10 van life essentials that will make your trip more fun

Do you love van life as we do? After traveling through Australia with a 4WD and through Europe with our old VW bus T3, we learned a thing or two about the camper essentials you really need.

Some of these are absolutely necessary to live in a van, such as a second battery or a car tool kit.

But others are just fun. Here are our top 10 van life essentials that will make your trip more enjoyable.

• A camping hammock or hammock chair

One of the first reasons to live the van life is being able to relax in nature. This is why you need to take a hammock with you!

The typical camping hammocks are very lightweight and compact. The downside, however, is you always need two trees. This is why we love our hammock chair so much! Only one big branch nearby and you're ready to relax!

• A good van life book

Now that your hammock is up, you'll need a good book to read. Why not take one of the best campervan books around? They have lots of tips for cooking and living in a van.

• Inflatable SUP

A one-time big investment, but you'll love it! It's so much more fun to explore an area by floating on the river, lake, or sea. Perfect with kids as well!

• LED string lights

Maybe not essential to many, but it is to us. We always have a light bulb string with us, to decorate our van in the evening. It makes the whole setting so much more romantic!

• Wool blankets

We never leave without one of our wool blankets. It can get cold in the evening when you're sitting outside or even inside the van. Wool blankets are very compact and provide the most warmth.

• Bluetooth speaker

What's a campervan trip without some music? Choose a Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof and USB rechargeable.

• Omnia oven

If you love to cook in your campervan, you need this Omnia oven. Due to its shape, it allows you to bake anything on a regular camping stove.

• Dutch oven (+ tripod)

A must-have if you ask us. And doesn't food just taste better when you have prepared it outside?

A camping Dutch oven allows you to prepare almost anything: stews, bread, or even a pizza. Hang it over a fire with your tripod or put in coals.

• Italian coffee maker

If you're a coffee-lover, don't settle for instant coffee. Buy an Italian coffee maker and make the best coffee even when you're camping or living the van life.

• Turkish towel

Microfiber towels are great, but that was before we discovered Turkish towels. They dry very quickly as well, are highly absorbent, and look amazing!

Hopefully, we gave you some new ideas to make your next van life adventure even more enjoyable!

We are The Global Wizards, a traveling family who wants to make our dreams come true. We blog about family travel, van life, photography, being financially independent, world food and quality time with kids.