The Evolution of Van Life

The Evolution of Van Life

Where Van Life Has Been and Where Is It Going

The Big Lap

Van life is nothing new in Australia. The grey nomads have been living the good life on the road for decades! Often overseas backers have seen more of the Australian countryside than most of our younger demographic, post Gen X. It’s been a rite of passage for the younger Australian generations to do a Euro trip or a lap around the USA before they would think about the big Aussie lap.

Escaping the Rat Race

With the help of Covid, skyrocketing house prices and next to no wage growth, the tide has turned in the last two years. From the families who pulled their kids out of school to head off on the great Aussie adventure to couples living and working on the road, their Instagram feeds have never seen so much action! Some of the scenery around this great country just hits different when you’re on the road with your better half, family, or friends. Little getaways into nature can give you a reset and protect your mental health.

Time To Say Hello

Unlike the hustle and bustle of the 9-5; the school run, the sports run or the shopping run – the list goes on – van life is refreshingly different! Wherever you pull up, whether for a few days or a few months, you’ll meet some of the most down to earth people around – always coming and going and always with time to say hello. The conversation may start with “Been on the road long?” or “Where have you come from?”. These little greeting ice breakers may turn into a few good yarns shared around a campfire on a sand dune in outback QLD or watching a sunset over the ocean in Shark Bay WA. You’ll be sure to get some tips on “must see” locations you may not have even heard of or traps to watch out for — “Hey Robbo, make sure you fuel up at the roadhouse before the next town and not in town, that crook in there has his Diesel at $2.50!”

Caravan or RV?

There are so many different options for a home on wheels these days, from your standard Jayco caravan to a pimped out 1957 Kombi. Moreover, if you happened to own a Toyota troop carrier before Covid and wanted to sell during the height of the pandemic, you were looking at upwards of a 30% uptick in its value (AKA, the covid tax).

My advice if you’re looking to buy a secondhand home on wheels, especially an RV, is to always ensure that all the servicing and maintenance has occurred on time and the schedule is up to date. Maintenance on timing belts and chains is done between 90,000km – 150,000km depending on the make and model of the vehicle. When in doubt, take it to your mechanic to give it a good look over.

The Tech Side of Camping

Another development over the last few years has been the emergence of companies with internet platforms like Camplify.com.au and ShareaCamper.com.au in Australia, or Outdoorsy.com in the USA. These platforms are basically like Airbnb for camper vans, camper trailers and caravans, where owners of campers advertise their vehicle for hire through the platform. If you’re looking to rent a camper, simply type in your location, dates, berths required and whether you want an RV, trailer, or caravan and hey presto, up pops all the cool campers in your area available to hire.

I’ve been on both sides of these hiring platforms and all my experiences have been good thus far (touch wood). As an owner, you will meet the person hiring your van when they pick it up, and meet them again when they return. The whole experience is a lot more personal than picking up a van from any old van hire depot, which is nice. As a hirer, you can tell when meeting the owner that they care about their camper, and you feel somewhat privileged that someone is letting you rent their pride and joy for the weekend. Vans have their own unique character which reflects their owners love for van life.

If something does go pear shaped with the vehicle, and I’m sure they sometimes do, the platforms (I’m with Camplify) provide 24-hour roadside assist and insurance cover to pick up the pieces and get you going again. This is very comforting for the hirer and the owner.

Now that we’re moving around again post pandemic, will we see this van life trend gain momentum or plateau? Only time will tell, but whether you’re already on the road or thinking about a weekend away, van life is available to all now!