Van Living View. Credit: Daniel Battiston

Living in your van, sometimes called van dwelling, is one of the cheapest ways to live and travel that you can find. Basically you just find a place to park, and use the resources that you have with you. It can be done in the middle of a large city or the wilderness realm of a national park or forest. However, before you start living in a van, it’s a good idea to do a little research and adaptation to make it a success. For starters, there are a few basic things that every van dweller needs to be able to handle. These basics include food preparation and cooking, lighting and electricity, using the bathroom, and sleeping.

Food prep and cooking in your van can either be really simple, such as sandwiches, cereal, and other easy to fix convenience foods, or complicated involving stoves, grills, and refrigerators. The choice is yours, but, like many aspects of van life, the type of foods you eat while you’re out on the road will depend on just how much trouble and expense you are willing to go to. I think it’s good to have a balance of easy to fix stuff and maybe just cook a “real” meal on the stove or grill once a week. Eating out is another option to factor in, but of course, this will add to your monthly expenses.

Lighting and electricity can be as simple as using a flashlight, just when you need it, to having a 12 volt electrical setup in your van to run the things that require electricity. Once again you can keep this really simple and cheap, AKA: flashlight, or more advanced and expensive, AKA: solar powered 12 volt electrical system with an inverter to run all things electrical. The choice is yours, and you’ll have to decide if the extra modification and expense of an advanced power system is worth the cost.

Now, having bathroom facilities available is one key benefit of using a bigger class A recreational vehicle instead of just living in a converted van. But, since we know all the potential downsides to living in a bigger RV, we are more willing to accept the trade offs that come with full time van living. One way to handle the bathroom thing is to just park in the parking lot of big 24 hour a day businesses like, Wal Mart, and use the facilities that they provide when the need strikes you. This is a good option and one that many full timers use. Next, you can use a porta potty or some other “bucket” type system in the van. A good plan is to have both options available. In other words, attempt to locate your parking close to somewhere with bathroom facilities and keep some sort of bathroom option with you in your van for emergency situations when you have no other choice.

Sleeping arrangements in your van can range from a simple blow up air mattress that you inflate and lay on the floor each night, to a complete built in bed platform with foam mattress intended for a more permanent situation. I think that your choice of sleeping arrangement depends on how much money you have to equip your van and how many nights a month you will need to sleep in it. If you’re planning to sleep in your van every night of a six month road trip, then you will definitely want to invest the money and time into creating a comfortable and easy to maintain sleeping space. If you’re only going to sleep in the van occasionally, then an inflatable mattress may be just fine for your limited needs.

All in all, van living presents a different set of challenges than other types of travel and living, but the benefits often outweigh these challenges and make it a good way to experience an adventurous, exciting life without all of the problems associated with a “normal” and “regular” lifestyle.