I turned a van into my tiny home with DIY – it’s got solar panels for power but people ask if I’m scared traveling alone
A DIGITAL nomad has revealed how she transformed a van into a home for her travels around Australia.
Emily (@emilyontheroad) left people curious about how much she spent overhauling the vehicle and concerned if she gets afraid while exploring alone.
She has garnered hundreds of followers on TikTok with clips of her enviable visits to picturesque locations.
She showed before and after footage of her van for a post explaining the process of making it habitable.
Emily said the van “was a shell” when she first bought it and had just a bed frame which she took out.
Recycling materials, shopping secondhand, and making budget buys helped to keep costs low as she transformed it into a chic modern space.
“How I turned this van into my tiny home on wheels,” read the text over the video.
“With the help of my carpenter dad, we lined and insulated the walls, built a bed frame, and added some draws for clothes and stuff like that.
“We lacquered the roof and painted the walls white so that it would look a bit bigger.
“Then we added some roof racks, an awning plus a solar panel, which was connected to a recycled battery underneath the bed and next to storage.
“This gave me some power so that I could have a light, and charging ports as well as a fridge.
“Oh, and some fairy lights too just because.
“Then we added an extra cupboard for storage on the side and a little shelf on the wall.
“Then we added some big drawers under the bed, which store my food and on the other side all of my kitchen stuff.
“Wahoo, we added some curtains as well.”
The post went viral with almost 85,000 views as she captioned it with hashtags including #Australia, #van, and #transformation.
Emily revealed she spent around $2500AUS/ $1611 on renovating the van.
As the van doesn’t have a bathroom, she visits campsites where there are showers and toilets available.
Viewers were impressed but concerned about her traveling around the country alone.
One person commented: “Wish I had the guts to do that.”
Another said: “Well done, be safe on the road and enjoy your time.”
A third wrote: “Great job! Have been checking these out. Amazing what you can do with a van.”
Emily responded to a commenter asking “aren’t you scared traveling alone?” with a video showing some of her favorite adventures.
She was all smiles as she embraced nature trails, watched beautiful sunsets, and went swimming outdoors.
“Don’t let fear hold you back,” read the text over the video.
“The scariest part is deciding to do it!” she added in the caption.