Living on the go can be an exciting adventure. Every day brings new possibilities, new views, and new experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. For those that are jumping on the van life trend or looking to expand their camping capabilities, making your van feel like a cozy home is an important part of the process. Like any hobby, it only takes a little to get started but can take a lifetime to perfect. Making a van into a comfortable mobile home takes time, research, and trial and error to find the perfect balance of outdoor freedom and home comforts.
There are some comforts we don’t need, surely, but there are some that are necessary to our mental health so we can sustain the lifestyle we desire to live. For those embarking on journeys in their sprinter vans this year, check out these tips on making your van feel more like home.
Add the Comforts of Home
Home comforts can mean a lot of different things for different people. For some it may mean bringing mementos for comfort, and for some it means more physical comforts like blankets or cozy decorations. To get you started, here are some sprinter van accessories that might fill the void of home while on the road on your next adventure.
Smells
One of the biggest ties to memory we have is our sense of smell. It might be surprising to hear this, but scents that we associate with our home or loved ones can do a great deal to make us feel at home in unfamiliar places. Oil diffusers and spritzers are a great way to give your van a homey and fresh smell. It’s also important to keep your van clean. It’s easy for small spaces to get musty and lose their freshness when you’re spending a good deal of your time in the space. Bring some smells from home to help your van become more comfortable.
Mattress
A soft, fitted mattress for the back of your van is an absolute must before embarking on any journey. The simple reality is that sleeping on the ground gets old, and sleeping in your van without any bedding or insulation is quite dangerous. Having a mattress is a great starting point for not only comfort, but safety against the potential elements.
Cabinets
For all of your essential gear, clothing, food, and equipment, you’ll likely need a fair amount of storage on board to accommodate all these items. Thankfully, there are prefab cabinets that can be purchased for easy installation in a sprinter van. These cabinets come in various sizes and shapes, so find the one that fits yours the best. Storage is essential for being prepared out there on the road.
Decorations
For a truly homey feeling, your van is going to need the charm that comes with a well kept home. Decorations, knick knacks, pictures, trinkets, and posters are all examples of things we might don our homes with to help it feel more like ours. This is especially important for travelers who find themselves making their own home each night. Grab some things that you know you’ll love to look at when you’re relaxing in your camper at the end of a long day of travel.
Air Cooler
Out on the road, you’re going to be facing the raw elements. That means extreme cold, and extreme heat on occasion. When you run into these situations, it can be life threatening to not have proper tools to heat yourself up or cool yourself down. Air coolers are a great solution for dealing with heat on the road, and are easy to operate. They simply take water or ice to blast cooler air through a standard fan which can make your environment much more bearable when the sun is beating down. Arm your van with an air cooler to make it more comfortable and homey.
Conclusion
Van life is all the rage these days and it seems like more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon, or ‘vanwagon’ if you will. And while it seems like an exciting adventure, it also takes quite a bit of preparation and critical thought to predict what might go wrong on the road and what kinds of home comforts you’ll want along the way. It’s a game of trial and error, and perfecting a mobile home can take years. To get started, make sure you have the proper accessories for sleep and storage to make sure you can bring all the necessary equipment with you. From there, you can explore the exciting options for decking out your van and getting out there on the road to enjoy the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells that you just don’t get at home.
