Now I’ve been at it for a whole two months I’d thought I do the preposterous thing of trying to opine on what it takes to make this a happy and fulfilling way of life. Not for anyone else mind, just for me. Which makes it feel a little less preposterous as it will be interesting to compare what I think now with what I think in a few months’ time, not least if I’ve given up by then and am reading this from the comfort of an armchair somewhere.
Some elements of vanlife (a phrase I one day hope to be able to write without cringing) are pretty much exactly as I expected, some are easier, one or two are harder, and then there’s a few nuances that didn’t even occur to me. But all in all, details aside, it has been quite similar to how I thought and hoped it would be. Which might be because unusually for me I actually did quite a bit of research before I started.
To be honest, and I’m probably rendering the rest of this post pointless by revealing the big conclusion now, but hey let’s call it an executive summary, if you are excited by the idea of living in a van and think you’d enjoy it then you probably will. If you don’t think it’s for you then it most likely isn’t. This may not seem like the most startling of revelations but I guess the message is, if you really like the idea and want to give it a try don’t be put off by the fear of being ambushed by some unknown factor. And if you don’t really fancy it then you don’t need to feel that you are missing out on anything.
I think one of the keys is to be adaptable and able to go with the flow. Not everything will go exactly as planned. Sometimes this will be because some external factor has prevented me from being able to do what I wanted to do, like a broken down ferry. Sometimes it is because I see something else that looks cool on the way, or the weather changes, or I enjoy where I am so much that I stay longer. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have a plan, that didn’t really work for me, just don’t get too attached to it. I try not to need to be places at specific dates and times unless it’s something really important that I either have to or really want to do.
When I get up I know roughly what I want to do that day and where I want to be at the end of it. If I have work to do or some life admin I get that done as early as possible which gives me a sense of achievement and means I can relax and enjoy the rest of the day. Which is not much different to my intended methodology when I lived in a house, although for some reason I found it harder to stick to there. But maybe it is still the novelty factor, I don’t know.
One of the more surprising factors that makes life easier is a degree of physical fitness. And I mean a degree, I’m not suggesting you need to be an Olympic athlete to dwell in a Transit. But I do find that you end up incorporating a range of motion that makes some kind functional fitness helpful. There’s a lot of getting up, and getting down again, crawling around, stretching and twisting to reach things. When you inevitably forget something from the garage, you have to squeeze back under the bed to fetch it. And it’s often slightly out of reach. And you invariably hit your head on the way out. Then realise you’ve forgotten something else. And therefore have to repeat the process. Including hitting your head again. A calm demeanour also comes in handy at this point!
The good news is that getting fitter is a great by-product of the lifestyle. I walk a lot more than I did, my step counter thinks it’s been stolen by a springer spaniel. I love getting out on the bike, hiking, swimming and exploring places. I don’t do it with the goal of getting fitter, I do it because that’s what I want to do right then. The fitness is a bonus. Flexibility is definitely a good attribute to have. Both in body and spirit.
Something that comes less naturally to me is a degree of organisation. You really do need to allocate a place for everything and put it back in that place once you’ve removed it. Partly this happens naturally because everything needs to be securely stashed somewhere before you drive off unless you want spend a lot of time wondering what the random crash and bump from the back was. But it is also because, I at least, end up doing a lot in the dark once the light fades. I’d rather let my eyes being accustomed to it then using the interior lights and then not being able to see anything at all once I switch them off. It’s actually very satisfying to be able to reach around you and pluck items from shelves and cupboards without seeing them. I feel like the master of my domain, where I know every last inch and corner of my environment. Right up until I stab my finger on that knife I’ve put away the wrong way around again.
Lastly, which isn’t really lastly at all – there’s loads of other stuff but I seem to have gone and written a lot of words already again, maintaining some contact and interaction with other humans is important if, like me, you are doing this by yourself. I’m not naturally super outgoing so I have to make a conscious effort to say hello to people I meet out and about and to have a conversation here and there. And it pays off, there’s a lot to be said for just a friendly smile and a wave from a stranger. And of course technology now makes it much easier to keep in touch with friends from a distance too.
It reminds me of when I used to work from home for a prolonged period in the past (pre-COVID times!) and that could start to feel quite isolated after a while of hardly seeing anyone. Out walking on the trails lots of people say hello and in town I’m lucky to have the music and can go to an open mic night and get to know people there. Not that I have yet, but it’s all part of the plan for the future!