustainability, Community, and Joy here.