After years of living and working on the road, I've narrowed down a list of essentials that make life that much easier while travelling around. Vanlife isn't as idealistic as it's made out to be, but after a while, you find your groove.
Everyone's is different, but I thought I'd share some about what makes life on the road that much easier and dreamier for me:
See below my tips for parkups, showering, washing clothes & more!
Park4Night This is a must have app for finding park ups! The map allows you to search anywhere in the world, with detailed reviews and information about each parkups - such as if there is a height barrier, if people have been moved on in the night, if you have to pay, if it's noisy etc. You can use the filter feature for services such as a water tap, toilets, waste disposal etc. If you have a van this is a MUST when travelling around, particularly if you don't know the area.
Libraries As a working gal on the road, access to libraries is so important! Plus, they're totally free to use! It's a place to get my head stuck into work, be productive, use free wifi, charge all the electronics I own, borrow books and get time out of the van (plus access to toilets is always invaluable). Libraries are one of my favourite vanlife hacks!
Revolution Washing Stations Obviously washing clothes is impossible in the van, and laundrettes are few and far between these days (plus I think pretty expensive). Revolution washing machines are affordable, available to use 24/7 and dotted all over the place! Check our their locations on their website - Ireland locations - It's usually around 20€ to do a huge 18kg wash and dry, and takes about 2 hours.
There's a bunch of options for power in the van, leisure batteries being the most common. But if like me you're terrified of anything too technical, big power stations are great. I bought my Jackery over 5 years ago now and it's been flawless ever since! I charge it up in the library or if I have any access to mains, plus you can get a car attachment so you can charge it while driving. I have the smallest one available and from full, it charges my laptop 1.5 times, my phone around 20 times and my iPad about 10 times. There's a load of options on the market, I'm sure all highly useful!
Leisure Centres
Showering is one of the biggest vanlife struggles and unfortunately there's no way around it. During the nice weather a good wash in a lake or river is always pretty dreamy, but a warm shower is also necessary. Leisure centres, or even hotel leisure facilities, allow you to go use the sauna and shower for anything between 5-8€, depending on which one you use. I've found you're never usually more than 20mins away from a leisure centre. Plus, a nice swim, sauna, hot shower and getting ready in the changing rooms got you feeling like a new woman!
ShowerPlus Speaking of showers, the ShowerPlus is an amazing resource for finding showers throughout Ireland! They feature facilities such as service stations (see below), leisure centres (see above), outdoor showers (if you're brave), hotel facilities (if you're fancy) and caravan sites that allow you to pay to use their showers.
Service Stations
I've only recently learned to use service stations to their full capacity. Many service stations have the usual things like toilets and bins. But many also have showers (there for lorry men but available for anyone), washing machines (Revolution ones) and a hoover (attached to the air and water machine)! Obviously some are nicer than others, but some are pretty snazzy (shout out to the Wicklow Service Station - like showering in luxury)!
I hope this is helpful!
Comentários