Today, we embark on a captivating journey into the enchanting world of van life and the art of van conversion. We are thrilled to share with you an intimate conversation with the delightful couple, Charlotte and Nico, behind the mesmerizing Instagram handle @mauiandus.
Picture this:
The open road stretching endlessly ahead, a cozy nest on wheels, and boundless opportunities to savor the beauty of this wondrous planet. That’s the essence of van life – a nomadic lifestyle that sparks curiosity and beckons us to live with unparalleled freedom.
Join us as we sit down with this adventurous duo, Charlotte and Nico of @mauiandus as we get a first hand glimpse into their lives. Discover how their journey into the world of van life began, the joys and challenges they encountered during the conversion process, and how this lifestyle has transformed their lives.
From leaving the comforts of a stationary existence to embracing the simplicity of life on the move, @mauiandus will take us on a journey from 9-5ers to liberated van lifers.
So, let your imagination roam free, as we delve into the intricacies of their nomadic sanctuary, glean wisdom from their remarkable experiences, and draw inspiration from the boundless horizons they’ve embraced.
Fasten your seatbelts; this captivating interview will surely ignite your wanderlust and leave you yearning to hit the road with your own unique sense of adventure. Let’s embark on this unforgettable voyage of self-discovery and embrace the magic of life on the move with @mauiandus!
Without further ado, let’s dive into their awe-inspiring story of a van conversion and the liberating pursuit of a life lived on wheels.
SSGL: What made you trade in your old lifestyle for a new one?
Charlotte & Nico:
We both lived in London and worked very long hours in offices. Our typical days were getting up around 6:30am, staying in the office until at least 7/8pm (sometimes later!) and then travelling home, having a quick dinner, and then going to sleep.
We wanted more from life and during COVID was the event that spurred a new way of thinking and working for us. We took about two years to properly transition into van life.
This included the process of converting Maui as well. We also needed time to set ourselves up as working remotely online, as that is crucial to how we are able to travel full time on the road.
SSGL: The million dollar question every small-spaces-great-life person wants to know – how
do you make a living and conduct a van life?
Charlotte & Nico:
Nico has created his own graphic design business and I run my Yoga YouTube channel and work on our @mauiandus channel with brand collabs. In order to work on the road, it is necessary to have skills that you can use online.
We made sure that we had a good internet set up in the van. We use a 5G router and then buy the local sim in each country and top it
up as we go. Most countries do offer unlimited internet for a month at a reasonable price.
This works well for us. We need to also plan for when we have important client calls, so we make sure we are in a good and quiet space well ahead with good internet.
SSGL: I understand that you did all the rehab work yourselves, was incorporating solar power a no-brainer?
Charlotte & Nico:
It was a complete no brainer! We wanted to have a strong electrical set up to enable us to work on the road. Because Maui is big, it enables us to have more solar panels on the roof.
We can honestly say that we have only run out of battery on about 4x occasions in the winter. But then this is topped up when we drive. It has been so beneficial for us to not have to pay for campsites to plug in. We are able to run both of our laptops and charge our camera equipment with the solar power that we have.
SSGL: What solar energy system did you choose? Why?
Charlotte & Nico:
We wanted to make Maui as self-sustainable as possible, which meant having an electrical setup that can keep up with our power-hungry laptops and electronic loads.
We settled on a tasty 1050W capacity setup. In the summer this generates so much power that we can run everything in our leisure system, including our aircon all day without even dropping off 100% battery charge.
On a cloudy winter day, our panels only produce a fraction of their full capacity but it is still enough to let us have 5 solid days off-grid, at the full electrical output. ⠀
It’s expensive to have a setup like this, but it allows us to work solid 8+ hour days which means it pays itself off quickly! Worth every penny!
SSGL: How did the install go?
Charlotte & Nico:
One of the key parts of our build to our solar set up was the roof rack. Because we work full-time from Maui we wanted to maximise our solar capacity, but also have space for a roof deck. Nico designed a custom system which gives us 2 configurations:
Setup 1 – Maximum Solar
(1050W capacity)
Our accordion system is in its default position allowing all 4 solar panels to be producing electricity. 1050W is ALOT, and easily lets us charge all day our 2 laptops, all our camera gear, heating, lights, etc. In summer we don’t get lower than 90% on our battery and even in cloudy winter conditions, we produce enough to trickle us through 5 full days being off-grid
Setup 2 – Maximum Decking
If the accordion is in the closed position one of the 300W solar panels flips over to add another 1.5m of decking.
The design also accounted for our 5G internet satellite, our 12V air-con unit, a Maxx-air fan, and space to add some powerful light bars at a later date.
SSGL: What do you run off of it?
Charlotte & Nico:
Our 2 laptops, all our camera gear, heating, lights, charging our phones. Sometimes Charlotte also uses her LED nail lamp!
SSGL: How do you store your power?
Charlotte & Nico:
We store our power in our 24V Lithium 200 a mph Leisure battery. We store this in our dedicated battery compartment in the boot of Maui. We built a custom-made compartment for good ventilation and easy access. We opted for a 24V battery because our van runs off a 24V system.
SSGL: What is the size of the system?
Charlotte & Nico:
We have 1050W of solar panel that is on our roof.
SSGL: Do you supplement with electricity at a campground or off van battery when you are
driving?
Charlotte & Nico:
When we park up at a paid campsite (which is very rare) we normally do this if we just fancy a break somewhere guarded and safe. Or if it’s to explore a nearby town and parking is difficult.
We will then take advantage of charging our van but it is never usually the primary reason for stopping at an electrical station in a paid campsite. When we drive, this also powers our leisure battery.
We get a lot of top up charge from that. If we drive for about 2-3x hours, then it will charge our battery to 100%.
SSGL: Have you been pleased with the system?
Charlotte & Nico:
We have been soooo pleased and impressed with our system. It definitely allows us to be off-grid for longer and we don’t have to worry about losing power in the middle of nowhere.
When it’s sunny, it tends to charge to 100%, even when we have our laptops charging as well. It’s amazing how strong solar can be!
SSGL: Do you normally set up in campground type places or are you usually off-grid?
Charlotte & Nico:
Mostly off-grid. I would say it’s about 90% off grid and 10% at paid campsites with electrical set ups. You can get water at different places and you do not have to pay for a campsite to get water. We get water normally on the way to wherever our destination is.
SSGL: Differences between boondocking and off-griding? What do you have to do differently
for each?
Charlotte & Nico:
In Europe, boondocking is usually just parking up somewhere and staying there with no facilities. You may find a field or a nice bit of land that is nice to park for the night or a short period of time. We technically haven’t done this yet.
We use the @park4night app a lot as that shows free places that you are legally allowed to stay the night at. So, they have been ‘vetted’. With boondocking, you need to check that it is fine for you to stay there or check that you are not on someone’s private land. The laws are definitely stricter with boondocking in Europe compared to the US.
We have heard a lot that the police come and ask you to move, even when there are no signs against staying on a bit of land. We do not want to get any fines so we avoid boondocking and stick to the places we find on @park4night or by recommendation.
SSGL: I love your wooden ceiling and countertop! Did you design and install those
yourselves?
Charlotte & Nico:
Thank you so much! Yes, we did. Nico designed it and we put it up together ourselves. Our ceiling is probably the feature that gets complemented the most for Maui! The ceiling is made from textured slim cladding and the counter top is made from re-claimed scaffolding
boards that we stuck together. We then made a live edge, to give the counter top more character and fit in with our beachy theme.
SSGL: Did you use reclaimed wood?
Charlotte & Nico:
Not all of it. Our plywood shell which you don’t see was all new wood as we wanted that to be a sturdy and strong foundation to build our cladding and rooms. We tried to use reclaimed wood as much as possible, which we did do with the majority of the ‘outside’ wood that you can see. The cladding on the ceiling was re-purposed pallet wood.
We also bought some beautiful old beams that have been saved from a recycled wood shop in Croydon. It is called @solowood.recycling. We also got our scaffolding boards from there at a great cost to create our kitchen counter top and spice rack.
SSGL: The wood really gives it a beachy, natural feel – was that part of your vision?
Charlotte & Nico:
Yes definitely. Before we did our build, we spent a lot of time creating mood boards and mapping out how Maui would look. We did make some changes from our original vision. We initially wanted him to look like a modern American beach house with a more nautical theme.
We then decided to take elements of that vision and make him more like a boho beach cabin. This is why we wanted lots of different wood textures.
SSGL: I also love the mix-and-match cupboard doors, were those upcycled or made in a one-off style to be unique?
Charlotte & Nico:
Our doors were actually free or Nico built them from reclaimed wood! When we were sourcing and purchasing materials, I spent a lot of time on Facebook marketplace as you can get amazing deals from second hand products.
We came across a young couple who were gutting out their house and they had these white wooden doors that they were giving away for free! I went to collect them and then re-sized them to fit our cupboards and made the handles out of rope.
SSGL: In small spaces, organization and storage are the name of the game, do you have any storage or organizational information you can share?
Charlotte & Nico:
Pack light. It’s always great to have as much storage as you can put into your van – you will need it! But you also find that you do not need as much stuff after you have lived in your van for a while.
SSGL: Any clever storage aboard the Maui?
Charlotte & Nico:
We have storage under our seat and in our foot step. We utilize as much space as possible.
SSGL: So, being someone from the US, will you explain if you can travel with the van to EU
countries with minimal red tape?
Charlotte & Nico:
It is easy to travel between countries in Europe but as we are British, we have the Schengen Zone restrictions. Since Brexit, England is now no longer part of the Schengen Zone. This means we are now only allowed within the zone 90 days out of 180.
SSGL: What has van life given you, that was part of your goal for a different life?
Charlotte & Nico:
The freedom. It is great being your own boss and being able to travel from place to place and explore the world. We wish there weren’t so many restrictions with how long we can stay in the Schengen Zone. But we are incredibly grateful that we can see the world in our very own home on wheels. We also love the flexibility to be able to design our own lives.
SSGL: What are some challenges to van life?
Charlotte & Nico:
Making sure that you stick to your routine. When you move around a lot, it is easy to fall out of a routine but we try our best to have one as it gives us stability and helps us shape our working life on the road.
You need to be self-disciplined. We also wake up at 7/7:30am and go for a run and then have a coffee and breakfast to start the day. If it’s pouring down then we may skip the run until later in the afternoon. We also make our bed and tidy the van every morning to keep our environment clean and organized!
As we draw the curtains on this captivating interview with @mauiandus, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Charlotte and Nico for generously sharing their time, experiences, and invaluable insights with us. Their journey into van life and the transformation of their van, has truly been a source of inspiration.
Charlotte and Nico’s adventurous spirits have reminded us of the beauty that awaits when we dare to step beyond the boundaries of the familiar and embrace the unknown.
The road to freedom may take different forms for each of us. Whether it’s through van life, Tiny House living, or other unconventional paths, the essence lies in embracing the journey and cherishing the experiences that shape us.
As we bid adieu to Charlotte & Nico, we eagerly await the unfolding of @mauiandus’s future adventures on Instagram.
May this interview spark a sense of wanderlust within all of us, nudging us to explore, connect, and savor the beauty of our diverse world.
