Seriously, I didn’t go looking for content about quitting the 9-5 and living in a van but suddenly I’m getting an awful lot of it.
Apparently there’s quite a few cold, slightly dishevelled-looking people who have sold all their crap and bought a van to live in. I definitely respect people for having the balls to just say “f*ck it” and get off the treadmill but I would have concerns about how to make a living on the road (or sat in a car park somewhere) and how well I’d manage if I got sick, when the weather is terrible etc.
There’s no arguing that the cost of living is getting out of hand (at least here in London/Southeast UK and probably the rest of the country) and when I actually sat down and work out the monthly outgoings the number is just silly.
I sold everything except what could fit into a backpack and moved to China 17 years ago. Best decision of my life to get the hell out of the States and its particularly shit bag rat race.
I worked with a guy in the ‘van life’ crowd and he seemed to be thriving - definitely suits some personalities more than others. He went into the office like anyone else. I don’t think being sick in a well kitted out van is any worse than in a house tbh, and many of the creature comforts we are now accustomed to we did just fine without for millennia.
If you like the outdoors and spend minimal time just hanging out at home then it’s essentially a more flexible bedroom that you can take anywhere. No rent, no mortgage - definitely has some appeals! That actually takes a load off should ‘the shit hit the fan’ - the idea of covering my monthly outgoings should I lose my job keeps me awake some nights. As a species we’ve put ourselves in a very unusual position.
Do they have a toilet in their van? A shower? I can imagine a few symptoms that could potentially be way way way worse to endure without these two items.
I have been doing this for the last 10 years. I work about 3 months a year on a farm and spend the rest of the year traveling and camping around the US. Best decision I ever made. I keep a small collection of music gear with me. I do a lot of hiking and cycling. I meet really good people along the way. It’s hard for me to imagine going back to the 9-5 grimd and paying rent.
There are many people living in the world, in homes, without a plumbed in toilet and shower.
Again don’t get me wrong, I love both of these things (I am soft and need my creature comforts) but they are not essential for living.
Arguably they are if you live in a city but then cities themselves are terribly unnatural environments. It’s funny really that we consider the idea of a lack of plumbing to be so distainful considering we’ve barely had these things for 5 minutes. I live in the UK and any property older than 100 years has had to be retrofitted for these things.
We are so accustomed to a level of comfort that far exceeds any species that we find it almost impossible to live any other way.
This is when you need the emergency 3 day hotel budget fund.
In my youth I spent weeks and months car camping and living the rock climbers life. Those fancy vans are way cushier than a piece of foam and a sleeping bag in the back of a Jeep.
It’s lonely out there though, middle of the cold dark winter night, hours and hours of wind and darkness buffeting the van as the long night wears on - then you realise it’s only 7:30 at night and the coffee shop you want to use to warm up doesn’t open for 11 more hours.
My folks do this full time. It’s basically their retirement. It’s a pretty massive scene in Australia, actually - we call them ‘grey nomads’ here.
I spotted a pretty sick looking bus setup today. Most of the setups come with a pretty serious kitchen setup inside, but if it was me I’d trade that for a killer studio setup or desk arrangement, and do cooking outside.
One thing that is quite intense about that way of life though is pretty much the weather, you can forget how much a humble little house protects you from that. When you live in a van the rain and wind, cyclones, storms etc can really ruin a lot of plans or maybe your approach or setup. Something to think about.
We’re discussing the scenario where you have x symptom today and comparing how it would be if in house vs van. The fact many don’t and how it’s a recent thing is actually irrelevant. More people died of fever and diarrhoea before so I could argue that because people have access to clean water (and soap), a sewage that takes care of their waste, then fewer people die nowadays compared to without.
I disagree. Hardly irrelevant. Actually in the context of his whole reply I would take away that ‘ir’.
You may find it irrelevant, I find it relevant, and would like to hear more thoughts on the subject from the young man. Never stifle others thoughts or speech, encourage others to share their thoughts. Thank you.
It is though, because we’re discussing specifically (at least I am) how much worse being very sick with x symptom would be in a van without a toilet and shower. Is irrelevant that we lived without those tins for millennia. That’s obvious. Everyone knows that. That has no bearings on the specific comparison of having x symptom and being in a house with toilet and shower, vs a van without.
I don’t think I’ve ever given this serious thought (and I’m probably not now) but I’m not having a great time at the moment so I suppose it’s natural to think about your options.
Regarding toilets and showers - I’m a big fan of both!
Back to living cost - you still need to eat, drink, fuel the vehicle, stay warm etc and presumably in many cases you have to pay for somewhere to park/camp for the night?! I think we’re not good at this stuff in the UK, there’s barely any public toilets, let alone facilities for nomads.
I did the van thing for a couple of years. I lived in a tent in Alaska during summer seasonal employment. If you’re able to run away for a couple of years to experience this lifestyle AND you have the opportunity to return to your 9 to 5 in case you miss it terribly, I’d say do it. I found it helpful to arrange some way to get a shower indoors once a week. In the States you could use KOA shower facilities or you can get a nationwide gym membership and use their facilities no matter what city you’re in at the time. It’s uncomfortable. It’s incredibly inconvenient at times to live this way and sometimes it just hurts to be so alone with your thoughts about leaving your old life behind. I found that level of unease and discomfort hugely valuable for the rest of my life. It helped me appreciate what I had and helped me jettison a whole load of attachments that were holding me back.
Let’s all assume everyone from around the globe knows your personal conversational guardrails for posting to such a wide ranging subject that covers small areas of interest like - one’s entire existence, life, and it’s ramifications - but let’s not discuss anything obvious.
Still waiting for them to answer whether the van has a toilet and shower. If they did that would solve all the issues. Until then, the house wins. I’ll shut up now because people aren’t interested in answering questions today.
I don’t go to parties where you can talk. I prefer to dance.
I‘ll just drop an observation in here that I find interesting: there’s a romanticized, empowering story of this („Van Life“, Into the Wild) and a dystopian one (homelessness, Nomadland).
I spent some vacations with a van back when it was still okay to sleep in parking lots or along the road here in central Europe. It’s not anymore because there’s lot enough space and respectful people to do this. I definitely noticed that people might think of me as a homeless person from some signifiers (not showering in days, sleeping and eating on public spades etc.), yet everybody recognizes I‘m not and so I‘m mostly treated with respect instead of being chased away or frowned upon.
More on point: I think this can be a really cool thing but you should be asking yourself these questions of „how important is a toilet/shower/storage space/protection from harsh weathers“ to me longterm. You‘d probably have to commit to it and change a lot of things in your life before, so it’s worth thinking g about these aspects that are actually the long term dealbreakers.
I‘m mostly speaking from the experience of a good friend who built his own van and tiny house to live there with his girlfriend. They’re both the right kind of people to do this and can live quite spartanically. However, after four years, they’ve rented a cheap apartment in a remote region. If you still live a live where you have to work a lot of hours a day and can’t always spend the time outside, it can get quite stressful. Also never underestimate heat and coldness. And be aware that you constantly have to move shit around even if you restrict yourself to just a few items.
Oh and I think where you want to live might make the biggest difference. Is it allowed to just stay wherever? Or will you be chased away? Cause if it’s not legal or tolerated, you’ll live on a camping site that’s also quite expensive with weird people.
Yeah, the whole hour that the thread has been up and nobody wants to answer my questions!!
Best to throw in the towel because these lames are so lame.
Did you know that mankind has only had these modern comforts since modernity?
And the answer to your question is yes and no and depends. Some vans have showers and toilets. Some have just toilets. Some have just showers. Some have an RV toilet that lives in… you guessed it… the shower. And some vans have neither.
I can’t believe you are contributing to this thread but don’t know all the answers already. I’ve car camped for six months without showers or toilets in my car. If I were a man from 200 years ago it would have been even easier because of reasons.
Now, speak no more on this subject here, go educate yourself on proper van life techniques and leave the proper gentlemen to their civil discourse.
Woe is he who discourage such discourse. Woe, is he.
People calm down, why has this thread become so aggressive so fast?
It’s important to point out that some vans might not have a toilet or shower and even if, it’s less comfy than in most apartments and might suck if you’re sick (because you might not have enough water left for example but are also unable to drive somewhere to get some). So you can think about how important that is to you and what kind of can could or could not solve that problem.
It’s also legitimate to point out that these are comforts we as humans in the richer countries only recently started to take for granted. And that they’re mostly not questions of live or death here. Being outside and flexible might absolutely be worth that for you, might even connect you to your humanness.
