Derrick & Paula started living in a van 2 weeks before they got married and then travelled across Canada in the camper van for their 2-month honeymoon. They loved the Van Life so much that they decided to keep living in the van when they got back; taking it one month at a time. To-date they've lived in the van for 19 months and spent not 1 but 2 full Canadian winters living in their van.
Their Dodge Pleasure Way camper is a tiny house, but it has almost all of the conveniences of a conventional home: a large bed, a flush toilet, a sink, a propane furnace and propane fridge, 2 solar panels, rotating captains chairs, and more.
They came up with solutions to living in the van during winter, the most interesting of which was to fill their RV system with burst-proof antifreeze so that they could still flush the toilet during the winter. For water, they fill 4-liter jugs at work and bring them home each night. For heat, they use their propane furnace as well as a battery powered heating blanket in the bed.
By living in a van, the couple was able to reduce their expenses, especially by eliminating the cost of rent. This allowed them to aggressively pay down their debt and get themselves into a financial situation that is allowing them to consider purchasing a home in the future.
Derrick & Paula have made an incredible series of vlogs about their van life adventure and you can find these videos on their KZfaq Channel, Back to Reality, at:
/ @backtoreality
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
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STAY IN TOUCH!
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Blog: www.exploringalternatives.ca
Facebook: /exploringalternativesblog
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat Dubé of Exploring Alternatives.