An Edinburgh woman moved into her van full-time after failing to find a wallet-friendly place in the capital that would accept her dogs.
Emma, who works as a barista, featured on the BBC show "Vanlife in Scotland" where she spoke about how much she enjoys her new life, despite having to take a shower at the gym.
She told the show: “Somebody I know lives in a van, and said ‘Why don’t you think about it?’, and so I looked into it and I started researching it, and here we are.
"I don’t have to worry about accommodation, I just take the van and I park outside my friend’s house.”
“What I do is not hugely weird. I’m a normal person! I have a job, I pay tax, you know. I do all of these things, I just also don’t have a brick and mortar house.”
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The Edinburgh dog-owner added that despite living in her van she lives a relatively normal life saying: “I get up reasonably early depending on when I’m working.
"I usually get up about six-ish. I walk the dogs, give them their breakfast, and then I obviously don’t have a shower in the van, so I have to go to the gym and have a shower.
"After work I come home and again, I walk the dogs. We often go to a pub to see friends, and I end up coming back and maybe read a book or watching Netflix.
"I have a TV so that’s always nice. It’s a really nice place to come back and relax after a long day of working."
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Emma enjoys the freedom of having a van that putting roots down in a flat doesn’t allow.
She said: “I really like that element of freedom and not having to spend money where you don’t need to. I can go on a day trip to anywhere and all I have to pay for is my fuel, and it’s great."
Emma is not the only capital local interested in living in their van. According to research conducted by Very.co.uk, Edinburgh residents are the third keenest in the UK to switch from home life to van life.
The research also found that interest in moving into a van soared over lockdown, with converting and living in a van estimated to be 450% cheaper than a home renovation.
