Tiny home living is becoming increasingly popular. More and more people are choosing to sell their apartments and houses and move into a van or other type of mini home.
So does Heidi and Julian from Great Britain, who have been living in a converted Mercedes Sprinter since 2021.
The two spent a total of £33,000 on the van – including the renovation and expansion.
An investment that has paid off – because living in her new home on wheels now costs her just around £1250 a month. And that’s at least £1,000 less than an apartment in her native Surrey.
With the money they save, the two travel through the country and allow themselves a little luxury here and there: for example, a nice campsite with water and electricity connections.
The new life in the van allows the two to organize their work as wedding photographers flexibly. This allows them to travel to weddings across the UK.
The couple shares their life in the van with their 23,000 followers on Tiktok. There they describe their everyday life and give insights into their everyday work.
They also give other users tips for life in the van:
“These are the must-haves in a van. Number one is a dog or two. They make you happy and you can cuddle with them. You are simply the best. Number two is our composting toilet, which is very convenient and easy to empty. Number three is our little handheld vacuum. Things can get dirty quickly in a van, so this one is very helpful. Number four is our drinking water. Number five is our small coffee maker and tea kettle. Number Six are our curtains, made especially for us. Number seven is our canister, which comes in really handy when we don’t have access to a hose. Number eight is our little jukebox. Number Nine is a dish bowl that we can set aside to use the sink. Number ten is our foldable drying rack, which we can store right behind the kitchen. And number eleven is our own wifi in the van.”
Heidi and Julian met at a photography school that sent them to Singapore for a joint project.
With the start of the corona pandemic and the lockdown, they then moved back to Great Britain. During this time, the couple also put their idea of a van into practice.
It took them a year to complete their new home. Today they live in their tiny home with their Jack Russels Milly and Mabel.