Paying off the wedding, navigating relationships with in-laws and dodging questions about when you are going to have children — the first year of marriage can be tumultuous for many couples.

But spare a thought for newlyweds Morgan and Hamish, who have decided to tackle their first year of marriage in very close quarters: by living in a van.

"I think I was interested in this kind of living before, and had planned to do it at some point, so it's exciting that he came with a van," laughed Morgan, as she sat on a bed-come-chair-come-storage unit inside her new home.

"It's nice being close to each other all the time. You can't escape each other so we have to have good communication!"

Canberra-based Hamish and Morgan are two members of the vibrant worldwide #vanlife community — singles, couples and families who have rejected traditional living arrangements to embrace a life of freedom, simplicity and total independence.

Hamish and Morgan's vertical garden. ( ABC Canberra: Michael Black )

What would you do with $10,000?

"Basically I had $10k saved, and I thought, I could use this to give to someone else as rent money, or I could use it to buy something of my own," Hamish explained.

"So I bought the van for $6,500 and did it up for about $3,000.

"It used to be a delivery van for someone's family business.

"It's slightly taller than a normal van, which means we can easily have beds and a sink and a bit of space for sitting."

Hamish and Morgan's van is completely decked out with solar power, a dual battery system with an inverter, a sink, a water tank, a fan, a fridge, a microwave, lights, insulation, even wooden floorboards.

When Morgan moved in she added a vertical garden, and their wedding guests gifted them a television, a barbeque, and a host of picture frames to hang up.

The solar panel Hamish installed to keep his appliances powered. ( ABC Canberra: Michael Black )

They have internet access on their phones, and dismiss the notion that living in a van means you have to go without — you just have to live more simply.

"It's a good DIY van but it's not perfect," Hamish said.

"When it rains really heavily it does sometimes leak, but we've modified the seals. It's sometimes tricky when you need to go to the toilet."

Which begs the natural question: what do they do when they need certain facilities?

Portable homes aren't portable loos

"Toilets are definitely tricky!" Morgan admitted. "But there are multiple creative ways."

"Public toilets are locked at night which is unfortunate," Hamish said.

"We've used toilets at fast food places or, of course, the bush.

"We have gym memberships, we can shower there, and a tennis club membership. Those options are really popular for people who do vanlife."

There are a variety of options for parking at night to sleep as well — and according to ACT Policing, sleeping in a vehicle is not an offence in the ACT.

Despite Hamish and Morgan's van being decked out with many mod-cons, space is still at a premium. ( ABC Canberra: Michael Black )

"A quarter of the time we park at people's places we know, a quarter is proper camping out bush somewhere, then half the time there are certain reclusive places we like parking and keep going back to," Hamish said.

"That, or somewhere close to where we have to be in the morning," Morgan added. "You just use your discretion about where to park.

"We've often gone to people's places for a meal and they offer their home for the night, but we're comfortable.

"It's our home. We truly own it.

"We can stay the night anywhere we like without having to worry about accommodation. It gives us flexibility."

Flexible, free lifestyle

Melanie's caravan, set up for breakfast. ( Supplied )

Melanie currently lives in a traditional caravan just outside of Canberra. She has a rug, picnic chairs and a table she can pull out to eat meals when the weather is fine, and she loves living obligation-free.

"I've chosen van life for the freedom," she said.

"Having a house means being trapped in one place. I've rented my house out so I can work less and travel more.

"I believe society puts a lot of pressure on people to have 'stuff', but I believe 'stuff' is baggage that holds you back. I only have my bikes, which make me happy."

Hamish explained that about half the people he has met in Canberra who have chosen van life were not in permanent jobs, or were university students wanting to save rent.

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"The other half find it fun and like the lifestyle. We're a bit of both," he said.

We like the lifestyle, but it's also beneficial not having to pay a huge amount of rent.

"We spend a little more money on eating out, on maintenance and on insurance, but it equals out to being much much cheaper, because we only have one thing — a car and a home in one. So we're definitely saving money."

A worldwide community

Also tapping into the trend is The Meaning of Vanlife, a documentary created in collaboration with Screen Australia, Cubic Films and Fighting Chance Films, and backed by a Kickstarter campaign.

Due for release in April, the documentary, to be aired on the streaming service Stan, was filmed in Australia and America and purports to give a "revealing look" into the vanlife community "to examine why modern nomads have made the decision to forego traditional homes for a life on the road".

"Not only does vanlife provide an escape from the machinations of consumerism, free from mortgages, monthly payments and enforced consumption, I have found vanlife to be a community founded on a genuine sense of care for the wellbeing of others," director Jim Lounsbury said.

Hamish and Morgan have had a small taste of that community, both within the ACT, and as honeymooners on the coast.

"There's a lot of sharing of knowledge," Hamish said.

"We met a lot of people living in vans as we went further up the coastline on our honeymoon. People are always asking for advice.

"We park in places people have told me about, and there are lots of things to read online about where to shower, where to go to the toilet … the online community is really active."

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Indeed, if you regularly use Instagram, Facebook or Reddit, you would have noticed hashtags like #vanlife and #homeiswhereyouparkit.

There are millions of pictures of fully decked-out vans parked in picturesque places but, while it looks idyllic, it would be remiss not to mention another concern: wintertime.

Winter is coming

Campervanning, caravanning and any kind of living in movable homes is often associated with warmer climates. So how will these Canberran vanlifers survive the winter?

"Not sure what I'll do in winter yet; take off overseas or head north in the van. Will see how I feel at the time," Melanie said.

But Hamish and Morgan, who both work part-time, plan on sticking around.

"I'm definitely a sook with winter and coldness, and the van, despite having a bit of insulation, it's still a metal box with a little bit of lining," Morgan admitted.

"We've got lots of warm clothing and good sleeping bags, but if it's -5C at night, its still about 0C inside.

"We looked into heating and they're all quite dangerous options, but we're hoping body heat and the heat of a candle in a small space will help. We've got down sleeping bags, plus blankets.

"If I don't die in winter, I'm quite happy to continue living this way until children. And even if we did have a place, not having a campervan would be really sad. It's a really fun lifestyle."