Ah, van life. For many people, the enticement of adventures on the open road are too difficult to pass up. While there are many different types of vans that people convert for road trip purposes, the VW bus remains popular. It’s roomy enough to accommodate sleeping and nostalgic enough to make people yearn for simpler times. If you’re planning on rigging up an old VW bus for a road trip, here are four renovations you may want to consider.
Most VW buses have a hatch and luggage storage area in the back. This area is usually where people sleep if they convert the bus to a sleeper. Some travelers keep it simple. They just throw some sleeping bags and pads over this area and go. Others, who plan on being on the road longer, do the full get-up. If your travels will keep you on the road for a long while, you may want to consider doing the full get-up. That will make your van feel more like a home.
Swivel Chairs
Each VW bus comes with two front seats, one for the driver and one for the passenger. Given that space is limited, it’s imperative that van dwellers find ways to expand their living spaces. One of the ways you can do this is to convert the front seats into swivel seats. Doing this allows you turn turn around and face the bus’s center, which is your potential living room/ kitchen area. If you’d like to do this conversion, you’ll want to take a look at what this conversion will mean in terms of parts. Once you find type 2 VW bus parts for the project, you’re all set to make the conversion.
Living and Awning Area
Most VW buses have three rows of seats. There are two in the front, a seat in the middle and a seat in the back. Most van dwellers remove the middle seat in the bus to make more floor space at the vehicle’s center. Here they can install a small kitchenette and lay down throw pillows to sit on.
They can also buy an awning for the bus’s side door. On warmer days, this will extend the living space even more. All you need to do is pull out the awning and situate lawn chairs in front of the open door. The awning area and the converted living area allow you to enjoy visitors for the evening.
Kitchenette
A weekend road trip won’t cost you much in terms of food. While you may eat in restaurants more often than you normally would, you won’t be out much money in the grand scheme of things. However, if you’re on the road for an extended road trip, do think about converting some of the space in your VW bus to kitchen space. This gives you access to water and a cooking area. You can even install a small fridge for food. You’ll save plenty of money in the long run.
If the thought of packing up your VW bus for a long road trip thrills you, then you’re in good company. This vehicle is so well suited to van life that thousands of people have done this very thing. The key to making a good conversion is to include as many homey elements as you can. That way even if you’re on the road for a while, you’ll never feel homesick.