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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

van life essentails

    a van life van sitting by a view

    Van Life Essentials List | What We Can’t Live Without

    by Nick & Raychel November 3, 2021

    This year, we packed up our stuff and moved into a retired ambulance to live the van life full-time. Ditching the mortgage and moving into a van seems to be becoming more and more common as time goes on, and we’re so happy we chose this lifestyle. Below, we’re sharing our list of van life essentials: some unique items & buildout ideas that have allowed us to live this lifestyle with ease and freedom.

    You could also find this essentials list on our YT channel 

    Battery Powered Clip Lights

    Although we have 3000w of solar energy, two auxiliary batteries and a 650w inverter in our van, we’re always looking at ways to save power.

    We love these battery powered clip lights because we don’t have to turn our overhead lights on first thing in the morning, or if one of us stays up later than the other to read or work. They’re great because you can clip them almost anywhere in the van – so trust us when we say, they are totally worth the tiny investment. 

    Wall Grid + Attachments

    Originally we worked this wall panel into our build using it for purely aesthetic purposes, meanwhile we had the feeling that it would probably come in handy in the future. It turns out that we were right, and that’s why it made our van life essentials list.

    Now, it has become a pleasing way to store our go-to items, like baby wipes, chargers, my journal, CBD oil, whatever! When you live in a tiny home on wheels, every little inch of storage is useful.

    Hooks + Umbrella Stand

    Living in a van through Canadian winters means layering up. Specifically, living in a van through a Vancouver winter means layering up and keeping dry. It was a last minute decision for us to add hooks to our build, and we even incorporated an umbrella stand. Coat racks or options are seldom talked about, so we’re happy that the light bulb went off before we drove away from the shop – the hooks have been such a godsend that we’re considering adding more.

    Shoe Rack

    Ditto to basically everything I mentioned just above here. Seldom talked about, hella useful. We adore our little plywood shoe rack and can’t imagine living without it – I guess that would complete the definition of a perfect “van life essentials” item.

    Toilet + Emergency Pee Bottle

    You heard that right. We could not make a Van Life Essentials list without including our beloved Dometic portapotty + emergency road trip urinal. There are so one too many van builds where there are absolutely no bathroom options and we cannot imagine a life without our backup options – especially this year, a time when many public bathrooms are closed. 

    We considered a composting toilet given our budget, decided to settle for our portapotty, which has done the trick. In addition to that, we also bought a bottle for when we’re (Nick) is in an emergency pinch.

    A Carpet

    This carpet was, strangely enough, one of our first purchases when building our DIY tiny home on wheels. While cruising Amazon, we bought it without measuring the dimensions and it ended up fitting perfectly when we finished our build. Talk about serendipitous! 

    Aside from it’s beauty, the main reason we love this carpet is because it keeps our feet warm in the mornings and it makes the whole van really feel like home.

    Plastic Mason Jars

    If you’ve seen a lot of van builds, you’ve probably seen hanging mason jars in some vandwellers’ tiny kitchens. We had the perfect amount of space to add some at the end of our build, and we’re so happy we did! It’s as simple as emptying the contents of our bulk foods/coffee/cereal into them and ditching the packaging. They are such a space saver!

    Our favourite part about these ones is that they’re plastic! So if something were to ever go wrong, we know they aren’t going to smash and break our induction stove sitting right underneath them.

    Baby Wipes

    Most full time vanlifers mention them because most vanlifers love them. Sometimes you can’t find a shower, ‘nuff said.

    French Press

    Having a good cup of coffee is definitely a van life essential for us, or, you know, just an essential in general. Coffee is a MUST and using a french press in the van is just so easy.

    Counter Space

    Because of the structure of our retired ambulance, we have a big ol’ electrical box that pokes into the drivers side of our van. This forced us to build an L-shaped countertop, which I’m not sure we would have done otherwise. It turns out this fluke ended up being the best thing to happen to us, because we have so much counter space!

    The thing is, we are even finding ways to build more. So if you’re like us and you love to cook, consider your counter space + double it in your build. That’s just our advice.

    Propane Heater 

    Remember when we told you that we live in Canada? Yeah. The winters get very cold. That’s why our Little Buddy heater made this list. These propane heaters work well and have an automatic safety shut off for safe use. So in addition to our wool blankets, slippers and big comfy sweaters, this heater is definitely a beloved item.

    Plastic Wine Glasses

    Ok, maybe drinking wine isn’t essential – but we’re going to do it anyway, and we didn’t want any glass breaking all over our tiny little off-roadin’ space. Basically, we love anything unbreakable, but these take the cake.

    ___

    What about you? What are your non-negotiable van life items? Let us know in the comments!

    We talked about the items in the van – let’s talk about items in our lives! Find this article here on things we find worth buying as minimalist nomads. 


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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • This summer has been filled with a lot of hard work so we can continue the adventure.

Working odd jobs and picking up work that we aren’t necessarily *passionate* about (sorry to break it to you, Santa, I didn’t love being a Christmas elf at the mall during the holidays) isn’t always easy.

Working hours at the office, doing data entry, reception, and cleaning out the fridge every Friday isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Nick doesn’t love driving a truck for 11 hours a day, or getting home at 1am. 

But we are committed to the cycle, we are passionate about alternative living, and we want to see the world.

We don’t work hard so that we can have a margarita at the beach (although that’s fun too), we work hard so that we can experience different cultures, try different cuisines, learn about different climates, connect, and grow as people.

Travel to us is more than bright blue waters and aesthetic IG photos, it’s about the experience, and we can’t wait to see more.

__

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vanlifevirals #vanlifeideas #vandwelling

++ Keywords: van living, van dwelling, van life build, campervan build, van life road trip, budget travel
  • Yeah, the first ever “odd job” I took in order to afford travel was as a Christmas Elf at the mall.

I worked this job on top of my regular 9-5 so that I could afford to pay off my existing credit card debt and move to Cambodia. It was my first step away from the ‘big girl jobs’ I was used to working, but I had a dream to live abroad and a bank account that didn’t match, so I had to do something about it.

The next few jobs I’ve done either part or full time over the years.

💻 REV: I’ve worked as a transcriber on Rev for a few years now. The pay isn’t great, but I’m a super fast typist (80 wpm who!?) so I figured it could be a way to pass the time & earn extra income.

🐶 Rover: This summer, we’ve ventured into caring for dogs on Rover. While we can’t do this in our van, we are currently staying with my brother and between all of us, there’s always a dog here. If I had learned about Rover prior to moving out of our apartment, I would have definitely offered my services years ago.

👩‍🏫 Teaching English online: Many people know that we taught English overseas - but only long-time followers of the YouTube channel would know that teaching ESL was my job beyond that. Unfortunately there were major pay cuts within the company that I worked for (PalFish) so I quit, but I still teach on Cambly and Outschool (more on that in part 2).

We don’t have a lot of money but we have expensive dreams, so we’ll do anything to make it work. What odd jobs have you done to earn some extra cash?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouple #vanlifecouples#tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vanlifemovement #vanbuildout #vandwelling #vanlifediaries  #vanlifemovement #vanlifeexplorers #traveljobs #vanlifejobs #workontheroad #digitalnomad #budgettravel 

++ Keywords: van life tips, travel tips, van life travel, van life youtube
  • Anyone who knows our story knows that we have been working throughout our entire travels. Seasonal / temporary work has afforded us a lifestyle filled with travel and adventure. ✈️

We have explored temp agencies, Craigslist ads, used websites like Airtasker (Australia) and Kijiji to find our temporary/seasonal jobs. But in the US specifically, there are some websites designed specifically for this type of work. 🌲

Here are 3 websites designed for seasonal work (mostly U.S. based):
1. Vagajobs: a resource for seasonal & year-round work with a heavy focus on travel/adventure jobs. Some jobs posted on Vagajobs include staff housing.
2. CoolWorks: job opportunities in great places - from national parks to ski resorts, summer camps, to national parks. Some jobs posted on CoolWorks include staff housing.
3. Occupation Wild: job board for the outdoor / adventure and travel industry. Hiring all sorts of positions at ranches, camps, resorts, conservation areas and national parks. 

Outside of the U.S.? Same (kinda). Our main go-to in Canada is Indeed (search by job type & select contract / seasonal)

Do you have any seasonal job boards to add to the list?
Drop ‘em here. ⬇️

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

—

Tags: #notluxe  #vanlife #vanlifeshot #vanlifemovement #vanlifereality #campervan #camper #vanlifegirl #tinyliving #vanconversion #vanconversionideas #vanbuild #camperlife #homeonwheels #vanlifers #vanlifecouple #travelcouple  #traveljobs #vanlifejobs #lifeontheroad #roadtrippin #vandwellers

++ Keywords: van life, van life virals, camping lifestyle, outdoorsy,  travel, travel jobs @vagajobs @coolworksjobs @occupation_wild
  • If you’re in Ontario, you don’t want to miss this next year ✨ 

This was our first time visit the Hamilton night market and it was so worth the visit. Come along with us! @hhnightmarket 

Have you tried stinky tofu? ⬇️ 

—

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #gapyear #travelgirls #travelgirlsgo #girlslovetravel #travelgram #getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #veganfoodie #hamont #hamiltonnightmarket #foodbloggers
  • Shoutout to anyone who does these tiny (or big) builds on your own 🤦🏼‍♀️

We all have different strengths, right?… 

What’s your most dreaded part of DIY? ⬇️ 
_

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time tiny living & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe #nickandraychel #adventureawaits #vanlifediaries #vanlifecouple #diycouple #travelcouple #tinyhomebuild #tinyhomes #travelblogger #diyblogger #diy #homebuild #renovations #tinyliving
  • Saying goodbye is the hardest part about travelling.

We have said dozens and dozens of goodbyes throughout our 20s. We have met countless new faces, made a ton of connections, and have shed a lot of goodbye tears.

Even a visit ‘home’ comes with the looming feeling of saying goodbye again.

We wish we could take everyone we love and put them in our pocket.
But we know that everybody has a different dream, a different life. 

When we take our next flight or fill up the gas tank to our next stop on the road, they go off on to see the world for themselves, to raise their families, to chase their career goals, love lives, or whatever else.

And we are so stoked to be able to stay in touch online.
But it’s definitely the hardest part of living nomadically.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 
__

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vanlifevirals #vanlifeideas #vandwelling

++ Keywords: van living, van dwelling, van life build, campervan build, van life road trip, budget travel
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