May 5, 2023

tips on van life with pets

Ventura Van Builds

Are you curious about living on the road but worried about your fur baby? With 2 dogs and a cat, we’ve talked about this topic a lot and have done a good amount of research on the best way to accommodate animals on the road so here are our tips!

1. Create a safe space for your animal

Whether that be a crate or a built-in structure, it's a good idea to set aside a designated area for just your pet. We’ve built a little cat enclosure for one of our clients recently that was small enough to provide safety but large enough to be comfortable. If your pet is a priority, we totally understand and can definitely build according to that!

2. install plenty of air circulation and cooling

Definitely if you’ll be leaving your animals in the van without you - you’ll want to install a good air conditioning unit that works whether or not you're in the van. There are even units with thermostats that connect to your phone so you can monitor the temperature of the inside of the van when you’re away and amp up the air conditioner remotely if needed!

3. Prepare for the worst on the road

We’ve learned that it’s best to pack an emergency kit for our animals when we’re on the road. The kit should include things like:

  1. Natural flea and tick repellants
  2. Tick remover
  3. Kids benadryl and Neosporin
  4. CBD treats

4. accustom your animal with small trips

Another trick that we’ve learned about, especially with cats, is to accustom your animals to the space by starting with small day trips and then easing them into longer periods in the van. This way they’re not completely shocked by a total environment change.

5. install cameras

Our final recommendation is to install indoor and outdoor cameras on your van. This is more for peace of mind so that you can always have the option to check on your furry friend whenever you’re away!