WE LIVED IN A VAN FOR 3 YEARS - was it worth it?
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- Three Years of Van Life - What we've learned. There have been so many lessons over the last three years of living in a van - some simple and practical, others deep and life changing. In this episode we share some of our lessons and also answer some of your questions about what it's really like to live in a van full-time.
Thank you so much to our supporters on Patreon - you can join the community here: www.patreon.com/user?u=23150466
Want to know about our van build? Check out this post: bit.ly/3s7C6tJ
Please consider subscribing to our channel - we bring you travel guides and vanlife tips weekly with a peek into our lives on the road.
WHO ARE WE?
We are Nigel and Sue (NaS) Adventures, a couple of outdoor adventurers. We've been Overlanding Australia living in our self-converted 4x4 Sprinter van since January 2021. Join us as we visit the highlights, but also share some off the beaten path hidden gems, along with the day to day realities of living in a van.
Keep up to date with our adventures on instagram at / nas_adventures
Or Facebook / nigelandsueadventures
That intro gave me goosebumps! I'm about 10 months away from my 1st van build. Thanks for the inspo guys!
That is awesome! How exciting. Good luck with the build and I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we have!
We too have the stuffy van problem if it rains or we just need to be locked up (sprinter with only opening window in sliding door), and last October we installed a MaxxAir Deluxe remote control fan to replace the hatch above the bed in the rear. Totally Life Changing!!!!! It's the best investment ever! Even in the rain, it can stay on and works brilliantly and brings in (or takes out) fresh air & even when it was hot outside, the air coming in was cool. It's fabulous! Worth every cent. It also can remain open and working when you're driving, a real bonus! 😁
Hi guys ,congrats on three action packed years, we have enjoyed your travels.We had the issue of losing our site when we sightseeing so wo bought a cheap compact 2 man tent in order to reserve our site. We also use it to put our chairs and firewood out of weather,please consider
Thanks for the tip! What an awesome idea.
Happy 3rd Van Trans Day Nigel and Sue, what l love about your vlog is that you keep it simple, easy healthy meals, travel tips and you take us to places that most people will be able to get to! Covid changed many of our lives, but the one thing it taught me was you don't have to be married to your job. Work is a necessary evil that we over indulge in to afford expensive times off. LOL You have shown there's a better way, and unfortunately, most of us realise this too late in life! Luckily enough on a pension you can travel, you can slow down, see the sights and it doesn't cost a fortune. Budgeting and living within your means becomes paramount and it teaches how wasteful we have been. Now 20L of water lasts a week and includes washing the body, dishes and clothes! 10L of drinking water is doable too as fruit has water, can food has water and grog has water 😂 so 10L of good drinking water is sufficient with the odd occasion of boiling river water. It's doable especially when you realise it's such a precious resource that for far too long has been abused and certainly taken for granted. When l add up the cost of all the times l went overseas l could have bought 2 vans lol and the trips were always far too rushed. Having been on the road now since June l find when l return to my sisters l become like a caged lion and can't wait to get back on the road. You certainly have inspired me to keep going. Thank you both for all that you do, the laughs, the his and lows, the mishaps and all. It's keeping it real. Cheers ❤
Cheers Lee, and I love your point about grog has water haha
Interesting video, thanks for sharing. You can definitely take a 2WD to Cape York.Gibb River Rd and the bungle bungles. With ground clearance, all terrain tyres, rear diff locker and not a long vehicle like yours, you're good to go, Toyota Hiace, that's the perfect home on wheels for Australia.
I've said it before - I find your travels inspirational. Keep on keeping on safely. I've just returned to Nelson Bay from 3 months housesitting in Whitsundays and Brisbane. I travel by car and have a 2 man tent for the journey. I find it liberating to be on the road. At 80 I say "never too old, go while you can". Regards Judy
That is awesome Judy, I hope we’re still travelling when we’re 80!
Great life lessons to really think about/take on board 😊
Van life is totally about slowing down and taking it all in.
Thanks🎉
absolutely. its so much more enjoyable when we can slow down.
We are loving all of your vlogs and this one is very interesting. We have found many of the things you talk about true for us as well, even though we aren’t full time on the road. I’d forgotten about your web page and all of the interesting stuff there, so will go back and explore more. I’m glad that going overseas you will still do van life. Happy Vaniversary from us as well.
Thank you so much! We really appreciate you checking out our website too. I’ll be updating that a lot more this month with some great Tasmania Travel Guides.
Very cool - loving your channel so far just subscribed 😁👋!
Well a guy thats well put together doesnt need much. A nice pair of jeans and teashirt and your good to go!😊
Your spot on about your purpose. You guys are the biggest inspiration in my vanlife journey.
I love you guys. I hope you never stop. 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks so much! #youaregoodenuff
I've just found this video first time i really enjoyed it you both are so beautiful bless you's ❤😊
Awwww thank you!!
Hi Sue and Nigel. Over the years you have both given us so much joy watching your channel, wish we could be travelling out there as well but we have kid’s commitments for the next five years but it gives us so many ideas where we will go . Just short travelling breaks for us atm . Thank you both so much .
Yes, we had to wait for the kids to be grown up too. Happily we’ve inspired both of them to travel too!
Awesome vid , Happy Vanniversary guys , thanks for sharing your experiences with us , look forward to your next video. Safe travels
Thank you Jeannie! We appreciate you watching.
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! Have a van just wanting to set it up with Solar and decent batteries. waiting for the money to come in. Working FIFO so will be adventuring out in the North west in my breaks. Once the Rental I am in is finished in Sept this year will be moving into my van
You can do it! We highly recommend Enerdrive for your solar/electrical setup. We’ve been super happy with ours. There’s a whole list of product recommendations on our website. Or send us a message!
I love your videos they've been so good for research for our lap
Thanks Kathleen! Glad you’ve enjoyed them. Don’t forget to check out our website too, our travel guides are written specifically for people doing the big lap.
Hi Nigel and Sue, I live in a three bedroom house with two kelpie dogs and amazing. You don’t use on the room in the house except the fill it up with crap Ebony and again I think it’ll be great to just minimalise everything you got , I lost a leg in a major truck accident in 2018, and the crap you keep is just ridiculous that’s why I always think living in a motorhome would be fantastic. You have to minimalise your life. Keep up the good work. Love the videos
thankyou for sharing , it has in fact motivated me to do something similar cheers , before i get too old , lol
You can do it! It’s the best lifestyle
Blink of an eye 3 years gone wowww hopefully another 3 years and more of you guys travelling
Thanks for the memories as they say 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Oh there will be at least another three!!
Great inffo .. we wanna take the big step and start travelling full time but.... as you may be able to see we have a RTT and the question off going sight-seeing when ya in a free camp good spot. some suggestions were get a cheap tent and set that up on the spot ya in and go sight-seeing and hopefully people would see the tent and realize the spot was taken ??
Thanks! Yeah that is a great suggestion with the little cheap tent, definitely a good idea!
Thank you for all the fantastic videos you've shared on your channel! My wife and I are currently preparing our van for an epic, long journey, and your content has been a goldmine of valuable information. We genuinely love your channel!
Wishing you a very happy 'Vaniversary' 🚐🎉
Thanks so much Norm, you and your wife will love travelling around the country. Check out this post if you need some Inspo for the van re-fit: nigelandsueadventures.com/van-conversion-product-list/
Awesome chat and info
Thanks Chris!
Safe travels and hope you continue with you videos of our great land.
We will! We’ve still got a few months to go till we finish the lap, so there’s lots more videos to come
All the best guys❤❤❤
Cheers Mr Hiss!!
21:29 Thanks guys. A good summary and as fellow 4WD RV’ers in your “age group” who have also worked online in the past as we travelled, I agree with your points. One major point I think you missed was the people you come across in your travels. I find they are more often more interesting than the place itself. Everyone has a story and we have made lifelong mates with some fellow travellers. Hope we see you camped up in Tassie in the near future.
Yes we totally missed that major point!! We have certainly met some excellent people!
Great vids. 👍👌
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.
happy 3 years ...thank you
Thank you too Cheryl, we appreciate you watching!
Happy Van-aversary 🎉❤
Hope i see you out there one day soon. Travel safe.
Us too! Make sure you come say HI
Really enjoying your Tasmanian travels! Very inspirational.
We are really enjoying Tasmania too! Will have another Tassie video for you next week
Love you guys love aus watch all your video,s 🇮🇪
Thanks for watching!
We found this vlog interesting, looking forward to hearing about your future travels. Thanks for sharing. 💛
Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully we get to meet you, hint hint!
@@nigelandsueadventures that would be great 👍 😉
@@nigelandsueadventures wow, thattt much - ohh, I think it is worth it....your re lucky bastards... and your marriage and eachothers bond. - can you write a book 📚 about those places and people you saw not necessa met....
What a great insight into your 3 years adventuring in your van! We’ve just started our own van travels and your insights absolutely resonate with us. Here’s to the next 3 and beyond 👍🏻
Oh that’s so exciting! Just around the UK or will you head over onto the continent?
Congratulations on three years on the road!!!! Thanks for sharing your amazing journey with us all 🙂 btw, I really liked the footage of you chatting while walking along the track, holding the selfie stick x
Yes we are living the new camera! Thanks so much for being on the journey with us, you are one of the OG!!
We Love you guys , Happy anniversary !!!
We are next ❤
Awwww thank you 🧡
Good video Sue and Nigel. Nice to have a chat. I've also have an explorer personality and look forward to going out there again soon... soon as the heat lets up in WA!!! 😅
Come to Tassie for the summer, it’s beautiful here!
Congratulations on a wonderful achievement!! 🎉 That was great to watch and get a review of your journey so far. You are both an inspiration and it's fantastic to be able to see so much of Australia through your eyes. With your window problem, if that's the only thing you'd change, that's pretty good. Plus, one day you can probably change out a couple of windows if you decide to do it. Or you could fit some pull out awnings. We have some of those on our motorhome, they are great for shade as well. I'm looking forward to your ongoing journey. You're doing a great job. 🤗❣
Thanks so much Lynne, we really appreciate your ongoing support. The windows is definitely something we will look into for the next van.
Best to you
Thank you Sue
Enjoyed that. Thanks for answering my questions.
BTW we've just been as far south as you can drive in Tassie - Cockle Creek, where the keen bushwalkers set off for 8 days in the wilderness. It's not that far south really. Check out Hastings Caves too - join the guided tour.
Happy travels.
We went to Cockle Creek too, but sadly the weather wasn't great while we were there. Just up enjoying the Bay of Fires now.
Happy 3rd vanaversay..you have inspired me..have done my first trip to melb & back (from Adelaide) 10 hrs straight over but two days on way back..next big to my sister’s just out of Penong 🤞🏄♀️..keep up the good work kids😉
Deb that makes me so happy to read that! It will keep getting easier. Good on you
Great video very informative , got the mind working , cheers Pete
Glad you enjoyed it Pete, hope you are travelling well.
@@nigelandsueadventures All good here thanks , selling our Caravan at the moment , then looking at upsizing the van is the next project latter this year .
Useless Loop is north West of Kalbarri National Park. Dirk Hartog Island is a part of it. Monkey Mia is also there. There are ferries granting access to the islands.
Oh we went up there a little ways, to shell beach and Denman. I think the video is called Disaster on Pizza Night
Hi I love were your keeping your hat's 😮 from the UK 🤠
It’s so good to have them off the dash and out of the way. We are looking forward to being back in the UK this summer
I love your journey
Thanks!! Are you still at Cicada Lodge? We still talk about that beautiful meal and service there.
@@nigelandsueadventures no, I left there in Sep 23 and have been working at Kings Canyon since then 😊
Hey guys. I'm doing my second lap this year, with no return dates to be in Melbourne. Loving van life.
Isn’t it the best? I think we follow you in Insta!
You two have become my favorite Aussie RV/camping channel on CZcams! Very interesting content without a lot of fluff. It's remarkable to me how your van build is so perfectly suited to your travel style, when the only thing you'd do differently is the windows LOL. And God bless you with that fuel economy! I'm towing a large travel trailer and using 2X the fuel you do. Funny you mentioned Broome. I have some old Dometic refrigerator coolers that tend to break handles and lid latches. I often save money by ordering parts from Australia or NZ. My last order came from Broome of all places. An internet pal in Perth found that amusing as he described it as a "tired resort area in the middle of nowhere." From your description it may be even less than that LOL. I love your content and look forward to new videos each weekend.
That's so funny, I can't imagine what store in Broome would send them. Are you in the USA? And thank you so much for watching and your kind comment. Hope you enjoy the Tasmania content coming up
@@nigelandsueadventures Yes, I'm in the southeast US near Atlanta. The cooler parts caper has become a personal epic tale. In North America, you can only order Dometic/Waeco repair parts directly from them (not available from retailers), and they tend to only offer complete assemblies. Example: instead of buying a $10 lid latch, I have to order the complete lid assembly for $110, plus shipping of course. Looking for alternatives, I found out buyers in your region have no such restrictions. You can buy repair parts at any local retailer, and most carry a decent assortment in stock. However, nearly zero will ship international. First time I was able to employ a friend of a friend, who lived in Auckland, to purchase what I needed locally and ship it. He's since moved to the US, so no longer an option. The place in Broome (AllVolts Power Solutions) turned up in a Google search last time, and happened to also offer international shipping. They shipped promptly, and the items arrived in about two weeks. Not bad for a 17,000 km journey. Curious, I checked out their street address on Google street view. It's a small workshop, that seemed to mostly sell batteries and accessories for off-road and camping. Good news! I looked them up and they're still there, and have more handles and latches in stock! Cost is still less than half if I ordered from the NA distributor, even after international air and import duty. If you ever need a portable fridge or repair parts, and happen to be passing near Broome, I highly recommend them! 😃
Welcome to TAS at last, about time you got here, not sure why u left it so long..😂😂😂😂😂. This is Nigel from TAS… enjoy your weekly videos & chats…. Im off on my trip later this year, so it nice to hear all your comments & suggestions…. When r u getting to the southern part of TAS?… keep safe & keep up all the good work.. Has Nigel’s diving improved at all😅😅😅😅…
Something about leaving the best till last!! We are absolutely loving Tassie , and yep we’ve been to the south, will show those areas in upcoming videos. Thanks so much for watching!
A slight difference to what you said.
“You die once but live every day.”
Yes that is so true too and a great perspective
Do you plan to explore the region in and around Useless Loop?
Never heard of it! Where is that?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
thanks!!
I thought I heard/read that you were thinking of selling the van at some point. Is that still a plan?
Yep! The van will be for sale in April.
Will that be the end of your travelling or will you upgrading to a bigger van!
Sad to see you allowed to drive on the beaches,,, so much damage to sea life
It's been banned in South Africa for many, many years
Only a few beaches, and definitely none that have turtle nests etc. Also the coastline of Australia is huge, probably about the same as the entire eastern side of the African continent, so we can spare a few compacted areas.