The Glamorization Of Van Life ~ But Why?

In recent years there has been a burgeoning glamorization of van life, giving the impression it offers endless freedom, and a utopian-like, albeit nomadic existence. It has developed into a lifestyle with a large following. 

We all have different ideas of what an idyllic life is, and for me, I know van life would be a disaster. The thought of driving around all the time, sleeping in Walmart parking lots, or in the middle of nowhere, is not the least bit appealing. I would rather walk, fly, or stay put – as opposed to spending all day and night in a vehicle. 

Suddenly you have no real bathroom, or kitchen, or space around you, with just a few square feet to cram all your belongings. You still need food, dishes, rain gear, tools, batteries, laptop, and other gear. You can drive to locations with wide open spaces, but you can do that without living in a van.

I would think it would be difficult to keep it clean and organized. If you go out and get wet and muddy, you will probably track it inside. To clean the floors, and food crumbs would mean pulling everything out, and then reorganizing it. The more organized, the better, and ideally everything, especially food, and trash would be kept in sealed containers. 

Grizzly bears can, and do get inside campers and vans if they are hungry, habituated to humans, and smell food inside. In grizzly bear country, it would be a good idea to take all food out at night and hang it in a tree. This too requires caution.

I knew a woman who was out on a group kayaking trip. They dutifully hung large dry bags with the food in a tree. In the morning when they were packing up, they inadvertently lost control of it, and she nearly got taken out by a solid seventy-five pound pack of food, falling from a tree.

People who describe this lifestyle live in fear of getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night, and told to leave immediately. Or else they fear being attacked while they try to sleep. They have to be on the alert for wild animals, and in some locations – poisonous snakes. They need a supply of fresh water at all times, and do not have the space to carry more than a few gallons. 

They need to have a game plan if they do feel threatened, or if they get injured while in a remote location. So they have to keep track of cell phone service, and know basic first aid. When in remote areas they should not leave the vehicle without a locator beacon, especially if there are pets in the vehicle. They rely on the owner to survive. 

Some van-lifers sleep with one eye open, or even opt to sleep in the front seat with the keys in the ignition. They might be close to nature in some cases, but they are also vulnerable, especially those who are alone, or boon docking in the desert somewhere.

If someone breaks in while they are away from the vehicle, all of their belongings, and basic necessities, are inside the van. It would be worse yet if the entire vehicle was stolen, especially if they went for a walk in a remote location. They would have to insure, and find ways to secure their belongings, especially higher ticket items like generators, laptops, and e-bikes. One woman described having two e-bikes stolen three times over a period of about six months, while camping in standard campgrounds. 

They would have to be careful of fires, and carbon monoxide when cooking, or turning on heat inside. RV’s and campers are built for cooking inside, but vans that are altered to live in, may not have the proper ventilation. 

There are situations where people make a plan to travel for a year, or live in a van for a summer to save for University. Or they might have a home base, and travel in a van for periods of time.

Circumstances can make all the difference in the world. There are those who do it temporarily with a solid exit plan, and other places to live, versus those who sell everything to live in a van forever.

In most cases, at least with all the YouTuber’s who extoll the virtues of van life, they almost always have pets as well. They travel with dogs and cats, which I suppose is understandable for the companionship, as well as the reality that if they have pets, they have no choice but to take them along.

That means taking care of the pet, making sure they get exercise, and so on. They may need to go to a vet, or they might be afraid of weather, noises etc. If the person has a cat, they need kitty litter.

Living in a van with food, pet food, human food, and trash, tends to attract rodents, which can chew on electronic components under the hood, or dashboard. Being inside a van with mice or rats running around in the middle of the night, would put me over the deep end. 

Taking a shower, and finding a suitable place to park, and sleep each night seems to be the main challenges. In addition, there is always a risk of the vehicle breaking down.

They also have to keep cool in the heat of the summer, and stay warm in the winter. They constantly need water, and a way to dispose of waste. 

One of the main aspects of van life promotion, is that it saves money. However, in my very limited opinion, and without the experience of having tried it, I just don’t see it.

In addition to all the fuel, depreciation, wear and tear on the vehicle, repairs, and the upfront cost of getting the van ready to live in – it seems like a major expense for something with a limited shelf life, and steady depreciation.

Many people are incentivized by the possibility of YouTube earnings. If they get a certain number of subscribers, they earn money. They can also get all kinds of free stuff, if they have a significant number of followers, and agree to do reviews. 

It is kind of ironic, because even though they were trying to escape the entrapments of having stuff, some of them get all kinds of free stuff to review. One woman had everything from beds, to portable toilets, water testers, solar fans, and crank washing machines to promote. 

On top of all that, you cannot save money by batch cooking and freezing food if you live in a van. If you live in a house or apartment, you can watch for sales, and buy food on sale. You can make  large batches of soup or stew, and freeze them in portions.

You can budget food costs, and reduce the cost of each meal to a fraction of what they would cost compared to using pre-packaged foods in small amounts. You can also bake your own bread, and use slow cooking grains, and lentils that are high in nutrients, and low in cost. 

We all know that glossy packaged, and highly processed food is the most expensive, and least nutritious. We also know that if you are on the road a lot, you are more likely to stop for snacks, and coffee at drive-throughs. It all adds up, just like all the fuel costs would add up, day by day. 

Even for those who do not live in a van, if you go out and buy a Starbuck’s latte every day, it will end up costing you around $5 a day, which is $150.00 a month.

The laundry and shower costs must be factored in. For those who go to truck stop showers, it is $16-$20 for a shower. Laundromats have to make a profit, so the cost per load is likely to be around $5. For those who choose to stay in private or government campsites, depending on the vehicle, the cost is $30-$100+ per night.

If they choose to get a gym membership as a place to exercise or shower, they have to pay the membership fees. They also have to drive a certain distance to find a Planet Fitness, or whatever franchise they have a membership with.

Some people will claim they came to the conclusion all their “stuff” did not make them happy. So they get rid of it all at 10 cents on the dollar. After a trial period and the realities of living in a van, they often conclude van life is not for them. Then they have to buy household items all over again. The other alternative is to put everything in storage, and have to pay the storage fees.

It is true, stuff does not make us happy. But it is helpful to have the things you need to cook, clean, fix things, garden, and so on. It may not make us happy, but it is nice to have things handy in order to make life easier.

Another major drawback is that you cannot garden while living a nomadic lifestyle. Even if you only have a small balcony, you can still grow a lot of plants. Many condos have a community garden space. The lack of a garden space would be a huge drawback for me, because watching things grow and bloom, is very rewarding. Plus you can grow kale, lettuce and swiss chard, and have fresh salad greens by the end of May.

I am no financial guru by any means, not even close. But I do know how easy it is to spend money. We all make many foolish financial decisions over the course of a lifetime.

However, some people are not only frugal, but they are well aware of how to save or invest money. Good financial management is a blessing for those who have the innate capabilities. Otherwise we face many struggles, just to survive. 

I was watching a few YouTube videos about a nurse who quit her job to live, and travel in a truck and camper, at age 60. She has two medium size dogs to take care of.

She seems to like the travelling and lifestyle, even though she has had some scary hair raising experiences. Hopefully she will not encounter any lunatics. She has gone into some very remote areas in the middle of the desert, in order to find peace, solitude and tranquility.

Some people have a higher tolerance for risk. As far as I am concerned, if the wrong person came along in such an isolated spot, with ulterior motives, what could she do? You are at the mercy of the isolation you crave. Even a fall or injury while out walking, or if the vehicle broke down, leaving you without air conditioning, it could be fatal.

The worst fear for me would be other humans. If you are surrounded by them, you can be pretty sure they are not all crazy, therefore you would get help if one of them was crazy.

But if you are alone in the middle of the desert, and a crazy person with a nearby meth lab happens to come across you – then what? It would be way too easy for someone with ulterior motives to see you as an opportunity. I always think – why make it easy for someone to knock you off, and get rid of you, so no one ever finds you?

Life has many risks, and without risks, we would be bored to death. And admittedly, our competencies and strengths vary a fair bit too. Some people have lived in the wilderness alone for years, even a lifetime without meeting with foul play.

A well-known van life story that went terribly awry, is the Gabby Petito case. As they filmed the fairy tale romance, who would have believed it would end so tragically? She made the mistake of choosing the wrong man to get engaged to, and travel with. 

Travelling with another person in a confined space for days, and weeks on end would be far more stressful than if you lived together in a house. Typically relationships are structured so that one or both go to work each day, and get a break from each other. 

The added stress of trying to make a living, and present an image on social media, could easily push people to the breaking point. 

Social media influencers have risen to become a high risk category for accidents, becoming victims of crime, poor choices, and mental health challenges. 

Back in the sixties, there was a pejorative attitude toward those who were bent on “keeping up with the Joneses”. It was an idiom describing those who attempted to match or surpass the material possessions, and image of wealth among their neighbours.

Social media has created a whole new brand of this idiomatic concept. It not only requires the surpassing of an image, but the oneupmanship of an entire genre, involving people on a global scale, not just a neighbourhood.

Social media is all about image, and oftentimes it is not a true reflection of romance, happiness, or the perfect life. The more immersed in it, the more pressure they put on themselves, which can be disastrous. The greater the gulf between image and reality, the deeper the pit they can fall into. 

You will notice that most of the wilderness stories where people live in the mountains, or somewhere very remote, they are usually living in a cabin, not in a van. They have a system of gathering and storing wood, preserving food, cooking a big pot of food, hunting, gathering, gardening, raising chickens etc.

The idea of staying put so you can get organized, defend yourself if you have to, and demonstrate a stake in where you are located, makes far more sense to me. People lived on the land without vehicles for thousands of years. We have only had vehicles since around 1908.

If the earth has been inhabited for around 6000 years, it means just 117 of those years, were lived by people who had vehicles. Of course there are still many locations throughout the world that still do not have vehicles.

Therefore in all of history, just 1.95% of life on earth has relied on vehicles to survive. It stands to reason that we can survive without vehicles, and even though they have provided much convenience, should we rely on them to live in? Probably not.

Another so-called faux truism I have difficulty with, is when people say a person who died while hiking, camping, back country skiing, or doing something they enjoyed – is said to have died while doing something they loved. Like “Oh well, that makes it all okay, and romanticized”. In my opinion, it is little more than a simplistic platitude.

I can understand when people say they believe their loved one would not have wanted to be seriously maimed or incapacitated for life. Therefore they would have chosen death, over being in a vegetative state, or a quadriplegic.

Oftentimes people have those discussions with family members, and will readily say – “If there is no brain activity, or chance of recovery, pull the plug.” It is not euthanasia, or suicide. It is the acceptance of what has happened, knowing some things are worse than death. 

If you really think about it, how many people who are freezing to death, or have fallen into a crevasse while climbing a mountain, would tell themselves, it is all okay because they are doing something they love? They love the mountains and the great outdoors, but they did not intend to fall, or freeze to death. Chances are, they regret their choices once they realize it is going to cost them their life.

If they love the water, and go out sailing, and they capsize and sink the boat, the same thing applies. They loved the experience of sailing, not the accident. So it goes with all accidents, extreme weather, avalanches and unexpected trauma. Those are the things you don’t want to happen. 

To put it in perspective, not long ago, during a joyful family festival in Vancouver, a crazy person drove into the crowd, killing and injuring multiple people.

One would expect that to be a low risk, fun family outing, as it was intended to be. No one would say, “Oh well, at least they died while doing something they loved”. If they had known such a horrific thing would happen, they would have stayed home.

I do not think anyone sets out on any journey or outing expecting it will be their last day. Whether they are doing something they love or not, is irrelevant. Death was not part of the plan.

Recently in the news, an elderly woman was stabbed to death while gardening outside her home. She probably loved gardening, but to say “at least she died doing something she loved”, would be callous, and ridiculous. Who expects to die while out gardening? If she knew there was a lunatic with a knife, roaming around the neighbourhood, she would have stayed inside, and locked all the doors, and windows. 

In Calgary a couple of years ago, another elderly woman who was outside on her own property gardening, was killed by a neighbours pack of pit bulls. She too, was doing something she loved – yet it is no consolation. In fact the more innocent the person, and the more unexpected the violence – the worse it is.

We cannot eliminate all risk, and some things are so out of the blue, no one could even guess such a thing would happen.

It seems to me that we cannot predict the timing of our death. We can only create a balance between risk, and living life to the fullest.

Getting back to living in vans, or other vehicles long term, there are ways to make it safer. People can still do a certain amount of hunting and gathering for food, such as fishing, picking berries, going to local farmers for fresh eggs, and going to farmer’s markets for fresh vegetables. No doubt it is doable, and can be quite safe.

I think the greatest risk is for those who are alone. Solo hiking, solo camping, solo kayaking, solo mountain climbing, and all the other solo adventures, are the riskiest.

Certain locations are high risk, such as around bodies of water, slippery slopes, foreign countries where you may not know the risks, places with sudden weather changes, and so on.

Regardless of the tolerance for risk, and even for the many stupid things we all do in our lives, no one deserves to die. They don’t expect to die. They may be doing something they love – but the dying is not part of the equation when they embark on their journey.

Although it sounds like van life can be a way to save money temporarily, it does not seem like it would be good over the long term. Even for the short term, it might not be safe, depending on the vehicle, and where you plan to go.

Saving and investing money requires stability, predictability, work, consistent routines, overcoming or avoiding addictions, discipline, (which is easier if you have stability and predictability), and time. 

Not everyone is highly motivated to make a lot of money, but it is in our human nature to be able to take care of ourselves to the best of our abilities. Most of us do not want to be a burden to anyone, let alone those we love. 

I hope people who embark on their adventures, weigh the risks carefully, and listen to their intuition along the way. The family of a person who goes missing could face years, or a lifetime of searching, wondering, and grieving.