Hello friends, my name is Austin, and I am writing on behalf of Jess and myself from YonderRoads.com to share our adventures and experiences living the dream of vanlife in America. We are a travel couple who began our relationship by moving into a Ford Econoline van four and a half years ago, only days after meeting.
How a Van and a Leap of Faith Changed Everything
While we were both born in New York, we hadn’t found each other until California. It took leaving home to find true love. When we met, Jess was on the road, travelling with a friend, and I had just moved from New York to California in search of sunshine and waves.
Upon my move to California, I bought a van with a low roof and dented sides, wooden cabinetry hiding a water and electrical system, and over 275,000 miles. I met Jess (and became smitten) days after, and I asked if she wanted to travel slowly together back to New York. Unbeknownst to me, she said yes. Over four years later, we’ve converted our van, travelled three laps around the US and Canada, and created a website that features travel recommendations, a blog and van build tips.
The spark
The catalyst for van life was moving from New York to an apartment complex in San Diego, California. The rent was $1550, and the apartment was dark like a cave. After finishing work, I would hobble out of my cave for a surf. During one of these surfs away from the cave, I met a friend. This friend, a native of California, shared with me some wisdom.
While in the water with him, he said, “If you live in a van, instead of paying rent, you can re-allocate that money to buy yourself a nice dinner instead.” He showed me his van after our surf that day, and about a week later, I bought the same kind of van. A 2006 Ford Econoline , the van had everything I needed except space. To make the space feel smaller, I invited Jess to live with me in the van. And 8 months after that, we adopted our dog Obie.
Van Moulting: How We Found the Right Fit
Like a hermit crab moulting its shell, we moulted our van. We couldn’t stand up straight in the Econoline. This was not sustainable for our backs. We were constantly envious of people in Mercedes and Dodge Sprinters, Ram Promasters and Ford Transits. It took time scouring for the right one. But eventually, I found a Ford Transit shell sitting in a mechanic’s parking lot for sale. It was priced on the lower end of the spectrum for high-roof vans, so we bought and built it into our new home – a crucial step in continuing our vanlife in America journey.
Make sure that if you are looking to buy a van that you have it inspected by both a mechanic and a body shop. The van passed inspection, but the general mechanic failed to notice body damage on the vehicle. This body damage was spotted immediately by a body shop after we had already purchased the van. The damage has not given us major issues, but it would have been nice to know prior to buying.
The Most Challenging Parts
What is challenging in life is different for everyone, whether it’s van life, boat life or house life. Circumstances and challenges are dependent on our individual experiences. One of the most commonly thought of problems is the bathroom. While this is typically not an issue, there are times when all I want is a proper bathroom. Especially late at night when there isn’t one around.
Some people would not be able to deal with the lack of space and storage for things like clothes. The lifestyle forces you to be a minimalist. It forces you to conserve resources like water and electricity because we need to fill water and dump water constantly.
The hardest part of living on the road for us is a combination of two things. Lack of community and too much time together. When we are removed from civilisation and community, travelling through the wilderness, it becomes easy to feel disconnected. Pair that with backseat driving, and irritability is inevitable. These feuds force us to consider the consequences of our lifestyle and to pay attention to how we can better communicate in our relationship. These challenges are part of what makes vanlife in America both beautiful and complex.
Working on the Road
There are things you can and can’t do in modern-day America to earn a living from your laptop. However, the list of what you can do has been growing in recent years. Even plumbers are now on Zoom, diagnosing issues and walking homeowners through the repair process.
In a pre-COVID world, I longed for change. I knew I didn’t want to ride the same train to and from work for two hours a day. But I could not have imagined a change this immense. Remote work was an outcome that led me and many others to earn a living by means of the internet and a laptop. This radical shift birthed digital nomads worldwide.
For us, the ability to work anywhere eventually resulted in national parks becoming our office space. The most pressing issue of the day is waiting for ol’ faithful.
Beyond Minimalism: What Living in a Van Really Means
The decision to live in a van was one originally based on the desire to wake up closer to what I love. For me, that was the ocean. Along our journey, we’ve met all walks of life, living from their vans and choosing which element or activity they want to be closer to. The van gives the ability to spend more time immersed in whatever it is you love.
The van can even be a means of achieving greatness. Before the American rock climber Alex Honnold free soloed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, he lived in his van in Yosemite Valley. He woke up and went to sleep, looking up at the wall, planning his route and doing finger pull-ups in his van.
There is a reality where people live in their vans out of necessity due to economic and financial hardship. This is, unfortunately, the case for many people. In certain areas, rent is simply unaffordable. This, along with other factors, forces individuals to live in their vehicles, often without moving.
Other, more fortunate individuals choose to stay in their vans for the freedom and minimalism it brings. An MLB pitcher named Daniel Norris used to live out of his 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia in the parking lot of the ballpark during the off-season. This was not because he could not afford housing with a major league salary, but because of the joy his van gave him.
Find Jessica & Austin here
Website: Yonderroads
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