When my husband and I decided to retire, we devised a plan. We wanted to rent out our home in California and visit the UNESCO World Heritage city of Guanajuato.
I spent 2 months renovating my van for $12,500. Here are 10 of my biggest regrets.
03.08.2024 - 12:00 / insider.com
When 2020 hit with all of its uncertainties, I knew there was no better time to start van life.
I was working remotely, so I retreated to my childhood home in Ohio and spent two months and $12,500 turning a 2012 Ford Transit Connect into what I fondly call my micro-cabin on wheels.
There are lots of things I'm proud of, but since hitting the road, I've learned a lot about what I should and shouldn't do for my next build.
Here are my biggest regrets from the renovation process.
Most mornings, I worked on the van from 7 or 8 a.m. until I started work at 12 p.m. Then I got back to it at 8 or 9 p.m. and worked into the early hours of the next day.
This allowed me to keep my full-time, remote job at an LA-based startup while making progress on my build.
I was able to hit the road quickly, but the schedule was aggressive, and the burnout was real.
There were moments I was bent over a jigsaw in tears from exhaustion and frustration and others when I made stupid mistakes because I was in a hurry to finish before work.
There are a couple of vehicle models that are almost ubiquitous with the van-life lifestyle: the Mercedes Sprinter, the RAM Promaster, and the Ford Transit.
They're long, tall, and allow for building out extra elements like showers and kitchens. They also cost about three to four times my total budget before renovations.
I wanted to hit the road as soon as possible while keeping costs low, so I went with a smaller van.
But when I start planning for my next build, I'll go with something that allows me to comfortably host my partner, friend, and pups and has extra room for bikes and climbing gear.
On the weekends, I frequently worked for eight hours straight in the snow and cold, and Ohio winters don't mess around.
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A trusty pair of insulated Carhartt coveralls became my best friend, but I'll never recommend a winter build.
Glue doesn't stick when it's 9 degrees, wet paint doesn't always dry in the right finish or color when it's too cold, and trying to do any work that requires fine motor skills in gloves is a major morale buster.
When I went home to Ohio, I planned on finding a van, converting it, and driving back to California within two or three months. But I quickly learned that securing out-of-state registration and getting my van from point A to point B without incurring massive fines wasn't easy.
I knew buying the van in rural Ohio would save me money, but it didn't occur to me that the logistics of building and taking my first trip would be inhibited by registration details.
The timeline of the long, leisurely trip I'd imagined was suddenly based around when my temporary tags expired.
I knew my small van was going to fall short of the glitzy "apartments on wheels" all
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