How To Start Van Life / 6 Easy-To-Follow Steps
So you want to start living in a van? With travel still limited due to the global pandemic, van life is the perfect option to turn to! You are quite literally isolating yourself from everyone while still being able to visit the gorgeous landmarks this Earth has to offer. Leaving your home and moving into a van is a huge decision to make! This guide will help you get started with 6 easy steps!
If you are serious about wanting to start van life but haven’t done all of these steps yet, you need to get ON IT today! This list will break down how to get started with van life step by step, making it that much easier for you to get started!
1. Start Saving Up
First and foremost, van life costs money! You need to know how much you are willing (and able) to save up before you can begin van life.
Know that it IS possible to start van life on any budget. The amount of money you put in will determine the type of van life you will be living. It is all about what you need and what you are willing to give up.
For example, tons of people have done “van life” without owning a van! There is a whole community out there of people who camp out in the back of their car… it is totally possible!
If you have tonss of money to put into your van life journey, your day to day will be much different. The fanciest vans out there include bathrooms and showers in the van, swivel chairs, and even heated floors!
When I started my van life journey, I knew I didn’t need the fanciest van on the market, but I still wanted one sturdy enough that I wouldn’t have to constantly worry about it breaking down. I call it the perfect van for Goldilocks - not too expensive, not too cheap… just right!
You might be missing out on extra money if you are not doing all 5 of these side hustles I did before starting my van life.
2. Downsize
Once you have figured out the budget you need to save for your van life, you gotta start getting rid of your things!
Downsizing is the perfect way to get rid of your things and make money that you can invest into your van.
If you want to downsize but don’t know where to even begin this downsizing guide breaks up downsizing in only 5 simple steps! It goes over the 3 questions you NEED to be asking yourself when going through your items.
Or maybe you have wayy too much crap laying around and the thought of downsizing stresses you out!? Start with the downsizing mini challenge! This is a one week challenge that will allow you to dip your toe into the downsizing waters. Completing this challenge will make it that much easier to tackle all the rest of your items.
When you have gone through all of your things and KNOW what you are ready to part with, the next step is selling it to make a profit! With dozens of apps that allow you to sell your crap, it is easy to get lost in which ones you should be using… I have scoured ALL of the selling apps and websites so you don’t need to! This is the breakdown of what apps you should use to sell your clothes, and these are the apps best for selling the rest of your stuff - like furniture or that old art piece sitting in your garage.
Get! Rid! Of! Your! Shit!
3. Do Van Life Research
You can’t start van life without doing a bit of research. What is the best van on the market? What will your monthly expenses be? What are all of the different toilet options that you can have in your van?
To find the answer to all of these, it is best to get it from the source themselves. There are PLENTY of people who are already doing van life and are willing to share the answers to all of these questions with you!
As always, feel free to reach out to me via my contact page, or instagram DM’s if you have any questions! I believe that this is a lifestyle that ANYONE can achieve and would love to give you more tips!
4. Find the right van for you
Finding the right van for you might be tricky if you know nothing about vehicles (I know I didn’t before I started!)
If you want a breakdown of all of the different kinds of vans on the market and each of their pros/cons, keep an eye out for a blog post I will be sharing soon!
Until then, I will say that the #1 tip is to constantly be keeping an eye out on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and plain old Googling vans near you.
You never know where you can find a good deal, so always be keeping an eye out!
5. Map Out the route
You should also have a rough idea of where you want to start on your van life journey. Now, I’m not saying you need to plan out where you’re going, or even how long you are going, but having a rough idea will help you out tremendously!
Even having the first two/three months planned out will help you picture your life in a van and make your dream seem more tangible!
The best route you can take is one that travels with the weather. Go up north during the summer and down south over the winter.
Make sure you stop at these winter destinations to avoid the cold snowy winters!
6. Buy The Van
Buy the damn van!! You can day dream about it all you want, but dreaming won’t get you on the road!
This is truly the hardest part - you never know if there will be a better deal, you question if it’s really something you want to do…
If you have taken ALL the rest of these steps - you have saved up money, you have downsized, you have done your research and you have mapped out your route - chances are you really want to do this!
So, do it!
NOW is the time to take that chance!
If you have any more questions about how to get started with van life feel free to reach out to me!!
I LOVE hearing from you guys!!
