After spending nine months in a van, it's time to pass our wisdom on to you. Motorhome life Tip 1: If possible, rent before you buy If we could go back, we would rent a van for a week first, or even just a weekend before buying or talking about living in a motorhome . These part-time gigs can provide excellent income in a way that can work well with your nomadic lifestyle. If you decide that full-time van life is for you then you can always take care of those logistics once you make that decision. Hook up a fridge. Those factors maximize versatility and make it easy to load big gear. Ouch. ), Facebook digital nomad and vanlifer groups. MacKenzie and Tommy are good at all of that—good enough that their incomes allowed them each to have their own apartments in nice neighborhoods, plus a two-car garage that served as a shared workshop. You’ll lose access to the much of the van’s interior skin once you add the insulation. That’s not ideal, and they’re working on ways to make their work travel better. The answer to the Holy Grail of van life questions. Looking for something else? As a member of numerous VanLife Facebook groups, subreddits, and Instagram cliques, probably the question that gets asked 2-3 times per day, per platform, is “how do you make money on the road?”. The rest of the time? Check out our top 10 for surviving life in a van, so you can too! Tommy plans to apply more decorative work to the cabinets before the couple takes off for a month in Canada this summer. This is a biggie. Van Life Beauty Routine: Non-Toxic & Eco Friendly Cosmetics for Travel, The Toxic Truth about Tampons & What You Need to Know about Tampon Alternatives like OrganiCup, The Best Van to Live In: Finding + Converting Your Dream Van, Electrical/Plumbing contractor (depending on state licensing), State/Federal parks jobs (a great way to care for and support our public lands! You get to spec it out to meet your exact requirements, know how everything is installed (useful if you need to fix things in the year to come) and save a wedge of cash by doing it yourself. Choose Your Vehicle to Suit Your Lifestyle. Channel: Susi Cruz This is one of my favorite van life vlogs. How can we make a living out of this? “We wanted to live somewhere with open land, in a living space that we both envisioned taking from start to finish,” says MacKenzie. No Clue What To Do With Your life? Living the Van Life: What to Know Before You Go The essential guide to nailing the basics of #vanlife By Nicole Lindstrom This was our first foray into #vanlife and, in a lot of ways, we kind of blew it. To know more about this, read this article fully. Moving into a van was the key. Some vanlifers work remotely while on the road and are able to work anywhere at anytime. Check out our entire suite of free newsletters here. Part-time Gigs You Can Do On The Road. An ARB refrigerator/freezer runs on the vehicle's 12V electrics, and allows the couple to keep food fresh indefinitely. Popup Privacy Tent – these tents give you the privacy you need for showering on the road. They had trucks. Let’s start small with finding the right van to travel in so you can decide if van life is worth it for you. But for most … “We couldn’t have a dog at either of our old apartments,” explains Tommy. You’re able to pursue passions, be creative, and put your unique skills to use. There’s plenty of room under the bed for gear storage, depending on what they have with them. The workshop keeps them tethered to the city for half the year. It's just like your fridge at home, just a little smaller. Do you have a pet? That makes street parking possible, but things get much easier when they’re camping. Let’s be real, everyone has a dog, or even a cat, that they think is … MacKenzie and Banjo, with their home in Death Valley National Park. “MacKenzie always wanted one of my pieces, so I made that for her, and now it gets to go everywhere with us,” he tells me. He and MacKenzie are looking for ways to maximize their time on the road. They had motorcycles. Your email address will not be published. And that’s usually somewhere away from people and with the beautiful views you see in these photos. Right now, MacKenzie says they’re spending more than half their time in Los Angeles while living out of the van. I’m going to tell you how we personally make money on the road and financially support this lifestyle. Tommy cut hexagonal holes in the wood over the rear windows to make them feel more like a cabin. What is “It never really feels great sitting in L.A. traffic after being without cell signal for days at a time,” says Tommy. RoadKill aluminized rubber sound-deadening material, A large ARB awning with walls and bug net, our entire suite of free newsletters here. There are so many benefits of living a nomadic lifestyle. They’re traveling the world rent-free, accompanied by an awesome dog, doing all the climbing, mountain biking, and dirt biking they feel like. All told, they spent just shy of $20,000, including the van itself. Then, if it’s everything you’ve dreamed of (psst, it will be), you can make the shift to living in a campervan permanently. Rents are expensive, cool spots are hard to find, and all the power lies with the landlords. Custom van builds are gorgeous, but they range anywhere from $25,0000-$150,000+ for a camper van. For the floor, he applied closed-cell foam, sound board, felt underlayment, and handmade bamboo flooring. We have friends that are far more careful with their budgeting and cook at home every day; they live full-time out of their van for only $1150 (£850) per month. Buying that land and building a house on it isn’t a current reality. I chose the nomadic life because I wanted to reduce my impact on our beautiful world, and live a life that fell in line with my values. Welcome to the How-To Van Life FAQ, a place where all your questions about the Van Life, Bus Life, RV, or Road Life in general will be answered with links to guides, how … Already this year, the couple spent two weeks driving the van through Baja, Mexico, and were able to fly to New Zealand and rent another van for a solid month. The sacrifice pays off. Unlike most people with full-time jobs, steady income and routine bills, a van dweller’s income and spending can be unpredictable. By downsizing—cutting out two rents, two trucks, and one motorcycle—they have a lot more money to put toward travel even though overall they’re earning less. Pockets hide the blackout curtains when they’re rolled up and hold the material flush to the window when unrolled. Tommy started by applying RoadKill aluminized rubber sound-deadening material throughout the van’s interior. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out the bed. If you try out van life for a couple of months and realize that you do in fact need a permanent residence If you plan on living in a van for the rest of your life, that’s one thing. (Photo: Thomas Wayne Erst). We’re able to take off for long periods of traveling.”. Alternatively, you can just find a private area, shower behind your van, or … Find more newsletters on our. Horels: Van life is best suited for people who would rather live with less and experience more. Renault Trafic. In Baja, the van’s added weight caused it to bottom out on dirt roads, so they added a set of Fox Racing shocks and upgraded the springs, along with a two-inch Van Compass lift. Easy. By using a standard portable propane stove, they’re able to cook inside or out, depending on where the van is parked. The van opens up into the awning room, allowing the couple to keep the entire living area dry and free of bugs. On top of the functional stuff, Tommy applied a custom skin of whitewashed cedar. With only a thin metal layer between you and the outside world, vans can be noisy and subject to the outside temperature. The kitchen includes a sink that draws from an under-bed drinking-water tank and drains into a gray-water container underneath. In fact, they’re pretty … The first step in any build is stripping the van to its bare shell and addressing any corrosion concerns. On went a set of tougher all-terrain tires. “We have to focus on exercising the the good parts of van life.”. The first step in any build is stripping the van to its bare shell and addressing any corrosion concerns. On an early trip to one of the hot springs outside Mammoth, California, MacKenzie and Tommy were waylaid by a flat tire on a dirt road. The couple wanted room to stow their mountain bikes underneath without taking the wheels off. So, step 1 The main structures are bolted to the van’s metal frame for strength and safety, but all the little pieces remain a work in progress. If you chose to use an RV, you may get 5mpg while with a … Is this possible? “Chalk it up to the game. The Ultimate Guide to Starting a VanLife Blog. This is why you need to try and make it as predictable as possible so you know how much money Soap container – prevents soap from melting and getting your things all soapy. Nothing fancy, but over the past nine months, this humble van has become a blank canvas for their creativity. The Mercedes’ low floor and tall roof made that possible as long as they went with a slim frame and thin mattress. “We’ve missed out on a couple cool business opportunities,” says Tommy. Here’s how it’s working out, eight months in. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Thanks for signing up! Regardless, Susi Cruz’s optimistic attitude towards life make this video worthwhile. An ARB refrigerator/freezer runs on the vehicle's 12V electrics, and allows the couple to keep food fresh indefinitely. Well, that’s not so ideal. It’s a 2005 Mercedes Sprinter. Remote Jobs for Van life This post is part of our series on remote jobs for van life. If you chose to use an RV, you may get 5mpg while with a car you get up to 50mpg. The result looks nice and keeps the interior quiet and comfortable at camp and on the freeway. Tommy built a custom slide-out cabinet to store it, under their countertop. Admittedly, this would have taken a chunk of money out of our kitty, but I think we would have had a better idea right from the start about what worked for us and what didn't. Build a great bed - make sure it’s high enough to fit storage bins under. One thing that has always frustrated me about social media documentation of hashtag-van-life is the lack of transparency when it comes to money. To inspire active participation in the world outside through award-winning coverage of the sports, people, places, adventure, discoveries, health and fitness, gear and apparel, trends and events that make up an active lifestyle. Subscribe to our newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest outdoor news. Van life – Travel and live your life fullest in the van. There’s just enough room in front of the bed for one person to cook, clean, or make coffee while standing up. Try Defining Your Core Values. @heytess_ A simple van with a low ceiling, @heytess_ was able to make this Toyota HiAce look efficient and organized. But with the van, they’re free to wake up where they choose most mornings. Whether you’re preparing for van life, short road trips or have exciting overland travel plans, a DIY campervan conversion is, in our opinion, the perfect way to go. “Everyday van life isn’t as glamorous as it might look,” says MacKenzie. They still make art, just a little less of it. Insulation is the next step. Kayloor is from Spain and lives the van life in a 2000 Ford Transit. That might be a window display for a big clothing chain, a pop-up installation at Austin's SXSW for the biggest company on earth, or some inlaid art pieces for a gallery in Venice. All vehicles have their different perks depending on your … Now their van is able to go pretty much anywhere. On the walls, they used shredded-denim insulation, then Reflectix, and plastic sheeting to serve as a moisture barrier. Tracking down squeaks and rattles, Tommy and MacKenzie are slowly ironing out the kinks and making the van uniquely quiet and comfortable on the move. Petsitting and dog walking is a great way to make extra money when you’re living the van life. However, as a solo female van lifer myself, I admit I carry a bias. Over their truck-based American counterparts, European vans like these are built like cars, maximizing interior space and lowering the floor as much as possible. The van enabled that and freed up enough money that they could rent space in a larger workshop, allowing them to work more efficiently and make more in less time. So here it is. You’ll want to have as much cushion as possible so you can afford the little luxuries of life on Until then, they’re focusing on the goal: working hard enough to put enough money into the bank to fund their travels without having to turn their whole life over to something other than their passion. Electronics in the passenger compartment run off a separate electrical system from the van’s powertrain. Right now, the L.A. real estate market has too much demand and not enough supply. Tommy built a custom slide-out cabinet to store it, under their countertop. Van life should be as economical as possible. A large ARB awning with walls and bug net essentially quadruples their interior living space. MacKenzie and Tommy wanted to be able to stretch out in the bed, so they oriented it lengthwise and installed a kitchen counter to the exact dimensions between the front seat and the bed frame. Our best advice is to find a way to make it happen and don't give up until it's your reality. You’ll lose access to the much of the van’s interior skin once you add the insulation. It's just like your fridge at home, just a little smaller. On the flip side, you can do a DIY camper van conversion for as cheap as $500, or … My friend needed to hit the road. Here’s five top tips on how to afford the vanlife Save, save, save This is obvious but the first thing you should do is start saving - now.
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