Meeting with Nicolas Danglesvan-life craftsman in Limousin

Van-Life with Nicolas Dangles

Ah, van-life! Miles of scenery and a feeling of freedom… Who hasn’t dreamt of it? Let’s meet Nicolas, a van builder and founder of Rêve en van!

Nicolas Dangles

Nicolas shares his passion for van-life through his company "Rêve en Van".

A story of DIY…

Born in the Paris suburbs, I spent most of my childhood in Limoges, where I went to school. From my earliest years, I spent my free time tinkering, doing manual activities and setting up my workbench to make it as functional as possible.

Once I’d passed my A-levels, I naturally followed a technical path, attending an IUT in Egletons and a Civil Engineering engineering school in Clermont-Ferrand. From 2011 to 2017, I held a number of positions with a major French construction group, particularly near Bordeaux.

The spirit of freedom and discovery

During my final year of study in 2011, I seized the opportunity to carry out a six-month end-of-study internship in Chile. Encountering a culture that was foreign to me and discovering new landscapes was an experience that gave me a taste for travel forever. Since then, I’ve travelled abroad whenever I could. The sense of freedom and adventure I found on the road is now part of my self-fulfillment.

In 2017, my wife and I decided to go one step further. So we quit our respective jobs and hit the road for a year-and-a-half trip around the world… Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, USA, Burma, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia.

Passionate
for van-life

In New Zealand, our last destination, we discovered another way of traveling. We bought a vehicle, which I began to fit out. As we went along, we had all the equipment we needed to hit the road and enjoy our road trip in “Van-Life” mode. The fact that we could sleep every night at a new spot, wake up to new landscapes, move around without any constraints, and feel totally free really won us over.

Back in France, I wanted to continue the adventure. After several months of reflection, training and planning, a new project was born: Rêve en Van. And so, in March 2020, I opened my van fitting and rental business. The aim is twofold:

to offer converted vehicles for hire to families, couples or friends wishing to discover and enjoy this mode of travel.
To enable enthusiasts to fit out their own vehicles according to their desires, by making tailor-made conversions.

Roots in Haute-Vienne

Having spent my childhood in Limoges, the decision to return to Limousin was an obvious one. Rêve en Van is now based in Nexon, near Limoges. The region is ideally placed in terms of accessibility for customers. What’s more, the department’s many natural areas and rural character offer a landscape that’s ideal for adventure and escape…