About 3 years ago I took an epic solo road trip from London all the way to, and around, Italy. I went for 3 weeks, spending the first 5 days driving down through France and the west coast of Italy until I reached Reggio Calabria. I spent just over a week there before making the return trip, up the east coast of Italy and through Switzerland, Belgium and France to get back to the UK. Most of the time it was just Lemon (my dog) and I, but I was lucky enough to have 2 friends come out and visit me separately in Calabria. It was honestly the trip of my life and I have never felt so free and happy as those three weeks.
Once I was home I decided that I needed to find a way to travel more, to bring that road trip freedom into my everyday life. In trying to decide how to do this I stumbled across a lot of van life videos and the nomadic lifestyle and wild camping really appealed to me.
Fast forward to 2024 and I have spent the last 2 years grafting to make enough money to buy myself a van to convert into my very own camper van! It’s been a real slog getting to this point and I’m sure my friends are sick of hearing about the camper van I’m going to have one day. BUT the start of that one day is finally here as I have officially bought a Mercedes minibus which is the perfect shell to build this dream. After a lot of research into panel vans, box vans and buses, I decided that I wanted to look for a Treka Bus. This is a Mercedes sprinter van that has been converted into a mobility minibus, usually used by local councils.
In May of this year I found a woman selling one in Leicester, that looked to be in good condition and was within my budget. Lemon and I went up to view it and fell in love right away (well maybe not Lemon). I was lucky enough to be able to make a deal with the seller to allow me to pay in several instalments over the summer and take possession in August. £5,500 later and she is all mine! Before I bring her home she needs a full service and a new MOT as she has been stored in a barn for the last 4 years. Hopefully this won’t take long as I’m dying to start the conversion work.
I will admit that I have never done anything like this before. I know almost nothing about cars/vans/busses, my diy skills are basic and I have no experience with electrical, plumbing or furniture making. I have watched about a million hours of YouTube videos, done a lot of research and am going into this with an, ignorance is bliss, and, that it will all be a learning experience, kind of attitude. Wish me luck!
Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts as I take you through this conversion journey.
Live Wild and Free 