The VanLife Beacon world

Two ways in, one hub. Travel the domains — territories sized by how much verified content lives there — or travel the places, from region to country to its rules. Everything you open is a real, sourced page.

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Domains 17 Places 22

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Each territory is a domain of the hub. Its size is how much verified content lives there, its shade how mature that content is. Pick one to go inside.

134 pages · 202 sources cited

Electrical & solar

27 pages
16 terms
11 vendors
96% of demand covered

91% maturity

Guides 3

Comparisons 4

Directories 1

Van electrical suppliers (UK) The verified suppliers behind a modern all-electric van build in the UK — batteries, solar, charging and power stations. Each entry links to the manufacturer.

Tools 3

Terms 16

Suppliers 11

Conversions & builds

19 pages
13 terms
16 vendors
95% of demand covered

98% maturity

Guides 2

Comparisons 2

Directories 1

Converters & base-vehicle brands Verified converters & base-vehicle brands for European van life — each entry links to the vendor. Curated from our vendor registry, pending editorial review.

Tools 1

Conversion Build Budget Estimator Get an order-of-magnitude estimate of what a van conversion is likely to cost, from van size and the level chosen for insulation, electrical, water, heating, furniture and homologation. This is a rule-of-thumb planning range aggregated from published build-cost guides — never a quote, and not tied to any supplier. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent or stored.

Terms 13

Suppliers 16

Water & sanitation

10 pages
6 terms
5 vendors
88% of demand covered

88% maturity

Terms 6

Suppliers 5

Aires & stayovers

8 pages
3 terms
21 vendors
100% of demand covered

83% maturity

Guides 1

Boondocking and freedom camping outside Europe The aires-and-Stellplätze model that structures overnight stays across Europe simply does not exist in the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Each runs its own system instead — and one of them changed its rules in mid-2026.

Comparisons 1

Where to sleep: Park4Night vs Camping-Car Park vs ACSI The apps and networks that find you a legal overnight spot across Europe — coverage, model and cost.

Directories 3

Terms 3

Suppliers 21

EV charging

7 pages
4 terms
8 vendors
100% of demand covered

93% maturity

Guides 1

Charging an EV camper on a trip As electric base vans arrive, charging becomes part of trip planning. Connectors, on-board limits and the routing tools.

Directories 1

EV charging networks Verified ev charging networks for European van life — each entry links to the vendor. Curated from our vendor registry, pending editorial review.

Tools 1

EV Range & Charging Cost Calculator Correct a manufacturer WLTP range figure for the load, elevation and weather an electric campervan actually sees, and estimate the cost of charging it. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent or stored.

Terms 4

Suppliers 8

Heating & climate

5 pages
1 term
5 vendors
83% of demand covered

92% maturity

Guides 1

Heating a van: diesel, gas or electric Cold nights decide whether van life is comfortable. The three heating routes differ in fuel, running cost and install — here's the honest trade-off.

Comparisons 1

Diesel heaters compared (Webasto, Eberspächer, Autoterm, clones) The three units that heat almost every European van, from OEM-grade to the value pick — what you actually pay for, and why the unbranded clones are not ranked here.

Directories 1

Heating & climate vendors Verified heating & climate vendors for European van life — each entry links to the vendor. Curated from our vendor registry, pending editorial review. Safety — several of these brands sell COMBUSTION appliances (diesel or gas). The danger is not the heater working, it is the heater failing: a cracked heat exchanger or a blocked exhaust can push carbon monoxide into the living space, and CO is colourless and odourless. Have it fitted by someone competent, ventilate, and fit a CO alarm certified to EN 50291-2 (leisure vehicles). See our diesel heater comparison.

Tools 1

Heater Fuel Runtime Calculator Estimate how long a diesel or gas (LPG) van heater will run on a tank or bottle, from the heat output you actually use. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent or stored.

Terms 1

Diesel Heater A diesel-fuelled forced-air heater that draws from the vehicle's own fuel tank, burns it in a sealed combustion chamber, and blows warmed air into the living space through ducting.

Suppliers 5

Connectivity

4 pages
1 term
3 vendors
75% of demand covered

34% maturity

Guides 1

Internet on the road: 4G routers vs Starlink Remote work from a van needs reliable data. The two routes — cellular routers and satellite — solve different problems.

Comparisons 1

Van internet compared: Starlink Roam vs 4G/5G router vs eSIM data There is no single best way to get online in a van — a satellite dish, a cellular router, and a data eSIM solve different problems and are commonly used together rather than as alternatives.

Directories 1

Connectivity & internet Verified connectivity & internet for European van life — each entry links to the vendor. Curated from our vendor registry, pending editorial review.

Terms 1

Starlink Roam Low-power Starlink satellite internet kit aimed at mobile users (RVs, vans, boats).

Suppliers 3

Insurance

4 pages
19 vendors
100% of demand covered

76% maturity

Guides 1

Visas and the Schengen 90/180 rule for van travellers Overstaying the Schengen area's 90/180 rule is one of the easiest ways to end a long van trip at a border. How the rolling window is actually counted, what changed for UK travellers post-Brexit, and why the vehicle runs on a separate clock from its driver.

Comparisons 1

Motorhome & campervan insurance and breakdown cover: what to check, provider by provider This page does not rank insurers and does not state prices, coverage limits or exclusions as fact — policy wording changes, varies by country and by individual vehicle, and only the provider's own documentation and a qualified quote can confirm what applies. What follows is what each provider's own site says to check before assuming a van, a conversion or a route abroad is covered.

Directories 2

Suppliers 19

Community

4 pages
1 term
16 vendors
100% of demand covered

79% maturity

Directories 3

Terms 1

Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS) UK accreditation scheme for motorhome and caravan habitation-check workshops, run jointly by the NCC, The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Suppliers 16

emissions-zones

4 pages
2 terms
100% of demand covered

76% maturity

Guides 1

Low-emission zones (LEZ/ZFE) explained for van travel Cross Europe in a van and you'll hit a patchwork of emission zones — each with its own sticker and rules. Here's the map.

Tools 1

Low-Emission Zone Eligibility Checker Check whether a diesel campervan is likely to be let into a country's low-emission zone scheme, from its Euro emissions standard and total weight. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent or stored.

Terms 2

roadworthiness

4 pages
3 terms
100% of demand covered

59% maturity

Guides 1

What actually needs maintaining on a converted van A converted van or motorhome is really two vehicles bolted together: an ordinary base vehicle, serviced like any van, and a living compartment with its own damp, gas, electrical and water systems that a normal garage never looks at. Here is the distinction, the annual schedule, and what an owner can and can't do without a certified professional.

Terms 3

vehicle-registration

3 pages
2 terms
100% of demand covered

66% maturity

Guides 1

Shipping or importing a van to another market Moving a converted van across an ocean, or registering one built for a different market, runs into two separate problems: how the vehicle physically travels, and whether it is legally allowed to be registered at the other end.

Terms 2

2 pages
1 term
4 vendors
100% of demand covered

79% maturity

Directories 1

Navigation & routing apps Verified navigation & routing apps for European van life — each entry links to the vendor. Curated from our vendor registry, pending editorial review.

Terms 1

ABRP EV charging route planner.

Suppliers 4

overnight-parking

2 pages
1 term
100% of demand covered

79% maturity

Guides 1

Where you can legally stay overnight in a van The line between a legal overnight and a fine is real — and it changes at every border. Aires, Stellplätze and the Spanish pernocta rule.

Terms 1

Pernocta Spanish legal distinction: 'pernocta' (overnight sleeping in vehicle, generally tolerated) vs 'acampada' (deploying chairs/awnings/levellers, illegal outside campsites).

weight-and-licence

2 pages
1 term
100% of demand covered

79% maturity

Tools 1

Payload & Driving Licence Calculator Work out how much payload is left after a conversion — kerb weight, build-out, water and passengers all eat into the GVW — and see which driving licence category that GVW puts you in. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent or stored.

Terms 1

GVW / MAM Maximum total weight a vehicle is legally allowed to carry, including chassis, fuel, water, passengers, and cargo.

Maintenance

1 page
1 vendor
90% of demand covered

72% maturity

Directories 1

Maintenance & repair bodies and accreditation schemes The trade bodies, accreditation schemes and inspection networks that sit behind van and motorhome maintenance — chassis servicing is handled by the ordinary vehicle-dealer network, so this directory focuses on the organisations specific to the habitation (living-area) side and to vehicle roadworthiness testing. UK-specific entries are marked as such; each entry links to the organisation.

Suppliers 1

NCC (UK) UK National Caravan Council. Industry body — NCC Approved Workshop scheme is key for service vendors.

urban-access

1 page
1 term
100% of demand covered

72% maturity

Terms 1

ZTL Italian limited-traffic zone in historic city centres.

Shade = maturity of the domain (breadth of page types, human-signed pages, pages citing sources).

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Pick a region to go in, then a country for its key rules, its country guide and the matrices it appears in.

22 countries

North America

3 countries

CA Canada MX Mexico US United States

Canada

Key rules

Scheme: None found — no federal or provincial self-containment certification scheme
Toilet requirement: No certification requirement
Capacity rule: None. Dump-station based, as in the US
Enforcement: Provincial land-use policy conditions and municipal bylaws. Discharge rules are provincial — verify per province

Electrical & solar

Guides 3

Comparisons 4

Directories 1

Tools 3

Terms 16

Suppliers 11

Conversions & builds

Guides 2

Comparisons 2

Directories 1

Tools 1

Terms 13

Suppliers 16

Water & sanitation

Guides 1

Comparisons 1

Directories 1

Tools 1

Terms 6

Suppliers 5

Aires & stayovers

Guides 1

Comparisons 1

Directories 3

Terms 3

Suppliers 21

EV charging

Guides 1

Directories 1

Tools 1

Terms 4

Suppliers 8

Heating & climate

Guides 1

Comparisons 1

Directories 1

Tools 1

Terms 1

Suppliers 5

Connectivity

Guides 1

Comparisons 1

Directories 1

Terms 1

Suppliers 3

Insurance

Guides 1

Comparisons 1

Directories 2

Suppliers 19

Community

Directories 3

Terms 1

Suppliers 16

emissions-zones

Guides 1

Tools 1

Terms 2

roadworthiness

Guides 1

Terms 3

vehicle-registration

Guides 1

Terms 2

Navigation

Directories 1

Terms 1

Suppliers 4

overnight-parking

Guides 1

Terms 1

weight-and-licence

Tools 1

Terms 1

Maintenance

Directories 1

Suppliers 1

urban-access

Terms 1