How to Try Van Life Without Buying a Van
Getting into van life can be a scary and daunting adventure. A lot of people want to live the lifestyle but don’t know if they will like it long term. So what is the best way to try it out without spending a ton of money? There are two main choices, car camping or renting. In this post we will be focusing on the second option, renting.
Renting a Van
Renting a van is one of the best ways to try out van life without having to spend the time or money getting a van and building it out. You have the ability to choose from a variety of vans from DIY builds, to professional camper vans, and even class B RVs.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Testing Van Life?
When you rent a van you can get a good and accurate feel for van life. You will be able to learn if a van is enough space for you, you can learn what it is like to find places to sleep every night, and you can learn the daily routine you wouldn’t always expect.
Is a Van Enough Space For You?
This is a hard one for anyone to answer. Knowing if the size of a van is right for you is something only you can determine, and it’s hard for you to even say until you experience it. Some people underestimate the size of vans. Online, vans can look very big due to wide angle lenses and camera angles, when in fact vans are not very big. A Ford Econoline for example is roughly 9.5 feet by 6 feet of usable space. You also need to take into account interior height as vans range from 4.5 feet up to around 6 feet. Being able to experience a van will give you a better understanding of if you are comfortable living the small space a van provides. You also have the ability to try out many different sizes of vans, everything from Ford Transit Connects up to Extended Dodge Promasters.
Finding Places to Sleep
One of the most asked questions for people wanting to get into van life is “where do you sleep at night?”. While there are many possible answers to this question, it can be hard to find comfortable places to stay each night. Some people strictly street park, while some find free public land, and some stay just at paid campgrounds. Each one has different positives and negatives, and the best option depends on you and your situation. Some people learn once they start traveling that they aren’t comfortable street parking or able to fall asleep. On the other side of that some people learn that they don’t need to or don’t like staying at campgrounds, as they would rather save the money or camp more secluded. Renting and trying out a van will give you a better understanding of what’s best for you.
The Daily Routine of Van Life
Everyone is used to the daily chores and routines of living in a house or apartment. In a house you have to keep up with household chores, in a van you also have chores. A lot of them may be the same such as cleaning floors, laundry, and wiping down the kitchen There are also a lot of van specific chores such as:
- Filling up water tanks
- Emptying the gray water
- Converting the van into day and night mode (beds windows, moving things around)
- Finding places to dispose of trash
Living in a van you also need to find a good routine throughout the day for things such as cooking and working. With your routine you need to learn and be mindful of your energy use. Once you spend time in a van you will start to learn how easy it is for you to keep up with everything and get a routine.