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
We've all been there. Hot sun beating in the van windows all day, temperatures predicted to reach the high twenties again, for another week in a row, the rivers dry and parched and.... wait, no. No we haven't all 'been there'. We're Irish, remember? Rain is usually the order of the day, regardless of the… Continue reading Made In The Shade : Dixies Guide To Surviving A Vanlife Heatwave
Dixie the Fiat Ducato has driven us on and off umpteen ferries in the last 10 months, from the little 4 vehicle roll-on-roll-off type across a tiny inlet in County Waterford to the bigger car ferries from the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland and she has even thrice sailed across the Irish Sea onboard massive… Continue reading When Your Ship Comes In : Dixies DOs and DON’T DOs of Sailing the Seas
Recently, we have both been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with our families. "Going home" always means Mammies house, and whether its in Mayo or Dublin, Mammies house always means noisy kitchens, lots of great food and hours of chatting, catching up long into the night. Its been a lot of fun… Continue reading Thanks for the Tea (Thoughts After 5 Months)
It's been 2 months since Dixie and her 3 giddy passengers first boarded the 2am ferry from Dublin Port to Holyhead, Wales. What was originally supposed to be a quick round trip to York and back, to A) drop the offspring to university, B) test out the engine, and C) test the adquecy of… Continue reading Thoughts after Two Months
Rolling into a new town / field / site/ situation every day takes a certain amount of planning. We (William & Elizabeth) need to identify an area to park which meets our needs; Dixie prefers a flat surface (no falling out of bed thanks), on public land, a safe, quiet spot preferably not near a… Continue reading Home is where we park it
"How's your plumbing?" A rather impolite question maybe, but one W.E. hear all the time. 7 weeks living in Dixie now and water has not been hard to find. Dixie is fitted with a stainless steel water cargo tank which carries 350 gallons for showering, drinking and cleaning. We get about 4 days from a… Continue reading Water, water everywhere…
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