Where are you going to park? Where are you going first? Aren’t you scared? Where do you shower? What if you have to poop? These are all questions I endured for months as well as common questions I still get from people that are curious about van life. I’ve been full time in the van since September 28th 2019. Less than 2 weeks later my transmission blew out and it was in the shop for 2 weeks. At the time I didn’t know I needed those 2 weeks out of the van, but the universe forced me to take a long overdue break. (If you want more of that story read a previous post “I Just Needed a Minute and the Universe Made Sure I Took It”)
Adapting to full time van life meant peeing in public restrooms as much as possible, taking advantage of electricity while at work, showering at Planet Fitness or at work, and always thinking ahead. Time management was key as I had much more limited options in a van than in an apartment.
Would I have time to shower in the morning or should I shower tonight? Do I need to empty my grey or black water tanks or can I make it another few days? Cooking was something I didn’t think would be an issue in the van and it isn’t. Cleaning up however is. I’d completely underestimated how much water I’d use to do the dishes. Water isn’t too expensive, but my grey water tank filled up much quicker than I’d expected and it was $20 if I wanted to empty it at the RV dump station.
I have 2 6 gallon clean water tanks and 2 6 gallon grey water tanks that are all under my sink. I started with 3 clean water tanks but before emptying my tanks the first time I overflowed my grey water tank for one me to convert one of my clean empty jugs into a backup grey water jug. Lesson learned.
It made me very conscious of how much water I had and was using. That’s a cost I simply hadn’t considered. Other than those things it wasn’t that big of a change. If I wanted to chill I chilled. Not having wifi meant going to the library or a coffee shop, but it was also really nice to be more disconnected. Part of the appeal of van life was just that. Cutting my Netflix habit altogether was much easier without wifi as an option. Reading books, journaling, meditating, or just chilling and listening to music became much more appealing. I’m not an animal, I have a few movies downloaded on my ipad in case I need to veg out a bit, but it’s much less of an option to binge Netflix without wifi.
To answer the questions above:
Where are you going to park?
This was the number 1 question of just about everyone! I frequently parked in and around my old neighborhood in Oakland. There was a park on the street over from my old apartment and there was always parking on the side butting up to the park so I wasn’t parking right in front of someone’s house. People were used to seeing the van parked in the neighborhood and I felt safe. I was “boondocking” mostly which meant I was living in the van on the streets, not a campground or hooked up to anything. My goal with that was to essentially live for free and save money. By doing this though I didn’t want to draw attention to myself or anyone to realize I was living in the van and decide to rob me blind. Otherwise I’d park in Berkeley near my yoga studios. The only time I had an issue was when a cop woke me up a little after 5am by banging on my van. I didn’t know it was a cop at the time and was scared out of my mind. Shaking, I started the van in case I needed to bolt then removed the window blind on the passenger side window and saw it was a cop. Rolling the window down, still shaking I heard the officer say “Are you Amanda?” I responded “yes” and he said “we’re looking for a missing girl who was last seen in a white van similar to this one in this neighborhood” I took a huge sigh of relief and said “it’s just me in here, I was sleeping, you’re welcome to look” He replied, “it’s ok, have a good day” After that incident I felt ok about sleeping in the van but I was a lot more jumpy for the next couple weeks at any sound I heard.
Where are you going first?
Upon first getting the van I thought I’d leave the Bay Area in July. I bought the van in May and had no idea that it would take so long to be ready. I originally thought I’d go to Oregon and Washington to explore as that is where I likely see myself settling down next. Having never been to either state I want to check both out before making any decisions. Unfortunately, and as per usual with van life, the plan changed and I wasn’t ready to leave until December. Because of this I decided to visit my sister in San Diego for a week so I could spend some time with my her and my nieces, as well as enjoy the weather before heading back to Wisconsin for the holidays. Then I’d likely head south simply to get away from winter weather and be able to sleep comfortably (and warmly) in the van.
Where do you shower?
When I was working full time and living in the van I showered at Planet Fitness or at work. On the road I’ve stopped at planet fitness and plan to continue to do that or most camp sites have showers as well. Sometimes where I go next is wherever there is a shower convenient.
Thinking ahead is part of this. If I need to be ready for something I need to make sure a shower is available or that I shower the night before. Also I take advantage of showers if they become available. When I met my friend in the Grand Canyon she let me shower in her hotel room. Part of van life is being a “dirtbag” too and I will go days without showering for a multitude of reasons. Deodorant and essential oils, along with a quick baby wipe or water wipedown can definitely help elongate the time between showers.
When driving from California to Wisconsin I stopped in Salt Lake City specifically to shower so sometimes the destination can be just that. Needing to use the restroom or take a shower can steer the path this journey takes next.
What if you have to poop?
Ok guys if this is TMI then 1) Grow Up! I’m human just like you and yes I poop! 2) Just scroll past this
I have a 5 gallon port a potty that fits under my bed in the van. It is completely self contained and has 2 compartments. The top being water to flush, the bottom being the black water waste. A special chemical liquid is put in the bottom compartment to eliminate any odor. I try to only pee in it, but if I have to go I have to go. I haven’t had any issues with smell. I really only use my porta potty at night and in the morning, but if I’m on the road it’s always easy to stop at a gas station or other store. I empty it at RV parks or rest stops.
Do you have Solar or electricity?
Yes I have 2 solar panels on the roof of the van. They are connected to a surge protector and charge my lithium “house battery”. The house battery (separate from the car battery) is connected to the alternator and can charge while driving. This helps in the cases when there isn’t enough sun to charge the solar. With bad weather and minimal driving I can still have enough power to last me about a week. I have a couple plugs if I need electricity but really try not to use it if I don’t need to. The main things that use my electricity are my sink pump and my refrigerator. The fridge is connected to my fuse box and is a 12 volt with a plug that would fit in a cigarette lighter. I bought a special plug to use less electricity. When I am staying with someone I can use a regular plug and take advantage of their electricity so I don’t waste the vans if it’s going to be parked for more than a couple days.
Do you have any questions about van life? Feel free to ask here and I’ll answer!
Mindfully Authentic 