A VAN lifer lives in a Ford Transit and while there is room for a double bed and kitchen he has to use the available space wisely.
The YouTube star known as “Taffs Destination” gives an insight into his life as he travels about in his van.
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In a recent post he’d parked up in the Welsh countryside not far from Wrexham along with his faithful dog and while the sun was out, the wind certainly was too.
As he puts the kettle on for a brew, he said: “I’m going have to close that [van] door, get her in because the wind would just blow it all out.
“So I put a new tile on me step earlier, it came off so I put a new one on.”
He added: “Can’t believe how windy it is up here. It’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.
“Can’t even sit out and enjoy it because it’s just battering you.”
Footage shows him comfortably sitting downs enjoying his coffee with a double bed snugly fitted at the back of the van.
Overhead there are cupboards for storage, both above the bed and where he is sitting.
His mug of coffee rests on a little table to his right with what could be described as the kitchen area at the opposite end to the bed.
The ‘kitchen’ consists of a cupboard for storage and above that some hobs for cooking.
While the bed is certainly squashed in, it does appear to be big enough to fit two people in quite comfortably and sprawl out.
The next day, the weather is much better as the sun is out and there’s barely any wind.
He said: “It’s a beautiful morning, you never know where you are day to with the weather.
“I don’t bother looking at the apps no more, I just wake up and if it’s sunny, it’s sunny if it’s raining it’s a miserable day. No point in stressing over anything.”
He continued: “Bed’s made every morning like clockwork.”
While the weather was good, it wasn’t quite good enough to get the solar panel out to store some electricity.
He said: “It’s not quite sunny enough to put the solar out, it’s just gaps in between the clouds here.”
As it was Friday, he said that his daughter was picking him up at midday as there was a few things he needed to do in Wrexham, so I might take her [his dog] for a walk round Wrexham and get some dinner.
He also teased what he called a “massive game changer” after a company got in touch.
He said: “I can’t say what it is yet because I haven’t tested it yet but it’s going to be a massive game changer not just for me but for anybody living in a van or that goes out in a van.”
What are the rules on living in a van?
Living in a van is legal in the UK but there are certain rules you must follow.
You must have the legal right to live in the UK.
You need to ensure your car is road legal, taxed, and the MOT is up to date.
You can’t just park anywhere.
You can use apps like Park4Night and websites like Britstops to show where you can park for free in the UK.
You can also consult The Highway Code guide for where you can park.
Parking rules differ between local governments.
In Scotland you can park anywhere on public land free of change but in Cumbria, for example, there is a ban on wild camping.
No laws explicitly prohibit van dwellers from parking on the street, but you also don’t have the ‘right’ to park here.
From April 2022 wild camping was prohibited everywhere in UK if you don’t have the landowner’s permission.
He said he wanted to test it out first though and promised he wasn’t just saying that for clicks.
After going to meet his daughter in his van, he then parks up somewhere else.
He said: “You can’t beat parking on the side of a road. Got my own bin and there’s a seat there should I need to sit out.”
He’d got himself a pizza for his dinner and was going to cook it in his van.
After unwrapping it and taking off some of the chillies, he folds it in half and sticks it between the plates of a grill and puts it over the hobs.
A few minutes later and his dinner is cooked.
Elsewhere, a couple has revealed how much it costs for them to live in a van a month – and it’s less than a grand.
Another van lifer has weighed up the pros and cons of life in a small, mobile space.
A woman has also revealed that she experienced hate for her van life but she’s “never looked back.”
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