This story is never-ending and I’ll probably edit it a million times, but this is today’s version. – 03/05/21
Van life has completely altered my reality.
The community alone has widened my perspective on the world. I have been granted so many more opportunities because I was able to move anywhere at any time without worrying about getting out of a lease, finding a new place, packing, moving. Let’s just say this lifestyle has not only lessened the hassle but maximized my happiness.
I went through a rough period of my life where I was in and out of doctor’s offices and told I’d be lucky to live a year (storytime coming soon at Survive Van Life on YouTube.)
After a wonderful, fantastic, fun surgery, I spent a couple of weeks in bed. I had an abundance of time to contemplate my life (and binge every episode of Modern Family).
I had been an avid YouTube consumer and I was trying to discover good side hustles (YouTube) and find a way to make travel a regular part of my life (Van Life). I stumbled across some girl that was living in her car, then a girl living in her van.
Before I knew it, YouTube’s treacherous algorithm had me in its clutches and I’d been transferred from person to person until I was convinced that van life was the perfect option for me.
The year was 2015 and after copious amounts of research, mistake-making, and working my ass off, I’ve finally made van life an incredible reality for myself.
Is it everything it was promised to be? No. It’s waaaaay better.
When I started out, I never saw the Instagram models posing naked with their vans, making weekend trips look like a froofy reality. I always saw the people that had very little, making it work. I knew it was going to be hard. That’s why I carefully researched.
At the time, I thought all my research was a waste. But here we are, putting my research to good use for you.
Far too much time passed as I researched and worried and stayed up late searching for vans on craigslist, facebook, anywhere.
Finally, I met my baby Ruth. She had one previous owner, a mechanic, that even on his death bed was sad to part with her. He kept her in great shape all these years & I thank him every day. I never met his wife, Ruth, but her name was on all the paperwork.
As I drove her home, I asked “Hey babe, is your name Ruth?” and the car shook, sputtered, & felt a chill. I knew. And since then, Ruth has watched over me. I always joke that the best part of living in a van is that your house can’t be haunted, but somehow, mine is.
From there, I spent about 2 months making minor fixes. (S/O to the family of mice living in my air conditioner.) I was bartending & managing social media for a place I loved, but they suddenly closed their doors & I knew the time had come. I was already itching to start my adventure. I was overcome with a sense of imposters syndrome as I watched her sit in my parking lot waiting to explore with me.
AUGUST 2018
I decided to start off small. I moved 2 hours away, close to friends, and worked at another bar. Turns out van life leaves A LOT of free time you didn’t realize you had. (Crazy what not having constant wifi will do!) So I worked my little butt off. Winter was coming & I wasn’t spending another one in the midwest.
NOVEMBER 2018
After an incredible Halloween/Birthday/Farewell party, I began my journey to the west coast. I had never even driven that direction before in my life. I had never been on a road trip alone. Honestly, I had never done much alone at all.
5 days busting through the desert with sheer determination to smoke a blunt on a California beach at sunset, it was brutal, but I didn’t even process it.
I won’t go into the intricacies of what happened in California quite yet (The California Video coming soon to Survive Van Life on YouTube.) I will say, that year will go down as one of the best of my life. I learned about my capabilities, gained perspective, made amazing friends, and lived in the moment in a way I never had before.
2019
After almost a year of full-time van life, I had some decisions to make. My residence was still in the midwest, I was working in bars in California (hello $15 an hour + tips + overtime is time & a half at 8hrs + MANDATORY BREAKS! Cali knows how to treat a lady) I had a few i’s to dot and t’s to cross back “home” and big events were coming up that I didn’t want to miss.
I decided it was time to leave California.
The way I cried for the first 3 hours of the drive back east is unmatched to this day. It was a necessary evil. I noticed the brutality of the long drive this time. I was tired, worn, & regretted driving back for every second.
When I got “home”, I stayed with family for a while & slipped into a severe depression for a minimum of 2 months. I had never felt so hopeless & lost. I missed California, my friends, the freedom of the open road, and to be perfectly frank, the open-mindedness that you just do not get in Bible-Thumpsville.
I ended up getting a dream job in another state, so after fulfilling my “at-home” duties, I took off once again. The depression subsided quickly as I got back into my old van routines. (I love starting my day at the grocery store & ending at a park, FYI)
2020
Too much can be said about 2020. It was the year my van was a “vacation home” or more like a treehouse. I settled “stick-&-bricks” style in order to do my part for the country, lbh, the world. The entire year was a blacked-out-blur, & I’m sorry Katy Perry, but no it did not rule. Well, honestly, the year was great for me on paper, but it’s hard to enjoy your wins when the entire world is suffering.
2021
Here we are. Patiently awaiting the chance to hit the road once again.
I’m taking this opportunity to pump as much valuable information as I can into this website. I hope it can be a beacon of light in a potentially scary time.
To the future!
– Safe Travels
