Young people in England's Cornwall are moving into old vans as Airbnb squeezes rentals dry

Across Cornwall, the shortage of affordable housing is forcing some younger residents into older vans, turning vehicle living into a fallback when regular rentals are out of reach.

For many of them, the online fantasy of van life has little in common with everyday experience.

What happened?

In a recent feature, The Guardian reported on young people in Cornwall who now live in campervans year-round because long-term housing has become either too scarce or too expensive.

Cornwall sees about 4 million tourists a year, and the report said landlords can often make more from roughly 24,000 Airbnbs and holiday lets than from local renters.

It also said around 13,000 second homes in the area are owned by visitors, adding more strain.

One of the people featured was Skye, a 25-year-old special educational needs teaching assistant who said she has spent five years living in her van after repeatedly failing to secure a rental.

"Some winters I've had ice on the inside of my van windows, and the door handles frozen shut with me inside," she said, per The Guardian. "[...] I often get dressed in bed. You just have to adjust."

The report included stories of breakdowns, bitterly cold nights, and the constant need to move on before complaints start. Those conditions stand in sharp contrast to the scenic, carefree version of vehicle living often promoted on social media.

Why does it matter?

Cornwall is becoming more lucrative as a place for visitors to stay than as a place local residents can afford to call home.

As tourism continues to drive up housing costs, teachers, artists, and other workers who help keep towns functioning are ending up in precarious and sometimes unsafe living arrangements.

Caroline Dann, founder of the charity Traveller Space, who runs a weekly drop-in for van dwellers in St Day, told the outlet that younger people are having a particularly hard time.

"Some are living in vans you can't even stand up in," she said, per The Guardian. "Many are cold. A lot don't have anything to cook on, so they are living on cheese sandwiches."

The feature also pointed to shrinking access to basics such as toilets and water.

What are people saying?

Those living this way described something that can feel freeing at times but deeply wearing at others.

Skye said, "I've fallen in love with the lifestyle," but she also described winters in the van as "genuinely awful."

Louella, a 33-year-old singer-songwriter living in a van, said, "Sometimes you don't shower for a week because you don't want to have to keep asking your friends if you can come and use theirs."

At Potter's Farm, where dozens of people facing homelessness rent caravan spaces, owner Sue Nicholls put it plainly: "Everyone here is vulnerable. They are all struggling with their mental health. I wish there was more for them. But it feels like they are on their own."

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