This is how you build your own habit - Sandra shares her best tips

Amidst chirping birds and a sparkling lake, Sandra sits and works. Or yes, sometimes she stands too, depending on what she feels like. That's kind of the best thing about her mobile office, how flexible it is. But the mobile office wasn't actually meant to be an office at all – it just happened to be that way.

The summer of 2020 was going to look different. Not least, it was a summer that was different for those who travel abroad during their holidays. Interest in traveling in Sweden immediately grew, more and more people were hungry to discover what was around the corner. And a new word quickly grew in popularity, now we were all going on a homestay.

Sandra's dream began with a used transport truck

For Sandra and her partner, who love to travel abroad, a feeling of restlessness came to their apartment. They longed to discover new places and to do it in a convenient way. They wanted to see more of Sweden and get close to nature, but since camping didn't always feel optimal for them, they started to think about other solutions.

“How can we easily get away, without needing a summer house, or having to rent every time?” says Sandra, referring back to a question she and her partner asked themselves that summer. The idea for a van was born, and soon the search for both a car and inspiration for the construction began.

The road trip habit unexpectedly became an office

During the fall, they bought a car, spent all their free time building, and on the weekends, Sandra, her partner, and their two cats would go off to discover new places. And they came to enjoy their van. In fact, they enjoyed it so much that they found themselves trying to find solutions for how they could maximize their time in the car. They started by sometimes leaving half a day earlier to extend the weekend, and then sat and worked the last part of the workweek with each laptop on their lap inside the van.

This was the starting point for them increasingly using their van as a mobile office during the weeks. It became a way for Sandra to create some variety in her work from home and the change of environment in the van became a refreshing alternative to the kitchen table.

"It was a way to get from eight to five, Monday to Friday. Even though I have a job like that, it didn't feel the same. Just being able to stand and look out at the ocean or take a swim at lunch and then go straight back to the office makes a difference," she says.

The secret behind compact living

After we chatted for a while, Sandra starts showing us around the van. While we’re in the middle of taking pictures inside the car, a guy appears. He sticks his head out from behind the wide-open back doors and happily exclaims in broken French English: “Wow, your van is so clean!” The Frenchman and his friend had parked their van a short distance away, and he explained that their van was both dirty and messy inside. But he quickly added, a little apologetically, that it was actually pretty clean when they first set off.

And yes, he is right that Sandra's van is clean and that things have their place. Something that is one of the big keys to van life, she says. She shows off the built-in drawers, the spacious storage under the bed and a fold-out table that allows you to stand outside the car and prepare food or work on a laptop. That fold-out table is one of Sandra's favorite places in the van. She likes to stand there and work, while looking out over the day's well-chosen view.

The visit to the van is coming to an end, but before we leave Sandra to continue working with her wonderful lake view, we get her five best tips for those of you who want to build your own van. Because, well, who wouldn't want to do just that?

Sandra's 5 best tips for those building a van

1.  Start by gathering inspiration and knowledge

Sandra recommends finding inspiration on Instagram and looking for groups on Facebook – where she specifically recommends the group Vanlife.

2. Don't skimp on the basics

That is to say: don't skimp and be careless with things just because they're not visible – such as insulation and ventilation.

3. Install a skylight

For extra light, coziness and the opportunity to cool off on a hot summer night.

4. Keep an eye on your standing height

Choose a van that you can stand up straight in. If you want to build a kitchen inside the car, it's nice not to have to bend over when cooking.

5. Take it easy!

Don't implement all your ideas at once. Take the opportunity to settle in and build slowly to see what you're missing and need.

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