Life on the Road

Exploring the lifestyle surrounding living life in a van and what it entails.

A couple enjoying van life.

Josie Brewer, Staff Writer

Van life is the lifestyle that includes the adventurous people that choose a van as their home, maybe to travel across the country or to save some money, either way, the lifestyle is very unique and is an eye-opening experience for many.

Although living on the road can be exhilarating and an enriching adventure, it’s definitely not for everyone. To start, van life is based on spontaneity and minimalism, if your lifestyle does not include packing light and you hate the unknown, then maybe a short road trip would suit your needs better.

But still, this lifestyle can easily be followed if you have enough motivation to create your own van and put your life on the move. Your van will become your home so it definitely needs to be big enough to grant one their basic needs but small enough that it drives easy. There are a plethora of videos and websites created to show you how to insulate your van and build in furniture such as beds and cabinets. Some vans even have a working shower and toilet inside, but most opt to go to the bathroom at stops or shower through a hose, as it is much more inexpensive.

Another part of van life is making money while always moving, which is a difficult task. Many people who follow this lifestyle suggest that flexibility in what you’re willing to do is key, maybe you saved up enough for a certain time of travel, but in other cases, people can work straight from their computers or do labor work as they go. Either way, making money is essential to van life in order to purchase your basic needs.

Although van life can be stressful and the prospect of it seems to out of reach, this lifestyle can not only be inexpensive but can create lifelong memories. Overall, this lifestyle is not for everyone, but for the few who can adapt to this life, it can create a joy in life that was never attainable before.