#Vanlife – reasons to do it

I’ve just finished watching a video by Nate Murphy about his thoughts on vanlife and how the world depicts it in social media, news and other areas around the globe. And I have to say I agree with him on a lot of things.

His main argument is that a lot of people seem to look at Vanlife as an end goal instead of the tool it is. Vanlife is a way of life yes, but it’s not something you’ll necessarily do for the rest of your life. It’s a way to keep a smaller income viable whilst being able to travel and focus more on what brings you joy in life, rather than being stuck in a mind-numbing job you hate, just so you can afford to live in a house and pay your bills.

I highly recommend you give his video a watch here or over on his Youtube channel.

Reasons to and reasons not to

There are certainly reasons not to live the life of vanlife as many would point out. Some of the reasons are:

Security, you aren’t secure or safe when you live in a tiny house on wheels.
Locations, where are you going to park? Where can you park?
House amenities such as: Running water, toilet, shower, kitchen and laundry appliances.
Space to breathe, you live in a van! How much space can there possibly be in a van?

I’ve had my share of questions and statements from people who aren’t looking into this with an open mind. Sure it’s challenging but the rewards for us really outweigh the cons.
To be able to travel with your house so to speak is something that has taunted me for as long as I’ve known it was a possibility, before that I was seriously thinking about making the first tiny house here in Iceland. The thought of getting away from consumerism and just be happy with what I have, reducing my carbon footprint, living small and manage my life in a much better manner has always given me goosebumps when I think about it.

For me, I have my own reasons to actually go through with living the vanlife and among them are:

Freedom, I can go where I want, when I want.
Space to breathe, yes I live in a van. But you can also look at it this way: I live in a two room apartment, the second room outside the door where ever I go is the big one I breathe in!
Security, I can react to a threat by simply moving my house away from the location I’m in. I can’t do that with a fixed house.
Ease of mind, just thinking about the open road, rainy days spent reading and listening to the rain barrage my van makes me feel calmer already.

I don’t know if my words will have any impact on you or not, if you are in the process of thinking about if vanlife is for you or not then I trust you to weigh the cons and pros for yourself. These are at least my 2 cents on the topic.