Adventure Magazine Issue 220

About a year ago, we started looking through Facebook
marketplace trying to find an upgrade to our 1998 Toyota
Tacoma. Drew built a bed in the back of it with storage and a
camper shell on top. It was perfect for short road trips, but no
way we could live in it. We wanted something more. We came
across a 2004 Sprinter Van 2500 with a 140 inch wheel base.
We drove all the way to Charlotte, NC to pick up our new
home. Drew, being 5’10, specifically wanted this van so he
could stand up in it without bumping his head. It’s small enough
to parallel park in a big city, but big enough to live in. Perfecto!
Ten months, $8000, and one million Home Depot trips later we
had our new home customized the way we wanted it. Drew and
his dad built everything from scratch with the help of Youtube
Vanlife Build videos. Their motto: “90% thinking, 10% working.”
As we hit the open road the first day you could only imagine the
feelings and energy that was going through us. The excitement
of what’s to come, the sadness of what we are leaving behind
and the fear of the unknown are only a few. That is, until about
3 stop lights from our old drive way that we got rear ended.
Luckily there was no damage but it sure got us started into
what Vanlife is realistically like.
What is full-time Vanlife like you ask? Oh man, it’s exhilarating!
Not everyone is cut out to live this way. There is nothing like
driving down the highway with no air conditioning, seeing the
Colorado River, and jumping in. There is no schedule and we
are free to explore whatever we want whenever we want. Just
the other day, in the Sedona desert we looked at each other
and said “Let’s climb up that mountain and do yoga.” It was far
away from everyone and so peaceful.
There are no rules and we can live in whatever state we want
to and have no obligations. The more terrifying moments
come the longer you live like this. As we find places to sleep
(Walmart parking lots and rest areas) we never know who
might come knocking at our door at 3am. A cop telling us to
leave? A scary man threatening our lives? We just never know.
We also have the anxiety of driving around our entire life that
could be taken from us at any second. Our van is our house/
car with everything we own inside. All of these moments put
together are what makes Vanlife so exciting and we wouldn’t
want it any other way.
There are challenges and there are rewards. Everyone asks
us, “Do you still love each other?” Yes, we do, but we have
both struggled living with another human in such a small space.
“Why didn’t you clean your dishes?” “You’re going the wrong
way!” “You killed my succulent!” I could go on, but our four-year
relationship is definitely being tested every day and we look
at it as just another experience. Other challenges we face are
keeping things clean and occasional boredom. Cleaning is hard
when you have limited amount of water to wash dishes. We
have three 6-gallon water tanks, but it still doesn’t seem to be
enough. Bugs LOVE to fly in the second you open the door. It’s
a fun game of “who can catch the moth before it disappears,
and we find it in our bed later”.
We have picked up reading a lot more since we don’t have a
tv to binge watch every show on Netflix. Drew plays the mouth
harp and I play the ukulele to pass the time. These challenges
are nothing compared to the rewards we receive in exchange.
We have traveled all over the world, but our wanderlust is
never fulfilled fully. Every city has a story and we want to
read every one. From hiking next to grizzly bears in Alaska to
wakeboarding in Brazil. We hope to take our home on wheels
to it all.
Drew and Brittany in their home away from home
82//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#220