Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As I continue to plan for retirement, I struggle with all the options. Keep the house and spend my leisure time doing gardening and taking evening strolls after dinner like all the other old people? Move to Mexico or some other 3rd-world country to live an adventurous primitive life on the cheap? Invest in a decked-out van and live in any regions you want when you want with other van-lifers with similar values?
Just for fun I'm entertaining the idea of van life. Here's one of many videos that I found inspiring. This "Van Lifer" makes me think of Amy Schumer and her style of humor. Her witty remarks get better as the video goes along. In fact, most of the videos I've watched on this topic (Van Life) appeal to me in a way that living in a foreign 3rd-world country does not (I've done for a few years and decided I love living in the USA with all its issues).
These are people who really love nature and people. One of the things they point out is the struggle to separate themselves from the homeless populations who also dwell along various waterfronts throughout the US. The 'Van Lifestyle' population are not derelicts of society. They are people who want to enrich and engage in life and treat the environment with respect. They socialize with others of like minds, live in the present, and coexist with nature.
The Van-Lifestyle really looks enriching and satisfying, don't ya think?
These are people who really love nature and people.
Mostly they really love the money they get from their blogs and videos, spinning tales that their credulous viewers and readers eat up.
Quote:
The Van-Lifestyle really looks enriching and satisfying, don't ya think?
Not for me. And I've got a fully tricked-out van. I love its conveniences but live in it? Never. Try a 116 degree day in Central Arizona, trying to stay cool in your metal box on wheels.
We're looking for a much larger RV but even then we won't full-time in it. I enjoy our house with the many rooms, the wildlife, the luxuriant foliage, the pool and hot tub, the koi pond, and the unpredictable AZ weather too much to give it up for an uncertain life on the road.
I could maybe do this, but only if I had a good amount of funds banked/monthly income. 1) to have an exit plan if I got sick or tired of it or just too old and 2) to stay in a hotel if I got the flu, medical etc.
There is so much I haven't seen. Almost all of it in fact!
I think it would be fun for a year or two; my biggest problem is the bathroom issue.
I know you wouldn't necessarily be doing it out of economic necessity but a lot of women, younger women, are doing it for that reason. Its getting a lot of hype for sure.
For each positive of van living there is a matching negative. Just some negatives for you to consider:
Showering, general hygiene
Cooking/eating
Cleaning utensils and your living space
Do you really want to “live” in that confined of a space?
Weather dependency
Mail (where does it get sent?)
Income tax (residency)
.
.
.
.
Last Fall I spent an evening with Teri Lou. She decked out her van and it looks great but I would not want to live that way. I have a truck camper and it has two absolute essentials: a toilet and a shower (actually both in the same room). I hate using public rest rooms and especially outhouses. I do navy style showers and if water is scarce I can get by with 1 gallon of warm water for my shower.
My wife and I sold the house upon retiring from work and traveled for 2 years. It worked out well except my wife was determined to settle again near the grandkids. Our truck camper has a furnace, A/C with generator, queen sized mattress, 3 burner stove, refrigerator, microwave (rarely used), dinette, TV (never used), and plenty of storage. I was out for 4 months this past Fall and am planning another long trip for next Winter/Spring.
Let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns. There are also plenty of resources elsewhere. I recommend RV.net.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
