When many people think of living the van life, they envision a holiday of wild camping and long road trips. The reality is that there are people living in their outfitted vans or campers full time and living quite comfortably at that. They are able to travel and see the world while working and living a relatively normal life. Some people are even able to pull this off while raising a family.
To make sure that you are able to live this lifestyle to the fullest, it does require that you understand some basics to get started. There is no right or wrong way to go about things, but being prepared means that you won’t have to cut things short. In this article, we will go over what it takes to start living the van life.
1. Have an energy source
Living out of a van doesn’t have to mean giving up some of the creature comforts we would expect from living in a traditional home. As long as you have a power source then you can have all of your devices working and make sure that you have light and other modern conveniences.
There are a lot of options for making sure you have energy. One is that you should only stay in campgrounds that offer pitches with an electrical hookup so you always have power. This will cost you since you will have to pay for the ability to camp there but you also have access to bathrooms, showers, and laundry facilities.
If you prefer to be off the beaten path and find places to stay then you will need to provide your own energy supply. The most obvious answer is that you should have solar panels and use the power we get from the sun. There will be times when it is not sunny enough and you should also have a portable generator for those times.
2. Have a plan
It seems like a big benefit of living the van life is the fact that you can be spontaneous. However, this isn’t really the case, you do need to plan things out when you are on the road. You’ll need to make sure that you understand the route that you take so there are no dangers along the way.
It’s also a good idea to have a destination in mind so there are no surprises along the way. If you need electricity then you will have to know that there is a campsite where you can go and have power at the pitch. You may even need to make reservations.
3. Pack lightly
Space is limited and you will need to make sure that you can fit everything that you need. Make sure to not bring items that will be used once or not at all. Take an inventory of everything you need and then try to reduce that list as much as possible. Have clothes for certain occasions but don’t pack clothes that you may only wear once.
