Privacy
Privacy curtains.
In Australia there are so many small vans like Volks Wagon Kombi vans and Mazda E300s that it is not at all unusual to see them around with curtains in them. A small van like that with curtains barely attracts any second glances. Even when it is obvious that some people are living in such a van most people won't have a problem with it as long as it is not in their back yard so to speak. I've spotted such vans down the coast, in car parks, near public barbecues and even on construction sites where it is obvious some one is living in it.
So curtains are just fine for privacy. If you can make them yourself you are going to save yourself a small fortune. I was amazed at the cost for getting curtains made. I was being quoted over $1000 for making curtains for my camper van. Needless to say I ended up telling a lot of curtain companies just what I thought of their prices. You are far better off locating a craft group or sticking up an add in a local university for some one to sew you curtains at a reasonable price. Buy the fabric you want and those curtain hanging rubber things and supply them to the people who are making the curtains. They will more than likely to want to measure up the windows they will be making the curtains. Be sure to make the curtains a bit longer and wider than you need them to ensure they cover the edges of the windows.
In addition to privacy curtains you can use foldable sun shades against your front and back windows for extra privacy. I recommend using the ones that are made of fabric and sort of fold up with a twist. They often can be brought for a few dollars and often have cartoon characters printed on them for some reason. These can be semi transparent so make sure you try one out before buying lots of them. The main advantage of them over cardboard and al foil car sunshades is that they fit a greater variety of windows. They fold up a lot smaller than the stiff sun shields. Those car board sun shields have their place though. If you can get one that will fit your window they will reflect heat out of your car in hot weather.
Window tinting.
In Australia there are laws governing how dark you can place tinting on vehicle windows. For some windows like the back window you may only be allowed to put tint of a certain rating on the windows. In New South Wales I think the darkest tint you may put on a rear window is 35% rating. It lets in only 35% of the light. On side windows on a bus the darkest tint is 5%. It lets in only 5% of the light. Cars and windows in the driver's cabin are a lot different though. You can not put such a dark tint on the windows of the side where you sit. Also you can not tint your windscreen apart from a strip near the top. You should check out the applicable local laws before having your windows tinted.
Having your windows professionally tinted is expensive. You can buy tinting film off of eBay and do it yourself. This requires your windows to be spotlessly clean before you tint them. Note though that some window tinting film will make your vehicle's interior very hot. The darker tints make the car absorb heat more.
Note that mirror tint is not legal to be used on cars or other vehicles in Australia.
Blocking out windows.
I've read many books and web sites that suggest that one way to achieve privacy is to paint your windows. In Australia this is illegal in cars. You can not just paint out windows in a car as it will make your car unroadworthy. You can not do anything that will affect your vision in a car. In a panel van or a van you might get away with it. Instead of painting out the window though which will require extensive paint scraping to remove the paint you should instead use white contact. This self adhesive plastic film is often used for covering books or other surfaces. You can easily apply it to windows though. It can be pealed off with ease in the future if required.
