I think these are all very clear things that everyone is aware of even if you aren't doing vanlife.

Van life looks tough… I’d probably do it only if I have saved up enough money and probably do it to explore/travel, but not really as a lifestyle choice.

The top thing for me was not knowing how hard it can be to find a legal place to sleep.

#5 How much we realized we can't stand each other.

Even with the added expenses of gas, you're saving money in other areas you'd be paying for if you lived in a house. Chances are, the costs cancel each other out since I can't imagine gas being more than house payments, water bills, electricity bills, etc

Before the pandemic i always liked travelling on night trains for long times across europe. Was a fun experience, especially because it was like a moving hotel room.

Finally, van lifers admitting that #2 is an outdoor activity which means that's the toughest thing when dealing with inclement weather imo.

Van life is great but every now and then you need a quiet place to relax and just chill in. A simple an secure home base is a must.

I appreciate the honesty. People often glamorizes this lifestyle

She made it sound like she's giving out some well kept secrets of travelling in a van, but she just gave out the 4 literally the most important aspects of this life!

Low budget van life: (start with extra savings) 1. buy a (smaller) van that needs only few gas (with foldable bed and roof) 2. built-up light (not a ton of wood/steel) 3. only things you need (minimalize) 4. cook cheap (less meat, seasonal, regional) 5. spend money on memories (museums...) 6. souvenirs useful everyday (clothes, tech) 7. poop outside (nature/shops/restaurants) or clean camping toilet more often 8. use nature to move your body have fun ❤

Make sure you have sufficient insulation for windows in cold places.

Bends down to do his business. Snake: bring that booty over here bro.

Imagine taking a nice nature walk and then seeing this guy taking a dump in the bush

I appreciate your transparency

The pooping amongst the cactus was the best one! Thank you sor the heads up on Vanlife. I learn a lot from vids like these!

#5 most important: Idling your vehicle so much for heat and A/C etc. has a huge impact on the health of your engine. It sludges up the engine and degrades your oil much faster

If you didn't know any of this then that's on you. These are literally four of the most basic things.

Get an orthotic pillow, shop affordable food stores and get a compost toilet. Ty 4 sharing

I think this is a great way to find out what you really want or like. i'm a 100% sure they had some priceless fun moments , that they wouldn't trade .

For the WiFi: get yourselves a starlink antenna. You'll have good wifi almost for everywhere for a relatively good price.

I had that exact Verizon hotspot. I got much better coverage with an AT&T hotspot. The netgear nighthawk.

I've watched hundreds of van life videos and no one else has ever mentioned #1! I've been wondering about that. I get cramped on long car rides and hate sitting still for too long. Thank you for mentioning it.

This is the only van life channel that doesn’t stuff people into coffins respect

Yall van lifers are just living an easier version of what us truckers have been out here doing for years.

Your hubby popping his head up like a meerkat by a clump of cacti had me rolling!

With all the negative things we are all aware of van life seems like a ton of fun.

This is helping my anxiety of working a typical job instead of van life cause now I don't feel I'm missing out 🥰 I needed this. Thank you

I would not recommend having no 2 behind a bush of cactus (or cacti idk)

They should make a popping chair. Like a stool with a hole in it, that you can unfold and sit on whilst out in the public and then do your business and clean it up etc.

very honest and down to earth... I slept in my camper truck for 3 years and I had the worst case of constipation in the last year I thought I was going to die... I hiked a lot I ate a lot of fruit but I drove hundreds of thousands of miles and it didn't seem to help at all... I felt a large renewed appreciation for truck drivers... I've always had a morning constitution in the shower in and out in 15 including the shower, but not after driving for 3 years. I was in the truck stop one time for an hour and a half I finally gave up. I had the cramps all the way from Pennsylvania to Georgia. thank God for ice cream and milkshakes.

I wish ppl would start talking about more (from state to state) what there gas bill is like once a week and how much your filling up, how often, and how much it costs… This is never talked about! Thank you for being one of the very few that does! ❤

You seem to have had very high expectations because that is what rimes with van life to me. Idk how to not know if you've made searches beforehand.

I feel like all of that is just common sense... Especially the first and last one, those would have been my first doubts about living a van life

Van life is very different for people that don’t have a choice! You make it work because you have to! What you’re annoyed with isn’t worth complaining!

Bring along some potting soil for covering no 2…especially in an arid region: little first , then cover completely…breaks it down into soil….yea! Go Green!!!

I lived in a van for 3 years, and they are totally correct 😂 the 4 main pains in the ass of living in one. Until you wake up right next to a beautiful scene and then you forget all the complications for a second

The only thing that stopped me from having any idea for doing this is the hygiene, showering or taking bath after a long day of work is my biggest comfort at the end of the day. Ah and taking dump outside is just a big no for me, like no, I'd rather constipated than doing that sorry 😅

The ending with him peeking out the bushes was a movie magic moment 😂

The ones with question marks are the ones that I found and think were a coincidence: I never die- (G)I-DLE’s album (tomboy as title track) Watch me *slay* it- Everglow Ready to *shoot*- Itzy (?) Call it *savage*- aespa On a path of *fate*- (G)I-DLE Haoshoku Haki- reference to the anime One Piece (I’m not an anime fan so I had to search this one up 😅) The *baddie*- IVE Fruit of the devil- Reference to Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife by Le Sserafim (?) I *come alive*- A demo song for Blackpink (?) *Untouchable,* that’s my name- Itzy Leggo, I’m *fearless*- Le Sserafim Beat it- Reference to aespa’s next level (저껴라) (?) Supernatural- NewJeans (this song didn’t come out at the time of this but I still included it anyway) (?)

That’s why I live in my own house and grow a lot of my own food !!! And a nice hot shower everyday is priceless !

It's almost like vanlife is a glorified version of houseless people sleeping in vehicles that has gotten so mainstream that houseless people cant park in safe places to spend the night anymore. EDIT: I mean houseless. A lot of people sleep in their vehicles out of desperation and rely on them. A lot of people would give anything to have even a bad apartment to live in. What I'm talking about is how it has become a trend. There are thousands of reasons people would turn to living in a vehicle, just like there are reasons people would choose to rent. The issue comes when people do it for fun and feel entitled to the spaces and drive out houseless people from their own communities of people like them. That is the problem, and many houseless people on tiktok have voiced how this is a problem for them. Its the glorification of poverty, in the same way faux worn out, moth eaten, hand me down clothes became, and in the same way lobster and brisket were once poor mans food. I do not know the people in this video, but I do know that people treat vanlife as something quirky and fun and freeing, when it is very difficult and something most people do out of desperation.

The thing i'm most concerned about : parking overnight (for free) , I read an article , Walmart, truck stops, Home depot , maybe

The husband's priceless facial expressions, the wife's deadpan monotone news anchor voice, the happy music, omg I can't with you two, so funny and informative!😹💛

Aaaah, I'm an old guy, got a lot of experience being out in the woods, let me pass some of that experience on to you. NEVER go into a cactus patch to take a poop!!! 😁👍

Bro imagine going on a family road trip and see someone's sh¡t behind a bush 😨😨😨

If you're living off grid and don't have water, you can save or find sheet rock mud buckets and clean those out. They are food grade, at least the brand i found. The person using the mud needs to keep the lid on and especially when the bucket is empty. This way the mud stays wet for easy cleaning. I've got 10, 3 1/2 gallon buckets. Last me about a week including washing dishes and showering. I have 8 single gallon buckets that i refill with heavily filtered water for drinking, ice, and cooking. 50 cents per gallon at grocery store.

Saving up to finally do my van build this spring! Thanks for the poop tip. I have a hard time pooping outside 😂

I spent 19mo living off the land, it was a great experience that taught me that being a part of society is worth every penny.

Me: *peacefully taking a dump* A group of dung beetles: “The Gods gave us a treasure! Thank you!”

for #1, I would suggest using a lumbar roll. Just position it at a comfortable level (I've been doing this for about 3 years, since I got my current car). I just bought a cheap one from the exercise department in Big W that's about 30cm/12" wide - and I sure know when I've got it in the wrong place, but it really makes a difference to how my back feels while driving (and even just as a passenger)

You should place a good cushion pillow on the driver seat. That should support your lower back and prevent any injury in a long term since you are behind the wheel most of the time.

Your toilet situation is why seasoned vaners use disposible bag linned toilets. The cheapest and simplest is the five gallon bucket with toilet seat. Each time it is used number two or two and one combined can then be bagged and put into another bucket with air tight lid for eventual disposal in a public dumster or trash receptacle. Solo number ones can be dumped in any grass or dirt area where it is readily absorbed into the earth. Hand urinals facilitate collection of number one. Ultimately, the above allows you the most freedom/peace of mind eliminating the constant concern of being near public toilet facilities or secluded areas. It also eliminates the smell of portable tolites and the huge task of emptying them. Additionally, a gallon hand pump pressurized yard sprayer filled with water provides great a bidet eliminating the use of almost all toilet paper.

I was recently homeless for 2 months sleeping in my car, so was my boss. Our relationships with our girlfriends went south. Gas adds up to about $800-1,000/month unless you want to sweat yourself to death or freeze. Then add food to that. $15/25 a day x 30 days that’s about 450-750/month. So it costs about $1500-1700 a month to live in your average car and not a lifestyle van. Homeless is not cheap lol

Promaster seats are BRUTAL! I drove to Florida and back from Canada and swear it ruined my back . I now have a thick sheep skin on the driver's seat and it's actually mad it somewhat more comfortable.

1. Just walk around the van works for me. 2. Starlink - why are you bothering with cellular? 3. Don't move around so much. Food is cheap 4. Get a fan put in - or some nice scented chemicals.

Cover the Porta potty with a liner, garbage bag or plastic shopping bag, poop 💩 and then dispose of the bag.

Im not sure about America (assuming this is America lol), but why not get a gym membership? All the gym equipment (so you can work your body), all the facilities (sauna, toilet and shower) and most gyms allow 24/7 anywhere. Meaning just go to different gyms as you travel, since there'll always be a gym somewhere.

4 thing's am tired living on the grid 1) 9-5 job 2)coming back home after work to repeat all 4 3)seating on the sofa seen how fun vanlife looks 4)having to ask someone for a vacation and wait till approved

I got stuck in South Florida right after the beginning of my Vanlife right after Covid when gas shot up to $15 a gallon- followed by food 😫😩

I prefer to use a bucket type toilet with double linners. That way you are bagging up your waste for each use and you are not carrying around black water that eventually you need to find a dump spot. Also no odor and can be desposed of in trash cans. Yes, trash cans where people routinely put diapers and animal waste.

Ok, the big question is, how do you make money to do it? Or is it a huge savings? Because I could see a remote job being possible but still tough due to the data/wifi.

I would do it to travel around the world but not as a permanent lifestyle… but I can see the beauty in it as well

Love your humor with facts!! 😂 Thank you for sharing these truths. Very helpful

"Time to live van life!" *_*continues sleeping beside the literal house*_*

3 out of those 4 are the first ones that come to my mind when thinking about van life

A heavy plastic grocery bag (like winco and Walmart started using a couple years ago) works great as a one time poo toilet. Put the bag between your legs, hold on handle in the back and one handle in the front. It forms a perfect seal in the whole groin area, and catches everything. After pooping, twist and knot it up and put it all in a gallon freezwr bag and seal it. The snell doesn't get out and because its all in a gallon ziplock bag, it's all contained and odor free until you find a dumpster to throw it away. I always keep a few of these set ups ready to use on road trips. Ive live in an RV fulltime without running water or RV toilet sewage system for several years now. I use a 5gallon bucket compost toilet lined with two garbage bags and using peatmoss to cover poo and soak urine. NEVER EVER have odor. It works great and I actually prefer compost toilet to the wasteful water toilets in everybody's houses. If I had my own property, I'd compost the waste into soil using the barrels system.

I stayed in my van for two years. And my body will not allow me to go outside. I had a DIY bathroom in my van. If you separate and dispose quickly. It's not bad.

I can't imagine how they don't get tired of each other living in such a tight space, even if they set camp outside, they're still together 24/7. Also, how do they expect perfect internet/service while going wayy out in the boonies?

I can imagine the driving and how you sit with your computers in the van are not ergonomically suitable for long hours…what would you change?

You're so right, Colorado is becoming very much a totalitarian state. That's why what you do is so incredibly important.

I slept in my car once for a week or more. Had to see a chiropractor. Slept between large RVs @ walmart and Home Depot. Used tshirts in my eindows for privacy. Tied a rope to each door handle. Had 2 attempted break ins while i woke up face to face with them. I showered at the YMCA. I ate costco chickens at mcdonalds for their sauces (they were free back then 2008). After that experience i feel your grief.

#5 - how much you value your personal space

And yet with all that I STILL want to run away and live in the woods. Poo in a whole? I'm good. No wifi, might make me crazy. No other people, just me and my hubby? WINNING!!! 😅💙👍 Merry Christmas everyone ⛄❄️🎄

Finally a van life video with just a couple living on their own, exploring places without shoving kids in shelves with curtains when their sleeping in a luxury bed. It’s heart warming to see this.❤

They do have thick bags for travel pots or commodes, there is powder that can help with odor which allows you to dump the bag in any trash can, and then I use a scented 3-gal bag to cut further down on odor.

As someone who lived in an rv for 3 years and went over the road trucking for a year as a companion, (not a driver) why do you decide to pee in your toilet and poop in the woods? As someone who has lived this type of life, peeing outside and pooping inside is not only less stressful but you also don't need to take a shovel or risk leaving a turd for someone or something to step in. Also most people poop less frequently than they do pee so you probably would have to empty your black water tank less frequently.

This is one of the very few van life stories that I find really, reeeeally relatable😂

I agree with #1, we try to go to the gym mainly for this reason now . Living the "truck life" we tend to be in our front seats a lot and it's taking a toll on our bodies.

Yes do the course!!! We need step by step and beginner modifications…..

I didn't see him taking toilet paper with that shovel on his walk the cactusbathroom..!! Lol nah awesome life style. I only wish my better half and kids would have been up for doing it.

I'm doing a similar thing, but I work in a mine site for say two weeks and then I'm off for a week. The mine takes care of my food and accommodation expenses while I'm there and when I'm out for the week I take care of my own expenses. I think it's a fantastic life, however I only have a car to do it in, not a van. I will have one soon. Looking at the four things that are your challenges, I'm sure it won't take long for you to come up with a solution. But sometimes we just got to bare it, and I think it builds character too. It really causes you to think outside the square and be innovative. Hey all the best to you and your travels. God bless

The ‘how much it cost’ part is absolutely ridiculous. You plan these things ahead!

Just plastic bag it. I used to go on the road with bands and while on the tour bus there was a rule... no number 2 down the head. Grab a bunch of plastic bags next time you're in Walmart (you can take a whole bunch. They don't really seem to care) and use one to line the toilet. Do your business, tie it up, and double bag it. Toss it in the trash, and you're good. This is best for when you don't have a lot of options, and they make bags specifically designed for it as well. Large empty coffee cans work well for intermediate storage until you can stop to find a trash can.

Honestly the food is a given no matter what ... But for those of us without kitchen set ups as yours, having to get fast food or buy more frequently and throw out more if you have no place to really store. So for sure a must to have quickly is a fridge/cooler something to be able to store extra cold items. Gas ya it's more frequently now that the vehicle is also our home. But gas vs rent? Still way cheaper. Body ... Well I have to walk alot for work so I haven't noticed the soreness y'all have. But will say I have noticed my lower back stiffening after driving alot. And have you noticed your arm and hand tightening an cramping up. Like my left arm is the main one controlling the driving wheel. Ive noticed mine stiffening up and my hand stuck in the grab position where I have to take my other hand an force my kinked hand open an stretch it. Happy Trails

Imagine how many times they beat the dinosaur game... Edit: OMG! thx for so many likes

I have a class A because I prefer being able to do #1 and #2 in my RV and not having to go looking for a place to do #2 at 3AM.

I would build some kind of extendable chair lengthways to allow time to sit stretched. I’ve seen some builds on KZfaq where they anticipated the cramped conditions and mitigated it. I think there are ways to boost the signal for internet. I saw one van life video where the people had something installed and could get signal out in the desert. I’m not sure why food would cost more if you always cook in the van as you would in a house but gas would cost a lot. But if you don’t have other vehicles, the gas cost should be comparable to owning two family cars which would be a normal cost for a settled family anyway.

Oh yeah , almost forgot No 5: hearing about the gabby petito story.

“We still face many deadzones” Yeah because there isn’t service absolutely everywhere on the planet. Who would’ve thought.

I own a homestead and I lived in my car to Uber/Lyft. I had a free gym life, which is part of my HMO. The bathroom was easy because I parked in the park and used my gym to shower and poop too. I parked near the library and WiFi and internet are free. But my AT&T is unlimited too. Walmart fed me fed me. Which wasn't very expensive, so my experience with these problems didn't affect me.

Honestly...thankuuuuuuu.....all these makeovers are very sweet to look at ...living the van life may not be sooooo sweeeeeet

I have dance classes 14 hours a week and we roll out our muscles with tenis balls or even better lacrosse balls. You can also get a foam roller but it might be kind of awkward to use in the van.

Oh thanks so much for sharing ! I wish you guys the best.

Since most retailers abandoned 24/7 operations, night time public restrooms are more difficult to find. Lots of gas stations now close at night even ones located near interstates.

I remember living in a room where the wash room was all clogged up, it didn’t have any kitchen, no ac, and It’s almirah was also broken. I used to get ready at 9 in morning pack all my stuff and used to go to Dunkin donuts and used to occupy their washroom for 15 mins, to brush my teeth, wash my face, comb my hair. I did this for 3 weeks and because I was their first customer of the day, I used to get all the time I needed in wash room 😂 it sounds funny, but I felt like shit when I had to do this. I used to stay there because i could not go to toilet anywhere else. And recently i visited the place and the franchisee has closed from there. Now I have place to do these things but whenever I am out, I search for Starbucks because of free wifi and guaranteed safe washroom.❤

I laughed at him just popping up from behind the cactus and looking around then squatting back down 😆

“Thing we wish we knew before van life” How to actually Van life lol 😂

for people interested in van life - using your cassette toilet only for urine is pretty wild. for me (2 years in a van) and almost everyone I know its the opposite. the toilet is for *emergency* dumps exclusively. you can pee in a bottle, cup, or jar and then toss it in the trash (sealed), or dump it ouit somewhere, much easier and more inconspicuously than digging a hole.

Portable telescopic antenna would be helpful to attach to the van or on the ground when stationery.