Nomadic Nurse Diaries

Dear Van Building Gods,

Let’s talk about building a van yourself. The real truth. The gritty, not-so-glamorous reality of taking on a project as gigantic as a van-to-camper conversion. Spoiler alert: the easy step is the one you already did. Every single step is harder than the last.

First off, let me state for the record: I am not a carpenter. I am especially not a finish carpenter. And I certainly don’t build furniture. So, you can imagine what my van, Poppy, looks like. She’s a bit rough around the edges, let’s say. Picture a cozy, quirky little space that screams “handmade with love” and “please don’t look too closely at the seams.”

But, here’s the thing: I am incredibly proud of myself. Poppy may not win any design awards, but she has won the hearts of my niece and nephew. Their immediate reactions of “Wow, this is cozy!” and “Wow, this is so cool, Auntie!” are two solid wins in my book. Those little moments of validation are priceless, especially after spending countless hours cursing at misaligned cabinets and the enigma that is wiring.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the van: social media influencers who claim to do a van build in 30 days. I call complete and utter bullshit. There is no way an actual, real, complete beginner could ever do this in 30 days. Especially when you’re at my level of beginner—someone who had to YouTube how to use power tools properly. Those videos and posts make it look so easy, but let me tell you, they are lying through their perfectly aligned, magazine-worthy teeth.

There were a lot of charades going on at the local Home Depot with those poor old sweet gentlemen who were trying to help me find that specific thing I needed but didn’t know the name of. I thank them. I love them. Thank you. These influencers conveniently gloss over the parts where you spend hours in a hardware store, confused and desperate, trying to communicate with patient staff who probably think you’ve lost your mind. The reality is messy, frustrating, and full of setbacks.

Oh, and I cannot stress enough (literally) how important it is to research… and research deeply! I read or watched 20 different videos or blogs about every tiny step of this build. If you are not willing to research, you are not meant to build a van. Don’t hurt yourself or anyone else. Please. There is a reason why professionals exist, and it’s because they know what they are doing. Unlike us, who are bumbling our way through with sheer determination and the occasional stroke of luck.

Building Poppy was a journey. It was me, myself, and YouTube against the world (or at least against an empty van shell). I learned a lot, sometimes through trial and error, and other times through sheer stubbornness. There were times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I didn’t. And now, Poppy is part of our quartet, cruising along with me and the fur-baby-girls as we traverse the USA (and maybe Central and South America in the future).

The reality of van conversion is this: it’s hard. There’s no sugarcoating it. It’s frustrating, it’s time-consuming, and it often feels like you’re making things up as you go along. But it’s also rewarding. There’s something incredibly satisfying about looking at your work and knowing you did it with your own two hands (and a little help from the internet).

So, here’s to Poppy, the van that taught me more than I ever wanted to know about carpentry, wiring, and plumbing. She’s far from perfect, but she’s ours. And that’s pretty damn cool.

Until next time,
The Nomadic Nurse