Do you think you could become a vanlifer ? Where you live in a camper van

[LovelyYellowLabrador]

The ideal of an alternative lifestyle really appeals to be

spending life traveling around
started following some of these van lifers on you tube
seems such a nice laugh

I like the idea. I have a camper now which get's a lot of use but it's really just a night or two by a loch, beach or an adventure place with the kids. I do worry it'd be chilly in winter (although I've seen vans with woodburners!) I love the idea of being semi retired in a van and mooching around writing/ pet sitting/ house sitting so my occaisional need for four walls will be met.

I love the idea of it but the reality wouldn’t be great, I don’t think.

I like the idea of the freedom, but my job isn't portable enough to allow it to work.

"vanlifer"

Travellers have been living in this way this since forfuckingever but oh look the middle classes have got in on the act and now it's all vanlife this and instagram that.

If you want to know what a travelling lifestyle is like, find some actual Travellers and talk to them, not some trustafarians who are neatly packaging and promoting their version of it.

I live in Glastonbury which is full of people living in vans. It is not a very glamorous way of living at all. After a while the lack of a proper toilet and shower can be quite wearing, laundrettes are very expensive especially if you need to wash items separately and what would you do in your old age.
I'd get sick of it very quickly.

YouTube has videos of people talking about the downside of van life. I like looking at the van conversions. Most people seem very happy but a few are escaping from unhappy marriages etc so van life would seem like a happy escape.

I couldn't do it for a day! Being a nomad is one thing but I'd need space and proper loos!

I love my campervan and enjoy going away in it for a few days at a time.
I would not want to live in it full-time.

I do actually dream of this lifestyle but realistically it wouldn’t work!!

Know someone who lived in a tippee and her car.
She became mentally ill.

I know someone living this life after a successful career. They’re travelling around the world and posting photos as you suggest. They’re enjoying it but do stress it’s just normal life with a bit of variety, e.g. you still spend time sorting out insurance or shopping for dinner..
Sometimes it’s not very safe either so there’s that concern.
I wouldn’t do it but admire them immensely.

I know several people who do it on boats - either small sailing yachts or canal barges, which space wise is more or less the same. They seem very happy. I spent a year living in a 20m2 garden room when I was waiting for a house purchase to complete: not quite the same as I knew there was an end point and it wasn’t my forever home, but it really is amazing how quickly you get used to living with very few possessions, giving everything a place, and seeing your home as your sleeping and relaxing space rather than requiring it to have lots of different rooms, many just for the sake of it.

All the Instagram van lifers are backed by wealthy parents helping to pay the giant fuel bills, hotel rooms when it all gets too much, and bills for everything else too when the freelance gigs and sponsored posts don’t cover the MOT, insurance and tax.

I dream of it. The husband is against every aspect of it, even for a holiday. If I came into money it would be spent on a van.

I'm a TKK though and moving around is normal to me, not necessarily in a van but I get twitchy when I stay put for too long.

What’s a TKK?

well a big c class diesel with a coordinated car towed behind with estimated value of $500,000 CAD isn't that hard to take for 6 months a year. some amazing parks in us and canada.
1970 vw hippy van not so much.

I couldn’t do it in this country. And I could only do it if I had a lot of money behind it. And only if I was on my own.

I just can’t imagine having to try and keep warm in a damp van, with no heating, no proper toilet.

I've done this several times around several countries. With zero help from the bank of mum and dad.
I absolutely loved it, but I wouldn't want to do it here. It's far too cold and we don't have the facilities here like public showers so the van would have to be huge to include all that. Which then makes it a pain for city driving.

Google tells me Thrill Kill Kult but I’m not sure that’s what pp meant!

Me? Lord, yes. Husband’s back? Not happening 😁

I follow a few people who have built their own camper vans & a couple live in them full time. I would love to do it, we had caravans when I was married & I would love to just be able to pack up & go wherever I wanted.

God no. I couldn’t.

I think it might be OK somewhere like the US where you could follow the warm weather, and then do most of your daily living outside the van. Doing it in this country where it rains so much and you would be stuck inside struggling to dry things just sounds like a miserable way to live. And yes I know that some people do have to live like this and have no choice, and I do feel for them and am grateful that I am lucky enough not to have to do that.

I think the romance of it is lovely but in reality hmmm

Not in the UK where there's no free overnight. parking apart from residential streets or industrial estates. The rest of Europe is much more welcoming to motorhomes with free parking spots with free water and elsans.

DC want to go round NZ in a camper. I tell them we'll do it when they learn to tidy up after themselves, so basically it's not happening. I honestly cannot imagine anything worse than living in a van unless I was by myself. Then it might be ok. Also only really works if you don't work FT. Otherwise you're just working all day and then having to switch locations in between.