What's So Great About Van Life?
A small metal box of joy...
Okay, so a few months back I wrote a post about van life in winter. I promised then to backtrack later and explain how my wife and I came to van life and why we love it. It seems like later to me now, so let’s fulfill that promise.
Let me throw in a caveat up front. Don’t be fooled by influencers on social media who glamorize van life. It has its glorious moments and we love it dearly, but let’s be real: at the end of the day, you are living in a small, wheeled container subject to mechanical breakdown, high gas prices, summer heat, and all the other forces of entropy. Also, many people practice van life in trying conditions out of necessity. We are blessed to have had the financial means to outfit a van to an almost embarrassing level of comfort.
Additionally, before we really get going, I should explain what van life is for those who don’t know. Essentially, it is living, temporarily or permanently, in a van modified to function as a home or, more realistically, a mobile campsite. If someone embraces this lifestyle by choice, it is usually with a priority on freedom, travel, exploration, and perhaps also simplicity and frugality.
Deciding on Van Life
So, let’s get going. We came to van life via a circuitous route. I think the typical van lifer is an adventurous soul in their 20s or 30s just a few degrees removed from backpacking across Europe. We are slow learners. We didn’t come to it until our 50s.
We first went through a long period of tent camping, exploring Europe, and beach vacations. When our kids were growing up, we camped and hiked in national and state parks. As we got older, however, I became less and less enthusiastic about sleeping on the ground in the elements (yes, I’m the family prima donna) and so we basically gave up camping for several years. But, we missed it badly as time went on.
Also, we were fortunate to spend a lot of time in Europe. We absolutely loved Europe, and we still do. But life is about choices, and spending so much time there meant we missed opportunities to explore our own country. We grew to feel like there were a million places here we wanted to experience.
We also had a tradition of spending a week in the winter at the beach in Florida, which was glorious. We wanted to find a way to spend more time in temperate areas in the winter (without moving) when we got older. Also, truth be told, my beloved Baltimore Orioles do spring training in Sarasota, and I was looking for a way to hang around there and watch some baseball.
Thus we happened upon van life. It gets us back out camping, but is way more comfortable. We are seeing the United States one road trip at a time. And we have plans to spend winter in the warmer states in the van once our schedule permits (and we designed the inside of our van with seaside flair!).
Loving Van Life
For us, van life is a way to find joy in our later years, out exploring, learning, and having fun together. But it is also a leap of faith. I don’t like driving bigger vehicles, we are far from minimalists, we had to make major sacrifices to afford our van, and van life means giving up other things we love.
And, that leap has been so worth it! Van life has brought us so much joy, and in ways we never imagined.
Our van has opened the doors we thought it would, but it has opened up so much more. We are out in nature much more than ever before. Van life spurred us not only to hike more and visit parks more, but also to take up kayaking and seek every opportunity to be outside. Now, even just sitting in my backyard, I am more alive to the beautiful rhythms of creation, and to the beautiful rhythms of my Creator.
We are also out in small towns, and even sometimes in big cities, more. We explore places we’ve ignored a million times even though they were right under our nose. We seek out new towns and stores and museums and restaurants and sites (especially dog friendly ones!) everywhere we go. We take the detour on a whim.
Also, we joined a network called Harvest Hosts (more about this in a future post) that allows you to stay overnight in your van or RV at small farms, breweries, wineries, museums, and other cool places in exchange for patronizing the business while there. Thanks to these wonderful hosts, we’ve learned about the history of aviation, the art and science of making bourbon, sustainable practices for raising livestock, and so much more, all in the most remarkable and enjoyable settings.
And all of this exploring in the van has produced perhaps the most unexpected joy. That is the joy of meeting people, at campgrounds, on trails, in towns, on farms, in distilleries. And you know what we’ve discovered? We’ve discovered that there are amazing people doing amazing things with amazing skill everywhere, and mostly in complete obscurity. North, south, east, west, people are amazing!
Van Optional
For us, van life unlocked all this joy. But, van life is not for everyone. You have to like small spaces. You have to enjoy driving. You have to like camping, or at least glamping. And you have to have the resources (and parking) for a van.
Most importantly, you really don’t need a van or anything special at all to experience any of these wonderful things. You only have to be intentional about getting outside, visiting new places, and meeting people and learning from them. No, you don’t need a van for any of that. You only need an open heart and a thirst for wonder.
What Brings You Joy?
How about you? Do you love van life or RVing? Please share your experiences in the comments.
Do you like getting out in nature or exploring new places? Please share.
Cheers!
A Short Meditation
The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…” So Abram left, as the LORD had told him.
Around 2000 BC, God called Abram, who he later renamed Abraham (“father of a multitude”), to leave everything behind and follow him. God pledged to make him into a great nation, to bless all nations through him. But he had to leave first. Abraham had no idea where he was going or what would happen. Still, he left. He had adventures and mishaps and made many mistakes, and through it all God held fast to him.
God used Abraham’s faithful response to do things he could never imagine. Six hundred years later, God established Abraham’s descendants as a great nation, Israel, in the land which God showed him. Two thousand years later, Jesus was born of Abraham’s line there. And ever since a bloody spring Friday in that land around AD 30, Abraham’s blessing has flowed out to all nations.
All these things happened because on a typical day like today, Abraham set his fears aside and left. You know, God has a land to show you too. What is he calling you to leave? Yes, it’s scary. But just think of the possibilities.
Un Petit Aperçu
Ma femme et moi adorons le van life, un mode de vie axé sur les voyages et le camping en camping-car. Nous sommes dans la nature et nous explorons davantage de manière assez confortable. Mais la meilleure chose, c'est de rencontrer des gens formidables partout. Si le van life nous procure beaucoup de joie, nous avons appris qu'il n'est pas nécessaire d'avoir un van pour en profiter. Il suffit d'avoir un cœur et un esprit ouvert et de chercher des merveilles partout.
Μία Περίληψη
Η γυναίκα μου και εγώ λατρεύουμε το van life, έναν τρόπο ζωής που επικεντρώνεται στα ταξίδια και στο κάμπινγκ σε αυτοκινούμενο. Βρισκόμαστε στη φύση και εξερευνούμε με σχετικά άνετο τρόπο. Αλλά το ωραιότερο είναι να συναντάς καταπληκτικούς ανθρώπους παντού. Ενώ το van life μας φέρνει πολλή χαρά, εχούμε μάθει ότι δεν χρειάζεσαι το βαν για να απολαύσεις αυτόν τον τρόπο ζωής. Απλώς χρειάζεται να έχεις ανοιχτή καρδιά και να αναζητάς θαύματα παντού.