Living In A Van

I've lived in a van full-time for 3 years. Here are the 5 biggest downsides no one talks about.
Story by insider@insider.com (Alyshia Hull).

I saw this title and I had to read it.  I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a van?  Alternatively, this article could have been titled "My Bad Life Choices".  Normally, I'm a to-each-their-own but this is completely stupid.

Raychel Reimer, whose parents must hate her because they gave her a name a dumb spelling, is "a van life content creator from Vancouver, Canada".  You read that right: a van life content creator.  Wouldn't "van life" be the same as being a modern day Gypsy?  That is nothing to be proud of.

Raychel Reimer and her husband Nick live in their van full-time.  Everyday tasks can be exhausting, like getting a glass of clean water.  Though living in a van is cheaper than owning a home, there are still expenses that add up.

You might be wondering when did this cost-saving adventure start?

"Back in 2018, my husband Nick and I traveled to Cambodia to teach English. At the time we were living out of our backpacks when I found van life videos on YouTube. I just remember thinking, wow, that would be such a cool way to travel."

Ugh, Teachers.  How do these two Neo Hippie teachers  make ends meet?

"We personally do seasonal work. We mainly take on house sitting assignments, and other summer jobs. For example, I work at a normal 9 to 5 office job. Then once we have enough saved up, we begin our travels. It's a process that we do again and again."

Kids, do not follow this example as a way to live.  Save up and blow it all is not a good way to handle your finances unless you want to be on the other side of the glory hole in 20 years so you can make ends meet.  Or maybe Raychel is prepping up to be the next Federal Minister of Finance.  Who knows?  Just don't handle money like the Reimers do unless you want to be poor after 40.

"Now that we've lived out of our van for three years, we've learned a lot along the way. Although we wouldn't trade van life for anything, here are five things you should know before trying it for yourself."

Here's what to watch for if you want to be a loser at life:

"1. Everyday tasks can be exhausting
When you're staying in a house, and you want a glass of water, you just head over to the tap, where people usually have an endless supply.
Or, if you want to take a shower, you might do it without thinking. But, when you live in a van, you have to be more intentional.
You're always thinking about what you're doing next. For example, if your water tank is getting low, you have to think about where you're going to refill it.
This also all changes by the geographic location you're in. Are you off grid? Are you close to the city? Can you fill up your water tank right away? Or, maybe you will have to wait. This all changes your consumption.
Things that are in the background for others, aren't in the background for us. You have to always think about how you're going to live, including how often you flush your toilet."

I don't even want to know what their van smells like.

"2. People often ask about how we use the toilet
We don't have a compost toilet in our van, as those are $1200. But, we do have a Dometic Portable Toilet.
You can think of it like a toilet with a holding tank. It holds everything in a small tank, but then you have to head to a sanitation dump station and manually dump it. You can find those at rest stops along the way, or sometimes when you get gas.
If you're thinking about van life, how you will use the toilet is something to consider."

I use the toilet like most guys: standing up for No 1 and sitting for No 2.  Small is right; look up Dometic Portable Toilet.  I don't even want to know what their van smells like.

"3. There are expenses when it comes to van life
It might be a cheaper way to live, but there are still costs. First, you of course have your gas – and the cost will be determined by how much you drive.
But then, you have your car insurance, your oil changes, and another is a gym membership. While the gym might seem optional, that is where most who choose van life shower. For us, our breakdown looks like this:
RV insurance: $133 a month
Gym memberships: $45.00 a month
Laundromat: $15.00 a month
Gas: $800 a month
Groceries: $520 a month
Then there's the biggest expense, van breakdowns. Once we were on a trip through the USA, and ours broke when we were in San Diego. It was stressful, as we were quoted $3,000 which is $4,500 Canadian dollars. For us, it was a huge loss because it took our emergency fund.
When your van breaks down it is never fun. On top of that expense, you have to think, where am I going to stay? Getting a hotel unexpectedly definitely adds to your expenses.
With that said, when purchasing a van, you have to consider breakdowns. While you might want a unique van, it is better to get one with an easy to fix engine, this means one that any mechanic can fix.
We are lucky with ours. Since it's an ambulance conversion, it has the typical chevy engine. It's cheap to source and most mechanics can work on it."

I thought she might be slow but she hits on some great points like, "cost will be determined by how much you drive" or "get one with an easy to fix engine, this means one that any mechanic can fix".  Still, at the end of the day, do you know who else uses gym showers that aren't members?  Bums.  And why not save another $15 by doing your laundry while you're in the gym shower?

I do agree with it's not fun when you're vehicle breaks down, but if I had to go into the "emergency fund" for $4500, that would be the point where I'd say to myself, it's time to get off my ass and find a real, full-time job.  Van life can wait until the finances are in order.

"4. There are a lot of social stigmas
There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to sustaining van life.
We don't all have the same income, and we don't all have the same story. Some of us work remotely, some work a regular 9 to 5 job, and some live out of a van not to travel, but out of necessity.
Many think, people who participate in van life don't work, or we don't have real jobs. While some who live in their vans might be rich, or have trust funds, that's not true for all of us. The social stigmas are very loud, but the truth is just like everyone else, we are all different."

Social stigmas?  There's no misunderstanding when you're over 30 and your main shower is at the gym or your main source of income is House Sitting.  Hell, I thought I was immature.  We all don't have the same income because some people get full-time jobs and other people choose van life.  If you're rich and living in a van, I'll bet you also have a house and a driveway to park the van in.  

"5. We miss moments with our family
You have to put in a lot of work to maintain friendships and relationships. You have to make the time, and make the calls, in order to stay in touch.
Whether you do van life or you're nomadic, it can be hard missing birthdays, or being away from your family. We miss things like our nieces first steps, or other big moments just like that.
It's really important for us to message them, or facetime them, that way we can stay connected.
Thankfully, we have also made many friends on the road, who live a very similar lifestyle to us. Since we're all on wheels, we often meet up with each other, and we can usually do it within a matter of days."

Ah, the freedom that self-importance brings.  Honestly, couldn't they have driven to see their niece take her first steps?

That was the 5 downsides but there's a tradeoff:

"Although van life has downsides, there are many positives, too. We love being a part of the van life community and we would not trade van life for the high cost of living in Vancouver.
There is location freedom, but there's also financial freedom, too. We don't have to make a lot of money — our summer jobs and house-sitting gigs pay for our travel. The best part is we don't drown in bills trying to pay rent. Instead, we get to go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go.
We always tell people, if you have the urge to do it and you can, you should try it. The experience is challenging, but it's also a rewarding one."

After reading this, I came to my own list of 5 downsides of living in a van (in no particular order):
1. Living in a van;
2. Living in a van;
3. Living in a van;
4. Living in a van;
5. Living in a van