Time for a change
Back in 2018, when Essex-based Oli and Emily Arnold decided to take on a van conversion project so they could tour Europe, little did they know that they had started on a journey that would result in new careers and a brand-new business for both of them.
At the time, Oli had been looking at a change from his career in the military, and a friend who was taking on a similar project recommended a van conversion.
Emily says: “When he left the Forces, Oli had some resettlement time and in that time, he built us a ’van. We took it through France and Italy and back through Switzerland, and it was amazing. We realised there was this whole world of people travelling and living in ’vans that we had no idea about - and it opened up a freedom we weren’t aware of before.”
Highlights included a stay at Lake Como, in Italy. “There was a piece of land that was like a spit, jutting out into the lake, where we parked for the night with water on both sides – it was amazing.”
The vehicle in question was a Citroën Relay, which they converted and named Archie. Having already taken some courses in construction and electrics on leaving the military, Oli fitted out the ’van with a solar panel, a shower room, heating, hot water, an oven, a fixed bed and a large garage below.
“Oli really enjoyed the project side of it,” says Emily. “And while we were travelling, we decided to set up an Instagram account and started posting about what we were doing and where we were going.”
Those posts ultimately led to the genesis of the couple’s new business venture, because they were approached to do van conversions for other people. Initially, this was for a distant friend of Oli’s family, and then they received an approach directly through Instagram. Emily left her career in medicine to join
Oli in the business and the couple started Vanlife Conversions in July 2019.
The company specialises in creating premium contemporary van conversions. The business also offers vans for hire. Oli is responsible for the builds, while Emily liaises with customers and heads up the marketing, admin and business operations.
Emily says: “We specialise in three types of van – Citroën Relay, Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato: large panel vans that we turn into large campervans. They are high-spec, off-grid, and all with showers, hot water boilers and solar panels.”
Plans are for the business to grow and they hope to double the number of conversions they carry out in a year, from 12 to 24. Each conversion takes about three months and has handmade, bespoke features. Customers can select their layout and have a choice of wood finishes and colour schemes.
And what does the future hold for the couple? “A few of our customers are planning to ship their ’vans to America, and I’d love to do that one day,” says Emily. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a ’van ourselves at the moment – all our effort has gone into customer vehicles – but we do have some festivals planned. We feel lucky to be part of the #vanlife community – people want to help each other, there’s so much information out there and a lot of festivals – it’s nice to be part of a group of likeminded people.”
■ You can learn more about Vanlife Conversions by visiting vanlifeconversions.co.uk