Van Life 101: How-To Guide For Living In A Van
This is your definitive manual for van life!
Learn all that you really want to be familiar with living in a van so you can follow your van life dreams.
Why Van Life is Great
There are innumerable motivations to change to a day to day existence out and about and these reasons contrast for everybody. Whether you’re searching for a great experience or you need to set aside cash, the following are a couple of my number one explanations behind why van life is magnificent.
Why Van Life is Awesome!
There are countless reasons to transition to a life on the road and these reasons differ for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a grand adventure or you want to save money, here are a few of my favorite reasons for why van life is awesome.
1. Freedom to travel and explore on your own schedule
Van life gives you the freedom to explore the places you’ve always dreamed of visiting and to do so on your own schedule. Whether that’s visiting all of the National Parks and camps or doing a slow cross-country road trip while visiting all 50 states, van life gives you the ultimate freedom to travel without time constraints, reservations, or agendas.
2. Van Life teaches you to embrace a simpler lifestyle
Living in a van requires you to embrace a simpler lifestyle with fewer belongings. You’ll have to prioritize the important things in your life and let go of the things that aren’t essential. For many people, this is actually one of the greatest lessons of van life!
3. Spend more time in nature
Van life can be a great way to spend more time in nature. From dispersed camping to visiting National Parks, living in a van allows you to get outside and explore the great outdoors. Vans can also be great basecamps for skiing or to start and finish overnight trips like multi-day backpacking adventures.
4. Save money
Living in a van can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. Most van lifers enjoy the simplicity of van life, which often means camping for free on public lands and enjoying the outdoors free of charge. If you’re a full-time van lifer, you also won’t be paying rent or utilities, so it is very possible to save money while living on the road.
5. Be location independent
One of the greatest benefits of living and working on the road is that you can be location-independent. You may need to find reliable wifi every now and then if you work remotely, but for the most part, location independence while living in a van means that you can go where you want when you want.
The Pros & Cons of Van Life
Before jumping into van life full-time, it’s important to consider a few of the highlights and challenges that come with living in a van. Below are a few of the pros and cons of van life that I’ve encountered on the road.
Van Life Pros
- Flexibility to travel where and when you want on your own schedule. It’s liberating to not have to be tied down to place and time.
- Depending on your personal budget, fewer expenses may mean that you can save money and reach financial goals
- Live more simply with fewer things and belongings
- Spend more time outdoors
- Meet like-minded people on the road
- Unplug from the constant stream of news and social media
Van Life Cons
- Showers are less frequent
- Space is tight, especially if you share your van with a significant other or pets
- Vans get messy very fast and require constant cleanup
- Finding fill and dump stations is an undesirable chore
- You’ll likely spend more time in public restrooms
- You have to be mindful of safety when parking and choosing campsites
- You need a backup plan in case you get stuck or your van breaks down
- City driving and exploration can be a pain
- Cell service and wifi can be unreliable
How to Prepare for Van Life
When preparing for life on the road, there are a number of considerations to think about. Questions like “What will I do with all my stuff?” and “What gear should I bring with me?” are important things to think about. You also might be worried about how to break the news and talk to your family about your van life plans. There’s no one right answer to these questions, but below are a few ideas to help you get prepared for van life.
What To Do With All of Your Stuff
How you choose to handle downsizing your belongings depends on your situation, how long you will be on the road, and your level of attachment to your stuff.
When trying to determine whether to just sell everything you own before transitioning into van life or to get a storage unit, there are a number of questions you can ask yourself to help you make the decision:
- Do you plan to travel long-term (more than a year)?
- Do you know if you’ll be returning to the same place once you’re finished traveling?
- Look at every item you have and consider: is it valuable? Sentimental? Historical? Irreplaceable? Why have I chosen to keep this for so long? Is this something I absolutely need or want?
Option 1: Put it in storage
If you don’t know how long you want to do van life and you know you want to return to the same city when you are done, then a storage unit might make a lot of sense. If you have a lot of valuable things and furniture that you don’t want to let go of, renting a storage unit will also be the way to go. Depending on where you live and the size of the storage unit, storage units can cost anywhere from $50-200 a month (or more).
Some things are important to keep safe, like documents, photos, letters, and portfolios for example. If these are the most important items you’re concerned about, consider digitizing them and keeping several copies on external hard drives and on Google Drive. A safe deposit box is a good option for important documents, jewelry, or small family heirlooms. You could also store these items at a friend or family member’s house that you trust.
Otherwise, sort through every item piece by piece and decide what can be sold, donated, given to friends, recycled, or thrown away. Then, do it again. Do it a third time if you need to. Invite a friend over that’s good at getting rid of things and solicit their help. After going through this process multiple times with a discerning eye, if you need to get a storage unit, get the smallest and least expensive one possible to cut down on cost and burden.
Option 2: Sell your stuff
Selling your stuff is a great idea if you’re considering moving somewhere else after your travels, if your stuff doesn’t hold much sentimental value, if it’s replaceable, or if you plan to transition to full-time van life indefinitely. It’s also a great way to get a little extra cash for van life.
Once you’ve gone through the sorting process and decided which items can be sold, list the items on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo app, and OfferUp app. Post flyers or host a garage sale. If you feel comfortable, share with people what you’re doing and why you’re inspired to travel in a van. Most people will be happy to support you, even if it means they just buy something small from you or tell their friends. Share your excitement and intention in minimizing your stuff.
What To Do With Your Home
If you own your home, you’ll need to decide what to do with it. If you love your house and don’t want to sell it, consider renting it out. It will help cover your bills (and maybe even bring in some extra money). Plus when you are done with van life, it will make your transition back to your home base pretty painless.
Another option is to rent out a single room to someone you trust, like a friend or family member. They get to live there alone while you’re traveling (what a score!), and you get to rest easy knowing that someone is taking care of your house.
Lastly, there are property managers that will help you list and rent your home on Airbnb or VRBO. You will need to pay for these services, but the upside is that they will take care of all the logistics like managing the rental calendar and hiring people to clean.
What To Do With Your Car
The options for your car are the same as I’ve been discussing for the rest of your stuff: store it, keep it at home, or sell it. If you know you’ll be coming back regularly and will need a car, or if you’re only hitting the road for a few weeks or months at a time, keep it.
Cars don’t fare well sitting unused for long periods of time, so keep this in mind. Have a friend come over once a month to start it and drive it if they can. If you have a house with a garage or driveway where you can store it, that’s ideal. Otherwise, you’ll want to find somewhere that you can park it for as long a period of time as you need.
There are climate-controlled storage facilities that will store vehicles, but these tend to be costly over the long term. If you’re committed to transitioning into full-time van life, consider selling your car and using the money for your van or the first few months of travel expenses while you’re transitioning to life on the road. Again, share with people why you’re selling your car if you go this route. If it’s not worth much, you could consider donating it to a good car donation charity that can pay it forward.