Seasoned travellers Ed Priest and Jess Lockwood have teamed up with Vanzone to offer their advice on how to stay safe when travelling in a van or car this summer.
Currently travelling through Europe, the couple have also experienced life on the road in Asia and The Americas so have built up extensive knowledge on the dos and don’ts of van life.
Ed and Jess say:
“To date, we’ve built up a fair amount of time on the road in many parts of the world. Though the cultures and locations have varied greatly, the principles of keeping ourselves and our belongings safe have remained consistent for years. We have no doubt these principles will keep other travellers as safe as possible on their own travels, wherever that may be.”
Understand Your Area
“The beauty of van life is that you’re able to go to bed and wake up in many different places, meaning where you lay your head each night can vary dramatically. With this in mind, it’s really important to get your bearings before settling down.
Though it’s highly likely where you’re going will be totally safe, you can’t take it for granted. Research, get advice from locals, survey your immediate surroundings for anything that could prove dangerous and use common sense to make judgements on the safest options.
Don’t Get Complacent
“It’s perfectly understandable to get caught up in the excitement or relaxing nature of being on holiday. What you can’t forget is that with a holiday on the road, your van is your apartment or hotel room, kitchen, bathroom, storage facility and mode of transport all in one.
For that reason, you can’t afford to get complacent with any of the above. Leaving your van open or things lying around while you nip into a nearby village or take a dip in the sea is a sure-fire way to risk belongings breaking or getting stolen. Always play the percentage game and don’t take unnecessary risks when leaving things unattended.”
Hidden Compartments
“This is a doubling down tactic that we could not recommend enough, especially when visiting places that are perhaps more dangerous or populated than others. Some vans will come with integrated secret compartments, while others won’t, a bit of creativity may be in order.
The newer the can, the more likely it is to have some sort of secret storage, but if your van is on the older side, scope out any opportunity to stash valuables. The floor, steering wheel and inside paneling are all places we’ve used in the past to great success.
Roof Storage
“In many cases, roof storage boxes can be a safer place to store large amounts of stuff rather than having it loose in the van itself. Many of them are made from reinforced materials, are secured by multiple strong locks and can’t be taken off the roof unless a specific process is followed that no thief would have the time to follow.
Not only are they super secure, a storage box on the roof allows you take a little extra equipment with you and also results in a great deal more space in the living areas of your van, a rare commodity on the road.
Access to the Driving Seat
“Should you find yourself in the unfortunate, and frankly very rare situation where you are inside your van but someone or something is trying to get in, you need to be able to get out of there without leaving the van. This has never happened to us, but we always make sure nothing too immovable is blocking our way the front seats.
Make sure you can access your keys and the cabin of your van with relative ease so that if on the off chance you need to drive away promptly, you don’t need to get out of the van and face whatever threat you’re trying to evade.
