Are you thinking about living in a van full time?

Dia duit agus fáilte – that’s Irish for hello and welcome – to this post about living in a van full time, with or without a chronic illness.

“You’re thinking about living in a van full time; are you mad???” That’s the reaction we got when we told people our plans. Perhaps we are a little mad but here we are, living in our Sprinter van full time, enjoying the freedom and adventure, focused on possibility rather than the limitations of autoimmune disease and chronic pain. (Learn about RA here.)

If you are reading this post, then you must be a little curious about van life. Whether you consider living in a van full time as a real possibility or you simply dream of living life on the open road, this post aims to answer your questions, concerns and curiosity.

Perhaps you have visited this blog before and know I write mostly about thriving with rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disease and living a fantastic life despite having chronic illness. You may be wondering what does van life have to do with RA; well, for me, living in a van is currently my way of living the best life I can. Maybe you long for the freedom of living in a van full time or maybe you just need a little inspiration to find your own slice of heaven; either way, I hope that my tales of exploration and adventure will encourage you.

Our introduction to full time van life.

I learned about van life in early 2020 when Kidlet #3 introduced me to Jennelle Eliana, a young woman who lives full time in a van with her snake, and told me they wanted to buy and live in a van full time. Hmmm! I thought to myself, are you mad??? Fast forward several hundred more videos, mostly of couples who do not share 84+/- sqft with a reptile and suddenly the idea of living in a van full time didn’t seem so crazy after all.

As has often happened in our marriage, I jumped into the idea full throttle, ready to embark on a newly-discovered life style. Tom pondered and mulled for a while. We watched video after video about how to live in a van and found several YouTubers we really enjoyed. We spent an hour or so every evening learning about van life, often pausing a video to discuss what we would do differently when we designed our future van.

At some point, the conversation about living in a van full time switched from hypothetical to possible and then, a short while later from possible to “let’s do this”. And now, we find ourselves living in our tiny home on wheels – a DIY converted Sprinter van

And here you are, considering living in a van full time and perhaps you’re questioning yourself. Now you want to know if you are mad or even irresponsible like many of your friends and family keep suggesting. I doubt it. If I had to guess, I’d say you were itching to stretch your wings and find the abundance you are certain exists.

I hate clichés but they exist for a reason:

Why would anyone consider full time van life?

I had three primary reasons that full time van life really appealed to me –

1. I am a vagabond, always have been, likely always will be. If you want proof – the van is my 35^th home! I want to travel and not stop until I am too tired to keep going. And, to be completely frank, having rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic illnesses only fuels that desire.
2. I wanted to downsize significantly; I felt burdened by stuff and by the constraints society places on us – own a house, have a good job, buy a new car every three years. Committed to living our values, I wanted to detach from capitalism in ways that I could and rediscover the joy of experiences over belongings. Read about the benefits of decluttering for your health here.
3. I longed for freedom; freedom from homesteading and constant work; freedom from all the endless tasks and honey-dos that accompany typical home ownership; and the freedom that comes with owning my time and setting my own schedule.

What are your reasons for considering full time van life?

• Do you want to quit your job and need to reduce costs in order to do so?
• Are you saving money to buy a home and think full time van life would be a good way to save?
• Do you long to travel but cannot do so because you are tied to your home?

It doesn’t matter what your reasons as long as you know what they are. And I strongly suggest you write down those reasons for days when you question how, in the name of all that is sacred, did you ever think that full time van life was a good idea!

Is living in a van full time even realistic?

The answer to this is very subjective. If you like having your own space, love your closet full of fabulous boots and coats or don’t like peeing in public places then, no, living in a van full time is probably not very realistic.

If, on the other hand, you are willing to divest yourself of most of your clothes, live without the simple luxuries of house-living (think long hot showers, privacy from prying eyes or a bed that doesn’t serve two or three purposes) and don’t mind dealing with uncertainty, then yes, you should certainly explore the possibility of full time van life and do more homework.

Do you have the personality to be a full time van lifer?

There are several personality types that should probably think twice before embarking on full-time van-life:

• Are a homebody? Will the idea of not knowing where you will sleep tonight or being constantly on the move cause stress or anxiety?
• One trait that makes van life difficult for me is my abhorrence of dirty nails! I am learning to deal with it but there are days when it drives me bonkers. Do you have any idiosyncrasies related to dirt or cleanliness? If so, think hard about how you will cope living an outdoors life replete with dirt and muddy wet footprints. There will also be limited space to hang damp clothes, and regardless of how often you sweep, your feet will pick up dirt when you wee in the middle of the night!
•  Are you adaptable? I practice yoga and doing so in the van has radically altered my practice. When the weather is fine, I can take my mat outside and I often practice at the gym. When neither of those is an option, I unroll my mat in the carefully measured space and make it work. What hobbies are you unwilling to give up in order to pursue full time van life and how can you adapt them?
• Are you claustrophobic? If so, rent a campervan and live in it for a month or more before buying, converting and moving into your own van. Depending on the layout, bed space can be tight, showers (if you have one; we don’t) are teeny tiny and, if there are two of you, you will rarely have alone-time.

What are the three worst parts of full time van life?

Well, I am no expert, having lived in the van for a whopping two months at the time of writing but so far, the most challenging aspects have been:

1. Because of Covid restrictions, we have found it hard to get into a gym with open showers. Like many van-lifers, we have a Planet Fitness membership but many of their branches had restricted access to showers. We used the Irish bath method to get us through but real showers would have been preferred. (For those who aren’t familiar with an Irish bath – it’s when you use a flannel to wash your “smelly bits” as my Mam used to say!)
2. Figuring out where to sleep each night can be a little stressful. YouTube and Instagram are overflowing with romantic vistas for parking and it is often possible to use BLM or National Forest land or snag a spot at a National Park. And then there is van-life reality – the nights when we have driven neighborhoods looking for a place that felt safe to park for the night or stayed at rest areas. So far, we have been lucky and have had no real trouble. That said, the police once woke us up at 2am and asked us to move but they were quite nice about the whole thing and pointed us in the direction of where we could park!

3. Creating some sort of routine. When you’re footloose and fancy-free, it can be tough to maintain habits and practices that used to be neatly folded into your day. I used to do my 4-habits (walk, yoga, meditate, journal) each morning at the house, now, I do them as the day allows. I try to make time to write this blog and other projects which can prove quite a challenge. There are driving days or times when we’re somewhere that all I want to do is get outside and explore.

Some rapid fire questions if you’re still on the fence.

1. Are you okay pooing in front of your partner?
2. Do you like wearing the same clothes day in day out?
3. Can you go 3-5 days without a shower?
4. Do you want to make your bed daily?
5. Are you disciplined enough to keep the van organized and tidy? If not, are you willing to learn these skills?
6. Can you live without phone or internet service?
7. Are you willing to work for your water and/or power?
8. Do you cope well with uncertainty?

If you answered No more than 3 times, might I suggest renting a van for a month to try it out? Perhaps you’ll realize that all those Nos were simply because you had never faced full time van life challenges. On the other hand, it could be the worst month of your life and I just saved you a load of money and time figuring out that living in a van full time is just not for you!!

We haven’t lived in the van long enough to have a list of the “typical” questions people ask us. One that I have already noticed is “How long do you plan to do this for?” And the answer is. We don’t know. The truth is we have already bought and sold two forever homes which was disheartening because we believed wholeheartedly that each home was the one, only to learn we were mistaken. The van is our for now home and we will live in it as long as life is enjoyable. And then, we’ll look for our next for now home.

Final thoughts

Moving into the van was a huge decision that presented itself to us at the perfect time; we knew we didn’t want to stay on our homestead and were not sure of next steps. Full time van life seemed like the perfect in-between option.

Unlike many other decisions I have made in my life, I did not embark on this journey with rose-colored glasses and romantic notions of waking to dawn over the ocean every morning and watching the sun set over that same ocean every evening – as many pictures on Instagram would suggest! We have slept more nights in church car parks than on the beach. And I often walk Maggie around neighborhoods and city streets rather than through forests and rivers. But, so far, I love it and the realities of this lifestyle have not dampened my enthusiasm.

Whether you choose to explore van life full time, part-time or no-time, I hope this post has helped you arrive at a decision that feels right for you today.