Van tour

[@ScreeminMeeme]

Beautifully put together and planned out. One quest: Where do you go to the bathroom?

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks so much! Great question. So while we’re traveling, we have options. Rest areas, restaurants, gas stations etc…while we’re at our location, we have a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat that we picked up at Walmart lined with disposable bags. We have a pop up privacy tent…or at night we keep the bucket it the van. Believe me, at first, the bucket solution felt a little awkward. However, now that we are used to it, we prefer this over public restrooms…it’s always clean and you know the last person that sat on it. Lol 😆

[@supposedly1-2]

That was really nice it looked just like you'd walked into someone's bedroom in a house but nicer!

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks Ollie…it was a very simple, low cost build. We picked up the cabinet used and built the bed frame with a few 2x4’s. The solar Bluetti was our biggest investment…but we’ll worth the investment😊 thanks for watching!

[@gracecallowayable]

Awesome!!!👠🚌👠

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks!

[@andreawooten-mckinnon2982]

When l saw this beautiful actual piece of furniture, l just had to view this. Soooo glad l did. Beautiful job.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks Andrea! We sure do enjoy our adventures in this old van😊

[@jeffanon1772]

That cabinet, bed, & the storage bins under it will make potentially lethal projectiles in the event of a serious wreck....ever hear of inertia or a van bulkhead????

[@beebuffalo1582]

Are you kidding me, this looks like a small beautiful apt, great decor, I wish this tour was longer, many blessings. Do another tour and make it longer, I enjoyed this.

[@62WILDCAT]

Thanks for info about the Bluetti solar powered plug in station .

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Honestly one of the best things I purchased. A little experience but well worth it😊

[@dellascott163]

It's like walking into a bedroom. Very nice!

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks! We have a super comfortable foam full mattress…we sleep like a dream in it 😊

[@jbm48]

That cabinet is AWESOME! And I really like those solar lights.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

They work fantastic. I’ve got a couple portable ones that I can connect in series.

[@JarheadAndGingersJourney]

Great tour! You fit so much in a tiny organized space.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thank you!

[@sherrysmith4581]

Hey... How do you get the cabinet to stay in place when driving?

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Hi Sherry, i fastened the cabinet by attaching a 2x4 to the side wall of the van with screws and the attached the cabinet to to 2x4 with screws…this was more for security. When we were testing it out, I just had it setting back there…I never moved. 😊

[@sherrysmith4581]

@@vantasticjourney4246 thank you. I love the concept. It's one of the moments when I'm not sure if I want to get rid of everything right now. That will hold everything I own except non-perishable food items.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

It’s worked really well for us and fits perfectly…I framed our bed so that the cabinet would fit. It’s a really simple build and very comfortable and cozy. We love it 😊

[@IngridduPreez]

No toilet?

[@vantasticjourney4246]

In this old van we had a bucket 🪣 with a toilet seat…cheap and effective solution 😅

[@wextremeart4399]

You got thar big battery bank u not playing lololol

[@ruthmcgill4612]

How do you cook?

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Hi Ruth, we have used different methods. We have a convection cook top, a ninja foodi grill (air fryer) and a instant pot that we use that runs off of our Solar power station. I really like the instant pot because we can have chicken, roast, pork chops…etc. cooking in the slow cooker while we’re traveling. When we get hungry, we stop at a picnic area and the main corse is ready to go. We also have a gas burner that we use when our solar is running low or the sky’s are gray….oh and one of my favorites is an electric tea kettle that I use to brew coffee. Love it. We try to use the electric as often as we can. Great question and thanks for reaching out and watching our videos 😊

[@mayramarrero1218]

A tiny tour!!! I have a econoline, medium high and instead of that furniture, I have a wide 2 drawers filing cabinet, not set yet, but definitely a spring project.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Filing cabinets are a great idea! We got this from a garage sale so super cheap 😊

[@annadebraganca9996]

❤❤❤

[@marybell5711]

🙏🏿❤️🙏🏿 Love the music

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks 😊

[@VanventureswithKaia]

I love your van it’s really nice

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks!

[@s.j.anderson176]

It’s not a generator it’s a battery. It doesn’t make power it stores power from the solar panels.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Hi S.J. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment and technically I agree with you in the sense that the unit itself does not generate power. However, a term commonly used to refer to these portable power stations is “solar generator”. They actually use this terminology on their website…Although you’re technically correct that the solar panels generates the power and the Bluetti stores the power, it is much more than a battery. It also has a built in controller that processes the power generated by the solar panels so that it can be stored by the internal lithium battery. It also has an inverter that converts the stored power to A/C. Again thanks for your comment and I hope that other people watching this will read it to get a better understanding what a portable power station actually is…I’m sure for some folks, it’s the first time seeing one. 😊 For those that are unfamiliar, these are a complete power station that you can easily add to your van, camper …etc. also, you don’t necessarily need solar to generate power, these portable power stations can also be charged by plugging them into an a/c outlet or even a d/c outlet. It’s been a great addition to our van and allows us to stay “off grid” with plenty of power to run the refrigerator/cooler, charge phones, some electrical kitchen items such as an Instant Pot, induction cook top…Julie even has used her hair straightener going down the road 😆. As far as the technical term to describe these items …portable power station would be the best, in my opinion, but solar generator is ok too…most people that are familiar with them will understand what you’re referencing😊

[@TylerBluntman]

Very nice

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks Tyler!

[@katreilly3094]

I'm in love with how simple

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks! It really is so simple and so homey….we love it and are so comfortable in our little home ❤️

[@katreilly3094]

@@vantasticjourney4246 I'm still working on mine a bit because I have to pets with me. And I love keeping it simple.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

What kind of van or vehicle are you working on? One of these days I’ll pick up another van…a higher ceiling, something we can stand in. But we are so attached to “Ole Betty” it may take us some time before we start looking for another. Honestly, the last year has been the most freeing for Julie and I…can’t wait to do more…this winter will be adding new videos. We’re actually over 26 videos/journeys behind. Cant wait to share them 😊

[@katreilly3094]

@@vantasticjourney4246 I bought a ford e150 1999 conversion van with high top I'm not gutting it out yet I may this summer. But for now I'm just making it warm and building a custom fold bed. I really just wanna explore Tennessee my home state and visit all its hidden beauty.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Honestly a comfy bed is all ya need to get started…the inverter and electric cooler is great but when we started we just had a plan old cooler and no electric…had just much fun.

[@debbiedebbie9473]

It's so weird how much stuff you can get in the van.❤❤❤

[@vantasticjourney4246]

I know right! It’s so much fun putting it all together. Since going full time we introduced a bigger van and a converted utility trailer…it’s perfect for full time living and we absolutely love it ❤️

[@jeffanon1772]

​@@vantasticjourney4246 but do you really want all that stuff crashing forward into the back of the driver &/or passenger during a wreck??? I'm stunned how many people don't think about the physics of driving a van full of stuff...often hard metal & wooden objects...and never consider what kind of projectiles they'll become during a serious traffic accident... Ever hear of a van bulkhead??? A headache rack on a pickup truck??? They exist for a good reason.

[@MeeMee-gz5vp]

Wow what a lovely home on wheels!

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks! We sure do enjoy it 😊

[@leobaker291]

That is nice

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks Leo! Ole Betty, the name of our van, just had a milestone mileage moment as we traveled out west…222,222.2 miles!

[@leobaker291]

@@vantasticjourney4246 you're very welcome what states do you travel

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Oh man, so many. We started in Michigan and drove through IN, IL, MO, OK, TX, NM, UT, AZ, CA, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY and OH. Whoa 16 states!

[@leobaker291]

@@vantasticjourney4246 nice ever think about Connecticut

[@vantasticjourney4246]

We’ve not done a ton out east yet…but it’s on our list.

[@hermionegardener3796]

Nothing like playing loud music when you're talking.

[@vantasticjourney4246]

Thanks Hermione for pointing that out. We’re somewhat new to video editing and appreciate the compliments as well as the constructive criticism to help Julie and i create better videos that our subscribers will enjoy watching. I agree with you that the music could have been toned down or not even included in this video. Thanks again for your feedback😊