Converting a van for cheap holidays might be all the rage but here’s what the experts won’t tell you

Approaching your 50th birthday is a big milestone for most of us, a time maybe to splash out a little and treat yourself to something special.

Financial advisor, Mark Swann, did exactly that - celebrating his half-century by buying his dream camper van.

After spending hours watching ‘Van Life’ videos on YouTube, Mark decided it was time to take the plunge.

He explained: “I was becoming frustrated with our local area, frustrated with sitting in traffic every time I popped to the shops.”

“I yearn to move to Cornwall, but realistically can’t afford to and thought getting a van might provide more access to the south west.”

“Now I’m a bit older, I feel like I want to get out and explore - hopefully the camper will be the perfect way to do that.”

Mark is a man who likes to get stuck in and try things for himself and considered working on the conversion during his own time.

He said: “All the experts seem to think you can just do it all yourself, but I was deluding myself that I would be able to get a quality job done without the proper tools, resources or skills.”

“I took quite some time squirrelling away money for the project, otherwise the reality was going to be that I had a van full of holes just sitting on the drive.”

Finally, Mark had saved enough to buy the van he wanted to convert and, with help from camper specialist The Dub Hut, managed to secure a Ford Transit Custom.

Mark explained: “I selected a Ford Custom because you get more for your money compared with a VW. 

“The problem was that I still paid £24,000, which meant most of my £35k budget was blown.”

Mark went back to some long hours at work and careful saving to build up his cash.

“It was hard and took a long time, but I knew at this point that I wanted The Dub Hut to do the work for me.”

They fitted a pop top, a diesel heater, windows, swivel passenger seats, a rock and roll bed, fridge, a sink, two hobs, an electric hook-up and a solar panel on the roof - they even included extra sound deadening and insulation.

Mark said: “It took two months before I could collect it and the total conversion work came to £17,500, which meant I’d gone over-budget by about £6,500.”

“The extra cash going out did sting a bit, but I didn’t mind too much knowing that the job would be done properly.”

“I could have tried to do it myself, but the company walked me through the options and provided constructive suggestions to get what I needed and bring the overall cost down.”

“The end result was outstanding - I'm glad I didn't get carried away trying to do the work on my own.

"I now have a proper campervan which is being re-registered as a five seat van with windows.

“I’m not going to spend months away at a time, certainly not at the moment, but I think we’ll start with long weekends and build it up slowly - I think our first trip will be 50 miles or so to the coast, find a nice pub, walk the dog, stay overnight and home in the morning having had a nice cup of tea.”