You’ve probably heard about a little thing called ‘van life’. Once the preserve of hippies who wanted to live outside of societal norms, van life has become increasingly popular. Even if you haven’t considered getting a van yourself, you’ve likely watched high-flying van life YouTubers like Living the Van Life and asked yourself one pressing question – could I ever live like that?
After all, despite compromises like giving up your home on solid ground, van life has some undeniable plus points. And, by this, we don’t just mean that it looks pretty good through a lens. Van life veterans also report feeling generally freer and happier by shirking their city lives for this alternative. Of course, that’s not to say this lifestyle is for everyone. But, if you’re tempted by the following appealing elements of van life, then perhaps you should consider giving it a go!
# 1 – Simplified Lifestyle
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to get rid of everything you own in order to live on a van, especially if you look into van life storage ideas like overhead rails and under-bed cabinets. But, you certainly can’t complicate your van life with the clutter you’d get in a traditional home, and many individuals see this as a notable lifestyle improvement.
After all, the sheer amount of belongings most of us squeeze into our homes can be overwhelming at best. Not only is clutter rife these days, but you may also fail to appreciate, or even find, half of the stuff you own. Van life simplifies all of that, ensuring that you become fully in tune with what you have, what you need, and any conflicts between those two things.
# 2 – Spontaneous Travel
Traveling as a homeowner means considering details like how to keep your home secure, and even who’s going to come in to water your plants. Speak about putting a downer on things before your adventure even begins!
With van life, you don’t need to worry about any of that. Your belongings will be right alongside you, and easily transportable to wherever you fancy heading. Admittedly, the idea of van lifers who are always on the move isn’t exactly the reality of this lifestyle, but there’s no denying it – you’ll enjoy a whole lot more spontaneous travel when you live like this.
# 3 – Lower Costs
We know what you’re thinking – why didn’t we put this point at the start of this article? In truth, the reduced costs of van life aren’t the cut-and-dry benefits you might think. Van upkeep can still be pretty pricey, often without much warning. But, if you fancy cutting the ties of mortgage payments and high monthly utilities, then by all means, van life is a go. Simply make sure you’ve got money in the bank, and an income stream still coming in, and you’ll feel a lot less financial constriction the vast majority of the time.
Like the look of these van life plus points? Perhaps it’s time to give the lifestyle a try.
