{"id":3175,"date":"2025-06-23T17:30:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T17:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.startswithabrew.co.uk\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2025-06-24T20:36:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T20:36:43","slug":"van-tastic-office-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startswithabrew.co.uk\/?p=3175","title":{"rendered":"Van-tastic Office Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Van-Tastic Office Van Life<\/b><\/h2>

They say most people who want a divorce have been thinking about it for over a year before actually doing it. I\u2019d be interested to see what the stats are for considering a camper van because for us it was three whole years of overthinking. It was eventually ended by one spontaneous, impulsive phone call whilst at the side of Coniston Water! We cannot be the only ones who took far too long before taking the plunge.<\/p>

Anyway!<\/em><\/p>

We bought ourselves a van, it very much should be called that rather than camper van as it certainly isn\u2019t one of those\u2026yet. The van we have bought is a 7 seater 2020 VW Caddy Max. Whilst stood by the shores of Coniston Water, watching our children paddle away into the distance on a paddle board, hoping we\u2019d taught them how to turn around correctly, we finally got in touch with the seller. Yes, seeing other people in their camper vans made us jealous and question our very purpose in life. The next thing we knew, we were driving all the way to Wakefield to test drive the van. Deposit down, it was ours.<\/p>

Camper Van Decisions<\/h3>

The decision to buy a van wouldn\u2019t have taken so long had we not needed it to achieve so many different functions. At least that is what we keep telling ourselves. The van needed to be small enough to be a day to day car, large enough to be a working office for me, and spacious enough to be a camper for holiday adventures.<\/p>

Ones that met the latter were far too large for the former, and at every step it felt as though compromises would have to be made. And really expensive compromises at that. A lot of money for something that was never quite right.<\/p>

One day we chanced upon a VM Caddy Max and our eyes were opened to the potential. A VM Caddy Max was just the right size for a day to day, just about enough room for a functional office, and with the right modular adaptations it could comfortably make a cosy, compact micro camper.<\/p>

Not another Camper Van Blog!<\/h3>

I know, there\u2019s plenty out there, however in my research for how to use this micro space as an office I drew digital blanks. Yet people seemed amazed and interested in what we\u2019re venturing to do. It struck me that maybe our journey to discover how to make this into a functional work space could actually be helpful. And if not helpful, it will be rather amusing to watch us bumble through it in our typical, haphazard, make do and mend manner.<\/p>

The reason I\u2019m pushing for this van office is because I mostly work from home and, quite frankly, working from home is very lonely. PLUS there\u2019s all the distracting housework. Working from home also takes me away from the hustle and bustle of life, I love to see life existing, and although I can work from my garden, I felt trapped in the house. Over the past two years I have also discovered that I work much better when surrounded by nature, I have tried many ways to accomplish this, and I have found solutions, however the northern weather isn\u2019t kind. Many attempts have been completely rained off for weeks. I craved a way to be there no matter the weather.<\/p>

The Vision<\/h3>

I have one goal, one vision that I\u2019d like to turn into a reality. Once I\u2019ve achieved this I know my office van is complete and the world is my mobile office oyster.<\/p>

There is a car park next to Ullswater, all there is around it is the lake, fields and mountains. It is peaceful, it is stunning. The shore of the Ullswater lies opposite the car park and is a calm spot for people to swim. My aim is to drive up to that car park, work for the morning and then on my lunch break take a swim. After I\u2019ve dried off I can continue working in the van for the afternoon before taking myself home.<\/p>

It requires full internet, toilet and brew making facilities in place. PLUS curtains and privacy to change. Travel with me via this blog as I reach this glorious destination.<\/p>

Initial Steps to a Camper Van Office<\/h3>

They say you should live in a space before you change anything, so that is exactly what I have been doing. Before we bought anything I took the van up to a lay-by spot with a beautiful view that was only five minutes away from my house and worked from it. With the middle seats down, I sat on the back two, placed the laptop on my leg, and slid the doors wide open to admire the view, and work of course.<\/p>

The result? A back that was on fire. A burning, inflamed back that screamed WHAT DID YOU JUST DO? Lesson learnt.<\/p>

The first purchases I consequently made were back support and a collapsable table. The back support was actually well over due at home too, sitting on the dining room chairs wasn\u2019t doing me any good for long writing days. Now I have it for the van my home back life has improved too.<\/p>

With the support and table in place I found myself working comfortably. The great thing about the table is that it has adjustable legs. This is brilliant for a day when the view was best from out of the back of the van. I placed my support on the floor, had the table on the lowest legs, and shielded from the sun by the door I comfortably sat listening to the crickets, drinking in the view and worked away.<\/p>

As many of the locations I\u2019ve been visiting don\u2019t have access to a loo, I purchased a whizzer. The main driver for this particular purchase, aside from allowing me a comfort break when needed, was because it glowed in the dark! I have yet to see it in action, and I cannot wait!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Next Steps to a Camper Van Office<\/h3>

Whizzer<\/h5>

Slight issue on the whizzer front\u2026the windows. The back ones are all tinted, but the front ones aren\u2019t. And no matter how gracefully I present myself to the whizzer, there isn\u2019t a way I can complete the task needed without revealing myself to passers by. The next item on the list is to find suitable curtains.<\/p>

Lights<\/h5>

Even on a sunny day, if I sit within the van itself it is quite dark and gloomy. We\u2019ve decided not to adapt the top of it to pop up because we feel that whilst we\u2019re a family of four we will need that space to hold a roof box. That means I feel the closeness of the roof upon me. Lights would help, however I\u2019m not sure what type of lights are needed. A few people have suggested LED strips. They are certainly a viable option, I\u2019m\u00a0 <\/span>just not entirely sure they\u2019re quite right. I am going to engage my creative brain to problem solve this one.<\/p>

Internet<\/h5>

This is the BIGGEST question out of everyone\u2019s lips. What do I do for the internet inside the van? At the moment I tether my phone to my computer, this works for the most part, especially because I currently only pick locations I know I have coverage.<\/p>

We explored satellite, but that is very, very, expensive and currently not worth it for the amount of time I\u2019d be using it. The other option, which I will be looking up soon, is getting a device that is on the other mobile network. That would actually allow me to access a majority of the country, including the target spot of that car park next to Ullswater.<\/p>

It is worth saying that even with the tether system I am limited, it is mobile data after all. I would not do a task that needed heavy internet work, such as website maintenance, using this system. It works great for research, social media updates, and low intensity internet tasks. It can be slower than if I was working from home or in an office, however I chose to work out and about because it slows me down. The internet taking a second or two longer to think simply allows me more opportunities to look up and take in the world I\u2019ve submerged myself into.<\/p>

If you are going to attempt a van office like this, I would highly recommend selecting the jobs you want to do from this space carefully. By doing this you\u2019ll be able to really maximise the benefits, and not painfully feel the negatives.<\/p>

Location<\/h5>

I hinted at the location in regard to the internet, this is currently a limiting factor, but hopefully one I can sort out soon. Location is where I drew the most digital blanks. I couldn\u2019t find ways to search for car parks, or lay-bys that had the views or peaceful connection to nature I was after. That means I need to do the research the hard\/most enjoyable way\u2026searching for them myself.<\/p>

One Reddit post did mention getting a map, locating the \u2018viewpoints\u2019 then using google maps to discover if there is any parking around there. I have bought maps, now I need to do the research.<\/p>

Currently I have:<\/p>