I live in a van which I bought & transformed for under £10K – I don’t pay rent so even going to St Tropez is a bargain
A WOMAN has shared how she’s managed to avoid paying rent, a mortgage or bills thanks to her unique living arrangement.
Adventurous Amélise, 23, shared how she converted a van into her dream tiny home on wheels, and spends hardly any money at all.
Posting on her Ame in a Van channel, she revealed how she has lived in her gorgeous van for two years, and has enabled her to travel the world.
On YouTube, she said: “I live full time in a van (so do my parents) and I travel around with my dog (Gigi) in my self converted ford transit.
“After hitting ‘rock bottom’, I underwent a serious awakening to the truth behind the life I was living.
“Once realising that I was merely existing in the world I spent the next 3 years saving, dreaming about van life and designing van builds.
“I challenged myself to convert my van (and pay for it) alone and I finished the build after 18 months of blood, sweat and tears in September 2021 and I’m now travelling around Europe, documenting my life and sharing it with you.”
Ame uploaded a Q&A video detailing the highs and lows of life on the road.
Speaking about cost, she said: “Am I paying rent to live in here? I don’t think so.
“Did I pay a lot for my van? No, I did the whole build for under £10,000, including the van.
“Granted it took me a year and a half because of it, but it is a cheap lifestyle, it can be as cheap as you need it to be.
“At the beginning of van life, I spent nothing.
“Food, I just ate basic things, water, I always found free places to get water.
“Also I wild camped for literally a year, I didn’t stay in campsites.
“I spent a lot of time in France in Saint Tropez, it’s not cheap down there, but in the van it was.”
Ame was asked about whether van life is safe, and said: “I think it puts you at different risks to living in a house in the way that you are more vulnerable in a vehicle in terms of driving all the time and having to park in places that I’m aware I might die.
“You never have to sleep in the corner of a sketchy car park if you were in a house.
“I do do my research and mostly find good places to park.”
She showed a before and after picture of her van, showing how she added a double bed, kitchen area, wardrobe at the back and a tiny desk.
And aside from it just being functional, Ame has made it very pretty with pink paint, fairy lights and even a chandelier.
So would she recommend the lifestyle?
Ame said: “Van life has set me free, it has allowed me to create my own life.
“It’s allowed me to have somewhere to live of mine, and self confidence as I’ve done everything I said I’d do.
“I built this off the ground, I can travel and make money.”
