Is Van Life Worth it?
Admittedly, I partially chose the van life because of the hype. I also saw all the merits that exist when you choose to live this way. But is it truly worth it?
Yes, van life is worth it. Despite the hype and social media portrayal of it, it can be extremely rewarding in many different ways. It can help you chase after your dreams if they align with the van lifestyle. It can also provide a cheaper and more minimal way of existing.
Table Of Contents
Is The Van Life Lifestyle Worth It?
Is Van Life Financially Worth It?
Is Van Life Overhyped?
Why Van Life Might Not Be For You
Conclusion
Is The Van Life Lifestyle Worth It?
One of the largest reasons I’ve seen people gravitate towards this way of existing is based on the lifestyle. Living in a vehicle allows you to experience things differently than if you lived in a home.
It also allows you to modify aspects of your life to better suit your desires. There used to be a stigma surrounding this lifestyle, but it seems to have changed for the better!
The experiences you can gain from van life can be infinitely more rewarding. The things you see and do and hear and smell can all be more rewarding than a traditional life in a house.
For example, being able to wake up to a view you could never afford is attainable when you can park your home wherever you want. Also, if you are heavily interested in some sport specific to an area you can’t live in, being in a van allows you to wake up at the trailhead for a hike, the beach for surfing, or your local crag for climbing.
Essentially, you are able to craft your own lifestyle and commit to it at whatever level you desire.
This lifestyle can allow you to really cut back on what you don’t want in life, and replace it with high-value aspects to existing. Living in a van allows you to cut back on a lot.
If you get overwhelmed by the amount of laundry you have to do, moving into a van might not completely alleviate this, but it might help cut back on the number of clothes you have.
If you dislike having a mortgage, a van is sometimes a significantly cheaper alternative. If you don’t like mowing a lawn, you can park in the middle of the desert where grass grows perhaps once a year.
Nowadays, there seems to be a moderately positive stigma surrounding van life. Unlike the old SNL skits about living in a van down by the river, people have warmed up to the idea. There are a lot of memes about how living in a van is now the only option millennials have due to housing and living expenses.
All that being said, more people are jumping into this lifestyle without fear of social repercussions. People are doing it for many reasons than just wanting to enjoy electric lettuce at the trailhead.
In fact, there are lots of successful people living this way for their own unique reasons. It doesn’t mean you don’t shower or don’t have money, it just means you’re choosing to live a way that people see as different from the norm.
Living the van lifestyle can be worth it if you’re prepared to make some changes! It can allow you to live a life closer to how you actually want to live.
It allows you to have more impactful experiences and cut back on the things you don’t necessarily want to do. Personally, being more connected to nature, and having all of my possessions with me made the transition worth it.
Take a look at how Perri, Dan, and Milo of Crazy Brave Adventure can attest to this too!
Perridoxical
Crazy Brave Adventure - The Curse Of Comfort. Living In A House Is Both Too Easy And Too Hard!
Is Van Life Financially Worth It?
*The financial aspect of alternative living is a large topic that deserves its own entire post, or even its own entire blog.
I have spoken more in-depth about some aspects of the financial side of alternative living here. Also, I've spoken more about choice vs. necessity here.
Oftentimes people will choose to live in a vehicle for financial reasons. This Can sometimes be due to necessity or choice. Living this way can reduce your overall expenses, but it adds more in other areas.
If you’re interested in this lifestyle to save money, it can certainly be done with proper planning and action.
Necessity vs. desire seems to be one of the main financial aspects of van life. Sometimes people have no other choice but to start living in their vehicles. Sometimes people chose to live this way to save money when they are entirely financially secure.
There is something to be said about existing in a way that some people have no other choice than to do. This proves the ability of this lifestyle to save you money so you can enjoy that avocado toast, or simply make ends meet.
By choosing to live this way (and not going overboard with a way too expensive build, or driving extensively) you cut back on costs like hydro bills, rent, mortgage, and even sometimes internet. Stealth camping means you can camp for free!
While it can decrease your overall cost of living, it might also add expenses in unexpected ways. To me, one of the biggest shocks was how much I spent while simply driving.
Gas was incredibly expensive when I started and ventured out onto one of my larger trips. Along with the potential increase in gas prices, you might also spend more on vehicle maintenance since it's now not only your primary means of travel but also your home.
Despite the negatives, living alternatively has been a far cheaper experience for me. While the cost of moving the van was a bit absurd at times, not paying a mortgage and making some conscious choices to save money was an overall better financial move. I’ve also found a love for a meal cooked in a van or at the fire wherever I’m camped! Living this way has allowed me to ensure my money goes a lot further by not spending on things I was absolutely passionate about.
Is Van Life Overhyped?
Generally, no. But, the answer to this question really depends on what you hope to get out of van life and the realistic, or romanticized view you hold. There are many reasons to believe that van life is overhyped. There are also multiple reasons to believe it is not.
Why it is overhyped might come from the information online that sometimes doesn’t take the time to point out the negative aspects of this type of alternative living.
There are a lot of hardships and sacrifices that need to be made to be successful in this lifestyle. Having a good understanding of the overall picture of van life can ensure you don’t feel like you were tricked into believing it would be better than it actually is.
While those facts do exist, there are also reasons to believe van life is not overhyped. This lifestyle is certainly popular and for good reasons.
If it were truly overhyped, everyone would be doing it. And despite how many people seem to live like this, it is still in fact a small percent of the population of the world. It truly is a great way to change the way you live so that you can have more choices.
I still stumble across information that I can’t find an answer to, and sometimes you still have to reach out to communities when novel questions come up about some wiring issue you’re having while trying to connect your disco light to the DC-DC charger so you always have a party in the back while you’re driving.
Another reality of van life is being at the whim of Mother Nature. While you may be location-independent, there may be times when you find yourself braving the winter weather in your van. Check out these 11 tips for winter driving in your van so you can be better prepared!
Sometimes the idea of it being overhyped comes from individuals who fail to do enough research to understand that it’s not all butterflies and rainbows. Without that critical thinking, a lot of things would be considered overhyped.
Why Van Life Might Not Be For You
The positives of life on the open road are plentiful, but it might not be a great fit for you.
Some reasons why it might not be a great fit:
- You don't want to do what's required
- It's too expensive to start (van purchase, conversion, gear, etc.)
- You have family or work obligations that prevent you from travelling.
Don’t worry though, because there are many ways that you can experience van life, even if for a short amount of time.
It’s not for everyone. Living alternatively means that you won’t always have access to what is considered normal. This can be anything from Laundry, all the way to the amount of time you sleep.
Things are different, and it’s often considered to be a harder way of living. Even unloading groceries takes more planning and organization than it would if you were living in a traditional way.
It can be harder, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. It’s about the priorities you place on your time and how you chose (or don’t choose) to spend it. If you don’t like living in a small space or sometimes being intimate with nature, no amount of beautiful Instagram pictures can change that fact.
You have to be aware of how different things can be to truly know if you’ll enjoy it.
This doesn’t mean you need to abandon all hope. If you plan and avoid (as much as it’s a bad mechanism), you can experience lots of aspects of this life without needing to fully commit.
You can enjoy it for one night a year, to multi-week trips if you don’t want to make it a full-time thing. Things like having an issue with using the bathroom outdoors can be avoided if you always plan to be around porcelain. And even the problem of knowing where to sleep can be alleviated if you only need a few nights at a time by booking a campsite!
Conclusion
For me, I revelled in the idea of alternative living and have always enjoyed living in austere environments and in ways that a lot of people don’t like. I had a lot of experience with living minimally, and a large desire to save money, so it seemed like a no-brainer for me. I was frequently excited about the places I could now sleep, the meals I would cook and the time away from civilization.
Leave a comment below about whether you think van life is worth it!
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