Why Vanlife?

The Urban Dictionary defines Vanlife as “The continuous and everlasting voyage of living in a van, either traveling, down by a river, or partying at every bonfire you can find.”

So why do people people leave behind the conventional world of “sticks and bricks” homes for life on the road? The reasons are about as myriad as there are people. And contrary to popular belief, not everyone is a twenty-something YouTuber making videos at the beach all day. Sad I know, but that’s life!

Some folks are retired and have chosen to spend their golden years on the road instead of a condo in Florida. Others are young professionals who work as digital nomads, still spending the day in front of their computer, but free to explore the amazing landscape outside, in their free time. Others had difficult circumstances in their lives that made living in a vehicle necessary, or preferable to paying mortgages or rent. And others still, are minimalists who chose to leave the daily grind of 9-5 jobs behind, and work intermittently to get the most out of life on a budget.

And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” — The Talking Heads

So if you’ve wondered who’s out there, and if you might be able to live this life, here are just a few profiles, to give you an idea of who you might meet on the road.

Jerry(@jerryjasuta) is a semi-retired free spirit who used to work in banking and decided to retire early in life. He bought a used Prius a few years ago and is exploring every state in the USA, so that he can decide where he wants to buy a home and settle down permanently. He works part-time for various delivery services, 7-10 days a month to cover his living expenses. He camps on public lands wherever he goes, so the bulk of his expenses are food and gas. He has a 12v condenser refrigerator and a propane stove that he cooks simple meals on. Due to his extensive travel across the country, he travels alone but often finds friends for small get-togethers along the way. He’s an avid hiker and can frequently be found scrambling up giant rocks.

Tina (@tinabeane1) is Admin of one of the most popular Facebook groups for solo women travelers. She left the corporate world of the software industry several years ago to focus on seeing the great outdoors, and supports herself by working part-time as a pet sitter. She travels in her SUV, camping in national and state parks. She helps coordinate camping meetups for women a couple times a year and provides advice to thousands of women on how to travel in cars and SUVs. She prefers to keep her setup simple, but has a Jackery 1000 power station to run a few electric appliances such as the Dash mini griddle and a 12v kettle for making coffee. Her travels are a mix of solo travel and travel with women from her Facebook group. She loves hiking and photography, and often finds little details the most interesting.

Ryne (@priusatthepark) is a young musician who moved from Wisconsin to Los Angeles shortly before Covid. He was working in the music industry doing concert set-ups and repairing guitars for famous musicians. Finding himself with a lot of free time due to shut downs, he began traveling with a group of Prius aficionados along with his little dog Chico. After a year of camping in the Prius, he decided to live a life closer to nature and joined the company that manages national parks. He bought a school bus and is in the process of building it out so he can have a mobile home and work for the National Parks in comfort, perhaps becoming a ranger.

Elise, (@tinyprius is me, so please excuse my switching from third to first person narrative, but its weird to refer to myself as “she”). I am a tech professional that works on contract, and often have months of downtime between my assignments. I don’t travel full-time when I’m working because my days all full of meetings and it wouldn’t be very comfortable to be stuck in a vehicle all day. I travel on weekends to nearby destinations and to state and national parks on my months off. The advantage to this is that I don’t have to worry about internet connections when I travel. I can be far, far away from civilization and simply enjoy the view. I travel alone in my Prius, that has all sorts of comfy amenities like a fridge, a waffle maker and a blender for Margaritas. I camp in the National Forest most of the time, which is an awesome way to see the national parks without spending money for camping. I also attend Vanlife events periodically, where I’ve made really nice friends.

So as you can see, there’s not just one way to Vanlife. You don’t need a lot of money. You don’t even need a van! So what are you waiting for? Let’s hit the road!