Adventures Begin
You've reached the blog of Burtman (adventure-seeker, office-dodger and van tinkerer).
This one's different, though. It's not just about someone showing off about being a digital nomad, it's a growing resource for people who are new to the van life to learn all kinds of stuff in a single place.
When I started out, I spent a long time learning all the little things you need to know to build a living space in a van, and I'm sharing all that knowledge, complete with common mistakes and how to avoid them, so you don't waste months looking for the same stuff I already discovered.
The articles are here to inform you...
In these pages, you'll find descriptive technical guides for building important systems, complete with clear photographs and videos where necessary, as well as useful lessons and tips on van security, parking, maintenance, travel, and much more, plus checklists of tools and parts you should carry (and how to use and replace them). There's plenty of information to help you find, design, build and maintain your own home on wheels.
The blogs are here to entertain you...
With plenty of stories, photographs and videos from my trips, soundscapes, interviews and a handful of creative extras and interesting projects from friends and strangers alike. You can follow my journeys in maps and media, and I even have some excellent playlist suggestions (and you can make some, too).
Most of the content here is freely accessible without an account, but if you'd like to get more and support my efforts, do check out the supporter options below. We have no ads here, no up-selling and a very strict data protection policy. And lastly, all user accounts are approved manually to ensure that no spam gets in. I know this will turn out to be a very positive and useful place for all who enjoy van life, and I'm proud to welcome you to Burtman.net!
The Story So Far...
Want To Support Burtman?
Free Membership
38 Articles Available
Access to all the free van life articles, technical guides and discussions, plus occasional digest emails to help you stay up to date. You can leave comments in all sections and see some of the subscriber content from time to time.
Bronze
42 Articles Available
€3: a month Access to additional blogs, which include some useful tips for part-time and full-time nomadic living, as well as looking after dogs while traveling.
Silver
54 Articles Available
€5 a month: Access to some of the creative archive, including extra travel photography and blogs, some of the soundscapes and the odd story from the road. Plus tips for making your travels more fun and less expensive and occasional freebies from higher up.
Gold
67 Articles Available
€7.50 a month: Full access to Burtman's creative archive, which includes written, photographic and videographic collections, 'Stories From The Road', 'Walks In The World' and 'The Rolling Archive', all the blogs, and interviews with people I meet along the way in the unscheduled podcast, not to mention some practical designs for saving space and weight in your van and some extra goodies now and then.
Platinum
67 Articles Available
€10 a month: Exclusive access to all new content as it comes, all blogs, recordings, podcasts and bonus articles, limited-edition artwork and one-off, signed instamatic photo prints by post, plus the option to upload an advert which will feature on this site (some rules apply).
Platinum supporters also have access to a regular private chat session, where you can ask questions, discuss ideas and travel tips, and get to know each other better.
€180: Lifetime platinum membership - pays our server bill for a year. The best deal for you and a big help for us :)
It's important that everyone finds what they are looking for here, and while there are many extras offered to those who can support this project, the most important information is available to all. If you find this website useful, but cannot support it yourself, it would mean a great deal if you could share it with someone who can. This project is made possible by the kind donations of my supporters, and their willingness to keep freedom alive and accessible to all.
As with everything here at Burtman.net, my supporter options have no lock-in, no commitment, no penalties and no other underhanded cheek of any kind. Your support is hugely appreciated and you are free to change your mind at any time. I only hope you enjoy using this resource as much as I love building it!
How To Send Your Support
Once you've decided which support level you're interested in, click here and follow the instructions. Donations are accepted in the currencies below, but I hope to add a Patreon option soon, where you can use more traditional methods.
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