Initial Thoughts on Van-Life
I've been toying around with the idea of VanLife, and what it would be like...
Sometimes I wonder if I'm only thinking about it because it's currently summer, and outside is appealing. I catch myself wondering if I could handle living in a small box on wheels with minimal space during the rainy season, as well as the sun season. I'm pretty sure that I could do it, but whether or not I could do it with a partner, and two medium sized dogs is an entirely different question.
Nothing makes me feel mentally healthier than waking up and going to sleep at the same time as the sun (again, winter-times would make this less enjoyable, but I guess one could go south and follow the birds...). Do I think I could handle some rain and poor weather, in exchange for having my time to myself? I think probably yes. It's almost like going out for a run and getting caught in the rain -- it's not so bad -- it's just a little bit of water.
To be released from the requirement of working 40~50hrs a week is freedom.
And don't get me wrong -- I like to tinker, dabble, program, create, and problem solve. I don't think I ever see myself slowing down and being a 'drain' on society. Just kind of roaming, and doing my own thing, is more like it. I see myself working on projects like:
- Smart, solar powered camping vans that mine crypto in their down-time... Or just finding good deals on vans and making them super dope, super comfy campers.
- Creating and cultivating reinforcing communities for runners and climbers;
- Creating art with @caitycat;
- Making SmartMirrors and selling them at farmers markets;
- Buying a bit of land and farming / starting a vegan commune;
- Fuckin' anything.
So how does one do this?
Are there any people out there that have successfully minimized their expenses, while also maintaining a productive and / or healthy contribution to society at large? What are the secrets? Are there any tips? I would imagine that Step #1 is eliminating any debt that you have. Working just to finance debt has to be the fucking worst deal in the world. Step #2 is probably "reduce spending and consumption" -- which is probably harder than it sounds. I love a good latte in the morning, but I think I could go without most of the comforts of urban living. Step #3? Is there a step #3? Find a way to contribute, and save for retirement, because lord knows nobody is gonna just take care of your ass.
I'm not there yet -- but I'm getting closer to being able to do this safely. At the very least -- I've got the van just in case shit goes sideways, and I'll get some employment insurance if (read: "when", depending on who you talk to) the economy crashes and people get laid off. I like my job, and I want to keep it. It's fulfilling to help communities develop for the future, have clean drinking water, sustainable infrastructure, and take care of themselves.
I'm gonna keep thinking about it, working on my side projects (check out @RunBurgundy if you haven't already!!!), and hoping that sometime someday, I'm able to just cruise around and contribute in effective ways.
I'm SO in. You know I've been thinking hard about it too. It's one of very few ways for people of our vintage to save up and get ahead in today's economy. We can do it, for sure! I just think we need a bit of a van upgrade, space-wise, for those cold months.... and some mobility and flexibility with our jobs.
I dig it. I think once we get our electrical & solar hooked up, we'll be in good shape! And it doesn't get THAT cold here. Coupling that with the ability to scoot down to California and hang out in some nice weather (so long as the country doesn't implode) -- we'll be fine.
Sup bro we have just done/are doing this now, but more temporary with Europe in summer so our van suits our needs for 3-4 months but if I was doing this long term I would like to do it properly the only problem doing this in Europe is finding those prime parking spaces that don’t have a height limit on it which is why we got a low top transit so I’d say Europe is a bad place to do this long term, also like you said winter will be hard as you will spend a lot of time in the van
Thanks for the insight, dude! We've definitely got our eyes on maybe upgrading to a transit eventually. Parking here is tricky too -- though, I'd probably try to mostly be at campsites or off in the bush to some degree whenever possible.
There's definitely a fine line between having a rig that is decked out with solar / vents / storage, and making sure the van is still low-profile enough that you can be in there without getting bothered.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!