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bvddobb
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Search for 'van life' on Youtube, and you will get many, many stories, examples, etc. of people who have lived in their van for a prolonged period of time.
Max-Felix
Lots of youngsters maybe - not sure when you get older that a Cali is practical - my (now wife) and I lived in a T25 for six months but we were young twenty somethings then and it was spring to early autumn mostly in southern Europe.
We survived and did not quite strangle each other but wet days were miserable sometimes.
You really need a big motorhome for proper fulltiming I think if (?) it's a retirement plan but the over winter type thing in Portugal on a decent site would not be a big issue.
We survived and did not quite strangle each other but wet days were miserable sometimes.
You really need a big motorhome for proper fulltiming I think if (?) it's a retirement plan but the over winter type thing in Portugal on a decent site would not be a big issue.
BerndRos
Top Poster
VIP Member
I lived in mine for 15 months straight when I first got it, roamed 23 countries in Europe and beyond. Apart from stops at race car meetings where I camped for about 4 nights each time, the rest was 1/2 night stops. In all 79% free/wild camp and 21% on paid sites.
C
Chinny
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Hi been more or less living in mine for nearly 5 years admittedly it's a conversation with a California se roof, I work away all the time two weeks about then a weekend home I've wild camped stayed on campsites stayed on building sites to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way I've got all mod cons even bought an electric bike so I can commute to work from my campsite saves derigging things and of course saving about £30 a day on accommodation i.e. B andB
hirsty
Two Seat Beach DSG
Top Poster
VIP Member
Well-played @Chinny - that must take some doing, hats off to you.
It's a daydream / fantasy of mine too, but I think there must be a *massive* difference between living in a van full-time whilst being in one place & holding down a 'real job' vs the #vanlife folks you see travelling about on an Instagram gap year.
Whilst a lot of people claim they can 'work from anywhere' these days - and I get that it's do-able for some - a surprising number of them are really making a supplemental income out of it eg: The Rolling Home or paid-for sponsored posts to social sites (many of whom are unrealistically photogenic in sunny places
). In that case, the living in the van in itself becomes the job rather than the other way around!
See also: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/24/vanlife-the-bohemian-social-media-movement
Not knocking it of course, I'm just unreservedly jealous.
It's a daydream / fantasy of mine too, but I think there must be a *massive* difference between living in a van full-time whilst being in one place & holding down a 'real job' vs the #vanlife folks you see travelling about on an Instagram gap year.
Whilst a lot of people claim they can 'work from anywhere' these days - and I get that it's do-able for some - a surprising number of them are really making a supplemental income out of it eg: The Rolling Home or paid-for sponsored posts to social sites (many of whom are unrealistically photogenic in sunny places
). In that case, the living in the van in itself becomes the job rather than the other way around!See also: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/24/vanlife-the-bohemian-social-media-movement
Not knocking it of course, I'm just unreservedly jealous.
hirsty
Two Seat Beach DSG
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Jonathan Duke
I've been living in my van, whilst carrying out my "normal" day-to-day business/life for a few weeks here and there.....
It's easy when solo, but when it's the two of us plus dog.... Things can get a bit stressed quite quickly. To avoid this, we need to make an effort to better communicate our individual plans and routines to each other, in a hope to iron-out potential clashes and thus avoid arguments before they arise.... Work, exercise, meal-times, social lives etc etc.... IMO, better planned equates to a less stressful week. It's much easier when solo, but then the company is missed.
Our temporary spells of homelessness, are our own doing.... We call it "Airbnb-Homeless" as it occurs when we get blinded by the $$$ signs, and Airbnb our apartment, thus requiring us to vacate whilst the money flows in.
This Airbnb revenue, is helping us pay off our van, and is also helping us reduce our mortgage term also.... So the inconvenience is worth it, for us anyway....
Whilst Airbnb-homeless... We have noted, that our diets improve, and we spend more time outside enjoying the outdoors and also in the leisure centre etc....That's where we shower! Laundry is done, when needed, at a petrol station which has some coin operated machines in the car-park. We also seem to have more time/energy to visit friends and parents etc.... We also seem to have plenty of time to go to the cinema mid-week, and other things we sometimes never seem to have time for.... I'm still trying to figure out where all the hours/energy disappear, when we are back in our home, and back to a normal routine.
As we get better at it, and see the pros and conns..... We would definitely consider longer spells of #vanlife.... However, I have wondered if a crafter or sprinter sized van may be a better solution for this use-case?
It's easy when solo, but when it's the two of us plus dog.... Things can get a bit stressed quite quickly. To avoid this, we need to make an effort to better communicate our individual plans and routines to each other, in a hope to iron-out potential clashes and thus avoid arguments before they arise.... Work, exercise, meal-times, social lives etc etc.... IMO, better planned equates to a less stressful week. It's much easier when solo, but then the company is missed.
Our temporary spells of homelessness, are our own doing.... We call it "Airbnb-Homeless" as it occurs when we get blinded by the $$$ signs, and Airbnb our apartment, thus requiring us to vacate whilst the money flows in.
This Airbnb revenue, is helping us pay off our van, and is also helping us reduce our mortgage term also.... So the inconvenience is worth it, for us anyway....
Whilst Airbnb-homeless... We have noted, that our diets improve, and we spend more time outside enjoying the outdoors and also in the leisure centre etc....That's where we shower! Laundry is done, when needed, at a petrol station which has some coin operated machines in the car-park. We also seem to have more time/energy to visit friends and parents etc.... We also seem to have plenty of time to go to the cinema mid-week, and other things we sometimes never seem to have time for.... I'm still trying to figure out where all the hours/energy disappear, when we are back in our home, and back to a normal routine.
As we get better at it, and see the pros and conns..... We would definitely consider longer spells of #vanlife.... However, I have wondered if a crafter or sprinter sized van may be a better solution for this use-case?
Jonathan Duke
That is really interesting Jonathan - how many nights in a typical stretch?
Most of the Insta types who aren't in a T25 / Vanagon look to be in Sprinters - I think that's the pro move here ...
The longest period of, "none-holiday related vanlife" has been 16x consecutive nights.... But once over the first couple, the routine is established. I work on customer sites, in an office environment, Sarah is a Teacher... So, living in a van whilst both working our Mon-Fri jobs, has its challenges, but it can be very rewarding also, we quite enjoy the randomness, and the rewards of surprise sunsets, in different locations etc.... You don't have to travel far, to get to some great locations, and we sometimes reduce our commutes, by parking up near our next days workplace, or by parking beside a train halt/station on the same line... Allowing for nice lie-ins....
My main problem would be, if doing it full-time, the requirement to have more storage.... We've 5x bikes between us, 2x MTB, 2x Roadies each and I've a gravel bike also..... We could reduce to the 4x bikes, but would like to have them all with me, all of the time.... Plus our hiking gear, rucks, tents, boots etc etc.... Then there's the wet-suits and kayak, paddles etc etc.... I've had to compromise on my hobbies, choosing one or the other, but with a crafter/sprinter size van, I guess there'd be room for all the gear, all of the time..... A box-trailer, might also be a solution.... Especially if somewhere to park the trailer mon-fri, when not in use.... Now, there's an idea! I'm off to do some research
Curzone
I've been doing it full time for three years. Not by choice - the result of divorce, corrupt family courts, and a psycho wife, which forced me to live in my car. I basically lost my 4 bedroom house in Surrey, and all my assets to my wife. Then forced to pay alimony and child maintenance - even though I wanted 50/50 contact with my daughter. It cost me £50,000 in legal fees just to secure visitation with my daughter - and even then I can only see her for a few hours once a fortnight.
After two months of living in a Ford Focus, I knew it was unsustainable. I traded in and bought the Cali to survive the winter and to continue working and paying to gain proper contact with my daughter. Three years later I'm still doing it.
I live in it alone. Obviously there's no room for another person. And no, I don't have periods of unemployment. I continue to run a business as a developer and technical writer and I make a good living. Obviously I don't tell my clients that I'm homeless.
On the plus side, I'm not forced to rent out a crummy bedsit or hotel - I can travel with the work and not worry about hotel bills. I mostly free camp. I don't have any debts. I'm office based and work long hours so only sleep in it for 6/7 hours. My clients tend to have good quality and subsidised restaurants for breakfast and lunch. I only have a light meal or snack in the van in the evening. I've joined the Gym Group, which is inexpensive and means I can visit a gym anywhere in the UK to keep clean and healthy. I can afford to take my suits, shirts and other clothes to be cleaned at a dry cleaners every two weeks.
Apart from my guitar, laptop, iPad, iPod, phone, and my clothes, I don't own much. I've learnt to enjoy having as few possessions as possible. As a writer and a bibliophile, I lost all my books to my wife. However, I now own hundreds of books on Kindle. As an avid mountain biker I carry my bike on the bike rack. The more stuff you have, the harder it is to stay clean and comfortable. I probably carry around a lot less than the average person going on a weekend trip.
I use a post office box for mail, which you can disguise to look like a normal address.
I rarely park up in urban environments, which would draw attention to myself. I drive to the nearest woods, forest, beach, mountain, to settle down for the night. I never stay in the same spot for more than one night in a row. Although, I do have many choice spots, with good views, that are isolated, and more importantly have a good 3G/4G reception to browse the net, and to watch a film or series online.
Even when I'm working in London, I choose to stay in the North Downs or Ashdown Forest and get the train in. If I'm in Brighton, I stay on the South Downs. If I'm in Portsmouth or Southampton, I stay in the New Forest. Etc...
No, it's not ideal. Yes, it can be hard - especially in the beginning. But it's far better than most alternatives. And you learn to adapt and thrive. I've actually come to enjoy it.
It's a simple life, created by complicated circumstances.
After two months of living in a Ford Focus, I knew it was unsustainable. I traded in and bought the Cali to survive the winter and to continue working and paying to gain proper contact with my daughter. Three years later I'm still doing it.
I live in it alone. Obviously there's no room for another person. And no, I don't have periods of unemployment. I continue to run a business as a developer and technical writer and I make a good living. Obviously I don't tell my clients that I'm homeless.
On the plus side, I'm not forced to rent out a crummy bedsit or hotel - I can travel with the work and not worry about hotel bills. I mostly free camp. I don't have any debts. I'm office based and work long hours so only sleep in it for 6/7 hours. My clients tend to have good quality and subsidised restaurants for breakfast and lunch. I only have a light meal or snack in the van in the evening. I've joined the Gym Group, which is inexpensive and means I can visit a gym anywhere in the UK to keep clean and healthy. I can afford to take my suits, shirts and other clothes to be cleaned at a dry cleaners every two weeks.
Apart from my guitar, laptop, iPad, iPod, phone, and my clothes, I don't own much. I've learnt to enjoy having as few possessions as possible. As a writer and a bibliophile, I lost all my books to my wife. However, I now own hundreds of books on Kindle. As an avid mountain biker I carry my bike on the bike rack. The more stuff you have, the harder it is to stay clean and comfortable. I probably carry around a lot less than the average person going on a weekend trip.
I use a post office box for mail, which you can disguise to look like a normal address.
I rarely park up in urban environments, which would draw attention to myself. I drive to the nearest woods, forest, beach, mountain, to settle down for the night. I never stay in the same spot for more than one night in a row. Although, I do have many choice spots, with good views, that are isolated, and more importantly have a good 3G/4G reception to browse the net, and to watch a film or series online.
Even when I'm working in London, I choose to stay in the North Downs or Ashdown Forest and get the train in. If I'm in Brighton, I stay on the South Downs. If I'm in Portsmouth or Southampton, I stay in the New Forest. Etc...
No, it's not ideal. Yes, it can be hard - especially in the beginning. But it's far better than most alternatives. And you learn to adapt and thrive. I've actually come to enjoy it.
It's a simple life, created by complicated circumstances.
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GrannyJen
Super Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
As above.
Always help here (near Littlehampton) if needed.
Always help here (near Littlehampton) if needed.
Max-Felix
Hey, good for you mate - a huge chapeau - don't let the bastards grind you down and all that. Although tinged with obvious sadness I really did enjoy reading your post more than any other I can remember on here for a long time.
vmaxkiddy
VIP Member
If you find yourself heading for Lincolnshire or Bedfordshire let me know.
DavidofHook
VIP Member
We are just back after 6 weeks inFrance. As others have said, you need to cut down on possessions including clothes. It is not so much fun when it is wet. You do seem to have a much more active life and probably a better diet ( thank you Lidl, mostly).
Life does seem to get simpler ( we are retired so it is ok for us,!) When at home I seem to spend life doing the house, garden garage etc. When away we go out walking in the evening! Amazing!
We try to do this every summer on the continent ( with all those Europeans) and it is great.
We haven't full timed as such but that is the closest we have got to it.
Life does seem to get simpler ( we are retired so it is ok for us,!) When at home I seem to spend life doing the house, garden garage etc. When away we go out walking in the evening! Amazing!
We try to do this every summer on the continent ( with all those Europeans) and it is great.
We haven't full timed as such but that is the closest we have got to it.
Squiggle
soulstyledevon
Kennycalifornia
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It's great reading some of these stories on here. My wife and I only have two years left on our mortgage and we are planning 6-12 month "Instagram" (made me laugh) trip.
I will be 40 that year and my wife 39 with a 4 year old in tow.
Still haven't decided yet, to travel either Europe in a van or head to the other side of the world.
Interesting to read some of the experiences in this thread and some of the obstacles that have been overcome. Such as using sports centres etc for showering. Something we already do too when wild camping.
There is a group on Facebook with loads of good write-ups of van living. I think it's called vanlifers or something similar, worth a read.
(made me laugh) trip.I will be 40 that year and my wife 39 with a 4 year old in tow.
Still haven't decided yet, to travel either Europe in a van or head to the other side of the world.
Interesting to read some of the experiences in this thread and some of the obstacles that have been overcome. Such as using sports centres etc for showering. Something we already do too when wild camping.
There is a group on Facebook with loads of good write-ups of van living. I think it's called vanlifers or something similar, worth a read.
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kaf2546
VIP Member
I like these posts. I was thinking moving job location with same company and as I use Cali for work 3 days (only vehicle) thought I'd rather sleep in it that waste money on digs, when other half gets job move we'll look at selling existing home and buying a wee place but the whole van thing has inspired to keep this new place small and simple and in a location with an angle on airbnb or renting out, then long term travel with 2 bikes and two sets hiking boots taken. Only practical issue seems to be laundry, how do folks get around this especially if doing sweaty hobbies?! I don't really want a bigger vehicle tbh.
BerndRos
Top Poster
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Well I find and use a laundry, either in a town or at a campsite.
But American friends of mine who are very very well travelled, that have old cheap motor homes in...Alaska, Frankfurt & Southern USA, and rotate between them, swear by putting cloths in a carrier bag with water and wash powder, swing it round a few times, drain, dry & wear.
But American friends of mine who are very very well travelled, that have old cheap motor homes in...Alaska, Frankfurt & Southern USA, and rotate between them, swear by putting cloths in a carrier bag with water and wash powder, swing it round a few times, drain, dry & wear.
Jonathan Duke
I use these..... They seem to be popping-up at petrol station carparks, I've seen them in Ireland, and GB....
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