Book Review: One Girl’s Guide To Campervan Conversion, by Anna Pearce

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for this review. I did not receive any payment and was not required to write a positive review.

Converting a van into a campervan can be a very personal experience, especially if you plan to spend a lot of time living and travelling in it, like Anna Pearce, of <annastravels.com.

In One Girl’s Guide To Campervan Conversion, Anna has documented the process she went through to buy and convert her Volkswagen T4 into a camper, and while in her introduction she modestly claims that the book “should probably be viewed as a how-not-to tale of caution”, I think that anyone planning to buy and convert a van might learn quite a lot from her book — not least about the importance of having an open mind and the impossibility of getting everything right first time.

The design and layout of Anna’s camper is slightly unconventional for a VW as it features a traverse bed, but for those of a shorter disposition I can see that this layout would work really well and free up a lot of space in the rear of the van, as it has for Anna.

Dilemmas such as whether to spend money on a pop-up roof or get a newer, better van will resonate with many self-builders, me included, as will the balance of DIY and skilled assistance: money, safety, functionality and the desire for self-sufficiency all vie with each other for priority when you’re converting a van for yourself.

Anna’s persistence and vision in getting the van she wanted was impressive (when you read the first section you’ll see what I mean), and a look at her website suggests that the result has been everything she hoped for, and has enabled her to have some memorable travels on a tight budget.

What more can you ask for?

One Girl’s Guide To Campervan Conversion costs just £1.99 and is available as a download directly from Anna Pearce’s website, annastravels.com.