‘Van Life”: is it really doable?

If you like reading this blog, you’ll probably already know how much I like the idea of building a tiny house, both for environmental and economic purposes.

Living tiny involves downsizing and getting rid of all the clutter which burdens our life; and it’s a great solution if you don’t have enough money to buy a traditional brick and mortar house.

Most tiny houses I have seen, whether they are converted vans, homes built on trailers or converted containers, have the additional quality of being mobile. Let’s talk about one of the possible mobile dwelling options, the converted van, and let’s see what are the pros and cons of choosing to live in one of them.

The PROs of Van Life

• Do you get easily bored if you stay in one place for more than a week? Then van life is for you: you can wake up to new surroundings every morning, if you want to.
• It’s perfect if your job involves a lot of travelling: you can take your home (and office) with you anywhere you go.
• With some smart planning, you can build “stealthy”, in a way that the van looks ‘just like a van’ from the outside: this will give you more privacy and help avoiding other people’s unwanted attention.
• Living in a van will force you to downsize, making you save money; you won’t have a big wardrobe or fridge to fill up!
• Thanks to the increasing popularity of this lifestyle, it’s easy to meet likeminded people on the road, and become part of an interesting community.
• A frugal lifestyle and some conscious choices; for instance, deciding to power the appliances installed in your van with solar panel can help you live more environmentally friendly.

The CONs of Van Life

• Last time I checked it was illegal to have a van as your primary residence, even if your van is fitted with all amenities necessary in your daily life.
• Noise and lack of security: finding a quiet and safe parking spot can be a challenge, especially during the nigth; and if you are moving often you’ll have to search for a new one everytime.
• Many say that van life can make you save money, but is it really that cheap? You won’t have to pay house taxes, but you’ll have maintenance, insurance and petrol costs; and remember that a converted van will weight more than a normal one, so that will add up petrol costs.
• Many vans don’t have a toilet, while others come with a compostable one…which might not be for everyone
• Vans can be stolen, and in that case you won’t lose only the van but all your possessions and your house
• Is there enought room? Although internet is full of ideas on how to customise your conversion and make the van look and feel bigger, there’s no other way to put it: you would be living in a car.

And you, have you ever tried van life? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.