The Realities Of #Vanlife ~ A series of honest feedback from real full time travelers

There is a movement happening. It has become both trendy and for some folks necessary to leave behind the confines of the 9-5 and hit the road #vanlife style. Why the hashtag? Because up until the last few years this term wasn’t a thing. Though people have been traveling and even living in vans for years, but thanks to social media (mostly Instagram) it now has a name, and a massive following.

RV travel has been around since the ’50s but used to be more for people in retirement, or families on the weekends. But now more and younger people and us “in-betweeners” are stepping out of societal norms and creating a little taste of freedom.

Rising housing prices and more and more work being done remotely are big factors for many. Also, the accessibility to travel and travel inspiration again thanks to social media has made anything seem possible.

We chose this lifestyle because traveling was our biggest shared passion. We worked conflicting schedules but we had good jobs. We bought the house, filled it with the things and thought we were following “the steps”. We rarely saw each other and a week of holidays here or there was difficult and left us in debt every time.

So we sold it all (well most of it, some sits in storage) picked out our van and have been on the road since 2017. We made a big decision to take control of time, and create the freedom to live the life we were dreaming of.

We are constantly learning more about how to exist in this tiny space, and how to navigate the challenges of life on the road. There is a learning curve no matter how prepared you think you are.

I worry that there is a side to this life that isn’t always clearly reflected. I don’t just mean where to shower or where to do your “business” when you live in a van. There’s so much more to consider. Because social media is often about the beautiful shot or a way to grab attention, and now that everyone throws the word ‘authentic’ around so much it’s almost lost its meaning. We sometimes miss out on the real why’s and the real lessons.

We love this lifestyle with all its ups and downs. I have written about some of our favorite aspects of van life before. But I wanted to start a conversation, so I reached out to some of our friends who also travel fulltime and are living #vanlife. I asked each of them to share the good and the bad of living this way.

Their responses are personal and honest. They are reflections of different people from different places, with different backgrounds and very different lives. What started as a question inspired a little series to help share a true picture of this lifestyle, and a useful resource for anyone considering it.

Chapter 1 will be posted tomorrow and features our friend Amanda, who has been on the road for over 6 years.

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