Working from your campervan as a digital nomad

This blog post explores how remote working and ‘van life’ have combined so you can achieve the modern dream – working from your campervan as a digital nomad!

What is a digital nomad?

With a search for “vanlife” on Instagram bringing up over 11.3 million posts, it seems that the trend is getting stronger by the day. All the while, and particularly since the pandemic, there has simultaneously been a huge increase in the amount of people working remotely as ‘digital nomads’.

In a report by MBO, titled COVID-19 and the Rise of the Digital Nomad, digital nomadism is described as
“people who choose to embrace a location-independent, technology-enabled lifestyle that allows them to travel and work remotely, anywhere in the Internet-connected world”.

Stereotypically the words ‘digital nomad’, conjure up images of backpackers on beaches working in freelance digital roles, however today it’s becoming more accessible to conventional workers in more ‘traditional’ 9-5 jobs. After everything that the pandemic threw at us, many have already joined the digital nomad movement with hybrid and remote roles.

The term is becoming more expansive as people work from co-working spaces, cafes and even holiday cottages or Airbnbs.

Nomadic working here to stay

It seems that one positive outcome of the pandemic has been a fundamental shift in the way both workers and employers value work-life balance, with a growing prioritisation towards employees’ wellbeing and leisure time.

With so many employers acknowledging the benefits of working from home for both their staff and for the businesses in general, it seems that remote working is here to stay.

A survey of just under 1,000 firms by the Institute of Directors (IoD) revealed that, after the ‘Covid years’, 74% planned on maintaining the increase in remote working.

A similar study by the BBC in August suggested that 50 of the biggest UK employers had no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future.

However, for many working from home is not all it’s cracked up to be, with everyday issues such as noise and over-crowding often resulting in a challenging work environment. One big problem with working from home is that it’s tricky to separate your working and living space, which can make it difficult for motivation and/or relaxation. And so, the alternative option of ‘working from a campervan’ has seen a huge surge in popularity over the last few years.

campervan as a remote office — VW Caddy conversion

Working from your campervan as a digital nomad

There are plenty of benefits to working from your campervan! With a camper you get the freedom to explore whilst you work.

If you’re self-employed or if your employer has told you that you’ll be able to work remotely, it might be worth considering combining your 9–5 with a ‘workation’ in your very own campervan.

An amazing benefit of having a campervan as your home office is that it serves two functions in one. During the week, it’s your mobile home office – a sanctuary to work from and carry out your to-do list. At the weekend, you can close the laptop, swap the coffee pot for a bottle of wine and head to out into nature.

With a comfy seat, adjustable table and windows to take in the view… you need nothing more to focus on your work in comfort. It means you’ll be able to work from a beauty spot and be back at home by the evening if you wish.

Alternatively you may choose to travel for longer periods of time and turn your ‘working from campervan’ lifestyle into the roadtrip of a lifetime.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if your working circumstances change in the future you’ll be able to sell, or even rent out your campervan.

At Love Campers we make a range of customised campervans which work well as a Remote Office on wheels !

White interior small campervan — Micro camper conversion

Our top tips for working from a campervan

While working from a campervan is a great option, in order to enjoy this lifestyle you’ll need to plan how to stay safe and productive whilst travelling.

Here are our top tips for working from a campervan:

Get a stable internet connection – we find that using a phone personal hotspot usually works but you could also try out a Dongle.
Make sure you take breaks and don’t exhaust yourself. Over-tiredness is dangerous whilst driving. Also, it goes without saying, but do not take any work calls on the move to avoid accidents.
Get out of your campervan to do something non-work related such as a walk. It sounds simple, but we’ve found that getting into nature is fundamental for our motivation levels. Changing your scenery and breathing in fresh air really gives your brain a boost! It’s also a good idea to get outside as soon as your working day finishes so you can properly unwind.
Make sure your campervan is set up for off-grid living. This one is very important. At Love Campers we can build campervans that are specifically made to suit remote workers.

Check out our blog post about the off-grid customised campervans we offer >>> Home Office Campervan.

Tell us about your digital nomad lifestyle

We’d love to help share your stories via our Van Life Tales blog series – (coming soon!).

Get in touch with us at marketing@lovecampers.co.uk to enquire about a guest post on our channels.

And if you’re interested in getting a campervan of your own please get in touch with us at hello@lovecampers.co.uk. We also make accessible campervans so whatever your situation, we’d love to hear from you so we can help make your van dreams a reality.

Become a digital nomad with your campervan

If you’re interested in working remotely from a campervan make sure to head over to Quirky Campers – they’re currently running a competition to Win A Digital Nomad Starter Pack!

And if you’re interested in gettting a campervan-office of your very own, get in contact with us at hello@lovecampers.co.uk and we’ll see how we can help you within your budget.

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