My van life post is my top rated post since I started this newsletter three years ago. I wanted to give you a little “behind the scenes” tour of how we live when we are in the van.
I also want to be clear about something - I think that “van life” is idealized in some ways. There are pros and cons to the way we choose to live our life. We prefer to rent a small apartment close to the beach so we can 1) live in a community surrounded by close friends who take care of each other and 2) go on adventures as often as we like in the van.
This season of life I’m not thinking about settling down and buying a house like some of my peers - I’m thinking about growing, moving, and SHAKING! Thus, it makes sense that our home is mobile. I have seen more of the United States in the van in two years than I have the entire rest of my life. I have done more hiking, tubing, biking, and paddleboarding in two years than I have the rest of my life combined. This is all while working a full-time job and van life-ing on the weekend. So let’s get into it!
How do you fit all your toys in the van?
Underneath the bed we have room for two bikes and two paddleboards! We also keep our hiking shoes, crampons, extra water, extra cold weather clothes, and other adventure essentials like an extensive first aid kit under the bed.
How do I shower?
I normally don’t shower as often as I do when we are in our apartment. There is no shower in the van. There is nothing I love more in life than an outdoor shower, so for Christmas last year my partner got my a handheld shower for when we are camping back-country. It is awesome, especially for washing my hair once in a while. Otherwise, we’ve gone to campsites that have public showers and those are great as well. Between public showers I use water and wipes. I also normally braid my hair and then wear a beanie in the winter or a hat in the summer to hide the matted hair :)
What is the bathroom situation?
We do not have a bathroom in our van. We have an emergency toilet…for emergencies. We have the great outdoors otherwise. If we sleep in the city we normally park close to a public bathroom or a coffee shop :)
How do you cook?
Our three most important tools: our portable camp stove, our portable hot water boiler, and our solar powered fridge. Breakfast always includes coffee in the aeropress. We make a lot of stir fries, pasta and veggies, and Trader Joes hacks. We also usually bring really nice cheeses, breads, beer and wine so we feel a bit fancy while on the road. We have a little table and chairs that fold up so we can enjoy impromptu dining al fresco.
How do you stay warm?
Our van doesn’t have heat. The coldest we’ve ever gone was sleeping at Bryce Canyon - it was 11 degrees when we woke up. We have an electric blanket and we sleep in our cold weather sleeping bags.
How does the van get power?
I always call my partner a Renaissance man because he is an engineer by profession but an artist by vocation. He made the van solar powered! The solar unit on the roof powers a battery in the van that controls the lights, fridge and water pump. All of this is masked behind the pretty cedar planked ceiling and gorgeous wood kitchen that he designed.
Did you grow up camping?
I am proof that any human can BECOME a camper with a little effort. As I’ve written about before, I did not grow up with tons of exposure to nature and never camped before my thirties. As you can tell from above section about not showering, I’ve adapted quite well :)
What is the best part about van life?
Being outside all the time. You just don’t realize how sucked into the matrix you are until you spend a week in the van. The biggest game changers for me were 1) not having a mirror ever and 2) not having the internet ever. Both mirrors and internet make you think about how you look instead of how you feel. What you need to be happy, relaxed, and comfortable are surprisingly simple. I’ve had some of the best nights sleep, the most adventurous days, and the most fun in my life while living in the van! Second best part of van life is having a real mattress to lay your head at night instead of an inflatable sleeping pad or air mattress :) Third best part? Meeting other van lifers. They have an open mind and spirit and it’s fun to connect as we travel the world!
What questions do you have for me about van life? Drop them in the comments below :)
“The biggest game changers for me were 1) not having a mirror ever and 2) not having the internet ever. Both mirrors and internet make you think about how you look instead of how you feel.” Love love love this. 💛
We spent a week in Australia recently. I affectionately call that week our "Van Life Bootcamp." We were on our way back to the States after three months of backpacking around Southeast Asia, where the prices are incredibly cheap (meals for $2 or less, lodging for $7-30), so when we saw the prices in Sydney, I just about went into cardiac arrest. On a whim, instead of renting a passenger vehicle for the week, we rented a basic cargo van, then went to KMart and outfitted it with an air mattress, two cheap pillows, and a blanket. We didn't really think about the fact that it had NO VENTILATION for the back of the van, haha! It was hot and humid, and the air mattress didn't fit between the wheel wells, and we couldn't have any air at all without compromising security and letting the bugs in. It was a crazy week--fairly miserable, but also quite the adventure! We wouldn't trade that experience for anything.