Have you ever thought of living in a van? It’s a kind of nomadic life, and we see a lot of social media posts each day that depict how joyful van life is.
Although, the reality is not exactly what is portrayed on social sites, so this article will realistically guide you about this unique lifestyle.
So, the first question is, what the van life is?
The answer is quite simple. When you choose to live in a constantly moving home, like in any vehicle (not particularly a van), you have to spend a lot of time outdoors. This type of living style is known as van life. For this, you must have all the life essentials so you won’t get into any trouble.
Why do many people want a van life?
To some people, it is a bit risky and uncomfortable, while for others it’s a great chance of self-grooming, appreciating simplicity, and getting freedom. So, let’s see why do people choose this lifestyle that is totally against the norms, and normal ways of adventure.
Everyone wants to know about what’s going to happen in life. Most people choose the van life because they love to feel excited about unknown events, places, and persons.
When you start living in a van, you have to manage all the things on your own. It gives a strong personal strength that helps you to maintain self-reliance and ultimately you become able to face a lot of challenges.
Do you want to know about the weirdest reason? That is some people like to do something different. They soon become fed up with tight social norms and living styles, so they want to taste the deliciousness of outdoor living.
It gives a sweet chance to enjoy life the way you dream for. So whether you love hiking, rock climbing or want to listen to music all the time, go for van life and focus on your hobbies.
When you don’t afford to spend on housing or your house is already under construction, you can surely save money by adopting the van life for some days, weeks, or even months. In van life, you can save money in a lot of ways. For example, you don’t need to buy a lot of things because of accommodation and mobility issues. As a result, you can save a lot of money, which usually goes wasted in buying useless or merely decorative things for the house.
You may have heard that a minimalist life is a blessing, van life will give an in-depth understanding. This kind of lifestyle is simple and stress-free. You learn to love every possession, so many people choose it to adopt a minimalist and highly simple lifestyle.
Meeting new people opens the doors of new friendships and new opportunities, moreover, it gives you a strong feeling of familiarity and excitement. You can also get connected with other vanlifers, and know about their experiences.
Van life essentials that you need for a van life
Here is a list of things that you must consider before starting a van life.
Portable refrigerator
Propane stove
Blanket
Instant pot
Folding tables and chairs
Portable toilets
Solar charger and lights
Cell phone signal booster
Solar shower
First aid box
And many more!
Challenges that you may face during the van life
Bear in mind that van life is not for everyone. Even if you have all the accessories and supplies to support this type of lifestyle, you should be ready to face the heavy load of work and responsibility.
Let’s dive in and see in detail what kind of challenges you may need to face during the van life.
Despite what we see on Facebook and Instagram, van life is not that easy. It is quite a difficult task to manage all the household chores in a very small space. You must be very alert about cleaning the cooking area, refilling the water tank, recharging your phones and power banks, and even maintaining a place to sleep.
Always take care of all the things that you have, otherwise losing something can put you in great trouble especially when you can’t find anyone else to help.
Van life is all about living outdoors. It seems that you’ll live inside the van, but you won’t. If you are not used to facing the dust, mosquitoes, dirt, leaves, and other such things, you need to do some serious work on adjustment.
Even if your van is extremely spacious and comfortable, the outside environment will strongly affect you. So, learn to adjust to all kinds of outdoor environments, and weather.
Before starting a van life, get ready to face all kinds of uncomfortable and unexpected circumstances. During van life, you may need to go to the toilet urgently or fix the sputtering engine. So, van life is being prepared to come out of your comfort zone.
Living a van life seems affordable but making it on the road does take some hustle. As a van lifer, you will need money all the time, from refilling your cylinder to your daily meals, you can’t sit without making efforts.
How to earn money as a van lifer?
This is perhaps the most crucial question about the van life. Not all the van lifers can make money in the same way. But as you travel a lot and meet new people daily, you will have a lot of chances to sell the products.
Simply put,
You can earn money in various ways as a van lifer, some of them are listed below
Online freelancing
Selling products
Manual labor
Seasonal farming
Advertising
Transporting goods
Many people run their businesses and spend their vacation as a van lifer. It helps them to renew their lost energy and give them relief from worries of business or 9 to 5 job.
In Conclusion
As a van lifer, you will get a lot of chances to meet new people and experience a lot of new things. You get life once, so it’s quite a superb idea to spend some time outdoors as a van lifer, and see the world from a new perspective.
Have you ever decided to begin a van life? What difficulties did you face? What kind of experiences did you gain? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below.
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