Our road life adventure didn’t start in a camper van; it evolved.
We sold our home and began exploring what it would be like to live without a permanent address, spending years living out of hotels and resorts, while learning what we liked and didn’t like about the nomad lifestyle.
Then we experimented with sleeping in a rooftop tent on the back of our truck. It was nice to have a cheaper option for camping, but we discovered there are some things you appreciate when you get older, like a comfortable bed, climate control, and not having to drag gear out all the time or climb down a ladder at night to pee.
→ Read our six-year travel story
→ What it was like living in hotels
→ What we learned from rooftop-tent living
Eventually, we took the next step and moved into a camper van. That’s when things got really interesting!
The Reality of Van Life
It’s funny to see all the young people share the Instagram version with those beautiful photos at the beach or in the mountains while drinking a latte, and we’ve certainly experienced those moments, but it’s not all shits and giggles either!
We've written about some of those experiences because we think they're just as important as the stunning pictures.
Living as a Van Life Couple
OMG! This deserves its own conversation because it’s one thing to spend a weekend together in a small space, but another thing to live together all the time. You‘ll quickly learn personal space is way different when your home is only 80 square feet.
Even though making it work requires excellent communication, relentless compromise, and constant maneuvering, you’ll discover some of the most memorable experiences are because you’re doing van life together.
Choosing a Camper Van
Choosing the right van for your lifestyle needs takes a lot of work! We spent years researching what we really needed and what we could live without, as well as decided it was better for us to buy from a reputable company than build it ourselves.
We’ve also learned that the perfect camper van probably doesn’t exist. There’s always something you’d change.
The Costs of Living in a Van
There’s a myth that van life is really cheap, but that’s not always the truth. While you can save a lot of money, you also have to be great at budgeting and learning to adapt to the lifestyle.
We've started documenting our actual monthly expenses because we'd rather show you what it really costs than give you a generic internet estimate.
What We Wish We'd Known
As with any big decision in life, there are plenty of unknowns. We’ve made a lot of mistakes, bought stuff we didn’t need, underestimated expenses, and overestimated how easy it could be. And we’ve also discovered a life we wouldn't trade for anything!
There is more we’ll be sharing, and the advantage for you is that you can learn from our misfortunes and mistakes, all for free.
Subscribe to Road Life Adventure and follow along as we figure out what's next.
