Becky & Millie
Becky & Millie’s journey so far
After returning from university in 2022, Becky, and her partner, Millie, set out to convert a Citroen Relay into a self-sufficient campervan for a six month trip around Europe. With no prior experience, she spent months researching off-grid living and van life, balancing full time work with evenings and weekends on the build.
Their goal was to explore remote, off-the-beaten-track locations. The journey took them from alpine hikes to paddleboarding and snorkelling in lakes and along the coast. That first build sparked a passion for design, travel, and off-grid living, and eventually led Becky to her role at Nohma.
Now, with more experience and a clearer vision, Becky and Millie have completed their second van build. Here’s how it all came together.
Tell us about your new van conversion
After enjoying the comfort of a widthways fixed bed in our first van conversion, we knew we wanted the same setup for our second. That kicked off a search for a similar style of van, and after months of hunting, we finally settled on a 2020 Peugeot Boxer. Crucially, this time making sure it had cab air conditioning, having learned our lesson during a sweltering European summer without it!
We jumped straight into stripping the van and getting started on the exterior upgrades. Beginning by installing four windows, a Dometic awning, a Maxxfan, and all the essential external connections for water, electricity, and gas.
What inspired the design of your van?
After spending six months living in our first van conversion, we approached this second build with a much clearer idea of what worked and what was missing. The result was a more refined design that focused on a few key additions: an indoor shower, an oven, a larger electrical system, and functional seating.
One thing we loved about our first van was the sense of openness, so we made sure to keep this in the new layout. By positioning the shower cubicle behind the driver’s seat, we were able to maintain a spacious and airy living area. After a lot of research into shower tray options and reading plenty of horror stories about cracked plastic, we decided on a stainless steel tray for durability. At this point, we were already a year into the build, so the last thing we wanted was to rip it all out later!
We also upgraded from the chemical toilet in our first van, which was less than ideal, and opted for a removable Simploo composting toilet instead. The shower space is fitted with a duct from the Truma D4E heater and a Maxxfan Dome, making it perfect for drying off wet gear after a day of adventuring.
With plans for longer term travel, a more powerful electrical system was essential to keep us going through all seasons. Luckily, there’s no better place to make that happen than at Nohma. One of our brilliant engineers, Paul, helped design an off-grid setup built for full time living (even if he wasn’t thrilled about the inclusion of a coffee machine!). The result is a reliable, self sufficient van that lets me live, work, and travel with ease.
Components used in Becky and Millie’s electrical system ⚡️
Having gone through the trials and tribulations of designing my own electrical system for the first van, it was such a joy to work with Paul and follow the step by step instructions to install my electrical system. Having Huey, our technical support guru, on speed dial was a huge help, he talked me through the intricacies of the Cerbo GX and guided me through the setup.
Converting my second van whilst being part of the Nohma team has given me the opportunity to exchange ideas with some of the most experienced minds in van life and off-grid electrics. It’s this wealth of knowledge that the Nohma team brings to our customers everyday.
Becky Quinton, Ops & Marketing Assistant