I renovate old vans – I now make £18k a year just from renting them out to holidaymakers | The Sun

A MAN has revealed how he transformed old vans into moneymaking holiday homes.

And Brit holidaymakers can rent out one of the vans for their own summer adventure.



Sean Norris, 50, fell in love with van conversions after he transformed an old school bus into a home on wheels at the age of 17.

As a teenager, he took to the open road and travelled through Europe and North Africa on the adventure of a lifetime in his new holiday home.

He said: "I’ll never forget the feeling of walking out into the endless expanse of the Sahara Desert.

"It was like nothing I had ever experienced before; the silence was almost overwhelming, and I felt so small in such an incredible but vast landscape."

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But the journey wasn't without its own challenges, and Sean's beloved van broke down in the desert.

He added: "It took about a day to hitchhike out of the Sahara and get a new part of the bus.

"It was then another full day before I had to fix it and drive home. That was quite an entry into van life!"

After returning to the UK, Sean rented out his campervan to other budding holidaymakers.

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He added: "Campervanning is a great way to help people experience the freedom and joys of the great outdoors – and renting vans means that they can make the most of that without having to invest a significant amount of cash for a van themselves."

Years after his first van holiday, the IT executive launched a van rental and conversion company.

At the same time, he partnered with Camplify, a motorhome and campervan rental platform, to rent out his vans to a wider audience.

But as more and more people became interested in renting out Sean's campervan, he decided to expand his portfolio.

Sean set about converting three other vans including the Big Ben Adventure Van.

He adapted the van to enable walkers, climbers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and paddlers to get away easily with all their kit.

Two other vans are also available to rent too including Florence and Edi, which are both converted VW T6 Campers.

Sean rents the vans for a minimum of £90 per night and earns upwards of £6,000 per year from each campervan.

He added: "Five years ago this was a passion project, but after hearing some of the stories from my renters about their great experiences in my van, I was encouraged to add more and help even more holidaymakers get a taste of van life themselves.

"The best thing about campervans and adventures is being out doing interesting and exciting things."

And Sean isn't the only Brit who's making a separate income from renting out his van to other holidaymakers.

Leah Whitfield also revealed how she transformed an old van into a moneymaking holiday home.

The 34-year-old bought a 2013 Vauxhall Movano in 2022 after she fell in love with life on the open road one year earlier.

Purchasing and converting the vehicle set Leah back £27,000, but the van, which has been dubbed Rosie, is already a proven hit with the renters.

She said: "It's a great feeling to have a couple come back and tell me how much they enjoyed their holiday in my van."

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"Bookings are looking good for this summer with a lot of international travellers from New Zealand booking the van out for 20 days at a time."

Meanwhile, another man revealed how he converted an £800 van into the perfect home on wheels.



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