Van Life Safety

It was certainly one of our main concerns when we planned van life and it's something you have to be aware of all the time. Whilst the majority of places are safe, there will always be risks and you have to learn to manage those risks and cope with the worry.

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The majority of problems such as break-ins occur by opportunists and there are several simple precautions you can take;

• Always lock your van doors even when in the van and keep all windows secure

• Choose your park up carefully. Trust your gut. If it doesn't feel 100% safe then move on

• Avoid parking in cities and where possible park on regulated sites

• Safety in numbers. It's always safer where there are other van lifers

• Hide all valuables. Never leave anything on show when you leave the van unattended

• On street parking, park under street lamps or in well lit areas

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Internal safety

We fitted a CCTV camera in the van that is active when the van is left unattended. Any motion sends an alert to my mobile phone. It may not give you time to return to the van but it may help

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We fitted a reasonable sized safe in the van, in a hidden location. It may not completely stop a theft but it will make it difficult and buy some time. We keep all valuables in the safe. It would take some force to remove it as it is glued and bolted to the van. It's also fire-proof

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All important documents that we carry with us are stored in the safe and we have digital scans on our mobile phones

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Vital tips

Never let any stranger enter your van and sadly, treat all strangers with suspicion. Be cautious about any information you give out regarding your plans and destinations

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Try not to arrive at your park up in the dark. It is far better to be aware of your surroundings. It's also a great idea to plan an exit route. Park in a way that you can get away quickly if in trouble.

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More important tips:

• Know exactly where your vehicle keys are at night. Somewhere you can grab them in a hurry

• Keep a torch by your bed

• Park in a position that is easy to drive away from in a hurry. Don't box yourself in

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All this said, van life is safer than you might think and whilst being aware, you should not let the worry drag you down and spoil it.

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Van security

There is nothing on the market that will 100% stop a vehicle from being stolen but there are many tools that will slow a thief down and make it difficult.

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Alarms

A vehicle alarm is a must have but it will not stop a thief. A professionally installed system can be set to emit an audible alarm if the vehicle is tampered with. Some alarms have sensors that can be fitted on the garage of a motorhome.

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Physical security

There are many devices that can be fitted to your vehicle such as steering and pedal locks. Advice is to spend as much as you can afford and make your device visible. This may prevent windows from being broken in an attempt to steal the vehicle.

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Trackers

These are best professionally fitted and hidden within the vehicle. Most require a subscription. The location of your vehicle can be tracked online in real time and a theft can be automatically reported to the police. We use the Scorpion Defender tracker. Have a look at it here.

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