Thinking of trying van life? See inside this couple's converted Mercedes Sprinter – and why they left van life behind

Jyoti MannJul 1, 2023, 18:54 IST

Austin and Melanie with their converted Mercedes van.Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Austin Shoecraft and Melanie Hershman Shoecraft converted a Mercedes van into a mobile tiny home.
The couple, both software engineers, spent 11 months traveling and working in their van.

Austin Shoecraft and Melanie Hershman Shoecraft had been interested in working while traveling for a few years. When the pandemic hit, they began exploring ways they could turn this idea into reality.

In June 2021, they bought a Mercedes Sprinter van for about $60,000 and had it converted into a mobile tiny home.

In 2022 the couple spent 11 months traveling and working in the van, visiting Niagara Falls, Montreal, and Quebec City in Canada, and Texas, New Orleans, and Atlanta in the US.

They shared their experiences of working on the road with Insider.

The software engineers spent a total of about $165,000 on the van.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Their monthly costs were around $3,500 for gas, food, and campsite fees, they said.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Austin discovered van conversions on YouTube during the pandemic.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Their employers were flexible and supported remote working.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

They had three forms of internet connections to ensure they could work with ease.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

The van also had external storage for their bicycles.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Melanie and Austin used apps to find free locations to park and stay.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Living and working in a van "didn't help" their work-life balance.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

One of their worst days was when their toilet became infested with flies.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

Something always seemed to go wrong in the van.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

They sold the van for $130,000.

Melanie Hershman Shoecraft

These foldable tiny homes start at $50,000 and can be assembled in less than 8 hours — see inside

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Thinking of trying van life? See inside this couple's converted Mercedes Sprinter &ndash; and why they left van life behind

The software engineers spent a total of about $165,000 on the van.

Their monthly costs were around $3,500 for gas, food, and campsite fees, they said.

Austin discovered van conversions on YouTube during the pandemic.

Their employers were flexible and supported remote working.

They had three forms of internet connections to ensure they could work with ease.

The van also had external storage for their bicycles.

Melanie and Austin used apps to find free locations to park and stay.

Living and working in a van "didn't help" their work-life balance.

One of their worst days was when their toilet became infested with flies.

Something always seemed to go wrong in the van.

They sold the van for $130,000.

Thinking of trying van life? See inside this couple's converted Mercedes Sprinter – and why they left van life behind