Vanlife 2025: The Boom, the Rules, and the Road Ahead
By Harvey, editor at The Wheely Great News
Vanlife is officially booming
If it feels as though everyone and their dog is building a camper this year, the numbers back it up. Analysts now value the European camper-van conversion market at roughly $2.5 billion in 2025, with forecasts of 8 % annual growth right through to 2033. In plain English: demand for homes-on-wheels is rising faster than you can say “pass me the impact driver.” (marketreportanalytics.com)
New rules you must know before turning the key
1. Wild-camp ban in Greece
Dreaming of parking on a deserted Greek beach? Think again. Law 5170/2025 now makes it illegal to “install” campervans in public spaces — beach, forest, even regular car parks. Fines start steep and enforcement has already begun, so budget for official campsites if Greece is on your route.
2. The evergreen 90/180 Schengen rule
Brexit hasn’t gone away. UK passport-holders can spend 90 days in any rolling 180-day period inside the Schengen Area. Miss-count the days and you risk fines or an entry ban. Use a tracker app or a simple spreadsheet; future you will be grateful.
3. New border tech on the horizon
EES (Entry/Exit System) – touch-in, touch-out passport scanning with biometrics, expected October 2025.
ETIAS – a €7 online travel authorisation, likely in 2026, valid for three years.
Neither system is live yet, but both are announced and funded, so plan ahead. (travel-europe.europa.eu, gov.uk)
Community pulse: festivals are selling out
Van-life gatherings have levelled-up too. The inaugural Vanlife Festival 2025 in Swansea pulled almost 10 000 visitors, from VW families to first-time converters. Expect more regional meet-ups, skill-share workshops, and yes, a healthy queue for the compost-loo.
What this means for us (and you)
For Lucy and me, these shifts shape every plan we have. The boom tells us we’re not alone; the rule-changes remind us to keep a lawyer-ish eye on legislation. Our takeaway for fellow newcomers:
Stay informed – bookmark this News & Updates column.
Stay flexible – factor campsite fees and border timing into your budget.
Stay connected – festivals and online groups are goldmines for real-world tips.
We’re building more deep-dive guides right now and plan to release downloadable planning tools later this year. Stick around, and you’ll be first in the queue when they drop.
Until the next news round-up, keep the wheels (and the research) going.
— Harvey
