Van conversion allows couple to work and travel
AYOUNG couple spent nearly £10,000 renovating a van so they could work remotely while travelling the world.
Meera Bhardwaj-Patel, 25, and Will Brown, 24, graduated from university in 2021 and 2022 respectively, but neither was interested in a traditional 9-5 job.
Instead, they decided to gather all of their savings to buy a van and spent just over a year renovating the Mercedes Sprinter.
They set off on their travels in August and have so far visited 10 countries while working remotely. Will works part-time as an electrical engineer and Meera volunteers as a mental health support worker.
Meera, from Bristol, said: “We were both keen to go travelling after university but the idea to convert a van was mine.
“During lockdown I would literally sit with my flatmate every evening and binge-watch YouTube videos of van conversions.
“I even showed Will van conversion videos and joked about converting one on our first date. He must have thought I was crazy!”
Meera and Will bought a van for £7,000 and turned it into a fully functional home on wheels.
They added an off-grid electrical system, a shower and a solar panel to generate electricity.
Meera said: “We had no construction skills and limited money and lots went wrong along the way.
“The conversion itself was a tough but rewarding experience.
“Now that we’re finished, we can live cheaply and travel wherever we like and have made some amazing memories so far.”
The money they have both saved from previous work, plus Will’s current income is enough to sustain the couple on their travels.
They have everyday expenses like food and toiletries, but the thing that eats up the most of their funds is fuel.
Meera explained: “In the winter we do tend to have to stop at campsites about once a week to recharge our batteries which costs a fair bit.
“In summer this isn’t the case as our solar panel draws enough energy for us to work and live quite comfortably.”
The couple have managed to visit places such as Norway, Sweden, Amsterdam and Germany. er.They are now heading to Spain to hopefully catch some sunnier weath
As if renovating a van to live in wasn’t challenging enough, Meera and Will also decided to have a cat – Lola – to take along on their travels.
Meera said: “We had been looking into adopting a cat for a while. We both love cats and loved the idea of having a little companion to take on our travels.
“She’s allowed to roam freely in most places and she has a tracker on her collar just in case.
“We got her a pet travel certificate to get her over to France and then from there we could register her with the local vet to get her European passport.
“She’s technically a French cat now.”
Their life sounds idyllic but Meera acknowledges that there are definitely some negatives to “van life”.
She said: “Like with everything there are definitely negatives.
“While there are some amazing highs, it can feel quite draining moving around constantly and not really having a permanent ‘safe space’.
“Sometimes, we spend hours driving around in the dark trying to find an appropriate place to park.”