30 Handy Tips For Surviving the Van Life

Who would have guessed that living in a van would one day be considered cool? If only Matt Foley were around to see this. Really, though, is it so surprising that more and more people are leaving their nine-to-fives behind in favor of more freedom? As restrictive and confining as everyday life can be, the appeal of van life isn’t hard to see. 

Of course, for most people who take to the road, van life is about more than ditching responsibility and leaving their worries behind. It’s about shifting one’s mindset and re-thinking the boundaries of what one’s life can and should be. It’s a less-is-more approach to life, distilled down to its purest form.

One of the greatest attractions of van life is that it presents an opportunity for simplification. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. 

The nomad lifestyle presents a wide range of challenges, from beating the weather and staying within the bounds of the law to eating healthy and maintaining good hygiene. These 30 handy tips for van living will help you avoid some of the most common troubles that befall nomadic newbies. 

1. Get the Right Van

Too many people buy a van first, and then decide they want to try out van life. It should be the other way around. Plan ahead and carefully consider your needs before you buy a van. That way, you can choose a van that best meets your criteria. After all, you have a lot of options – minivan, cargo van, campervan, Class B RV – so think about how much space you need, and how best to utilize it. Four-wheel drive is always good to have, and the most important thing of all is reliability.

2. Start Small

We all learn as we go, so it’s best not to take to full-time van life right away. Start by plotting out a weekend road trip. Then take what you’ve learned over the weekend and try out a full week, then a month, and so on. Everybody makes mistakes when they first try it out, and starting small is a good way to keep the stakes relatively low at first.

3. Get a Van With Windows

Vans without windows look creepy, and they can be pretty uncomfortable. Invest in a van with windows in the back, or customize the van by putting in windows of your own. They’ll make the space feel less claustrophobic, allow some natural light to enter, and give you an option for ventilation. If possible, get windows with screens so you can open them up without letting bugs in. 

4. Minimize

One of the biggest mistakes first-time nomads make is packing too much stuff. The truth is, no matter how luxurious your van setup may be, space is at a premium. Anything you don’t need should stay behind. 

5. Be Honest About Your Toilet Needs

You’re not always going to be at a campground with modern amenities, or have the ability to stop at the nearest rest area. So be honest with yourself about your comfort level when it comes to peeing in a plastic bottle or pooping in the woods. When you have to go in the middle of the night, what are your options? Ultimately, most nomads end up incorporating some sort of toilet system into their living space, be it a basic bucket system or something a little more complex.

6. Chat With Other Campers

The more time you spend on the road, the more people you meet who are doing the same thing. There’s a genuine community surrounding van living, and you’ll learn a lot from talking with your fellow travelers. It’s also a way to avoid the loneliness that sometimes comes with traveling for an extended period of time. 

7. Use Storage Bins

Organization will be an ongoing challenge. Invest in some storage bins to help keep your stuff as tidy as possible. Depending on your space, you might find that cloth storage bins are ideal for many items. Clear plastic bins are also great because they protect their contents and let you see what’s inside. 

8. Learn to Live Without the Internet

The good news is, with many major cell phone providers you can turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot (here’s how it works with an iPhone). The bad news is, you’re still at the mercy of your network, and the road will frequently take you to places where there isn’t a bar for miles. It’s best to learn to live without the internet because at times you will have to. 

9. Get a Doormat

Whether the main doors to your living area are on the side or in the back, get a good, sturdy doormat and put it at the most high-traffic entrance. When you enter, take your shoes off. This will make it much easier to keep the floor of your van clean, and significantly reduce wear-and-tear around the entry. It’s also a good idea to have a pair of slippers or sandals you can change into when you come inside. 

10. Install a Fridge

Being able to keep food and drinks cold isn’t a luxury, it’s essential for reducing waste and keeping yourself well-fed on the road. A miniature fridge like this one from Dometic is well suited to van and campervan life, and small chest-style refrigerators are good too. Choose something that offers a reasonable amount of room, and fits in with the overall way you’re organizing your space. 

11. Get a Road Atlas

Again, at some point in your travels, cell service will vanish and the internet will fail you. It’s only a matter of time. When that happens, a good old-fashioned road map can save your bacon. If you’re hitting the road in the US, invest in a quality atlas that includes detailed maps of all 50 states. 

12. Keep Some Cash Handy

While most of the world is moving away from cold, hard cash, it’s still pretty handy on the road. If you want to buy firewood at a roadside stand or fresh produce from a farmers’ market, cash is king. And be sure to stockpile your quarters for laundromats and the occasional old-fashioned parking meter. 

13. Invest in a Power Inverter

Having electricity where and when you need it is one of the recurring challenges of van life. Get a good power inverter with at least enough plugs for your phone and laptop, or invest in an even bigger one if you’re traveling with a friend or partner.

14. Avoid Fast Food

The convenience of fast food can be hard to resist when you’re traveling by van, but do your best to keep those cravings at bay. Staying fit and healthy on the road can be a real challenge, and skipping the burgers and fries in favor of healthier fare will be a big help. Stock up on fresh groceries, and prepare your own healthy meals whenever possible. 

15. Create a Basic Cooking Setup

Every campervan needs its own kitchen setup. Packing every feature you want into limited space can be challenging, but at minimum, you need a single burner that can be used to prepare basic meals. The Eureka SPRK Camp Stove is a great single-burner butane model, but choose the size and fuel source that makes sense for you. 

16. Obey the Law

While this isn’t always the case, there is a tendency for police to be suspicious of van folks, especially in rural areas. You really never know, so it pays to play it safe. Keep up with insurance, registration, and vehicle inspections to ensure that your van is legal to drive. And don’t speed. Getting a speeding ticket outside your home state sucks. 

17. Set Up a System for Trash

Figuring out what to do with your refuse is one of the not-so-glamorous aspects of van life. Ultimately, you’ll need a system for keeping trash tidy and relatively out-of-sight. Re-using shopping bags as trash bags might work for you, or you might want permanent, enclosed trash bins. Either way, be sure to separate trash from recyclables and empty your bins regularly to keep trash from piling up and getting smelly. 

18. Take Up a New Hobby

There’s a lot of downtime when you’re living on the road. Listening to podcasts and audiobooks are great pastimes for when you’re actually driving, but for the rest of the time, you might want to take up a new hobby or two. Maybe try one of these ones. 

19. Get Some Shoe Organizers

Organization is your best friend in a small space, and hanging shoe organizers are a great investment. They’re not just useful for shoes. They can be used to keep all kinds of gear and supplies tidy – clothes, tools, kitchen utensils, food – and transform any vertical surface into organized storage.

20. Make Your Bed as Comfortable as Possible

When you can’t get a good night’s sleep, van life becomes very miserable very fast. Invest the time and effort to outfit your van with as comfortable a bed as possible. Space is sure to be limited, of course, but do your best. As a general rule, avoid sleeping bags. You’ll be more comfortable in real blankets and sheets, and they’re more conducive to cuddling, should the need arise. 

21. Follow the Off-Season

Van life offers the freedom to travel when and where you like… so be smart about your route. It’s often best to travel during the off-season, avoiding the times when various regions are busiest. For example, it’s wise to steer clear of Florida in winter, when the campgrounds are packed with snowbirds. 

22. Find Free Campsites

Learn how to identify places where you can park your van for free. And just as importantly, know where you can’t. In the United States, most national forests and many state forests offer free dispersed camping, though the amenities are typically few if any. Some big-box stores, including Wal-Mart and Cabelas, often allow overnight parking, but rules may vary from city to city.

23. Don’t Neglect Your Hygiene

Do your laundry. Brush your teeth. Wash your hands. Whenever possible, take a shower. The nomadic lifestyle might throw up a few roadblocks when it comes to staying clean and healthy, but you don’t want to turn into one of those smelly van guys, so put in the extra effort to not let cleanliness slide. A solar shower like this one from Advanced Elements can be a great investment, and when all else fails, a pack of wet wipes is man’s best friend. 

24. Sign Up for a Gym Membership

Sure, a gym membership will help you stay in shape on the road, but more importantly, it gives you a place to shower. When you sign up for a membership at a major nationwide chain like Anytime Fitness or Planet Fitness, you have access to thousands of free showers all across the US. 

25. Pack Some Survival Essentials

Bottom line, you might break down in the middle of the desert, and you don’t want to die out there. Always stash extra drinking water in your van, and stockpile some survival food rations so you never go hungry. Tools and first aid supplies are important too. 

26. Set Goals and Stick to a Schedule

One of the great things about van life is that you can set your own schedule and be spontaneous. But after a while, you can lose touch with your sense of time and purpose, and it may be helpful to set daily goals or establish a routine that you stick to, within reason. That might involve setting a morning wake-up alarm, establishing mileage goals, or tackling certain chores on certain days.

27. If There’s an Unbreakable Version, Get It

Things have a way of shifting and spilling while your vehicle is in motion, and few things will ruin your day faster than picking shards of glass out of your van’s carpet. Bottom line: skip fancy glassware and breakable plates in favor of stainless steel wine glasses and a rugged enamel dinnerware set. 

28. Stay Warm

Winter weather creates some challenges for van dwellers. Aside from the obvious solutions that aren’t really solutions (wear warm clothes, drink lots of hot tea), there are a few things you can do to make your van more winter-ready.

Covering the windows helps, and there are options to add real insulation to most vans. An energy-efficient space heater is a good investment too, and it’s even possible to install a small furnace or wood-burning stove in some vans, provided you’re able to ventilate it properly. 

29. Stay Cool

Hot summer weather can be just as troublesome as the winter cold. Installing a fan in your van is a big help, and as mentioned before, windows that open and close will make getting a cool breeze much easier while you’re parked at night. It’s also with investing in a windshield sunshade and putting it in place any time your van is parked during warm weather. 

30. Make Some Money

Van living is a very affordable way of life (sure beats having a mortgage), but it’s not without its expenses. Gas isn’t cheap, and even if you find free campsites most of the time, you’ll always have to shell out for food and the occasional tune-up. Luckily, van life lends itself very well to the gig economy.

You can always get odd jobs on the road, but also consider listing your services on sites like Fiverr and Upwork or making something crafty you can sell on Etsy. Speaking from experience, freelance writing isn’t a bad gig either.