In December 2018, my boyfriend and I decided to move into our tiny home on wheels and started road-tripping Australia while living in a van. Incredibly that 6 months passed already and I’m still loving this lifestyle.
Before moving into a van, I simply thought that “#vanlife” meant freedom, time to enjoy nature, waking up in a different place every morning and live in the moment. However, this is only a small portion of what this lifestyle really is. So here’s what I’ve learned after my first six months on the road.
You will be judged
Imagine waking up in a park, opening the back of your van and start making your breakfast.
It seems anything is not as interesting as watching some random stranger having breakfast and doing their dishes in the park. After that you will also brush your teeth, giving your public a new show to watch.
You won’t need as many clothes as you think when living in a van
Here the thing is: if you never used it in six months, you’ll likely never use it anymore.
When I look at the back of my closet, I find clothes that I used maybe just once or that I never feel like wearing. It might sound weird, but I actually wear the same outfit every day and I don’t need fancy dresses.
Especially if we have to camp or go to the beach, you just need a couple of outfits and you’re good to go. Looking back on the day when I first packed my backpack, I would carry way less stuff with me.
So what should you pack? I get this question a lot, both from people wanting to hit the road in Australia or who simply want to explore this country. Get your packing list & pack without a worry 🙂
Toilets and water are easy to find
We downloaded a super cool app called WikiCamps, which shows you any useful spot you might need like camping, lookouts, beaches and, of course, water to refill our tanks and public toilets.
Besides WikiCamp, there’s plenty of public toilets we use, like in shopping malls, libraries, cafes or rest areas when we’re on the road.
Taking a shower might be challenging
The first question we always get from anyone is:
“How do you do for showers?”
Well, it depends.
Just like toilets, there’s plenty of free showers around the country. The problem is finding a hot, free, and possibly clean shower somewhere nearby.
We always check WikiCamp and we’ve been really lucky so far. Generally speaking, those are the option you have.
- You can go the easy way, and pay for a shower in any swimming pool. It will be around 2-5 AUD, so not that expensive. It’s the easiest option and reeeeally hassle-free.
- Another option is using indoor/outdoor showers (usually near any beaches). They are cold, but bearable if it’s summer and most importantly free.
- And then we have the wild & free option, which is showering with your own water in the back of the van when no one is looking. This is not my favorite, but the most popular.
Finding places to sleep is the most stressful part of living in a van
This is the worst thing about van life. Especially if you’ve been driving all day and you’re tired, not finding a place to sleep is frustrating. For real.
We realized that one of the best ways to avoid this problem is to start looking for a place to sleep before it gets dark so that you can have a better idea of what the place looks like (and you don’t sleep in somebody else’s driveway).
Always go to the toilet before reaching your spot for the night
This is the #1 rule for stealthy camping! Unless you’re staying in a proper camping spot, it’s always better not to show too much what you’re doing.
If you’re using the bathroom and then go directly to sleep, someone would see you and, you know, technically you’re not allowed to sleep there. 🙂
It’s better to find a restroom, go back to your van and drive to the spot where you will be staying for the night and sleep there.
In the same way, in the morning, it’s always better to drive somewhere first and then use the toilet.
Living in a van will always bring you to the library
Or to a cafe, or shopping mall, or anywhere with wifi and some plugs to recharge laptops and phones.
We found that libraries are our favorite places because their free and they have plenty of rooms.
… and usually, the toilets are clean 😉
Living in a van in the city is hard
We stayed in Sydney for four months, going to work while living in a van. And it was hard.
It’s difficult to find a spot for staying the night, especially in a big city like Sydney, where you’ll have to pay a parking fee even by night.
Many more people are living in the area and it’s constantly busy. You might park your van in a quiet spot, and waking up surrounded by cars. (#truestory! Read more about weird places where we slept here!)
Cooking is a struggle as well, as many more people will look at you and judge you.
Overall, I think many cities are simply not friendly with people living in a van, and therefore it was difficult for us to relax after a long day at work.
However, I feel we were pretty lucky, as we were able to find a cool spot just 20 minutes outside the city with free hot showers, water, and toilets.
Apparently, that was everybody’s favorite spot, as we found many other homes on wheels there and made some good friends.
You will rely on sunlight for daily activities
This means waking up at 8 am even if you don’t have any plans because the sun is up already and the van is getting hotter and hotter. And this also means having to cook dinner at 6 pm because the sun is going down and cooking while it’s dark it’s not always fancy.
You are always ready to go
We don’t have to pack our stuff before leaving, we simply go.
There’s no more forgetting things on the road, ’cause we are living on the road, and we always have what we need with us.
This alone is the best thing about van life and, actually, what I was looking for in this lifestyle.
Not having a routine is the best part
While we were living in the city, we were always in a hurry. We used to hurry to go to work, we had to fight with other cars to get the last parking spot. When we had a day off, we used to spend it sleeping and basically doing nothing.
Finally that we are on the road again, we started to live life slower. Most of the time we don’t have a plan, and this is actually part of having a plan. Which is amazing. We decide what to do and every day feels like an adventure. We’re not hurrying for our final destination but we’re enjoying everything along the way.
Those were only some of the things I’ve learned while living in a van, but of course, there are many more, and I’m sure I will keep learning new stuff every day.
Do you have any questions about van life? Or just curious to know more?
Send me a message or let me know in the comments below!
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