Van life

[Reality]

RV? Yep, but I will pass on a van. We had a StarCraft van in the 80's and it was cool, for tailgating and trips but I wouldn't have wanted to live in it.

I wouldn't use an RV unless someone else was paying for all of the maintenance. RVs are very poorly built and many require maintenance right out of the showroom including RVs well into the six figures.

With a van conversion, you mostly have to only worry about car-like maintenance and repairs and with a van, most repair places will work on them.

With an RV, you usually have to take them to an RV repair place which there are fewer of so they charge a lot more and they have long waiting lists. I have had friends for example whose generators went out and the earliest they could get them repaired at any RV place was 4-8 weeks.

 

[CouchCoach]

I wouldn't use an RV unless someone else was paying for all of the maintenance. RVs are very poorly built and many require maintenance right out of the showroom including RVs well into the six figures.

With a van conversion, you mostly have to only worry about car-like maintenance and repairs and with a van, most repair places will work on them.

With an RV, you usually have to take them to an RV repair place which there are fewer of so they charge a lot more and they have long waiting lists. I have had friends for example whose generators went out and the earliest they could get them repaired at any RV place was 4-8 weeks.

I'll stick to a brick and mortar abode. If I was meant to take my house with me, I would have been born a tortoise.

 

[lukin2006]

I'll stick to a brick and mortar abode. If I was meant to take my house with me, I would have been born a tortoise.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

My cousin back in the late 60s, early 70s lived in a hippie bus. He had a good time, a real good time. I remember seeing his little bus which was just a little bigger than a van. Maybe it was the van, maybe it was just that era.

 

[darthseinfeld]

 

[Reality]

There are many awesome DIY and professional van conversions that really make mobile life very home-like. There are some that are simply amazing yet were done by the van owners themselves.

A lot of people have sold their homes to switch to the van or RV life and years later still have no regrets. Other people keep their homes as their home bases and travel for several months every year.

It really comes down to being capable of living a minimalist lifestyle and enjoying traveling. If you hate either one, then staying in a home is better for you.

 

[lukin2006]

There are many awesome DIY and professional van conversions that really make mobile life very home-like. There are some that are simply amazing yet were done by the van owners themselves.

A lot of people have sold their homes to switch to the van or RV life and years later still have no regrets. Other people keep their homes as their home bases and travel for several months every year.

It really comes down to being capable of living a minimalist lifestyle and enjoying traveling. If you hate either one, then staying in a home is better for you.

I love travelling, especially in remote areas of Canada. A Van would be perfect for that. Flying to those remote areas is quite costly.

 

[Reality]

I love travelling, especially in remote areas of Canada. A Van would be perfect for that. Flying to those remote areas is quite costly.

That's another benefit as well. Most people don't think about trips beyond the airline and hotel costs. Most cities, especially larger ones, have designed tourist trap areas where you get funneled upon arrival.

For example, many cities (at least in the US) have a tourist areas where you see several hotels near each other. In many cases, you will see shopping malls, restaurants, etc. surrounding those hotel groups. The reason for this is so the local cities/towns can designate those areas as tourist areas and add in additional tourist-based fees and taxes as well as set different tax rates on other businesses and services such as shopping malls, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

By traveling on your own with your own place to sleep, you can avoid those high-priced areas and be more selective about where you spend your time and money as you would in your traditional home town.

 

[lukin2006]

That's another benefit as well. Most people don't think about trips beyond the airline and hotel costs. Most cities, especially larger ones, have designed tourist trap areas where you get funneled upon arrival.

For example, many cities (at least in the US) have a tourist areas where you see several hotels near each other. In many cases, you will see shopping malls, restaurants, etc. surrounding those hotel groups. The reason for this is so the local cities/towns can designate those areas as tourist areas and add in additional tourist-based fees and taxes as well as set different tax rates on other businesses and services such as shopping malls, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

By traveling on your own with your own place to sleep, you can avoid those high-priced areas and be more selective about where you spend your time and money as you would in your traditional home town.

I never considered the tourist trap aspect of it, but you are right. I do not mind flying, but it is getting more and more frustrating. Where I live if you designate an area a tourist area business can operate on a statutory holiday. The nearest big city to me (Windsor) just added a hotel tax, 6%.

 

[Reality]

I never considered the tourist trap aspect of it, but you are right. I do not mind flying, but it is getting more and more frustrating. Where I live if you designate an area a tourist area business can operate on a statutory holiday. The nearest big city to me (Windsor) just added a hotel tax, 6%.

Exactly .. There is a "hotel area" in my town where the hotel tax is 15% and all businesses in the area around them have an additional 2% sales tax added, with many of those businesses marking up their items even higher than their other locations. Most locals know to not eat at any restaurants or shop at any stores in that area unless they have visitors in town staying in those areas.

I get the thinking behind it. People on vacations and trips tend to be more free-spending with their money. If you only take one or two vacations/trips per year, that makes perfect sense because you don't want to be stressing over every dollar spent especially if you saved up for the trip for several months. For business trips, most of the costs are expendable so most companies do not mind at all. However, for people who travel more frequently, it can drain your savings quite quickly if you stick to the traditional destinations and travel methods.

 

[rags747]

Are there any 5k sq ft vans?

 

[rags747]

Think I would prefer a sailboat to a van as well.

 

[Reality]

Are there any 5k sq ft vans?

 

[Reality]

Think I would prefer a sailboat to a van as well.

Sounds awesome ...

 

[Melonfeud]

Drive the PCH in Cali, the beaches are lined with vans. Most are surfer, hippies looking for the next wave

I could never do a van but give me a boat anyday

I had a cousin(younger than me) who lived on a boat somewhere along the California coast,,,er,,, till he shot himself dead 3-4 years ago,,,

 

[GMO415]

There's a traveling prostitute that "sees a guy" on our block every now and then. Her van doesn't park in one spot more than 72 hrs otherwise I'd have it impounded.

 

[SlammedZero]

I actually kind of envy these people. To live free and not be tethered to any one place. I think it is awesome. I read a great article about a guy who put himself through college, got his dream job (can't remember exactly what it was), and landed the "American Dream" job at a big time company. After a year or two he just hated the corporate lifestyle. So, he saved up, bought a van, upgraded it, and now he telecommutes from wherever he may roam. I love it. I often wonder if I could become a minimalist in exchange for more freedom.

 

[DanteEXT]

Don't know about living in a van but I'd love to find a telework job, sell most of my crap & my house, buy a truck (though I am not a fan of them), buy an airstream and make home wherever I park that day.

 

[Reality]

https://preview.*******/3vfbubqz1x521.jpg?width=750&auto=webp&s=67927586c7015ab19945b0efdb44215a6324ef97

 

[viman96]

Professionally I could easily do my job while living in van or anywhere with decent internet access. I have seen some really cool Sprinter vans that would make van life fairly comfortable.