WEARING a shirt and tie on a Friday afternoon, Charlie Skinner finishes up a corporate Zoom call.
The software account manager, 32, tidies his workspace, sets appointment reminders on his calendar and logs off for the week.
@city2_vanlifeCharlie and Lara Skinner are able to save £1,500 per month living inside a renovated van[/caption]
@city2_vanlifeThe couple left their London flat for the ‘van life’ in 2022[/caption]
At the same time his wife Lara, a 30-year-old nutritionist, is completing a report and putting away files.
But instead of the pair facing a long commute on the train or motorway jams, they only have to walk three feet to be greeted by a stunning beach.
“We work from home, deal with clients, file reports, do Zooms and handle sales and consultations from a beach, a stunning mountain top, a lakeside, or wherever we choose,” Charlie tells The Sun.
“It’s the next level in working from home and it saves us thousands.
“We live in a van, travel all over the world, keep our career on track, and we’re saving more than £1,500 a month. It helped us buy our first home. It’s the ultimate way to beat the cost of living crisis and have a career.”
Charlie and Lara are not alone. The ‘van life’ movement has exploded in popularity over the last three years.
Searches for ‘van life’ have increased by a mammoth 216 per cent since 2018 and #vanlife has had over 5.6billion views on social media.
In the UK, more than half a million people currently live in vans, caravans and mobile homes and the trends shows now sign of slowing down.
@city2_vanlifeThe couple managed to find room to fit a king-size bed[/caption]
@city2_vanlifeThey also have a kitchen and eating area, a shower and toilet and plenty of storage space[/caption]
@city2_vanlifeThe couple have attracted scores of fans online since renovating the van[/caption]
Lara describes living on the road as a “real cost of living solution” and says they have saved a fortune on monthly outgoings.
The nutritionist, who also manages an Airbnb business, told us: “Most people think van life means cramped spaces, no showers or proper toilet facilities and is for people who just want to travel. It’s not.
“The life we lead isn’t social media hype. Van living is possible, and you do save money. ”
Monthly £1.5k savings
Four years ago, Lara and Charlie gave up their London flat and moved into a van that they nicknamed ”Van-elope Cruz’.
It came after their plans to relocate to Canada fell through after changes to the country’s visa programme.
The couple bought a long-wheelbase sprinter van with 100,000 miles on the clock for £11,000 and renovated it themselves for a further £10,000.
Among the features they added were two workstations, including one using a spinning seat in the passenger side of the cab that can be turned around so that they can work at a drop-down desk.
@city2_vanlifeCharlie and Lara spent £10,000 renovating the van[/caption]
@city2_vanlifeThe couple carried out the renovation work themselves to cut down costs[/caption]
Now they have more than 88,000 Instagram fans@city2_vanlife
There is also a shower and toilet, a kitchen and eating area, a laundry chute for dirty clothes, food storage and a king-size bed that has ‘garage style’ storage underneath.
“It cost £10,000 to pimp out and if something didn’t work, we re-did it. That’s the key to making the van a place to live and not just have a short holiday in,” she said.
“We had lived in a small flat in London, so living in a van really wasn’t a big difference in space. It was slightly smaller but it came with the added bonus of being able to travel, work from amazing locations, save money and still keep our jobs.
“We had been paying £1,000 rent a month plus another £1,200 on council tax, gas, electricity, internet water bill, internet and general living costs.
“The biggest money saver for us is not paying rent. That saves us £1,000 automatically.”
The couple made extra savings by being forced to “radically declutter” their lives, ditching clothing and furniture that they couldn’t store.
They added: “We soon realised we were not tempted to buy extra clothes or ‘stuff’ because living in a van means you have less space. That has proved a huge money saver.”
The couple’s current outgoings include £125 a month on insurance, £40 a week on food, £80 a month on phone bills and between £125 to £200 for fuel each month – dependent on where they travel.
Lara added: “We hand wash our laundry or once a week spend a fiver at a laundromat.
@city2_vanlifeThey changed the passenger side door for a spinning chair that allows them to work from a pop-up desk in the front of the cab[/caption]
@city2_vanlifeThe lifestyle change allows the couple to work from anywhere in the world[/caption]
“The cost of camping sites varies and finding free places to park keeps costs down.
“We have solar power cells and the cost of power and water. If we stay at a campsite it’s included in the site fee.
“We visit family and friends more often and they love us parking in their gardens or driveway.”
‘Hundreds’ interested
The cost-cutting helped them to buy a two-bedroom and two-bathroom flat in Lymington, Hampshire, which they now rent on Airbnb to top up their funds, which means “the property pays for itself”.
But life on the road hasn’t come without challenges. Lara says those interested in it “must be flexible”.
Charlie, who works in IT, sometimes has to “grab a train or plane to London for a meeting”.
He added: “We have both learned you can work from home or in our case a van with a beach view or mountaintop vista.”
The couple share their adventure with their 88,900 Instagram followers and say they are inundated with questions.
Charlie tells us: “We get hundreds of emails and messages every week from people who have seen our social media posts about the ups and downs of working and living in a van. People are desperate to find ways to live more cheaply.”
Their following has allowed them to do collaborations and earn “a small income from posts”.
The couple are able to live anywhere in the world due to working remotely@city2_vanlife
@city2_vanlifeThey claim to get ‘hundreds’ of messages quizzing them about living in a van[/caption]
Now the husband-and-wife team is selling their ‘Vanelope’ and claim to have three people who have made offers of £39,000.
Charlie says: “The profit will go into our new bigger van.
“We want to buy a house next and will continue living and working from our van for at least another two or three years.
“Once you get into the routine of van life you realise it isn’t just for the weekend, it is actually a proper mobile home.
“We know if we had stayed in London, we would not have a two-bedroom flat, a successful van life, jobs we love and can do on the road, and savings.”
They believe vans, caravans and tiny homes could be a solution to the cost-of-living crisis and the current housing crisis.
Lara added: “People can’t afford to pay bills and want a better way to save for a house. Van living is the leading option.
“People with jobs are using the work-from-home option to redefine their homes rather than relying on employers to redefine their work.
“We did it and were shocked at how much money we saved, how much our life improved and how we could keep our careers.”