Sometimes, finding the best products for your campervan and getting help on your van build can be REALLY difficult. You typically have to browse tons of different platforms and company websites for everything you need.
Ben Quesnel, a 4-year on-the-road nomad, founded Simpler Ways to try to change that. Simpler Ways is like the REI for van life, DIY tutorials, foldable laundry basins and other products to help modern nomads on the road. They also have a section dedicated to surfing and yoga activities. Their goal is to become the one-stop shop for anyone looking to build their own van life experience.
It's such a cool website and I'd encourage you to check it out if you're looking for van-specific products.
In this episode of The Wayward Home podcast, we'll talk about Ben's transition to nomadic living, the vehicles he's converted into tiny homes and why he created Simpler Ways.
Click here to shop van life products and tutorials on Simpler Ways!
Connect with Kristin Hanes and The Wayward Home!
Sometimes, finding the best products for your campervan and getting help on your van build can be REALLY difficult. You typically have to browse tons of different platforms and company websites for everything you need.
Ben Quesnel, a 4-year on-the-road nomad, founded Simpler Ways to try to change that. Simpler Ways is like the REI for van life, DIY tutorials, foldable laundry basins and other products to help modern nomads on the road. They also have a section dedicated to surfing and yoga activities. Their goal is to become the one-stop shop for anyone looking to build their own van life experience.
It's such a cool website and I'd encourage you to check it out if you're looking for van-specific products.
In this episode of The Wayward Home podcast, we'll talk about Ben's transition to nomadic living, the vehicles he's converted into tiny homes and why he created Simpler Ways.
Click here to shop van life products and tutorials on Simpler Ways!
Connect with Kristin Hanes and The Wayward Home!
Hey there, it's Kristen with the wayward home.com, and I spend half the year in my camper van and half on my sailboat, and I hope to inspire you to live Nomadically too. So today we're talking to Ben Quesnel, a van lifer and explorer who left a lucrative corporate job in tech to create his own brand new company, which I'm really excited to talk about today. It's a vanlife marketplace called Simpler Ways, which we'll get into in a little bit. But Ben, first thanks. Thanks so much for, for joining us. Podcast. Hi. Thanks for having me on the podcast. It's an honor. Yeah. So first of all, I wanna talk to you a little bit about, um, your story and what inspired you to first start living the van life yourself. Well, it's a, it's a great question. So I'm, I'm originally from France and I moved over to the US in 2013. Um, I was working in San Francisco and after a few years I kind of got tired of it. Um, I was looking, looking for new ways to spend my weekends and travel a bit more. And, uh, that's how I came, came up with the idea of buying, Volkswagen van and restore it. And the idea then was to use it for weekend trips, maybe go serve down the coast, explore bit California or beyond. And uh, as I was doing this restoration, I started meeting more and more people that had done this and then moved into the event full-time. That was in 2017. And, uh, and I decided that it would be fun to try and go beyond just the, the Beyond California. And so in 20, uh, 2018, my first long trip with the van was going down to Baja, California. Um, it was gonna last a few weeks. I said I stayed there two months and then when I came back, I put everything I own in the van, uh, left my apartment in San Francisco, and, uh, went for a six month trip that I ended up being four years now in counting. That's amazing. And so at first, were you still working remotely for your, for your tech kind of jobs, or did you quit those jobs? Uh, I quit. I quit that job, uh, as I moved into the, the, the van full-time. Uh, I think part of the appeal for me was to be, uh, be more in control of my finances and my, my, my, uh, my work. And so as the moment I moved into the van, I started, uh, a new activity as a freelance market. Gotcha. Cool. So you became a freelancer, and what was that transition like to go from, you know, living in San Francisco to living in your van? What was that like for you at first? uh, in terms of everyday life, it was really awesome. Like, it's really what I wanted. Like I, I I think like having, having, having had the chance to like, try it out a little bit before, and being in California, which is one of the best days for, in terms of like, you know, 3, 4, 5 hours escapes. Um, I, I really knew that this is what I wanted. For me at that moment, uh, the professional transition was also exciting. Uh, I'd say more challenging because everything was so new for me and, and, you know, I had to, uh, you know, be in charge of getting new clients, be in charge of making sure I could pay the bills at the end the month. Um, so definitely was like a bit of a, a bit more of a transition. But I'm very, very happy. I, I, I, I tried it Totally. And so when you had the job, you know, the regular job, um, how were you feeling in that role? Were you ready to, to break out? Were you getting kind of bored or what were your thought processes when you were living this kind of normal lifestyle? Uh, well, I mean, for me it was not so normal because I had already, you know, gone all the way from new to the us. So I think the, the, the first, the first five, six years of that experience were really awesome. Like, I don't think I left because I felt, uh, bored necessarily in my functions. Um, but it's probably, um, I was kind of ready for a new challenge professionally, I think. Like, uh, it was not so much like the, the topics I was working on or, or the companies I was working with, but rather. Um, the excitement of being able to be more in control of, uh, of my time. Like, you know, I wanted to steer away from the nine to five, kind of like grind and, and, and wanted to be more in control of my time. Totally. And so you were traveling in your van and did you just stay in North America or have you done like Van Life in, in other places as well? Yeah, it's, it's a great question. Well, what happened is that, so in 2019, as I said, I kind of started this six month journey. Uh, the moment I hit Alaska was like, Hey, like I. I really want to do this Pan American thing, you know, like I made it all the way there. Wanna, I try and head south. And so, um, the second, well, the last quarter of 2019, I, I was on my way down to, uh, to Panama and I think like part of me was like, if I make it to Panama, I might as well put that van on a container. Um, and then 2020, will I be started? The way we all know I was, uh, I had been spending I think, like I was three months in Baja. I had put my van on a, uh, ferry over to mainland Mexico. And that's when the pandemic started. I was in Saudi area, so I stayed there for a couple months with the van and then obviously I saw that things were not going anywhere, so I decided to go back to rop, left my van there and uh, and because I had all this time on my hand because Europe was um, uh, Was like, you know, as top as uh, uh, on our, on our side of the pond. Um, I decided to buy another van and use this time I had on my end to restore another Volkswagen van. Uh, and that's how I started this kind of like by continuin journey of having a van on both, uh, sides of the Atlantic. And so I do have a van there. I travel for, uh, three and a half month while I was there in 2020 and, uh, decided to keep the van there. So like, uh, the two summers ago I finished a build and traveled with it for a month and a half last summer. I didn't get to travel that much with it, but did for a couple weeks. And the idea is that like now I have this home and wheels in my, uh, in my home country I can use to explore, uh, all those places that I'm yet to, I'm yet to go to. Um, like northern, uh, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Germany, Greece, uh, Morocco is a dream of mind. Um, so the idea is that like I'm, I'm, I'm able to do so whenever I go back to Europe, which usually is like once a year. That's amazing. And I think a lot of people are curious about Van Life in Europe. Um, what's it like over there? Is it harder or more difficult than, or easier than being in the, in the states? I wouldn't say it's easier, uh, but it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Uh, especially in French, which has a reputation of, uh, of having like difficulties with, uh, I mean, it's just the, the, the, the, it's just everything is like smaller, right? And, and every, every, um, every village is like, uh, right one, like a corner of like. you, you will have less, um, extended spaces, right? And so, uh, I was worried about this and, and, and it makes the whole experience richer. Um, in other words, like, uh, you know, you will have less, you won't be driving five hours on a flat like pipeline like you would be in the us. Uh, but every time at every corner, you'll, you'll have a new a, a new place to visit, which will have its own culture, its own architecture, food. You know, it's just very rich culturally, and it makes the experience very rich in its, uh, in its own way. And I think the whole, uh, the whole space is changing quite a bit in Europe in adapting to this new, like, vanlife, uh, trend that has arrived a little later in Europe. Um, and so now there's a lot of, like businesses, new campgrounds. The whole market is adapting to it. And the, and the, the, the jurisdiction are adapting as well. Cool. That sounds super fun. I'd love to to go to Europe and, and rent a van and try it out sometimes. So it's good to hear that it's up and coming over there. So, yay, And I also saw on your Instagram that, that you have a, uh, forerunner. Is that yours? That you're converting? Absolutely. That's a new project of mine, uh, because I decided to spend, I was spending on all my winters in Mexico and some people by selling boat. I think like I, I'm, I'm not there yet in terms of amateurism, but hopefully someday. And so instead, instead of like driving the 40 plus hours from, from Oregon or or California all the way to Bahai, decide to, uh, get a truck there and restore it there. and I spent like, uh, almost five, four or five months in the, in, in Baja last year. Um, and I, I, I do plan on spending like more time there and maybe, maybe ship it to mainland exploring like the, this side of the border a little bit more. And, uh, for that, I, I thought that like a, a truck that, uh, has a better, uh, truck record of. of, uh, uh, you know, being, being more capable off-road, uh, would be, would be a, a better option. So I do have now a third vehicle, which, um, you know, I'm a little embarrassed about, but it's really, you know, the idea is the continuity of having a home on wheel where I spend time so that like I don't have to move those like vehicles around that much. Yeah, it totally makes sense. And you have very tiny homes. It's not like you have mansions in every country. So you are still living a very minimalist lifestyle in these vehicles. So yeah, the, for the forerunners, probably your, the smallest interior. Right. Yeah. It's a, it, it was an interesting build to, I think like the challenge of, uh, building something on an even smaller, uh, footprints. Uh, I, I thought, I thought it would be an interesting one. And, uh, I'm really excited about showing the progress on this because like, how did a custom popped up and like the interior is actually, you know, optimized in a way that, uh, makes it actually comfortable. And, uh, and it's definitely, you know, a rig that is for places where you can spend as much time outside of it as possible. Like versus like, A winter rig, for example. Yeah, very true. That makes total sense. So, yeah. So are you still, um, happy with this nomadic way of life? Or what, what are your thoughts about it? Absolutely. I think like, um, what I've found for myself, especially with Covid, that kind of like put a, put an end to it. I think that, uh, there's a, there's an importance for everybody to real, to kind of like find the right balance, uh, for themselves. I think like being on the road full-time. Literary full-time was exhausting, uh, for me. And, uh, what I mean by this is exhausting. Like, not so much from a psychological standpoint, but it's just like physically, right? Like, uh, being on the move permanently. Um, and so what I found for myself, and everybody has their own truth, right? Like, and, and that's important that you find your own, um, is that I wanted to be able to, uh, apply this, like that idea of slow traveling, like to, uh, uh, a further extent. And by, by this I mean that's, uh, staying in a place for. Long period of time, uh, still having a vehicle cool, eventually like renting out a place or like, uh, when I was in Nare, I setting in this really cool like campground that, you know, I had my little space. Um, so I was able to like escape if I wanted to, but I got to really know some people, uh, know the, the local culture, like have my own habits and stuff. And then whenever, you know, I felt like I was, uh, ready for the next. Next? I'm not sure. I just moved on and, uh, and since then I've been applying this for myself. Like, I, I think, uh, um, and, and having multiple vehicles has allowed me, has, has allowed me to do so as well. Like, uh, uh, you know, spend more time. I felt like I, I was not connected enough to my home country anymore. And now I have this. Option to stay longer period of times there, but I can still discover it, uh, in a way that I had not, uh, been doing before, which means just going around like learning about local cultures and rediscovering spaces, including spaces that, uh, were supposed to be my home. Um, and, and, and I really hope that I'm able to, uh, keep that balance of like, you know, uh, permanent movements. Although while respecting my own, uh, You know, needs for, for, for root. Yeah, so you found like a perfect balance for yourself between staying in one place and doing some traveling. It sounds like. So far siu. So far SIU and if he changes somebody from these change, I'll be fine as well. that's what's wonderful about these lifestyles is they're very fluid and dynamic and we can kind of do what we want to suit our, our mood. It's really, the freedom's amazing. Huh? Absolutely. Yeah. No, no wonder why, uh, I keep, I, you know, it was supposed to be six months. I'm still in it because I think it's, uh, I've found, you know, the, the, the, the best lifestyle I could think of for myself right now. That's so cool. And yeah, I was really excited to learn about your website, uh, your big project that you've been working on. How did you get the idea, or first of all, I guess we should talk about what is the product? Um, tell us all about, uh, what you developed. Absolutely. Yeah. I'd be very happy to, um, uh, basically like the being in my third. Third build. Now, I realize at least like when I first started it, that like the resources back then were pretty scars. And I said, well, back then I sound like I'm, I'm, I'm very old. But, uh, back in 20 16, 20 17, it was a very early stage of, uh, the van life as we know it. And, uh, and so there was not that much like resources, uh, that you could find. And uh, and I've been very, very fascinated by how the market has evolved since then. Um, and as I was kind of trying to like, uh, you know, go from like freelance to maybe selling my own ntd. I realize I would love to apply my expertise, which is like online communication marketing. Um, To to, to this new, this new passion of mine. And, uh, and so I just like put, you know, two and two together. Eventually. I was like, well, if there's no, there is there, there is like, we're seeing more and more like resources and companies doing a lot of things, but there's no centralized resources for all this to be in the same place. And so I wanted to create a platform in which I, basically, a platform I wish existed when I first started. Right, like a platform that's really d i y friendly, but it is also serving people that's, uh, not nece, not, not necessarily have like the expertise or like the tools or the time. I want to reposition the platform in a way that's, uh, provides, uh, di i y tutorials, uh, kits. Um, and, and, and options and, and, and, and knowledge basically for anyone who's willing to get into it and that doesn't know how, the tickets to spend on a, um, on a built, uh, that's made professionally. Um, and I think that's, uh, the platform now serves at purpose pretty well. And, uh, I'm, I'm very happy about like the direction we're taking. Yeah. And so what kind of products can people find on your. So right now, the, the, the site is divided in two main sections. The first one is, uh, for, for, for people's bills. So, uh, think our, our key products are the, the kits we have, uh, we have DIY kits. So basically it's kits like think of the Ike F for van life, um, for, for about like eight types of vehicles now. And we keep expending. Um, and this is really, the idea is like, all right, like you've got an empty vehicle, you don't know how to, uh, to, to build it. We offer, uh, the, the what we think are the best kits on the market. Uh, and the other section of the website is focusing on gear for the roads. So imagine that like you have managed to like outfit that van with like the, the furniture kit wanted. Now you have to think about all the, the. That will, you know, fill that space. And, uh, so we have a very carefully curated selection of products that, uh, will allow you to, um, you know, live on the road like, uh, in, in a, in the most fulfilling way. So products that are, you know, space optimiz, solving specific issues from life of the road, from all aspects of life on the road, from laundry to bedding, to like having dogs on the road to eating outdoor cooking, outside, inside. You name it, we have it all. That's so cool. And so for the kits, some people might not know what a kit is, um, that they can put in their van. What kind of components do your kits have and how do they work exactly? Absolutely. That's a great question. Well, a uh, an empty van is basically an empty home, right? So like we have kits from that ranch, from just the bennings to the panel kits to the flooring to. Uh, to all in one kit. Uh, so the idea again is like IKEA for vanlife. So, um, it's, um, it's, you know, you get in the mail like, uh, something that you get to build like over weekends and, uh, and it will, you know, obviously it will be like at the right dimensions of your, your entire, so if you get a sprinter will have kits that will have the, you know, include the kitchen, the bedding, the cabinets, uh, and, and the structural, uh, aspects of it as well. So like ceiling flooring, uh, and wall panel. Yeah, I have some people write to me and they have like a minivan, for example, and they're like, I just don't know how to build this out. And I think you have, there's a kit on there for a minivan, right? Yeah, absolutely. We have minivans and we have also like a, a new category that's very exciting, uh, is like truck campers. A lot of people will have like, SUVs, forerunners. Um, and, and, and, and you know, like a lot of people have spent a lot of time designing the right, like slide out kitchen and everything. So like we have those as well. So basically the idea, I mean, the vision is like any space that has wills on it, under it, uh, will have a kit that has been built and designed specifically for that space so that you're able to, you know, not spend all the money on tools, time, uh, and resources, and instead get a kit that can build yourself in a weekend, which is fun, uh, which is easy, and which most importantly will get you on the road fast. Totally. And how did you find the, the companies that you decided to put on your site? Well, that's the fun part for me, is like I'm geeking out about this thing and I have been for such a long time, um, that like I just, you know, every day I'll dedicate an hour or so just looking at like new products, uh, new solutions I've been to shows representing simple ways, of course, but also as like a, a, a, a. You know, I'm met your builder myself. Um, and now, I mean, in 2023 compared to 20, 20 16 and 2017, there's a of resources out there like your blog, uh, that has, you know, so much information that's very useful. And so, um, it's, it's a matter now of like, you know, scanning that information and applying like my, my own filters so that, um, whatever is available in simple ways fit the kind of like, um, the criteria I feel are important for someone. For like from, from the how solid and rubbers the thing will be, the, the overall design, the aesthetics of it, which is important cuz we're talking about homes. Um, so all that is kind of, uh, uh, the part of my job that I still enjoy quite a bit. And I'm fascinated to see that like every, every week I, I discover, I still discover a new, uh, either a new player or a player that's been around for some time that's somehow I didn't hear about. Um, it's a very rich ecosystem and a very fascinating. Yeah, and I loved your, your website. I'll just, um, say it again. It's called Simpler Ways. There'll also be a link, um, below in the show notes. People can go look at your site. But when I first looked at it, I was like, oh, cool, this is like an r e i or an outdoor store for Vans. It's so hard to find that. I feel like all the companies are just working on their own and you can't always find a collection of really cool products. So that's what I liked when I first went to your site. And I'm guessing you were going for that kind of aesthetic with. Absolutely. Well, that, that, thank you very much. I'm glad. I'm glad you, you saw that Yeah. And um, so in terms of the interior components, what are some examples of like fun things, or not the build kits, but things people can add to their van. What kinds of things do you have for interior? Um, like, Silver, like cooking wear and stuff. What are some examples? Absolutely. Like, uh, I, I, I, I think like, uh, well, I mean the, the kind of like go-to that you can think of for vans is anything that like, is space optimized, right? So like foldables, uh, or, or, or items like this. We have a section I'm really, really happy about, which, you know, is not, uh, not. It's not meant to like, to, it's not a monkey, a moneymaking se section, but it's a section that has DIY tutorials. For example, we can download, uh, tutorials, make your own like, uh, food hammack for example, or your own, like straps where attach things. Uh, but I think like, uh, overall, like all those sections or all those products have in common that idea of like solving a specific problem. Uh, in, in Van Live. So for example, we have like foldable, uh, laundry basins, uh, or we're about to out, uh, add like a, a laundry bag that like you can kind of like move around to, to make your own laundry without having to, to go to a laundry station. Uh, and that's just one of the aspect. But like, uh, for, for any other, other aspects of life on the road, were trying to find the products that, uh, will make you think, oh, I didn't know that existed. And it makes a lot of sense. Totally. And, uh, in looking at your website, you also have a whole section on like surfing. Um, why did you include, uh, surfing in your, your site for example? Uh, well, the, the, the section about surfing came with, uh, the discovery of this new product that, uh, we had a few months ago, which is a, a, um, a mat, like a shower mat. Um, and actually it's made, it's a changing mat for like surfers and it's made of recycled iga, super light. Uh, and when I found that, I think it was on Instagram, I was like, this will make so much sense for our audience. Um, so I edited, I edited as a shower mat, but then I realized that a lot of people were. um, uh, We're also like, you know, surfing on the road. And it may make sense. It's part of the, the, I think the, the, the, the, the mentality. Um, and so we started adding like a surfing category. We have a yoga category and we'll probably keep adding categories that make sense because we see that our audience are, you know, like fish idols of like that specific sport. So activity. Um, so whenever it makes sense and it's something that we see across like the. Our family of like, uh, modern nomads and uh, and, and that's kind of like the project be behind, uh, simpler ways. Very cool. And so what's your overall like goal with, with this business? What do you hope to accomplish? Uh, the overall goal for me, uh, my, well by the, the, the vision for the business is that, uh, we'll become, we, we will become like the, the one stop shop for anyone who's thinking of doing a, uh, a vanlife build. Um, And, uh, they will find their, like resources, like, uh, we want it to feel like a feminist, like, you know, buy nomads for nomads. Um, and, and hopefully people will, uh, will see that behind the brand and will come for that, right? Like recommendation of products that have been. Proof tested, uh, for the road so that they have to, they spend less time doing the research because we did it. Uh, and my personal goal is like, is, uh, for this obviously to, uh, you know, become a source of, uh, become a beyond that, I think like, uh, I wanna inspire. More people to, uh, embrace like, you know, a mini, a more meaningful, uh, lifestyle. And, uh, and my, my dream is that it goes beyond just the, the, the, the van community and just like, you know, like tiny living as a whole. Um, because I, I, I do think that like our, um, you know, modern society has gone all far in terms of, you know, our community, things that we don't need, or even what we were talking about earlier, like, you know, the US usual, like the daily grinds and. We tend to forget that, you know, life is made for living. And I think that, uh, having a, um, a, you know, embracing a, a tiny life is, uh, one of the, the, the way to fast track that kind of like realization that maybe there's more out there to, to explore and to, to discover. That's so true. I just love what you're doing and yeah. Is there anything else you wanted to say about, about your new business? Uh, well, I, I, I would invite anyone who hasn't heard about it or haven't been on the platform to go check it out, um, because I, I especially like over the next, uh, the next year, 2023 is gonna be big for us because we're, we're gonna consolidate our offering, uh, with the kids. Uh, Right now there's not much tutorials, but like we want to expand on the tutorials as well. Like we want it to be become a digital library in which anyone that has made a tutorial for anything ready to van Knife can post the tutorial there. So if, uh, anyone in your audience that's listening to us today, Uh, has that, uh, feel free to reach out to us. We'll, you know, we want it to be a platform in which anyone has something to contribute, can contribute and, uh, and, and obviously get rewarded for it. Um, so that's my second message. And, uh, yeah, I'm very excited for, for it and hopefully grows to become the, the, the centralized resource for everybody. Um, especially for the newcomers, uh, the newcomers to the van Light C. Very cool. Well, thank you so much for coming on and talking about yourself and your new business and yeah, people can find the link in the show notes, but simpler ways.co. And yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for having me again. It was, it was a great pleasure talking to you and uh, and I hope to see you soon.