How to Work from a Campervan: Power, Wifi and Routines

Working from the road sounds idyllic, but a van office only works if you plan the three things that kill productivity: power, connectivity and routine. Get those right and you can work from a Welsh valley or a Cornish beach as easily as from home.

Power: the backbone of van working

A laptop with an all-day battery is the single best investment you can make. Beyond that, a 100–200Ah lithium leisure battery, a solar panel and a small inverter will keep you charged for days off-grid. Work out your daily usage first: a laptop draws roughly 60W, a phone charger around 10W. For a full guide see campervan off-grid power.

Wifi and connectivity

Campsite wifi is rarely fast enough for video calls. Most remote workers combine a 4G/5G router with a data-heavy SIM, or tether to their phone. A directional antenna can make a real difference in weak signal areas. Always have a plan B: find the nearest library or cafe on days when the signal fails.

Your working routine

• Set core hours and tell your team when you are offline.
• Use a foldable desk and a proper chair for posture.
• Choose sites with electric hook-up when you have back-to-back calls.
• Build in a lunchtime walk — the whole point is the van life.

Consistency beats ambition. A small, repeatable routine beats a clever setup you never use.

Tax and practicalities

If you are self-employed and mostly UK-based, check with an accountant whether your van counts as a business expense — many people miss this. Keep receipts for site fees, fuel and data plans. A cheap car power bank also rescues the laptop on days when you forget the mains charger. On the road, most "work from van" headaches are solved by better planning rather than better gear — the setup is secondary to having a routine you can trust.

The right van helps

A van with a decent living area makes work much easier. High-tops and vans with a dedicated work surface are worth seeking out — browse campervans for sale to see the layouts available on the market.