If you’re thinking about the van life, you may be picturing dropping everything, buying a van, and hitting the road. That can be a scary concept for a lot of people! Not everyone wants to quit their day job, or even has the means to become a full-time van lifer. Does that mean you’re out of luck?
Absolutely not!
What is a full-time van lifer?
A full-time van lifer is someone whose full-time residence is their vehicle, whether that’s a skoolie, a van, an RV, or a car. This is usually a choice and welcomes a particular lifestyle and set of values. Full-time van lifers still enjoy the benefits of hotels, bed & breakfasts, and staying at friends houses from time to time, but they aren’t primarily living in a house. You might also consider it a specific niche of tiny home living.
Van Life is for Everyone
You don’t have to live in a van full-time to be a van lifer. That’s the beauty of this community – its for everyone! Some van-lifers work a regular 9-5 and live in a house during the week, then take off on the weekend to adventure and explore in their vans. Others use their vans on vacations when they can take a week or two off from their job, pack up the van, and get off grid. Still others who have more seasonal jobs may use this as an opportunity to work in different areas that are too far away from their house to commute or as a travel option during their off season. Are you a teacher? Load up the van and you can travel from June 1 to August 1 anywhere you’d like!
Why Does it Matter?
Why does it matter than not all van lifers do it full time? The answer to that question is simply this – if you want to live the van life, you absolutely can! Your dreams are attainable and you don’t have to be a full-time van lifer to enjoy the experience. Even if you do want to live full-time in your van (like I do), you can still reach your goals by taking smaller steps along the way.
My journey has involved a lot of very small steps, but each small step takes me closer to my goal. I’m so excited for when I can finally take LuLu out for the weekend. Then a trip to a friends house. And from there, I’ll be well on my way to longer trips and full-time van living!
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