Have you ever thought of turning your life into a long roadtrip? This fascinating book may be the inspiration you need.
Alex Waite’s VanLifers, Beautiful Conversions for Living on the Road (published at The History Press) showcases 18 incredible vehicle rebuilds as well as the fascinating stories behind them. Readers will meet a family that transformed a red firetruck into a home on wheels, and a couple that gutted an ambulance out of service to make it their dream camper.
In the introduction to the book, Waite writes: ‘Whether you are converting your own vehicle, thinking about doing so in the future or just enjoy imagining a life on the road, their tales and advice are sure to inspire you – they have definitely inspired me.’ Scroll down to see the ‘beautiful & innovative converted cars’ that are featured in the book.
Going Boundless

Robbie and Priscilla converted a school bus into a home, pictured here. It is designed to look like a tiny house’.

Pictured are Robbie and Priscilla next to their school bus, which cost around £72,925 ($100,000) to convert
Floridian couple Robbie and Priscilla have turned a school bus into ‘a tiny house’ – complete with a real front door, Waite reveals, spending close to £72,925 ($100,000) in total.
We learn that Priscilla was the interior designer and Robbie did the construction. Waite is told by the couple: ‘We saved a lot doing the work ourselves. It would have been much more expensive to hire a company to construct it, and it might have not turned out the way we wanted.
What’s inside? You will find a wood-burning stove, a brick wall, quartz countertops, and a glass shower enclosure.
The couple tell Waite that along with their pet cat Mr Beebles, they’ve travelled North America on the bus, listing Savannah, Boston and Acadia National Park in Maine as some of their favourite places to explore, as well as the Nova Scotia village of Cheticamp and Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Canada.
Camper Dreamin’

Laurie and Izzy describe their converted van, Grizzly, as their very own cosy cabin on wheels’.


Laurie is pictured in the van prior to the conversion. ‘Practicality and storage would always have priority in [the] design,’ it’s revealed. You can store your adventure gear under the bed.
Laurie and Izzy started a van conversion project in 2017. Waite explains that they transformed an old painter’s van into the ‘ultimate adventure wagon, affectionately known as Yosemite’. It inspired them to create a second van, The Grizzly. This time they had all the mod-cons that Yosemite needed.
Waite tells them that storage and practicality would always be the priority in their design. They made sure that there was enough storage space under the fixed beds to allow them to transport their adventure equipment such as stand-up paddleboards, bikes, and other gear.
Heating was another priority. The couple invested in a hotwater tank, wood burner, gas heater and a gas heater to make their own ‘cosy cottage on wheels’. According to the book, the woodburner is their favorite feature in the van.
The van also has a large kitchen and a roof terrace, where they can enjoy a gin and tonic while watching the world go by. Izzy and Laurie have to use public restrooms as the van doesn’t have a loo. Waite is informed that they are planning to install a ‘portapotty” in the van’s seats.
Scotland is a favorite destination for them to visit in the van. But their goal is to one-day ship The Grizzly from Scotland to North America for a roadtrip through Canada and the USA.
Dave The Parcelforce Truck

Cheltenham-based Charlie Glover bought an ex-Parcelforce lorry, pictured, in March 2018 for £2,200


Charlie made everything himself and covered the ceiling with wood from an old shed. The converted interior is shown to the right. This inspired Charlie to start RanVanga, his own conversion company.
Cheltenham-based Charlie Glover lives in his own converted ex-Parcelforce lorry, which he bought in March 2018 for £2,200. According to the book, he was a licensed HGV driver in his time which allowed him to choose his new home without being limited by size.
The interior was completely remade. Waite hears him say that he decided to make a more homely version of the truck from what he could salvage and replace the old fittings. Charlie moved in to the van on day four.
He made the floor using old scaffold boards, and covered the ceiling with wood from an old shed. The doors and drawers for the kitchen were made from wooden pallets. They were sourced from an antique showroom. According to the book freshwater is stored inside beer kegs that were rescued from a derelict bar. Charlie installed a basic gas hot water system for his shower, gas oven, sink, and fridge-freezer.
Waite says that he discovered a roll fake grass while skipping and attached it to my tail lift. This created my infinity yard, which is great for sitting down and enjoying cold beer in summer.
Orange Road Trip

Pictured are Lisa and Janek outside their van, a 1980 Mercedes 407D, on the Greek island of Kythira

A bed can be fixed to the back of your van. There is also a couch and a kitchen.

The couple completely renovated the van using high-quality materials, spending around £5,073 (€6,000) in total
Waite speaks with Lisa and Janek from Bonn, Germany, who transformed their first van on a budget of just £169 (€200) when they were still teenagers. Soon, they decided they needed a larger van.
They bought a 1980 Mercedes 407D which they named Carl. The van already had some ‘spartan furnishing’, but they completely renovated it, spending around £5,073 (€6,000) in total. Waite says that they have insulated the van and wired it all with electricity. Then, they began building their furniture.
The van has a bed that can be attached to the back. There is also a kitchen, a couch, and lots of storage space. A small wood stove is also included. Two solar panels on roof are used for charging their batteries. They reveal that they are also able have a warm shower outside because they installed a gas-powered water heater.
Once the van was finished, they took a road trip through South-Eastern Europe, traveling through Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Montenegro (Albania), and Greece. Waite tells them that the most surprising thing about life on a road trip was how little you actually have to live.
Florence The Ambulance

Mark and Sophie pictured outside their ex-ambulance, which Mark bought for £5,000 in May 2019

The couple set out to convert as many upcycled items, recycled, and reclaimed items possible.
When Briton Mark bought an ex-ambulance for £5,000 in May 2019, his partner Sophie initially wasn’t too keen on the idea, she tells Waite, but soon came to love the vehicle – which they named Florence, after Florence Nightingale.
‘The inside was an actual treasure trove, everything was still in place: the stretcher, fold-away seat − even the cupboards with labels indicating what had previously lived in each one. She says that my personal favorites were the cupboards labeled “vomit bowl” or “body bag”.
They allocated £2,000 for the conversion, which took two months. Mark removed the van’s interior and added flooring, a small bathroom with a toilet, a cooking area, and seating. Sophie says that to reduce the cost of the conversion, Sophie used as many upcycled and recycled items as possible.
Recycle Inn

Yasmine & Rene used rustic branches and wood to create a cozy cabin atmosphere.

Rene and Yasmine are pictured with their self-converted van
Another couple Waite interviews in the book are Yasmine El Kotni and René Brink, who also run their own van conversion business. The couple will have built 10 vans by the end of the year as part of their new venture. Their goal? Yasmine states, “We really want people experience the ultimate freedom of living inside a van as much and as often as we do.”
The book reveals that the couple first lived together in van life in New Zealand. They took advantage of the country’s ‘op shops’. [second-hand stores]Woody was converted in just two weeks.
They upgraded to a much larger van when they moved to Yasmine’s native France.
They used wood and rustic branches to create a cozy cabin atmosphere. ‘We didn’t really keep track of the spending budget for our van, but it was quite low as we reclaimed most of the materials and we took our time during the build,’ she adds. The most expensive purchase was a £76 (€90) wastewater tank, which sits under the van.
The couple also forked out £42 (€50) for an oven. Yasmine informs me that it was a delight to bake fresh bread while on the road.
Firetruck Family

Jess & Dave bought their firetruck (pictured above) from the Nottinghamshire fire services fleet

The couple and their two daughters, Poppy and Luna, pictured, have travelled the UK and driven over 4,000 miles (6,437km) through Europe in the truck
Jess and Dave’s life on the road began when a tRuck from the Nottinghamshire Fire Service fleet was put up for sale. Waite learned that the firetruck was converted into a home-on-wheels by Waite and their two children, Luna, and Poppy.
The couple transformed the truck with a budget of £6,500, the book reveals. They each had their own luxuries: a hot tub for Jess and a sound system for Dave. A log burner was also installed. Waite explains that the couple needed a log burner and an onboard toilet.
Clever design techniques helped maximize the space inside. The steps to the main bed have’mini drawers’. The book explains how salvaged materials were used to make the pull-out table from reclaimed pitch wood from an old Methodist chapel.

The Austrian firetruck. The couple transformed the truck with a budget of £6,500, the book reveals
After two years, the conversion was complete and the couple sold their house to move on to the road. They also decided that they would continue homeschooling their daughters and live on the road full time. The book reveals that Dave obtained a category C license to drive the ex service truck, which weighs in at 5.5 tonnes fully loaded.
They have driven over 4,000 km (6,437km), through Europe and spent the night on beaches and mountains. Jess and Dave tell Waite that it is perfect to wake up next to the Riviera and not have to pay the five-star price.
Marie Garratt

Marie’s van can be used all year. It is pictured here driving through the Fairy Glen in Scotland
‘To think that we’ve driven our self converted vans from the UK to the North of Sweden to live beneath the Northern lights absolutely blows our minds,’ Marie Garratt tells Waite. The British candlemaker, Ash, and Bolski, her border collie, have spent the past few decades exploring Europe together.
They fell in love the Swedish landscape and bought a plot of land to build their own homestead. Waite is told that this will be their base, where we can safely return after our trips, and a place they can call their own.
Marie’s first campervan, a 1993 Talbot Express, was her first, according to the book. She drove it to the French Alps in the winter season. She sold the van when she returned to the UK and pooled her funds together to fund a new vehicle that could be tailored to her needs.


Marie, Ash and Bolski, her border collie, have spent the last few years traveling Europe with Marie (pictured on left). She is disappointed in the van’s lack of a log burner but hopes to purchase one for future travels.
‘I managed to pull together £3,000 to fund it all. The foundations and interior of the van such as insulation, solar, gas, electrics and so on came to roughly £1,500, leaving me with the same budget for the van itself,’ she tells Waite.
Marie and Ash rebuilt the van in France together, according to the book notes. The next step was to hit the road with a group of two.
‘From season to season I’ve adapted and acquired additions that make it suitable to live in all year round; from bikinis to skis,’ Marie informs readers. She is disappointed with the van’s lack of a log burner but hopes to get one for future travels.
Florry the Lorry

Chris and Cat decided to leave their London home and live in a converted DAF LF45 7.5-tonne lorry. Pictured is the lorry outside the mill of Saint-Sulpice-sur-Leze, France

‘In reality, it’s hard, but it’s still been so much better for us than life in a city,’ the couple say

VanLifers, Beautiful Conversions for Living on the Road is edited by Alex Waite. It was published by The History Press. Out now, RRP £20
Waite reveals that Chris and Cat were tired of London’s hectic pace and went to Menorca to learn from a local instructor about the lorry they used. They decided to purchase a DAF LF45 7.5-tonne lorry after hearing the story.
“We came up the design for our beautiful convertion over many hours spent at the kitchen table drawing, redrawing and reading endless YouTube videos. The couple also made a miniature cardboard cut-out to scale.
They carried out the entire build themselves, with the priciest feature being their fridge-freezer, which set them back £1,000. After 18 months, “Florry” the lorry was finally complete.
Their life was set in motion when they drove through Europe and the UK, before landing in Menorca as part of the pandemic. ‘We can take joy in a beautiful sunset in the countryside, or a charming medieval village found on a drive,’ they say.
But, their journey has not been without its ups and downs. The road life is often glorified. In reality, it’s hard, but it’s still been so much better for us than life in a city, working all hours and trying to keep up with the life we had,’ Chris and Cat tell Waite.