Why might you – or anyone – want to live in a metal box while staying in one place? I talk about stealth, or urban van camping, and what exactly it is, elsewhere on this site. But what reasons are there to seriously consider living in a van full time in one place? I heard this question a lot when I told people what I was thinking of doing. Most people can’t imagine doing something “so unusual” – even though the same people might be fine with the idea of travelling in a van! But full time van life with a full time, or regular, job? No way!
If you’re here, you’re already probably on board with the idea of full-time suburban van life, at least to some degree. Let’s give you even more reasons to convince skeptical family and friends!
1. Saving Money
This might be the most obvious reason to live in a van rather than a house. For those of us who can’t afford a house deposit yet, but are sick of renting, vanlife is the cheapest way to live in the area you want without having to fork out a heap of money. In the current housing market where even finding a rental is competitive and stressful, no matter where you are, this gives you another option.
Living in the van means that you save money on plenty of regular household costs. No rent, no utility bills, no wifi – for me at least, as I simply upgraded my mobile plan with Kogan to a larger prepaid amount that still worked out cheaper than splitting wifi with housemates! I even saved money on petrol, which I hadn’t expected going into stealth camping. Because I wasn’t having to drive back home in between whatever I did, I actually travelled less and cut my petrol costs by at least half!
2. Saving Time
Saving time is related to the last one. I do a lot of stuff out and about – work, seeing friends, getting outdoors, regular martial arts 3 times a week and painting classes once a week. I was always rushing about to get to all of these things, and I felt like I never had time to rest in between.
Moving into the van meant that I didn’t actually have to make the drive home in between, but could go back to my van and be at home, resting, before driving straight to where I needed to be next. This saved me so much time, as I had everything I needed right with me, or close by at all times.
3. Less Mental Load
Having extra time helped so much in reducing my cognitive load. Firstly, having more time just to be able to rest was helpful in itself. Then, having everything I needed nearby at all times was great.
I am pretty forgetful (I have ADHD) and with all the things I do, I found it hard to make sure I had everything I needed with me. This was especially true if I was going straight from work to the gym, for example. Now, I feel like living in the van is like being a turtle – my home is on my back – or near enough. I can’t forget anything, because it’s all right there. I cannot overstate how much of a difference this made to my life, or how much more organised it lets me appear.
4. More Sleep
Okay, this is a lot like “saving time,” but it’s important enough that I feel it deserves its own point. I have worked both shift work and a more 9-5 regular job while doing van life. Shift work is different for everyone, and as someone who does not cope well with it, I struggle a lot with fatigue. For the dreaded Late-Early combo of shifts (where you work an afternoon shift finishing late at night and then have to come back early the next morning), every extra minute of sleep in between makes a huge difference.
Living in a van means that you can sleep pretty much anywhere. I have slept right outside the hospital I work at on a bunch of occasions (although usually not my preference). But even on nights where I leave the city, my commute might only be a couple of minutes, allowing me the extra wind down and sleep time, and a precious, precious sleep-in the next morning. Van life has actually let me stick with shift work longer than I otherwise might have.
I also frequently make use of the van for naps during the day as needed – no need to push through on a tired day anymore! It’s super easy to take a break from a study day or even on a lunch break to come out to my napmobile – as I frequently call the van – to have a lie down or a quick nap. For this alone, I would recommend having a van conversion – it is a lifesaver.
5. Living in a Nicer, more Central Neighbourhood
This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I do love that I can live wherever I want, while still working and living in my city of choice. I can park right out in nature for the night if I want to do an early morning hike. Or I can park in the CBD or within ten minutes of it if I’m working early the next morning. The price of rentals meant that I previously lived further out of the city, albeit in a suburb I love. Now, I can live (almost) wherever I want, when I want to.
On days off, I can head back up to my old suburb, and get coffee and go grocery shopping as I wish. When I have an early appointment, I can stay nearby the night before. I get to choose what is most convenient for me. And often, before work, I choose to live in quite a well-off suburb that is very close to the city. It’s a huge bonus to urban van life.
6. Being More Eco-Friendly
Now this one is a bit more optional, I suppose. Some vans are definitely fuel-guzzlers. And it can be a little more effort to recycle while living in a van. I haven’t actually calculated this yet, but it definitely seems like I have a smaller eco footprint in the van.
So, how do I figure this?
Like I said above, I use less gas, electricity and fuel in the van. I am also a lot more mindful of water usage. I like to think I wasn’t too wasteful when living in a house, but it’s entirely different in the van. With a limited supply of water, and the annoyance of refilling, using as little water as possible becomes an art. You truly pay attention to your use of almost every drop.
I am also more mindful of resources generally now. I spend a lot more time in public spaces like libraries to study. This means I get to use their lighting, air conditioning and wifi that would be drawing power anyway. I am also more likely to use public transport if going somewhere with limited parking for the van, rather than driving. Or, because I am already usually much closer to the places I want to go, it’s often easier just to walk.
It’s also easier to remember a keep cup when your stash is with you whenever you pull up to the coffee shop!
7. Enforced Minimalism
I learned about minimalist living in my early 20s and fell in love with it. I find that having less clutter around makes it much easier for me to stay organised and clear headed. Having only things I need and truly love has helped me be a lot more mindful about my life. It has been great for saving money and more importantly, feeling more mentally healthy. It may not be true for everyone but physical clutter definitely = mental clutter for me. And while I’m not there yet, one day I would love to have my own capsule wardrobe.
I got rid of a lot of unnecessary things I had accumuated when I first became drawn to minimalism. But over the years, I found bad habits began to creep back in. The allure of the internet is always present in our modern lives, and it is so easy to get caught up in all the things you can buy. I started to find myself purchasing more impulsively again. The van helped in two ways:
Having a clear goal I was saving for – the van build – was really great in giving me a direction for my money. There was something I really wanted to achieve, and I had to budget for it. I had to think about what I was doing with my money, and how it would impact how long it would take to get there.
The other, main way, was by providing a structure that I didn’t need to rely on willpower for. Relying on willpower has been shown by research to be a terrible way to actually do the things we want to do – it is so fallible. Check out the books Atomic Habits or Indistractible for more on this. By living in a van, space is limited. Once again, I have to be more considerate before making a purchase. I have to think about if I have the room. Do I really need it? Will I use it?
Enforced minimalism. Living in a van restricts my space. No amount of justifying to myself would change that. No loopholes to exploit. I had arranged my lifestyle to direct my actions in the way I wanted them to be. There you go, guys – a habit forming tip and example for you too (van life or not)!
(For more on Minimalism, check out The More of Less or The Year of Less, both great reads. Another helpful book, specifically on capsule wardrobes, is Project 333.)
8. More Time Outdoors
Being outdoors is really important to me. Even if not for the well-documented evidence about how great nature is for our physical and mental health, I feel so much better when I spend more time immersed in nature. We are lucky enough to live in a country that is so wonderful for it, with green space easy to find.
Despite nature on our doorsteps for most of us across Australia, I found that I just wasn’t out in it as much as I wanted to be. On days off, it was too easy to get caught up in life admin. Unless I consciously planned for it in advance, months could easily slip away without proper time outdoors. The mornings of days off would be gone before I realised, and then it would be too late to go for a decent hike.
Living in a van helped me get nature back into my life in a big way.
By saving time and having less regular costs, I could work less. This meant more days off during the week, when trails were less crowded – another negative for getting outdoors on the weekend. I could spend the night near where I wanted to be the next morning, whether the beach or a national park. I could have a leisurely morning and still have plenty of time to make it outside. All the barriers in the way vanished. Would these be a problem for everyone?
No. But for someone who likes to be outdoors without feeling overcrowded, and who struggles to manage their time and their energy, this was the perfect fix. And I can feel the difference.
This is actually true for a lot of other less pleasant life activities. Living in a van made it easier to get to the gym on days I might have otherwise found an excuse. It could also be true for any other activities you might find yourself putting off.
9. More Flexibility and Freedom
I’ve alluded to this multiple times throughout this post. Less regular costs allows for so much freedom. I was able to cut back on work so I could focus on study, but still have time for a mid-week painting class to try out new hobbies. I was able to commit more time and money to supporting my mental health, but despite this, still save money.
The freedom of being able to do more of the things I want to do, without adding financial stress, is incredible. I find it helps me feel so much freer and more open. I can also take the van away for mini-holidays easily.
This freedom is perhaps the biggest positive of full time van life.
10. Escaping the Rat Race
The last point brings me to this one. Getting to work less while living where I want to and doing the things I want to do is great. It means that I don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, even if I essentially live in one place. I can work full time if I want, or take a break from work if I want, or study as much or as little as I want. Taking a different job, if I want, is easy – a change in location is no problem.
I feel like I live a different life from the people around me – just in a small way. But this makes a big difference. I find I take a more relaxed approach to life. I don’t rush as much – there’s no need. It’s a different mindset.
It almost gets to feel a bit like travelling, while still home. Daily living has to be a bit more creative. A little more problem solving is required at times. I have to be slightly more resourceful than I otherwise might. A little more aware. A little more free.
It may be silly, but I relish this feeling. I like to do things a little bit differently. And living in a van is just enough to do that for me.
In summary
So there you have it. Plenty of benefits to stealth van camping! Will it be enough to convince the naysayers around you? Let me know!