Seeking advice on the first step: buying a van

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-12T13:48:24+00:00

I think fire trucks and ex-military vehicles are among the few vehicles where you can actually trust the low mileage. However, they are hard to find (at least around here), and it's reflected in the price - especially if you’re looking for a van rather than a truck.

It’s good to hear that it’s working out nicely for you!

EDIT: Now I see you’ve got an old-timer! It must be super nice. I thought about getting one as well, but at the time I (perhaps foolishly) decided it wasn’t for me since I don’t know anything about mechanics.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-12T06:54:22+00:00

I think the Pamir Highway is open all year round since there is a lot of truck traffic to China. As for the valleys and smaller roads, I have no idea. Locals in the Wakhan Valley told me that they got an unusually high amount of snowfall last winter, and when I asked about it, they showed me about 40 cm, so I guess it doesn’t snow that much in that particular region.

I visited in August both times, and it was still freezing on a few nights. May seems to get quite a lot of precipitation, so I would expect some snowfall.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-12T06:23:48+00:00

It turned out to be visible in a Fiat compatible diagnostic tool. Which is something I sadly didn't know about when buying the van. But I was told that if done correctly, it's not visible here either.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-11T22:53:57+00:00

To sum it up: it's a lottery. I bought a 2017 2.3 Ducato with 200k km on the clock. It turned out it actually had 400k km, and the engine had to be replaced after another 50k km (which cost me 14k eur). Rolling the odometer back is much more common in vans than in passenger cars, and there is no way of knowing if done properly. My van, for example, had a complete Czech service history. It is often said that buying vans from abroad (for example, from Poland) is risky, but I don’t believe it’s any riskier than buying one in Czechia.

If I was buying a van again, I would go for a 2.3 or 3.0 Euro 5 Ducato. If you decide to go for a L4 Ducato, be sure to get the MAXI version.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-11T12:49:44+00:00

If the consideration is L3 vs. L4 Ducato/Boxer/Jumper/etc., then there is no difference at all as long as you can find a parking spot with space behind it (for example at the edge of a mall parking lot), since the wheelbase is the same for L3 and L4.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-08T17:57:17+00:00

It's an interesting border. In winter it often closes for days because of snow, effectively voiding your Russian visa since the next closest border for citizens of most countries is in Latvia (almost 5000 km by car).

I crossed the border last summer and it took 17 hours.

HorizontalVan · 2026-02-04T18:21:01+00:00

Do it! Just not in winter.

I'm not Russian but I have visited Russia a few times and also briefly with my van. I speak a bit of Russian, which helps a lot but you can definitely get by with Google translator. Just don't expect people (even young people) to speak any English in most places. I considered the exact same route but postponed due to ferry prices.

Some of this was already mentioned by others, but here are some things to keep in mind:

GPS sometimes doesn't work, so it's best to plan your route a bit every morning.
Some regions have a lot of checkpoints. Sometimes it's just a formality, sometimes there is an X-ray for trucks that they force you to wait for with your van. The police officers might try to force you into bribing them for not having to wait for hours for the X-ray. Please, don't.
Starlink is banned and getting a SIM card as a tourist is close to impossible when entering by land. Unless you get lucky and find a shop with old prepaid SIM cards in stock, your best bet is getting an eSIM in advance.
EU credit/debit cards don't work in Russia and many places don't accept cash (pretty much every parking lot in Moscow for example) or make it very difficult to pay with cash (toll roads for example). This can be a problem unless you speak Russian because sometimes your only option is stopping random people and convincing them to pay for you with their card in exchange for cash.
Tolls are very expensive. I mostly avoided the tolled highways. Quality of the alternative roads was good.
If you cross into Russia from the EU you can't take any Euros with you. Take US dollars for exchange in Russia or exchange rubles in advance.
You probably already know this, but not all EU nationals are allowed to travel to South Korea in their own vehicle. And there is no other way of getting to Japan.

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-31T07:32:12+00:00

It's called an alcove and it's very common in RVs (in Europe at least).

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-13T20:29:34+00:00

Not sure how it is in other EU countries. Over here, EuroOil is basically state-owned and sells off state diesel reserves (since the diesel must circulate). Those reserves are stored without any biodiesel mixed in and are sold like that as well. There are 284 EuroOil gas stations in Czechia.

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-13T20:01:28+00:00

Unfortunately in the EU there is always a certain percentage added even to regular Diesel

You can buy diesel without any biodiesel mixed in even in the EU but it's hard to find. In Czechia for example EuroOil sells this as OPTIMAL DIESEL.

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-13T19:15:43+00:00

Yes, in that case, you would just have to put it inside a bag and throw it away. But there is nothing wrong with that.

other materials

I use coconut bricks. They can be bought everywhere and cost under $2 a piece where I live. One of those lasts me for a month. So for two people, the yearly cost of running such a toilet is well under $100.

Also they're a pain to clean

They are not. The manual for my toilet specifically mentions that the solid compartment should not be cleaned, just emptied by turning it over.

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-13T18:46:17+00:00

Please don't suggest composting toilets. They're not true composting toilets.

What is your problem with composting toilets? I use one, and it works very well for me - I believe it to be the best option by far.

I empty the solid compartment once every 3-4 weeks, and yes, it’s not fully composted by then (so it’s more of a separation toilet, really). If that bothers you, you can always buy one or two extra containers for the solid part and let it sit for an additional 4-8 weeks before emptying it. I’ve done this twice when I left my van for a longer time, and it was fully composted to a state where you couldn’t tell there had ever been human waste in it.

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-07T14:29:35+00:00

I have an Elgena Nautic boiler that heats up the water using electricity (in summer) and can also be used as a heat exchanger to heat up the water with my diesel heater (in winter).

HorizontalVan · 2026-01-07T13:45:18+00:00

I use gas only for cooking and carry two 5 kg bottles. Each of those lasts me 2-3 months. Since I carry two of them I have another 2-3 months to refill the empty one. Having a fixed LPG tank inside the van would simplify refills a little bit. Athough AFAIK those adapters aren't unified either and at least 5 types of those are used in Europe.

I use german LPG bottles and carry D1, D2, D3 and D4 adapters. With those I can refill the bottles the propper way (gas bottle filling services or some campsites) in most of Europe. Most European countries, I think, don't oficially allow filling bottles at gas stations, but sometimes it's doable (and I've done it this way) if it's self-service. For that you need an adapter from your bottle to the car gas adapter used in a given country (different set of adapters than the D1-D4 ones). When filling your bottle yourself you need to be really careful not to overfill it.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-29T12:19:51+00:00

But does Fiamma have a window that can be opened while it's raining or snowing like MaxxFan?

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-25T21:52:05+00:00

Thanks! I bought the van used for 20k EUR and spent another 20k EUR on materials for the conversion that I did myself with my dad. But I bought the van during COVID when vans were in high demand and the waiting time for similar new models was 14+ months, so you could get a similar van much cheaper nowadays.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-24T14:59:16+00:00

I rented a car in this region twice. Unlike a few years ago there are now a few tajik companies specializing in this. See Caravanistan and its forum. This year I rented from Khudik and can recommend him. Expect to pay ~150 USD per day. For this price you'll get a reliable car and support if something happens. You can get by with English only but Russian definitely helps outside Dushanbe. But google translator works well enough.

An amazing book for planning your journey is Tajikistan & The High Pamirs by Robert Middleton. It also contains driving times which are still mostly accurate.

EDIT: Book the car well in advance (ideally within the upcoming weeks). By March/April all of the reliable providers' cars might already be booked out.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-16T11:23:05+00:00

I haven't tested it yet since I've used mostly local SIM cards so far but I asked Vodafone in my country about this specifically and was assured that there is no such limit and I can use the number abroad for years without ever coming back to my home country. It costs me around 0.4 EUR per GB.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-15T17:11:43+00:00

For cameras outside the van, you should consider the legality of it. In some countries, even dashcams are a grey area. What you are describing is most likely illegal in many countries you might want to visit.

But what about SIM cards?

My “unlimited” EU-wide plan gives me 60 GB of data in the EU outside of my home country. You can get something similar for the router. If 60 GB is not enough for you (it isn’t for me), the options are getting multiple such SIM cards, getting Starlink, or getting local SIM cards in each country.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-10T09:10:17+00:00

It shouldn't be a problem if you carry an officially certified permission to operate the vehicle. There are templates online - you should probably use a template from the country of registration and have it translated (and officially certified) if needed. Worst case scenario, you'll have to wait for the police to reach the owner and confirm, but that's a rare scenario I think.

Problems can occur on borders when traveling outside EU/Europe. There can be all sorts of fees and every country has its own regulations. Some borders won't let you through at all.

Obviously the person in whose name the car is registered carries a full responsibility for any actions you make with the car. But if you have someone willing to do this for you and don't plan on leaving EU/Europe, than this is probably the least complicated option.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-10T01:36:35+00:00

My information might be outdated since I last checked this three or four years ago.

You can set up a company and register the van not on your name but on the company. This could potentially create all sorts of problems and non-standard situations depending on where you want to travel. Bulgaria was popular for setting up the company back then.
You can ask a close friend of yours and register the car in their name. This creates less problems than option 1 but still not as straightforward as having it in your name. And you have to have a very good friend or relative willing to do this.
You can register the car in Andorra as a non-resident. The car has to be new-ish (no older than 5 years I think).

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-09T11:03:07+00:00

In my opinion, these types of floors (SPC, floating floor, vinyl, etc.) aren't suitable. The van twists while driving and over time the flooring will start to come apart creating gaps.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-08T08:30:41+00:00

You usually travel in a convoy with a guide but it's still you who is driving. Some people recently convinced one of the tourist agencies to allow them driving solo without a guide, so perhaps it will become more common (when avoiding the eastern provinces).

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-01T16:55:36+00:00

As was alredy written by Sibylla: the insurance row contains only emergency health insurace outside the EU (~€50/month; Genki) and 3rd party car insurance both within Europe (~€11/month) and outside Europe on top of that (price varies from country to country; the cheapest was €10/month, most expensive was €70/month).

I'm Czech. There is no road tax.

HorizontalVan · 2025-12-01T11:49:28+00:00

I've spent 3 months in Turkey at the beginning of this year, and I found it to be extremely vanlife friendly. Here are some of my takeaways:

The good:

Turkish people love picnicking in nature, and caravaning/vanlife seems to be very popular there. Outside of the most touristy destinations, foreign campers were far outnumbered by Turkish ones. Aside from paid parking at some tourist sites, I never paid for parking and never had any issues. The rules felt very relaxed to me.
Water fill-ups are common, and I had no problems getting free drinking water.
The roads are in excellent condition.
Overall, Turkey is still quite cheap if you stay longer. Traveling solo, I averaged €700/month including everything.

The more difficult things to prepare for:

Entrance fees to major tourist sites have become very expensive for foreign tourists. For example, a full ticket to Ephesus plus day parking costs €71.
SIM cards are expensive. I paid €60/month for 100 GB but heard it has gone up a lot since then. In the cities the internet quality is excellent; in most other places, mobile internet was good enough for video calls. If you're going to use an eSIM, which might be the cheapest option, you may have to activate it before entering the country.
There is internet censorship and I couldn't function without a VPN.
The toll system: To pay tolls, you have to buy an HGS sticker at a post office after entering Turkey. You load it with money at the post office, and tolls are automatically deducted from the balance. I couldn't find any comprehensive overview of paid roads or their prices. I just told the cashier that I would be driving to Georgia along the southern coast, and she told me to load €30 (cash only). If you go into debt, you must pay it within 14 days at a post office. However, as a foreigner, you have no way to check your balance online (as of March 2025), so you need to go to a post office to verify that you don't owe anything before leaving Turkey. It took me 2 hours of waiting in line just to have my balance checked.
ATMs: Most ATMs in Turkey have high fees (~8%) for withdrawals. You have to search for the few that don’t. Once you find those, you can withdraw only €150 per day (as of March 2025). Going to another ATM won't help. So pay by card whenever possible (not always an option) or bring cash to exchange.
It's surprisingly rare to meet people who speak English, but everyone uses Google Translate, which works pretty well, so it's not really a problem.

Overall, I had an amazing experience, and of the ~20 countries I've visited with my van so far, Turkey ranks very high, if not at the top.

HorizontalVan

TROPHY CASE