Are you really cut out to Live in a Van or Tiny Home?

Is Vandwelling Really For You?

Vandwelling or Tiny Home living seems to be a lifestyle that people either love or hate. While some people love McMansions and space and decorating their homes and entertaining, other people prefer a simpler way of life, or at least many people think they'd enjoy a simpler way of life.

I recently heard a stat that about half of people who buy or live in tiny homes are not living in them a year later. This leads me to believe many people who think they will enjoy this lifestyle may not really enjoy it in reality. That said I think it depends alot on your values and your lifestyle as well.

What Type of Person will Truly Enjoy Vandwelling?

While the idea of vandwelling is romantic, and while the idea of being minimal and not having a ton of stuff or a ton of space to take care of may seem very appealing, you really have to look at all aspects of your life to determine if Vandwelling truly is for you.

I think climate is a huge determining factor. In warmer climates people tend to utilize a lot of outdoor space. If you live in a climate like the midwest with a cold winter your going to be stuck in your van or small house for a vast majority of the year. That said if you live in a warmer climate with no winter or a very temperate winter you can enjoy your outdoor space most of the year. While people do live in vans in cold climates, just watch Youtube, the ideal location will be a warmer climate. 

If you like entertaining, Vandwelling may not be for you. I know on the Tiny House shows we see how furniture folds out of all types of crazy places and we see them entertaining half a dozen friends. In reality most people aren't going to want to hang out in a cramped van, and just the size limits how many people you can have over at a time. If you enjoy throwing dinner parties, entertaining family, etc Vandwelling may not be for you.

If you're a homebody Vandwelling may not be for you. I notice many Vandwellers, and many of the people who enjoy the lifestyle the most are people who are either travelers traveling the country or people who are into rockclimbing or other outdoor activities. They spend most of their time outside of the van either doing physical activity, hiking, camping, etc. 

If you're someone who enjoys chilling around the house reading, playing with your dogs, watching movies, having friends over, etc. Vandwelling may not be for you as while you may feel like you spend the vast majority of your time in one room at home, a lot of people find they need some space to move around and change locations even if just within the house. 

Lastly, if your someone who likes stability and routine Vandwelling may or may not be your cup of tea. While some people have friends or family who's property who they can live on, many Vandwellers are going to be constantly moving around from campground to campground, from friends house to friends house or from stealth parking spot to stealth parking spot. If your someone who likes a routine and consistancy Vandwelling may not be for you as one of the big draws of the lifestyle is the lack there of. 

What Type of Person will Enjoy Vandwelling? 

If you're someone who enjoys traveling and wants to spend time traveling the country Vandwelling is an excellent way to do it. You can travel for a fraction of the cost of hotels, you can park right near the landmarks you want to see and in the State and National Parks you want to visit. 

If you're someone who's a minimalist and someone who enjoys not having a lot of stuff to maintain you may enjoy vandwelling.

I especially think people who spend a lot of time out of the house may enjoy vandwelling. If your someone who only comes home to sleep and spend most of your time either hiking, biking, out and about at the library or wherever and spend very little time in your house or apartment the transition to vandwelling while still a challenge logistics wise with internet and laundry and showering, it will be a lot easier as your not someone cooped up in a van for hours per day.

Wrapping Up

To wrap up, the cost of trying out Vandwelling is going to be a lot less than buying a tiny house. For a couple thousand bucks you can either buy a van already outfitted, or do the work yourself. If you don't like it after a few months you should be able to recoup most of your money and go back to living in an apartment or house but if the above sounds like you it may be worth giving it a try. 

Vandwelling What to Expect Living in a Van

Van dwelling – What to expect?

Van dwellers are those people who live in their vans by choice. The reason of living in vans could be anything. Either they like to travel or they find it rather comfortable and cheaper to live in their vans. Living in vans may sound like a fascinating idea, but it can prove to be a tough one for you as you may have to leave some luxuries of life behind and make many compromises to live this kind of life.

A van used by van dwellers need to be equipped with different items to facilitate the person living in there. Read on to know about some of the problems faced by van dwellers and how they cope up with them.

Food and other eatables:

Food is one of the basic necessities of life. A van dweller obviously cannot take extra food with them reason being they do not have enough space. Secondly, the perishable items do not sustain for a longer period of time.

Some van dwellers like to keep a small sized fridge with them to store the food. Other keeps dry and canned foods with them as they can sustain for a longer period of time. It gets easier for them who do not eat animal or dairy products. The better option is to keep a limited supply of ingredients with you while traveling.

Toilet problem:

One of the toughest problems faced by van dwellers is toilet issue. Using public restroom can be an option. But other than that, you can carry pee-bottles with you or keep small chemical toilets which should be used for only emergency purposes.

If you are looking for van dwelling lifestyle, you need to say goodbye to your habit of taking shower daily. For taking showers, some truck shop offers shower services by charging a few bucks. If your idea is of staying in only one city, you can take gym membership and take shower there.

Internet access:

Internet access was a problem for van dwellers but not anymore. Many portable internet devices are available for them to use. Additionally, they can use mobile hotspots. Van dwellers can also find many free wifi internet spots like coffee shops, libraries etc.

The idea of van dwelling is to stay organized and more disciplined. Although, it is a way to save money but it requires discipline, work, and capital. Some people quit van dwelling after some time because either they find it difficult to get a parking place for their vehicle or because they start feeling lonely of living and traveling alone or simply because they get bored.

Van dwelling is not an easy thing to do; you need to take care of so many things before thinking of heading out for this experience. Things like what to take and what to leave, the condition of the vehicle, basic knowledge of repairing are few of the important aspects that you must need to know before experiencing the idea of van dwelling.