I’m sure the van living lifestyle doesn’t appeal to everyone and in fact may seem somewhat strange to most, but it is becoming quite common these days.
Van Life
For some it’s a matter of economics. Some look at it as a means of escaping the cubicle and their 9-5 corporate life. They are not as concerned about climbing the corporate ladder as they may have thought once out of school. Some are young and single and instead of living in their parent’s basements, opt for a life on the road.
Camping on BLM Land in the desert
They were raised on the computer and understand how to earn a living by working with a computer and the Internet. Then you have the retirees who make up the largest segment of van living. These folks have paid their dues, raised their children, sold their homes, downsized and bought and outfitted a van. Most of these retirees have a pension and social security and have sufficient income to support this new lifestyle. The ones I’ve talked with could not be happier.
What's not to love about camping here
When I’m traveling in my van and meet up with various van dwellers, I’m always curious as to what caused them to take up this lifestyle. I hear many different reasons, but the one that always surfaces is location independence. This means they are able to live anywhere and earn enough to live on. The former basement dwellers are no longer dependent on their parents and they can work on their computers as long as they have an Internet connection and that is not a big issue these days. They don’t have rent to pay, just gasoline if they drive a lot and maintenance and insurance on their vans.
So how are these folks earning a living from the road? Telecommuting, freelancing, retail arbitrage, online arbitrage, CraigsList for temporary and handyman jobs, seasonal work in certain industries including Amazon and the list goes on.
Freelance Photography
In van dwelling, you do not have the costs of rent, utilities, transportation, upkeep on a home, etc. When living in a van, there is no rent, you simply park your vehicle and you're home.
My van is outfitted with a “house” battery and I have solar panels that charge my house battery when I’m parked for long periods of time. If I happen to be driving, my van battery will keep my house battery charged. My house battery affords me the ability to live off-grid for a week or more at a time. My house battery provides all the electricity I need for my refrigerator, laptop computer, smartphone, cameras and lights. Propane keeps my portable stove ready for all my cooking and hot water needs. So you see, I have no need for utilities. Gasoline is my biggest cost and it’s still much cheaper than when I drove to and from an office every day. I only use gasoline when traveling from one place to another. I take advantage of free camping places all over North America… and they are plentiful. I can't remember the last time I paid for an overnight camping spot. I have several apps that will direct me to free camping anywhere I happen to be. I have a portable shower and porta-potti for emergencies. Otherwise, I have a membership to Anytime Fitness which has facilities all over the country, so a warm shower can be had basically anytime I need one, otherwise, truck stops provide clean showers and laundry facilities. When off-grid, I can use my portable shower.
The van living lifestyle causes one to become a minimalist. You learn quickly how to live with only a few and necessary items. Van dwellers don’t buy as much as they did when living in a home. With limited space in a van, there’s no room for extras. I have found that the less stuff I have, the happier I’ve become. I can honestly say, I enjoy being a minimalist. I’m enjoying my van living lifestyle very much and seeing this big, beautiful and wonderful country as I’ve never seen it before.
This is what my backyard looks like when camping in my van
Source: Most of the photos in this blog are provided courtesy of pixabay.com.
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