“I never really looked at myself as a minimalist”, Jason said, as he explained his reasons for selling most of his worldly possessions, bought a van and hit the road as a nomad. Jason is part of a growing number of people of all ages, opting to down-size and deciding to enjoy their lives more. Many are moving into tiny homes, RV’s or just hitting the road in other types of vehicles. Jason opted to purchase a van and travel this great land.
This trend is commonly known as Van Dwelling and is not just an American thing; but is spreading all over the globe. I think a lot of us find this very interesting, not because they have failed in their lives but do so willingly and are pretty happy in doing so. Although my research has found that some folks do live in their vans and cars, out of necessity.
Jason told me he has met quite a few folks like himself that just got tired of trading hours for dollars and walked away from boring, life-robbing jobs to hit the road. Jason has a nondescript van that can blend in almost anywhere. He refers to his mode of travel as, “stealth camping.” He says this type of vehicle affords him the ability to park virtually anywhere and sleep free, because no one looks at his van as being a typical RV, much less one’s home. He, along with his Australian Sheep Dog Brody have spent many nights in typical city neighborhoods due to the fact his van “fits in” and no one is aware that he is enjoying a good night’s sleep there… for free!
Jason also takes advantage of other free places to park for the night, such as Walmart Stores, Sam’s Clubs, Cabelas, most truck stops and BLM Land. He and Brody have been on the road for over 3 years living like this and have explored nearly the entire country.
I asked Jason how much it costs one to live a lifestyle such as his and he tells me he can easily live on $20 a day, mainly because he does not stay in expensive RV parks or campgrounds. He will occasionally stay in a campground just so he can take advantage of a hot shower and use their laundry facilities. He does park and sleep in his van at truck stops quite often as most allow it – again at no cost. Most large truck stops have shower facilities for truckers and Jason will take advantage of that at a minimal cost. He also has a membership to a nationwide chain of Gyms. If he's in a town with one of their gyms, he will take advantage of their shower facilities.
In summary, it appears to me that Jason is on to something. I would say that Van Dwelling is all about living a fun filled life, different from our normal lives wherein we spend money in trying to buy fun for life. People who do live in vans are not homeless; rather they have a home where ever they park their van. They spend less and have more freedom much different from the average person who works long hours every week just to try and keep up with their mortgage and other debts.
FOOTNOTE: I’ve been retired for several years now and love to travel. In this regard, I bought a van and converted it to a camper and decided to give it a go. I decided to take a short trip to test this out. I drove to Florida and spent several days on the Atlantic side. I took advantage of rest stops on the freeway where I spent a couple of nights. I found out that most rest stops provide security and will let you spend the night. I even saw some large RV’s parking there for the night and would even roll out their slides. That seemed a little much as it gives the impression they were there to spend a lot of time. I almost expected them to let out their canopy, set out their chairs and light up the grill. I spent one night in a Walmart parking lot and woke up to find about 12-15 other vans and RV’s parked around me. Something I had never paid attention to previously.
(Can’t get much “stealthier” than a soccer-mom van!)
All in all, a very nice trip with no cost for any overnight stay.
After being back in Atlanta for a few weeks, I decided to try a longer trip. I headed out for Wyoming and Utah with plans to visit some National Parks. So far, I’m loving it!
If you are looking for some adventure in your life and being a nomad is appealing to you, then Van Dwelling might be a good fit for you as well. When you do live like this you would soon realize that people living in a van by a river or by a beautiful lake or in a southwest desert or a lush, green National Forest just might be living a life better than the rest of us.
Until next time.
