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Hey Nomadnovan,

this is what I'm worrying about, really.
I have a 130W, 20V laptop, and am told that a decent power bank and an inverter would sort me out, but I worry that people don't realise how much power they pull, and that it's not actually possible unless you're hooked up to shore power.

The thing is even if you could generate enough power, you'd have to have your engine running all the time. So there's the fuel cost, what that's doing to your engine, and the noise of a diesel van engine running while you're working.

Just wondering if there were any more updates on the desktop/van solution?

I don't think there's a way around the basic problem.

High powered desktops need a lot of power so you need a generator or shore power.

I've got a high powered laptop but even that would be difficult to use in a camper. I'm part-time camper so I leave it at home but it has a 120W power supply and at full pelt drains the battery in an hour.

I've been looking at Peugeot Boxer/Fiat Ducato/Citroen Relay vans because they are common, cheap, and I like the size.

I found one (the link is below) that is 2014 and has 216000 miles on it. This is obviously reflected in the price which looks a bargain.

So my questions are; is the mileage an issue, and if it did go wrong what would it be fixable (new engine for example).

Thanks, here's the link (I'm not buying this one by the way, I'm still a couple of months away from getting the funds ready).

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803084386941?make=PEUGEOT%26model=BOXER%26utm_source=Email_a_Friend%26utm_medium=Email%26utm_campaign=Email_a_friend_van

Hi, I've finally got my funds together for my van, about £5K. I am in the UK, but I plan to travel/live in Europe. I am considering going to Europe to buy my van, drive it back to the UK, then do the conversion, then set off. I think this will give me two advantages; the steering wheel will be on the right (left) side for driving in Europe. Also, post Brexit, it might make it  easier for me to pass through borders with an EU registration.

I would appreciate some thoughts on whether this is worth it. Also, I have some questions:

Will a foreign van cost more to insure in the UK?
Where's the best country to pick up a cheap Fiat Ducato? (Somewhere in northern EU where they speak English would be best).
Does anyone know any websites like www.autotrader.com/vans where I could have a look?

Thanks. :-)

I have thought about ditching the desktop and getting a high powered laptop. I had a look at a Dell XPS, it has a GTX 1060 and also USB type C charging you could buy a few of those portable power supplies. I've seen 20,000 MAh, so a few of those would keep you going all day.

How about asking/paying a friend/employer to keep your desktop somewhere, and remote onto it from a low power laptop?

Thanks for this Camper_Dan. Had a good read through and I will be putting it into practice soon.

Hi everyone! I'm am preparing a 6 month trip through Europe and I have been looking for a van for quite some weeks now. I'm based in the Netherlands and 10.000 euros in my bank saved up. It's very hard finding a van within this price range (I know, this country is crazy expensive!). It needs to be a van which is already fully converted because of tax regulations and such (so no awesome conversion by myself I'm afraid). ...

Hi Lorrelau, I know from looking in the UK that you really don't get a lot of camper van for for even £5000 (I assume  you want to keep something back for your travels).

I'm interested in the thing about tax regulation? Is this a thing in the Netherlands? Can't you buy a van in the UK (or Germany, or ...) and then drive it to NL.

What Camper_Dan said above (and I've read his other posts) has been a revelation for me. I've read Mike's book and I what he said about getting a van not a minibus, but now I've definitely changed my mind.

One like this looks like a ready made campervan (they've even removed some of the seats for me!), and if I followed Camper_Dan's advice I'd be ready to go for a few hundred more. I could then add bits to it as I my needs changed or funds allowed (picking items up from all the different countries I've visited sounds like an interesting way to do it).

If Camper_Dan is reading this, is it possible to post a picture of your van (or one like it) just so I could see the lay out? I was also interested in how you fix everything down so it doesn't move.

Also you mentioned you used a kerosine/parrafin heater, what does that look like?

Thanks,

nomadnovan

Hi I'm new here. Paul it sounds like your plans are similar to mine, so I'm posting in here to see how this develops.

I guess it depends on the individual. I'm working towards an IT degree with a view to be a digital nomad. We shall see. Like you before I set off I'm going to save enough to get me through the first few months.