10 Things You Should Know Before Starting Van Life
Starting a van life always seems exciting. No doubt, it is an excellent adventurous activity with some thrilling challenges on top. There are many reasons for starting a van life.
Van life has been gaining in popularity in recent years, as more and more people are looking for ways to simplify their lives and live a more nomadic lifestyle.
On the other hand, there are some challenging aspects to the vanlife lifestyle, too.
Before you invest in any overland trailer or start planning your van build, there are a few aspects to know in advance.
Sit back and relax. We’ll hop in the driver’s seat on this one and steer the way to 10 things you should know before starting van life.
1: Van Life Is Not Always Glamorous
You've probably seen the classic Instagram photo: A beautiful van parked in an idyllic location with the perfect sunset in the background. The van is clean and free of clutter, dust, and dog hair (despite the dog poised on the bed). The couple is smiling as if nothing has ever gone wrong.
What you don't see in those pictures is the reality of living in a van. While it may look like van lifers are constantly on vacation, living in a van can be hard work.
You will have to deal with things like finding somewhere to park your van every. single. night. You will deal with bad weather and have to learn how to fix anything that breaks down (because, for practicality and budget reasons, you might end up doing a lot of your own repairs).
Vanlife, it seems, has some tough asks.
Open source image courtesy of Pexels.
2: Get Used to Living in Close Quarters
One of the things you have to get used to when living in a van is close quarters. There is no such thing as having your own bedroom or bathroom. Basically, everything is a shared space.
Living in a much smaller space than you are used to can be hard enough for single vanlifers, let alone vanlife couples.
This can be especially tough for people who are used to their own personal space, but it is something you'll need to get used to if you want to make van life work.
3: You'll Have To Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Van life isn't always comfortable—in fact, it can often be quite UNcomfortable.
You'll have to deal with things like a low roof you can’t stand up under (unless you opt for a high roof like us), using a tiny shower (or relying on public showers on the road), and going to the bathroom in a small space and outside.
Temperature regulation can be tough in vans, too, so both winter vanlife and summer vanlife present extreme challenges in terms of climate comfort.
If you're not comfortable with being uncomfortable, it probably isn't for you.
4: You'll Have To Be Good at Managing Your Time and Money
Living in a van requires you to be good at managing your time and money. This is because you have to be very mindful of things like fluctuating fuel costs, maintenance costs, campground fees, and anything else unexpected that might arise—made even harder if you aren’t able to work remotely on the road.
If you're not good at budgeting, financial planning, and being somewhat frugal, van life can be very stressful.
Open source image courtesy of Pexels.
5: Get Used to a Different Lifestyle
Van life is a different lifestyle than most people are used to. This means that you'll have to get used to things like cooking your own meals in your small camper van kitchen with limited appliances (sorry, no microwave, folks!), doing your own laundry, and having fewer possessions and little room to accumulate more.
It can be challenging at first, but once you get used to these things, it's definitely doable.
6: Be Okay with Being Alone
When you live in a van, you'll be spending a lot of time alone. This is because you won't always have access to things like cell signal, social media, and TV—although those off-grid nights happen to also be one of the biggest draws of vanllife!
While van life also presents lots of opportunities to meet new people, it’s not a given nor a constant, so if you're not okay with periods of solitude, van life probably isn't for you.
7: Be Self-Sufficient
Being self-sufficient helps you a lot when you decide to live in a van. This means that you'll need to know how to do things like cooking your own meals, fixing your own problems, and entertaining yourself.
It also means knowing your limits and never getting yourself into a situation you’re not sure you can handle (looking at you, sketchy dirt road you’re almost sure your van can handle….).
8: You Have to Be Flexible
To live in a van, you need to be flexible. This is because things will often change on a whim. For example, you might have to change your route if there's bad weather or an accident ahead.
One time, we literally had to camp on the side of the highway in a string of trucks because the highway was shut down for a manhunt because someone planted IEDs along the road!!!
The mindbogglingly crazy does happen, and more often when you’re on the road. So grip the wheel tightly and be prepared to turn at a moment’s notice, figuratively speaking.
9: It Requires Patience
When you live in a van, you need to be patient. Things will often take longer than they would if you were living in a house. For example, it might take you an hour to cook dinner instead of 20 minutes.
We like to call it living slowly, and once you’re used to it, it’s honestly one of the most refreshing things about van life. But coming from the fast-paced now now now culture most of us are raised in, it can take some time to get there.
Open source image courtesy of Pexels.
10: Have Fun!
Above all, you need to have fun! Yes, living in a van can be a great experience, but it is also important to remember that it's not always easy.
However, if you can keep a positive attitude and have fun, then you'll be able to make the most of van life.
Before You Drive Away…
You know now everything it takes to live in a van.
….just kidding! There is so much to know and so much we are still learning even though we’ve lived in our van for years now. Van life is a series of endless growing pains, but with them comes the childlike joy so many of us forget can exist in the adult world.
Van lie is certainly a lot more nuanced than just a fun-filled and adventurous activity. Getting into takes courage but way of guts and a whole lot of grit, but if you’ve read this list and feel confident you can handle all those things, then you have it in you to live a happy life in a van.
And keep in mind this is just th eliving part. The building is a whole other stressful component (one that I still have nightmares about years later) so if that’s something you don’t want to tackle, consider instead utilizing one of the best van conversion companies in UK or USA.