Van Life: Inspiration, Research, and Resolve

Welcome!  It’s March 2021, and I’m about to start a trip around the country in “Kate the Van”.  Kate’s a 2017 Nissan NV compact cargo van I converted into a camper…and my home. This first post is an overview of my process from retiring, to moving out of my rental and becoming a full-time van dweller.  In future posts I’ll go into more detail on some of the bits below.  If you’d like to see a more information on any particular topic, please feel free to contact me. 

INSPIRATION

After a 40+ year career in office and facilities management, my heart’s desire was to retire and take my Social Security when I turned 66. Then use my time to generate income from creative pursuits. 

For years I’d been looking into tiny homes because I was tired of paying high rents and they seemed more affordable.  I also wanted to travel and visit family and friends across the country. It seemed like a great opportunity to explore locations and communities where I might want to settle. 

A few years ago, my youngest son bought a cargo van large enough for his 6’7” stature, and converted it into his home.  He inspired me and I dove into the sea of “Van Life” videos on YouTube.  I looked into other options such as RVs, truck campers, converted school buses and ambulances. There are so many clever builds out there!

After considering what would and would not work best for me, I decided it would be a van.  Unlike a truck, you can move easily between driving and living space without going outside.  A small van would save on gas compared to an RV or bus, and be more discreet if I needed to park overnight on a street.  A small van could also serve as a regular vehicle when I’m done traveling around the country.  A van can haul large canvases and furniture and still function as a camper.  I was sold!

I started gabbing with everyone about this idea, and one person asked me a very insightful question: “Do you want to live IN your van…or OUT OF your van?”  What I thought in response has proven true. That I would be outside of the van exploring on most days, and only inside to sleep and for a bit of computer time.

RESEARCH & RESOLVE

It’s not news to most of you that YouTube is an incredible resource.  Before I thought about living in a van, I’d been using it to learn everything from the Adobe Creative Suite to how to reprogram a sprinkler system, so it didn’t waste water.  There are so many helpful people sharing information with their videos.  With each van-build video I watched I sorted out what kind of van I wanted, how I’d like to build it, and how to do so within my limited budget. 

Two videos that inspired me were:

This one by a young couple that did a build for day use in a tiny Ford Transit Connect.  I couldn’t go that spartan living full time in a van, but it’s a lovely build and showed me that a micro van could work for me. 

Also, this one built by an impressive young woman with the help of her parents.  It’s well thought out and lovingly constructed.  It was also the video that introduced me to Battle Born Batteries where I ultimately bought a bundle of electrical components.  I can’t recommend Battle Born highly enough.  Exceptional customer service is difficult to find, and they have shown up in big ways for me. That and a 10-year warranty on their lithium ion batteries…they are simply the best. 

Envisaging van life, the next steps were running a detailed budget and contemplating the realities.  What would my finances look like without rent, but with a car payment, insurance, AAA, maintenance, etc.?  Could I live off only my Social Security and not dip into savings until I saw revenue from art and animation?  (The answer was yes, but with the narrowest of margins.)  My plan was to buy a van, build it out, take a trip around the USA, and get an art business going.  If need be, after my trip I could find a part-time job in a field that interests me, or take temp assignments. 

After researching, ruminating, and resolving some fears that come with a big lifestyle change, I committed.  Starting with giving notice a year in advance to my supervisor at UCSB and my landlady.  This gave all of us time to plan and prepare.  At work I created a detailed desk manual to assist my eventual replacement.  I assisted my landlady with a posting on the university housing site, and with a word-of-mouth search to find her a new tenant and seamless transition.  It was time to start planning.

JUST A BIT ABOUT PLANNING

What would I do without Excel (or Google Sheets) and a calendar? Rhetorical question!

I can’t seem to exist without them.  There was a lot to plan and track, and it’s motivating to check items off your list and see progress.  It’s assuring to visualize what tasks you plan to get done each week, and to get reminders on your calendar for each.   

Below is a list of big buckets items I used for planning and budgeting my new life. In a future post I’ll drill down on details that might be helpful to others of my age thinking about van dwelling.

• Buying and building out the van
• Signing up for Social Security
• Signing up for Medicare Plan A, Plan B, Supplemental, Rx, Dental, and Vision
• Divesting myself of most of my possessions and storing some
• Mail and address change (when you don’t have one)
• End of Life planning
• Taking a trip around the U.S.A.

When COVID changed our world in March 2020, I postponed my trip for a year.  For me the key word of pandemic times is “adjust”.  No matter your plans, you likely will need to be flexible, resourceful, and nimble. 

This delay was helpful in many ways.  I went on some short trips to Oregon, Washington and Utah.  Some problems with my electric system occurred, and it was good to be near the shop that installed my system to fix them.  Other things didn’t go the way I expected, like my alcohol cooker (JetBoil much mo’ better), a DIY awning (I never used it), and how quickly I used up amp hours (when your shop offers you a shore power hatch for next to nothing during an install…do it!).  These short trips helped me refine my rig and be prepared for a trip of at least 9000 miles.

Thank you for dropping by!