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If you have an Instagram account, you have surely seen the #vanlife movement that has been sweeping the globe in popularity over the last few years. While this is not necessarily a new concept, it is one that has taken the social media world by storm.
Many people find themselves asking "why would I want to live in a van?"
The number one answer we hear from our van life friends is "freedom."
If your home is on wheels, you can live anywhere! Don't like the cold weather in the winter months? Head South! Need a change of scenery? Go somewhere new.
Living in a van, as opposed to an RV, means that you can go anywhere that regular vehicles can. Your van will fit in any standard parking space, you can run through a drive-thru if you need to, and they are more fuel-efficient than a standard RV.
Another factor that vanlifers take into consideration is financial freedom. With the rising cost of home ownership, it just makes
sense for a lot of folks. No high property taxes and utility bills, no HOA fees, no throwing away money on rent every month. There are endless options for free or inexpensive overnight parking, and just as many resources to help find them, including apps like iOverlander, freecampsites.net, or Campendium.
Remote work has become increasingly easier to find, which means making money on the road can be done from the comfort of your home (on wheels). You'll find that with you moving around often, you meet new people and potential clients all over the country.
Don't get us wrong, living in your van is not all sunshine and rainbows. You'll have to make some lifestyle changes to make van life work for you. For instance, you'll have to get creative with storage, as you will not have a lot of extra space. On the flip side, this also means that you are not holding on to unnecessary items, which can be very liberating. You'll need to make use of laundromats, and depending on whether you've built a shower and toilet into your van, public restrooms.
You'll also need to factor in the cost of repairs, as you are literally driving your home across all different kinds of terrain. Things that are usually stationary are moving and jostling, causing things to loosen as you go. Knowing ahead of time that these things are possible, and sometimes likely, to happen means that you won't be caught off guard, and can take preventative measures in many instances. Generally, this is still a considerably lower expense than costly home repairs.
Living in a camper van also means that you are likely to be away from friends and family for considerable amounts of time. The van life community helps with this tremendously, as you will find that everybody is welcoming and eager to share tips, tricks, and comic relief with their fellow van dwellers. A quick internet search will provide you with a plethora of van life community meetups, both in-person and virtual.
There are many factors that you should take into consideration before you consider starting your #vanlife journey, and 27North is more than happy to discuss all of them with you.
For more information, contact our sales team at: sales@everestconversions.com
or call 417-657-4557.
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