What it's like to live on the road in a van or bus

For the last four years, Kevin Craft and his family have been living in an eight-metre-long bus.

The 1992 Hino, which the family has dubbed "Yeye", is the size of a typical city commuter and requires a special licence to drive.

But once you look inside, it's clear Yeye is nothing like the bus you might take to work.

"We've got a shower. We carry a 300-litre freshwater tank and we also have tanks to take the dirty water away," Kevin told Philip Clark on ABC Radio Sydney's Nightlife program.

"We have a flush toilet on the bus as well. We'll normally shower in the bus."

The hot water is run on gas, as is the stove. Kevin's also hooked up 600 watts of solar panels to power the lights and recharge computers and phones.

Kevin and his wife Cristina were living in Sydney until 2017, when they swapped their rental house for a bus.

Since then, they've spent months travelling through South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

With the arrival of their son Marco 18 months ago, the family have slowed down — they're now based in Byron Bay.

They're still living in the bus but aren't travelling as much.

"We're normally fairly mobile," Kevin says.

"If I had to put a number on it, I would say we're on the bus exploring somewhere at least 25 per cent of the year."

'Van life' on the rise

Anne Hardy, an associate professor at the University of Tasmania, says "van life" lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular thanks to social media and the rise of remote work.

"We're in a society where we've become cognisant of the stress we're under. And, increasingly, people are attracted to this lifestyle because it allows you to escape the routines and norms of daily life," she told Nightlife.

"It's a lifestyle that allows you to explore and do what you want and when you want to a certain degree."

For Kevin, the bus has helped his family live a more fulfilling lifestyle.

Both he and Cristina have the ability to work remotely.

Kevin is a part-time lecturer at the University of Newcastle and helps run a financial literacy program for high schools.

He was commuting to Newcastle once a week for his lectures, but they're now delivered online and he only has to visit the campus once or twice a month.

Cristina owns her own online marketing business.

"I couldn't be happier to be honest. If we stayed in Sydney, we wouldn't have half the challenges we have," Kevin says.

"But we wouldn't have been able to spend so much time outdoors and see as much of this country."

Freedom to travel part time

Fran Maloney, a retiree from Melbourne, has been travelling up the east coast in a converted panel van.

"I retired from work last year. I'm heading up to 70," she told Nightlife.

"My rig is very simple. It's just me that's travelling, [and] I need to think about the economic side."

Her van has an extra battery to power her fridge and lights, and she also has a sink and a two-burner stove. She has a basic shower, which she says is "freezing", so she prefers to use the facilities at campgrounds and other pit stops.

As she's travelling by herself, safety is an important consideration, and she feels secure with her set-up.

"I can lock myself in at night, and if I need to leave in a hurry, I can jump from my bed to the driver's seat and drive off," she says.

Fran's not living in her van full time. She plans to travel up to Cooktown and visit Thursday Island before returning to Victoria.

The attraction for her is the ability to travel at her own pace.

"I'm not someone who plans my trip day by day, up to when I get home," she says.

"I'm someone who has discussions with people as I go along and finds out the must-see places to go, and the best towns where you're likely to meet up with a few locals, and maybe where you have a concert.

"I'm having a fantastic time. It's a great way to see our country."

Dealing with problems on the road

In the polished photos on social media, you often don't see some of the challenges of living on the road.

For one, vans and buses can be costly to maintain and often break down.

"Our maiden voyage, we pulled out, and we had to replace the clutch before we left," Kevin says.

"Then the batteries went, then something else happened. Basically, straight out of the gate, there was a $5,000 expense that we just weren't planning for."

Another issue can be dealing with water.

The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia has a list of "RV friendly towns" on its website, with information about places to fill up tanks and dispose of waste water.

"If you go inland, up on the New England highway, there are a lot of RV-friendly towns," Kevin says.

"A lot of the times, they have dedicated areas where you can park for a few days to a couple of weeks, and they're by the river."

But he says he hasn't always had a warm reception after parking his bus.

"One thing I've noticed is that anywhere near the water along the east coast, it's difficult to park on the streets. The attitudes are a bit different."

Fran has met plenty of friendly people on her travels, and she says many towns and businesses are happy to have travellers come through.

She's found many country towns allow travellers to stay in the local showground for a small fee. Some accommodation providers, meanwhile, let travellers stay overnight providing they buy a meal.

"You're paying your way and you're not bludging in any way," she says.

"People are generally interested and want to know why you're doing it. Or really happy to let you know what's good to go and see around their town or community."

No fixed address

One of the challenges for Kevin is not having a fixed address. He'll often get parcels delivered to a co-working space he uses for work.

His driver's licence, meanwhile, has his sister's address listed.

Nevertheless, the family is in no rush to move out of the bus and buy a home.

"Not necessarily a house, but it'd be nice to have a block of land that could be a base," he says.

This story was adapted from interviews aired on ABC Radio Sydney Nightlife.