In the past few months I have been going on van trips around the west coast with my boyfriend. We’ve driven to the mountains to smell the lilacs in spring, camped on the beach in Orange County to stake out local surf spots, and followed natural wine trails from Ojai to Santa Ynez. We describe ourselves as weekend warrior van lifers - not ashamed to pee in front of the mansions of Hollywood Hills, but not committed enough to quit our corporate jobs and live off the grid.
Weekend warrior van life is all about that subscription to co-work spaces to meet the demands of our 9-5s while drinking free kombucha (not to mention accessing clean bathrooms). It’s googling locations of public camp showers before you lose service so you don’t get caught with too many puzzling looks at the coffee shop. It’s spending the extra few dollars on facial wipes with moisturizer for your waterless showers. Weekend warriors keep their headsets extra charged and their backup batteries packed.
This lifestyle is about rest and disconnection: turning off the iphone and taking a midday van nap. It’s about movement: not staying in one place too long, following the cooler temperatures or the sight of birds. It’s also about surprises: finding unexpected treasures or getting pulled over by a Mormon cop in rural Utah and being asked your marital status, wondering if you’ll get a ticket for living in the van “in sin”.
One thing for certain: at the epicenter of this lifestyle is THE VAN. When I started dating my boyfriend, the most important lady I needed to impress was beautifully engineered machine. As the ugly stepmother (my boyfriend built her before we started dating), I speak of her only with the utmost appreciation.
The van is powered by solar! She is an Italian stallion, has a superb turning radius and a captain’s chair that swivels between 180 to 360 degrees of rotation. A beautiful mix of art and science, she is both aesthetically pleasing and efficiently designed. Her lights dim, her fan ventilates, her cedar planked ceiling creates a soothing cocoon. She always has a funny podcast on queue, a song that exemplifies the spirit of our location; a sassy message from Siri letting us know that we are not following the directions.
Her drawers are chock full of non-perishable items! We are never short of trail mix, rosemary infused crackers, Hawaiian granola, and rooibos tea. Her water is filtered, her coffee is aero-pressed, and she has an emergency toilet hidden in her underbelly that is certainly never discussed. She always has an extra clean towel, a chic blanket for an impromptu picnic, and a mini portable speaker to set the mood.
Overall, what drew me to this lifestyle was not random. I have been working on feeling invigorated, of being in awe of something, of taking a deep breath and letting everything go. Like pulling into Grand Canyon National Park just in time to pull out our bikes and ride a few miles along the rim and watch the sunset. Or digging up the inflatable tubes and floating down the Deschutes River in 100 degree weather, biking back and watching the floaters drift by.
I am also working on feeling calm and connected. I never felt more relaxed and connected than perched between the van doors, watching the sunset amongst the pine trees of Oregon with my boyfriend plays me romantic music. Or waking up at sunrise in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, and cuddling in my sleeping bag with a mug of hot tea while he drives me to the sunrise trail. How will I ever forget the magic of holding hands in pockets, catching a first glimpse of the hoodoos as the sun strikes their juicy orange center?
Through the van, through my boyfriend, my life is bigger than I ever imagined possible. Thinking back to a few years ago, I never would have dreamed this is where my life would be now. But it’s here, and it’s bigger, more wild, and more loving than I could have imagined. And we’re just getting started.
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This week I was featured on the Sunday Soother podcast! Take a listen to see how I learned to make feelings based goals instead of achievement based goals. {Link to Sunday Soother on Apple Podcasts}
Thanks for sharing your version of van life. I like the term "weekend warrior." Get out there when you can. I have been full-time since I retired 3 years ago. Just launched my substack and enjoy seeing what others share. Great pictures by the way.
What a life , the rest of us mortals can only experience your world through substack. Good luck with your life and may your god go with you. The natural environment is all we have look after your bit of it after I've gone. And try not to get old, it ain't what it's sometimes cracked up to be and it comes upon you so quickly and enjoy every day. And forget the morality police, what do they do in their secret world?