I love my van so much. When I look around, I’m reminded of all the obstacles I overcame while building it. Of all the amazing adventures I’ve been on with it. It’s instilled in me a great sense of freedom, created and strengthened many friendships, and taught me the value of living simply.

I have so much freedom because I can go anywhere at a moments notice. I can be neighbors with a friend for a few days while I park in front of their house. I can go to a national forest where Quinn and I can do an off-leash trail run. Or I can park on a quiet street bordering the ocean and wake up to the sunrise on a beach that Quinn and I have to ourselves.

Ferg & Allison, Austin, TX
Wenatchee National Forest, WA
Coronado Dog Beach, San Diego, CA

The possibilities are endless with van life. You’re able to make your home wherever you want, for as long or as short as you want. This means I can relocate to an area that’s conducive to whatever activity I’m drawn to at the moment. Be it running, surfing, farming, woodworking, etc. I can immerse myself in the activity. I’m only limited by my imagination because the barrier to following my heart is incredibly low.

I’m a very independent person so I thrive under the responsibility of having to constantly decide where and when to go. I think this constant changing of environments has forced me to grow in a lot of different areas really fast. I feel like I’ve lived three years in the last one year! It’s an extreme lifestyle, but I much prefer doing things to the extreme rather than being overly cautious.

All of my main destinations have been stops to visit friends and family. Van life wouldn’t be nearly as fun without my friends and family that I see along the way. I’m so blessed to have people to visit all over the country. Connecting with friends (old and new) is my favorite part of van life. It takes effort to meet up with folks, but it’s so worth it. My friendships have been strengthened faster while doing vanlife. I think there are multiple reasons for this expedited bonding:

  • I’m genuinely happier and feel more fulfilled so it’s easier to make meaningful connections with people. When you’re in a good headspace, that good energy is contagious and makes for great times and deep conversation.
  • My van facilitates a lot of fun activities and crazy adventures. A typical day involves some outdoor activity like surfing, kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, etc, followed by a meal over a scenic view. Friends sometimes join me on these adventures, which is obviously amazing.
  • I’m constantly in need of assistance. I can always use a local to show me around, a place to park, fill up on water, do laundry, take a hot shower, etc. so I end up spending more time with people. So far my friends and family have been more than happy to help me with these things and thankfully the things I need are amenities most take for granted. I find that most people do not mind sharing these vital amenities with me. In addition to spending more time with people, it feels amazing to receive this help because I really appreciate it and I know it’s a sign of their love.

The main thing that enables all of this freedom is minimalism or keeping things simple. Your home and transportation in one, and all of your possessions in this 70sq ft space. It’s simple- I can look around and see all of my belongings. This makes it really easy to make conscious decisions about what I spend my time doing. I can see everything and I thought long and hard about the inclusion of each item so all of my options are clear to me.

When I look around, I see my bicycle, books, kitchen, hammock, etc. and I’m constantly reminded of all of the amazing things I can be doing. I cultivated the space to promote activities that I want to spend my time doing. For instance, I chose to include a bookshelf and not a tv because I find reading and journaling are better for my mental health.

Mt. Hood, OR
Inside Jan

I love living in this tiny space and I have no desire to live in a home with more than like 300 sqft per person. When you have more space you feel the need to fill it up, usually with things you don’t actually need. I don’t like having anything in my home that I don’t absolutely love. I appreciate when things are simple and there’s no excess. I don’t like having more than I need because it’s wasteful. Not just physically wasteful but also mentally because possessions take up space in our minds. The more we have the harder it is to make decisions, which makes it easier to lose focus on what’s most important to us. Minimalism is really about focusing only on the most important things in your life by removing as many distractions as possible.

There are some negatives to the van vs typical accommodations like the lack of indoor plumbing and wifi. I like doing things differently though so I kind of enjoy my unconventional setup that requires me to put effort into procuring things most people I know take for granted. There are many tradeoffs, but at this point in my life I feel the pros drastically outweigh the cons. These tradeoffs have been good for my mental health because they remind me everything has a silver lining. It’s possible to be happy and grateful for what you have no matter the situation.

The effects living in a van has had on me are hard to put into words but basically, I’m much happier and I have an incredible amount of love for everything in the world.