There is no doubt that living on the road can look like a dream, but vanlife can be hard. Especially if you are not in the correct setting, so, having a few "normal" conveniences can go a long way. In an ideal world, you would be watching the sunrise, sipping your coffee, and journaling. However, there are those times you are in a city while it's pouring rain and you are hunkered down, waiting. In those moments, having a couple of those home-like conveniences has been my key to success.
To maintain the comfort of a home while living on the road make sure to bring your morning essentials, like coffee or tea, with you. In addition to your morning essentials, I suggest you create a space that feels like home in your van. This means add wall decorations, a cozy rug, or family photographs. Remember, living in a van should be fun and provide you with a new experience to life not far from your life in a home.
Give yourself a few convinces you REALLY enjoy, like coffee or tea in the morning
It’s very simple, heat up some water, drizzle it over your coffee, and sip that black magic liquid observing your mood improve. Realistically, it doesn’t need to be coffee, this could be tea. Heck, this doesn’t even have to be a drink. It could be food, it could be a book, a magazine, just something that brings you joy.
Suggestions:
-One of my favorite coffee beans… it’s from Santa Cruz :-)
-Puerh… it’s the best type of tea!
Treat yourself with the money you save and rent a room
Think of this as a vacation. If you are living in a van, you are saving money in the long run. So, take that money you are saving and treat yourself. Find a cool vacation rental and rent it for a day, or two. Heck, if sleeping in a comfy bed doesn’t excite you, than use that money to book a vacation—or be responsible and pay down those student loans, eek. Regardless, the point of living in a van is for freedom, flexibility, and to be closer to the fun you want to have. This doesn’t mean you should be roughing it all of the time.
Plus, you can think of renting a room a little bit differently. If you a rent a room, they have a shower, a gym, wifi, charging ports, and more. If you were to do a cost analysis on this, I’m sure you would find that it pays itself off for all you digital nomads.
Incorporate personal touches like a rug, photos on the wall, a candle/incense, a fuzzy blanket
Realistically, you are living in vehicle designed to get packages from point A to point B, so adding those personal touches are key. If you are a weekend warrior, or a forever van-lifer, this is your home. So, add a rug, have some candles or incense, maybe a fuzzy blanket to snuggle in after you had a wet-wipe shower. Oh yeah, sometimes wet-wipe showers are fantastic, sometimes they don’t do the trick. One of the most important upgrades, in terms of personal touches, has been the addition of family photos and artwork. Once this was up, my van started to become a home.
Suggestions:
Get a HOT shower every now and then
Yup, this seems simple and kinda random, but it is AMAZING! Taking the time to find a place can be difficult, but there are a few “secret places”:
-A gym
-A community center
-Vacation Rentals
-Trucker stops
More often than not, the price-point to this will be around $5-7 depending on where you go. For myself, this seems expensive, so why not spring for a gym day pass, which is usually around $10-15, if there is a yoga class or climbing option, this is totally worth it! The best scenario is would be that they also have wifi with a place to work.
Conclusion
To wrap up, living in a van has it’s pros and cons, but to make it just that much sweeter, you can add little, soft-touches, to make your space a home. I hope you enjoy your time in a van!