Every day is like Sunday here in the Backwards Van. We wake up whenever we want, usually brought back down to earth by some loud unfamiliar noise like the slamming of a car door inexplicably close by our sleeping heads or the sudden scratch and scrabble of some birds sharp talons scribbling on the steel… Continue reading Cheating at the Fishing Competition (& Other Outrageous Accusations)
One of the most common questions we get in The Backwards Van is about waste, or more specifically, human excretia, and how we deal with said waste when living longterm on the road. Frankly, we were beginning to think this paticular topic is over-thought, over examined and over-discussed (we'd much rather talk travel than toilets… Continue reading Water, Waste and the Mess We Make
Dixie the Fiat Ducato turned 22 in October. We have owned her only 2 years and she has taken us over 40,000 miles, from Dublin to Dundee, Cork to York, from Buttevant to the Butt of Lewis and from Ramsgate right back to our own new front gate in County Mayo, Ireland. We have woken… Continue reading Black, White and Grey On Top
Bed. It must be your favourite place in the world or else we think you've got your priorities all wrong. It definitely is ours and just because we choose to sleep in a van doesn't mean we can't have the same level of comfort we would enjoy from any other bed, with a little planning… Continue reading Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Steel
Problems, problems. A 21 year old van is bound to have some. But we've been lucky. 30,000 miles in 15 months might not sound like a lot, especially to someone who commutes long distances or drives for a living. But just for a little comparison, in our vanlife so far we've covered the equivalent of… Continue reading Breaking Down Is Hard To Do
We got lucky when we decided to buy a van to live in, as it happened Dixie the Ducato was only the second vehicle we saw and we happily parted ways with our savings as soon as our eyes met her headlamps. But we had done our homework on the subject and knew what we… Continue reading Stand By Your Van (A Rough Guide to Choosing a Van For Life)
Let's stop calling this renovation that ceiling related name now that it has grown so much bigger ok? Ok. 😊 Day 4 was warm and bright. After late breakfast (and another sad goodbye to the uni-bound offspring ) we set out with shopping list in hand to pick up what hopefully was the last of… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling no more… let’s just call it Day 4!
Look at where we have found ourselves on the morning of Day 3, Dixies walls were gleaming brightly. With rain forecasted for most of the day and grey clouds hanging over Dublin we had limited time to finish the painting and air the place out well before it got dark. Luckily both colours dried well… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 3
Here is where we left you yesterday, remember?! Dixies walls, roof and doors were carefully painted with 2 coats of sealant and left to dry overnight. All the problem areas, the damp and dark wood you saw yesterday drank at least 3-4 coats and some of the cream metalwork on the door got a little… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 2
After living and travelling fulltime in the van for almost 7 months now, we have begun to understand what is important for us to own and to have on hand and easily accessible to us everyday. Storage space is at a premium in here and must be considered wisely, that means we often employ a… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 1
the backwards van 