The REAL Reason Everyone Is Quitting VANLIFE

Comments · 2.6K

• WI

  @williamdavis7753 · 2 years ago

  I have lived in my van for 5 years now...paid $3500 for it...parked in the same spot for the same amount of time...I did it to save money...that is what attracted me to this way of living...and I have fallen in love with it.  No channel...don't want one...don't need one...too much stress...I got into this lifestyle to eliminate unnecessary stress.  Peace y'all

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• PA

  @PazmanPoker · 3 years ago (edited)

  I think the funny thing about this lifestyle is there are more young people trying it & then giving it up. I think it's actually more suited for an older person who has lived life already but just wants a simpler lifestyle. I'm 55 years old this year & I'm looking into it for the first time. Now I'm single, have no kids & very little responsibility. I'm not at an age where I'm considering starting a family or looking to venture into a new career. Also my day to day expenses are extremely low & I live a pretty minimalist lifestyle. The other key to this life is not to change your lifestyle. You see so many van life channels where people start out embracing the solitude or the off grid living. I wouldn't change my lifestyle except I'd probably add more travel to it. Otherwise I'd live my same lifestyle but I'd just go home to a van instead of a small apartment.

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• BN

  @Bng_Rp_ · 3 years ago

  I’m 19 and I want to do the van life for a year with my mom to travel to every state. Then when we’re done, we can pick a state to live in. We have no extended family (as they are abusive) and I want her to see the world. Thank you for this information! 🥰

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• AN

  @anthonypicone3463 · 2 years ago

  The point of living in a vehicle is to eliminate most expenses. The problem is people think you have to constantly be driving. That's where your expenses greatly increase. Pick a spot on public lands and just live there for a month. Then find another when you're bored etc. No need to constantly be driving around the country

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• KE

  @kevinreist7718 · 2 years ago (edited)

  Having a home base can make a huge difference.  Someplace to stay, with full hookups when you get tired of travel can be a welcome R&R break.

  10

• BL

  @blazerprophet · 3 years ago (edited)

  As an old man now, who hitch-hiked for a living in the mid 1970's as a teen, went to a van, then bought a small, old house in a mountain community and now have a small house in a mid-size area... People evolve. We are "nomadic" by design. As we age, mature... we want to try new things and our needs and desires change. I have zero regrets. I just wish my knees were good enough to get back to van life.

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• WI

  @wild13hawk · 3 years ago

  My vision (fantasy at this point) would be to establish a chain of pseudo RV parks that would be called Skoolie Yards. They would function almost as much like a mobile home park. You could maybe buy a lot, and have a storage container there. When it's time to travel, you lock up what needs locking up, and agree with management whether your space can be used for rental while you're gone. Also, a warehouse/ workshop facility on site. But, basically, a flexible base to work from. Anybody? 🤔

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• BR

  @braxxian · 3 years ago

  My wife and I are both in our mid 50’s so we have been around the block a few times. Life is a balance. Travelling full time won’t make you any happier than never getting to travel. We make sure we go on a decent sized trip every 3 years. The rest of the time we are happy to work part time and potter about at home. To much of anything is never a good idea.

  47

• JO

  @johnwalton5303 · 3 years ago

  I am a trucker and I drove over the road for well over a decade. Due to my parents getting older and needing me around more I came off the road and got a local job. However living in a apartment with so much space is mind-boggling to me. While over-the-road I lived in the space that was no bigger than a queen-size bed. Half of that was a bed the rest was storage. I constantly wish I could go back out on the road maybe not as a trucker again but to just have the ability to live in a smaller space. To have the ability to basically be like a turtle and move my home to wherever I wanted to go. However still be close to home be able to be there for my parents and to still go to work. Like it'd be nice to be able to go camping on the weekends and just take my home with me. Not having to worry about if I packed the tent when my tent and everything else is my home aka van. Maybe one day I'll get back out there again. I'm very interested in the van way of life.

  53

• NO

  @NoteFromSELF · 2 years ago (edited)

  🙄 "Everyone" is quitting van life because their YouTube channels didn't take off like they thought they would.

  772

• LO

  @lorengrimes5293 · 3 years ago

  I don't think that's just van life, that's LIFE.  Life is change.  At some point you realize that in order to be happy, you have to find a way to embrace the chaos.  Also, running a small business is a lifestyle in itself, and it can be hard.  Pat yourselves on the back for whatever success you've had there.  Make no mistake, you guys are killing it!

  151

• UN

  @UncleSilverGaming · 3 years ago (edited)

  As an aspiring van lifer who can't start it yet but watches a LOT of videos, most of the people I watch admit that they never intended to do it forever, so I'm guessing rising costs and general stress are triggering that change. I feel like the optimal life (for me anyway) would be a seasonal campground space for half the year (some places near me do March to November) then when they close, travel for a few months, all while living in (or out of) your van. You get both the minimal van life travel experiences and the stability and comforts of being in one place for an extended period of time.

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