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Vanlife Assistant

Onboarding Guide

The Onboarding Guide 🚐

Section titled “The Onboarding Guide 🚐”

Setting up Vanlife Assistant for the first time is like moving into a new van—it takes a little bit of organising, but once everything is in its place, life on the road is smooth sailing!

Because this app acts as the operating system for your rolling home, our onboarding process asks quite a few questions. Don’t panic! You can skip almost any step and fill it in later via the Settings menu.

Here is what to expect during your initial setup.

🛠️ Step 1: Your Vehicle Profile

Section titled “🛠️ Step 1: Your Vehicle Profile”

First, we need to know what you are driving. This isn’t just for show; the app uses this data to keep you safe and calculate your costs.

  • Make, Model & Year: Give your rig a name!
  • Dimensions & Weight: Crucial! Enter your height, width, length, and weight. The app uses this to warn you about low bridges and weight restrictions on your route. 👉 See Vehicle Specifications
  • Fuel Type: Diesel, Petrol, or Electric? This helps the app accurately track your fuel economy and calculate your Financial Scenarios.

🛂 Step 2: Travel & Schengen Setup

Section titled “🛂 Step 2: Travel & Schengen Setup”

If you are travelling across borders, especially in Europe, this step is vital.

  • Passport Nationality: Tell us what passport you hold. If you are a non-EU citizen, the app will automatically activate the Schengen Calculator.
  • Current Status: If you are already inside the Schengen zone, you can input how many days you have remaining so the app’s countdown is perfectly synced.

💰 Step 3: Money & Runway

Section titled “💰 Step 3: Money & Runway”

Let’s get your road finances dialled in.

  • Home Currency: Select the currency you earn and primarily think in.
  • Initial Budget: Set a loose daily, weekly, or monthly budget. You can always change this later.
  • Savings/Runway: (Optional) Enter your total travel fund. The app will use your daily burn rate to calculate exactly how many days of “Runway” you have left on the road.

🚨 Step 4: Emergency Setup

Section titled “🚨 Step 4: Emergency Setup”

We hope you never need it, but you’ll be glad it’s there.

📦 Step 5: The Manifest & SmartVan

Section titled “📦 Step 5: The Manifest & SmartVan”

Finally, we set up the digital infrastructure of your home.

  • Manifest Zones: You can start with our default zones (e.g., “Under Bed,” “Kitchen,” “Garage”) or create your own custom storage locations.
  • SmartVan (Optional): If you have HomeKit-enabled temperature sensors or smart batteries in your rig, you can grant the app permission to read them here. 👉 See Connecting HomeKit Accessories
  • Voice Assistant: Grant microphone permissions so you can start logging expenses and finding gear hands-free! 👉 See Permissions Explained

⏭️ Can I skip steps?

Section titled “⏭️ Can I skip steps?”

Absolutely. If you are standing in the cold and just want to quickly log a fuel receipt, you can tap “Skip” in the top right corner of almost every onboarding screen.

Whenever you are ready to finish your setup, just tap the Settings gear icon in the app, and you’ll find dedicated sections for your Van, Money, Trips, and more.

What’s Next?

Section titled “What’s Next?”

Now that your profile is built, we recommend checking out the Pre-Flight Checklist before you hit the road, or start digitally packing your gear in the Manifest.