Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Van Life
Van life is one of the best, but hardest, things I have ever set myself up for. Here are three things I wish I knew before starting van life that will help you decide if van life could be a good fit for you.
1. How comfortable are you without a shower?
I find this one to be my #1 thing that I wish I handled better being in a van. We have plans to add a hot water heater, but because we did not, the first time showering in the van is horrible. It is so cold, and conserving water, showering becomes such a hard task. We do our best to find showers in locations we are staying, campgrounds, Loves truck stops, and the YMCA on occasion. Finding showers can be a little harder than you think. Lots of van lifers have a Planet Fitness membership, but the kick here is you have to be near a location to use it. We find ourselves more remote, so we are not normally around a gym we can use.
2. Not every place you can sleep is a good one.
When we look for a new campsite, often this is the ONLY thing on our agenda for the day. Sometimes the first location you find is not the best one, and requires a move. This could be because it's too crowded, or there is construction at the entrance, or maybe there are no spots left on that 10-mile-long service road. If you do not want to find yourself at a gas station or parking lot, it is important to have a Plan A, B, and sometimes C. It sounds simple to just park your van like you would a car until you are actually doing it.
3. Van life is kind of lonely.
I never thought this would be an issue for me. But we have been wanting to meet people on the road, but we have not. I think social media has painted a picture that I myself did fall for, and that is most of the time you are alone. We try to talk to people, but surprisingly enough, finding people your age doing the same thing is not as easy as you would think. This is something we are working on. We have a goal to have some friends before this is over. We will keep trying to push out of our comfort zone and keep trying to make some friends. I am lucky to have Jimmy with me, but we would like to meet a group of people as well.
So, would we do it again?
ABSOLUTELY! Van life is never predictable. It is always going to take you down new roads with a lot of twists and turns. That is what makes it so fun and exciting. We are learning as we go, and look forward to continuing the journey.