Now that we’ve been living in a van for almost four weeks, we’ve learned a few tricks and tips. Here’s what we know so far:
1. Free Wi-Fi.
It’s necessary and wonderful. Good Wi-Fi can be found in public libraries and Coffee Beans. Bad Wi-Fi can be found at Barnes & Noble. Unless, of course, Barnes & Noble wants to pay me to say otherwise….because why wouldn’t they want to sponsor a blog about bumming off their free Wi-Fi?
Saturday morning, with no where else to go, I decided to finally take my road bike out for a long 15 mile ride. I was so proud of myself. I was doing it –embracing life, getting out, exercising, taking exercising selfies, the works…because the alternative was sitting in a hot van. Desperate times, desperate measures I guess.
Here are some of our most frequently asked questions about living in a van.
This is a complicated answer. I’m not sure we’ve really thought it all the way through. Probably shouldn’t admit that. But the truth is it’s a lot of factors that added up perfectly to “live in a van.”:
“I’m uuuup…”
“No seriously, I’m up. Let’s go. Potty time.”
“…What do you mean there’s no potty.”
“WAIT? No. There is no waiting.”
“THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.”
“YOU HAVE 90 SECONDS SISTER– I WILL DESTROY YOU.”
-Morning bladder in the van
Well night two was less “woooo we’re young and reckless!” and more, “Can you please get out of the way?!”
Moving sucks. For anyone. There are random stupid objects that really don’t belong anywhere, and you’re tired, and you have to have little counsil meetings about every detail of every drawer every other minute. The good news is rather than moving our stuff from a moving van to a home, we just moved our stuff into a van that is our home.
The day we moved into the van, I read a graduation speech from Mitt Romney. I highly doubt he ever intended his motivational words to reinforce a desire to be homeless, living “in a van,” but they did. With that kind of reaction, imagine what he could have done as President.
“Your world is now breathtakingly large, almost without boundaries. With such vastness and with so many possible directions to take, some of you may understandably feel somewhat anxious and uncertain. You may even be tempted to look for a smaller, more comfortable world, one that’s less complex, and less demanding. That’s not who you are and that’s not what Saint Anselm has prepared you to do. To experience a fulfilling, purposeful life, one thing you’re going to have to do it this: live a large life.”- Gov. Mitt Romney
Here are some of the best reactions we’ve had so far after telling people we live in a van. Keep ’em coming people! What was your first thought? Comment below.
Part human. Part watchdog.
This guy gets edgy at night and edgy in the morning. He’s always peering out. One day he’s going to see another pair of eyes peering back at him from a guy sketched out and wondering why a kidnapper van is parked in front of his house.
I’ve basically been living in a car for the last three years, commuting 3 hours a day in awful L.A. traffic. Sitting in crazy traffic while paying crazy rent just to crash at night and start all over again in the morning got me thinking– why don’t I just live in a van??
I write for advertising agencies. My husband is a medical student studying for the boards. We don’t really fit the hobo profile, but whatever. We’re doing it.
At least for the summer…if we can make it.
So we’re inviting you to follow along. I promise it’s going to be an interesting ride.
So we live in a van 