How to Make Your New Camper Van Feel Like Home

Make Your Campervan Feel Like Home

No matter what your van life goals are, there’s no doubt that your quality of life will be heightened if you feel truly at home in your van. With the right setup, you’ll wake up energized and go to sleep feeling like the luckiest person in the world. You’ll have everything you need to venture out on epic outdoor escapades, but a small part of you might actually look forward to the rainy days. When you find yourself feeling excited about spending the entire day inside, you’ll know you’ve succeeded at making your camper van feel like home.

How can you make this dreamy lifestyle a reality? We’re bringing you eight practical tips to create welcoming van interiors. This guide will help you avoid stress, reflect your personal style in your space, and ensure you’re well prepared for your first trip. Sound good? Read on.

1. COZY DETAILS
Whether you’re trading your apartment for a camper van full-time or simply looking to get away on the weekends, you can incorporate things you already own into your van interior. Items like your favorite pillow, mug, and slippers are small and easy to bring back and forth if you still have a home base but will lend a sense of familiarity to your space and routine. If multiple people will be traveling in the van, make sure each person can bring a few of their own belongings.

2. SCENTS OF HOME
We often forget how much our sense of smell impacts how we feel. If you use oil diffusers or candles at home, try incorporating the same scents into your van (avoid open flames in your camper of course). Something as simple as the smell of your usual cleaning products can activate memories and link the old and new spaces in your mind. Even if you don’t have a signature scent at home, grab an oil diffuser and an essential oil that’s sure to create a relaxing atmosphere—we like lavender, eucalyptus, and ylang ylang.

3. TEXTILE-SAVVY
Whether you’re drawn to mid-century modern, industrial, or boho, the simplest way to impart your interior design style on a basic van interior is through the use of fabrics. Select coordinating (but not necessarily matching) bedding, pillows, towels, and accent rugs that play with pattern, texture, and color. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can even make DIY cushion covers and curtains!

4. PICTURE PERFECT
After textiles, the next best materials to make your space feel like a real home are art and photos. Choose one focal art piece and attach the frame to your wall with velcro Command strips. Hang a magnetic photo-display cord so pictures of family and friends can come along on your adventures.

5. HOME, NEAT HOME
Con of van life: the small space can feel messy and cluttered quickly. Pro of van life: you can clean everything up just as quickly. Make it a priority to tidy up each night before bed or each morning when you wake up. Your peace of mind (and anyone else spending time in the van) will thank you. Access our complete guide on camper van storage and organization here.

6.TEST RUN
Before you ever leave your driveway, try spending at least one day and one night in your van. This will get you acquainted with the space as well as help you make a list of what you’ll need day-to-day. When you realize you’ve forgotten something, as you inevitably will, you can just pop back inside rather than be stuck without essentials on the road.

7. PLAY HOST
When we move into a new house, we have a house-warming party. Something about celebrating and sharing our new space with others helps us wrap our minds around the move. Apply the same logic to your new camper van by inviting friends and family to check it out. Fewer people will be able to get a tour at once than a typical house-warming, but that works out fine since we can’t host large gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic anyway. In fact, giving FaceTime tours works just as well. You can still proudly show off all that you’ve done to make the van your own, and the “oohs” and “aahs” from your loved ones will help it all sink in.

8. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Even if you check off every item on this list, there will still be a few technical and practical aspects of life on the road that take some getting used to. The best way to get to a level of comfortable expertise with everyday van life is to go out and live it. Know that you’ve given yourself a great foundation and embrace the journey!

We hope these tips have helped you realize that even when you’re miles away from home, you can still feel at home. Are you looking for a camper van to take you into 2021? Browse our collection of class B adventure vans by clicking here.