Last Sunday, we drove back to our campsite ― and found it empty. After two years of traveling full time by van, someone finally jacked our stuff. The good news is we hadn’t left behind anything valuable. Our two-burner camp stove, two camping chairs, hatchet and two bundles of firewood were taken. Altogether worth about $100. Frustrating since we’re not made of money,… Read more →
If you plan to travel full time — by van, plane, bus or train — you need to know how to stretch your money as far as possible. Smart spender, frugal, thrifty. These are labels you should wear proudly! We do. Unlike people who are cheap, we don’t squirrel away our cash, unwilling to use it as a means of getting what… Read more →
While van living in the desert with seasoned RVers last winter, we met a Canadian couple from Winnipeg who told us they walked the Coast to Coast Walk in England. “It’s like walking through a storybook,” they told us. We were immediately intrigued. As we’ve said before, the minimalist lifestyle of a van-dweller makes it easier to undertake lengthy adventures like this,… Read more →
It was early March in Florida: The weather was gorgeous, but the temperature in the van was sky high — even at night. No problem, we thought, we’ll just crack the windows! Then we spent the next half hour killing mosquitoes. You can still see a few blood spots on the roof of the van. :/ Most van dwellers follow good weather. That… Read more →
Another reason van life is great: It’s easier — logistically and financially — to go on other adventures. We spent roughly a month hiking the length of Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail. This is the longest backpacking trip we’ve ever taken. (We hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail in 2014, which was a fraction of the length.) And though it was challenging, it… Read more →
We’re spending a lot of time away from our trusty van Red Delicious this year. We went to Australia (where we rented a van) and we’re about to spend a couple months long-distance hiking in both the U.S. and England. This begs the question: What do you do to store your van safely when you’re away? 1. Leave your van… Read more →
Fact: Spending a lot of time in a vehicle isn’t good for physical fitness. One of van living’s big challenges is that driving equals sitting — and sitting is the new smoking. Even if you travel slowly and don’t drive long distances daily, van life is essentially one long, seated road trip. We’ve been struggling with staying fit since we set out. It was especially… Read more →
We’re not talking about getting someone to watch your van for you. 😉 If you love travel and animals, have you considered house sitting? We’ve recently taken on more house-sitting assignments as a way to shake up van living. (As if van living weren’t exciting enough!) House sitting is a staple in the full-time traveler’s diet: it’s a way to earn free… Read more →
Don’t you ever get sick of each other? How did you agree you both wanted to do this? How do you get alone time? These are just some of the questions you might think about if you’re considering van-dwelling or traveling full time with your partner. Taking a relationship on the road — in close quarters — makes some people break… Read more →
Many of you have asked: How do you handle living so differently from other people? Is it hard? The short answer is no. It was difficult when we first got started though. Before we quit our jobs to take a traveling sabbatical, I (Tamara) had to pay a therapist to tell me I was not a bad person for wanting… Read more →