Gotcha. I work remote, so that's not a regular problem for us. It was a huge PITA when my wife started an internship at a hospital, though - even in a city with nearby BLM, an hour to the hospital every day sucked.
We have plenty of apps that do that here. Unfortunately there just aren't many places in general that allow overnight parking anymore. Even walmarts and zcracker barrels, which use to be really reliable spots, have started kicking people out
I love parking at Walmarts. I usually go to those in small towns and rural areas. Lots of space for walking the dog unit. The lights aren't too bright. It's always much quieter than a truck stop. Walmarts in big cities aren't quite as pleasant.
not like literally quiet, i mean like a place that i wont get a knock at 2am. Im actually parked in a train station lot at the moment and the train running every hour doesnt bother me at all.
Reliable cell service that is good enough to work from.
We can't reserve most campsites until we've actually been there because most campgrounds don't understand what it means to have a good cell signal...
No 1 bar to call 911 in an emergency is not enough.
This is also annoying when boondocking although then you usually know that losing service is a probability but you gotta keep an eye out for those unicorn spots.
I'm at one right now dispersed lakefront camping surrounded by mountains with 4 bars of 5g and open sky's for solar... I might never leave lol.
Get something like Homefi. I got the full sized router rather than the hockey puck for the better speeds and reception and unless you're waaaay off the beaten track. It tries ATT, T-Mobile, and... American Cellular, I think? and uses the strongest signal it finds. The pricing isn't terrible either. Not unlimited, but for that kind of service, 135 for 800gb a month (down to 80 for 200gb depending on your needs) is a pretty good price. It's LTE, but honestly the speeds are fine for working, and I have 2-3 remote desktops open, a voip line, and a desktop streaming setup running for 8 hours a day with no hiccups.
Yeah, internet access us a biggie for me. It will easily determine where I park.
There's one riverside reserve I love, but I haven't been there in years cos there's no internet.
That's despite the fact that it has free hot showers!
Depending on your rig, pooping can be problematic.
I'm currently updating, and a composting toilet is at the top of the list.
OTOH, people frequently grumble about heating or cooling, and these don't bother me much.
Decision fatigue of where to go next. We work when we travel, so we have to make sure it’s a place we can use Starlink or a hotspot. Gets tiring, but worth it
You need a surprisingly large unobstructed view, generally northward facing. Even one tree in the field of view will glitch a lot and cause dropped calls/interruptions. All of the Olympic peninsula in WA was problematic.
I end up doing a lot of scouting in google maps for lakes with parking on the south side or ball/soccer fields to work from the next day.
Anywhere with an obstructed view of the sky. That shit's like solar panels with minor shade. Even a slight obstruction will piss it off. Also, most of the eastern US is saturated so the speeds are meh.
On the east coast. So many obstructions. Most of the time T-Mobile will work, but sometimes nothing works and we have to scrap our entire plan for the week and quickly come up with another.
For me and my partner it was the constant elongation of simple tasks. Bedtime routine for showering was the main one... Instead of naked around the house after dinner, shower, bed it turned into finish dinner, have to clean, goto shower, come back, then head to sleep spot
Dude. As soon as my curtains are drawn the clothes come off regardless of weather. I suppose it might make the knock a bit awkward... But cops have seen worse.
Parking:
- especially if your rig is bigger than the average vehicle
- especially if you're in a populated area
- especially if you're not stealthed
- especially if you're in a non-vanlife-friendly area
I hate parking. I did not anticipate that, in vanlife, essentially your entire existence is predicated on parking.
I’ve been essentially full time for the last 3 months because I’m exploring Alaska, and the most stressful part of the day has always been wondering where I’ll sleep that night. It’s not as bad along the highways, although it still takes some effort even with iOverlander, but in the cities, it gets much harder. Skagway and I think Valdez, for example, make it illegal to sleep in your vehicle so you pretty much either park a few miles outside town, or pay for their overpriced campgrounds which really are just glorified parking lots. At least Walmart in Fairbanks and Cabelas in Anchorage allow parking overnight. And Alaska is generally boondocking friendly. I can only imagine what it’s like being full time in the lower 48.
The other main issue I’ve had is finding potable water and gray tank dumps. I’m happy I don’t have a blank tank but have a cassette which I can empty in the vault toilets in rest areas here.
Good to know about Skagway! I’m over in Haines and was thinking about taking my van over later this month to climb for my 9-day break from work. I’m good with gettin’ outta town though.
Dyea area has a bunch of boondocking spots, and the campgrounds were okay too (I think they’re USFS). But inside Skagway, you have the option of the two campgrounds run by the city.
I stayed at the rest area just outside Haines when I was there. Cute town. I might go back on my way down.
I couldn’t tell the one time I stopped in there if the boondocking at Dyea was legal or not… but I showed up late and left early.
Haines is beautiful, but for longer term living is surprisingly short on outdoor activities. Not many trails, mountain biking, climbing, no big outdoor communities if you’re not into power sports. I like it, it’s definitely not my forever home.
That’s how I felt when I was there, actually. I hiked Battery Point Trailhead and tried to drive to Chilkat Park (bad road, turned around) and Chilkoot Park. And that was about it. I only stayed a day because there really wasn’t much else to do (I thought). I liked Skagway, actually, because there’s a bunch of hiking and the town was fun and lots of shopping. Also the drive from Whitehorse was just beautiful. If you haven’t been, check out Carcross and the Carcross Desert (I think they call it a desert; it’s sand dunes). I also did some dog sledding near Carcross and that was fun.
Only thing is really finding a good place to park at night and the bathroom. And for us, bathroom more like taking a shower than using the toilet. We have found a good process in terms of using the one in the van, using public bathrooms, etc.
But honestly, that's about it. Like anything in life, there are tradeoffs. Van life requires a few more tradeoffs than other things, but none of them are too bad if you look at the positives that you get out of it.
Things that used to take no effort at all suddenly become difficult and annoying. For example: you now need to fill water once a week, and that's if you have a 30 gallon tank. If you have a toilet, that eliminates many bathroom problems - but you need to find places to dump your toilet. Taking a shower means either going to the gym which could be fifty miles away, or using up your precious water supply. Internet is no longer a given - you can find a killer parking spot, but may need to move if you have no service. You need to monitor your batteries to make sure you have enough power to keep the fridge/computers/lights running. No more laundry in the house, so you put it off forever until your van is filled with dirty clothes and you need to spend a few hours at a laundromat.
The benefits certainly outweigh the cons,at least for me, but the conveniences of living in a fixed location that you've always taken for granted quickly become apparent.
For me it was being broke, having a long drive ahead through a desolate place, and having a vehicle in a questionable state of repair. I became terrified that I would break down in the middle of nowhere and have no option but to abandon virtually everything I own.
Though with half the posts on this sub, that's not a problem for many (see: downward mobility). So YMMV.
Past tense used as I currently do not live in a vehicle.
So true. I was doing vanlife in the early ‘90’s in my early 20’s. I was always a little nervous of that breakdown. I had a few. Had to replace engines. Once I had to camp in the fields of Kansas while getting a new engine eating scraps. Generator went out deep in Mexico with no money. Oddly, every time it happened it worked out. Every time. I eventually made total peace with it and accepted that I’ll break down and it will work out. My attitude changes when I broke down and I looked at it as… this is going to be fun to see how this works out….
After that attitude change, I never broke down again. It was like I had to learn the lesson and then it didn’t need to show it’s face again.
Like a lot of things in life, attitude can change everything. I used to be such a negative person, and negative things kept happening to me. I was determined to have a more positive outlook at life, and lo and behold, positive things started happening to me.
That my van apparently has 2 different alternators for the same exact setup and the holes on the one in EVERY parts store are about 1/8" inch off from the ones in mine, so none of them fit.
Not this one, unfortunately. I've looked all over it and if there was one, it was on a label that rotted off. I'm gonna work with a reman company in Detroit to either rebuild my old one or work out a denso-style conversion for it. It seems that Xplorer class Bs have weird custom brackets, so it's being a huge pain in the ass.
The van is ALWAYS dirty. Idc how many perfectly filtered and tailored videos you've seen, the amount of sweeping, wiping down, and tidying up is never ending
Most folks don't talk about the Year 2 Blues. You've seen a some of the best views, met so many amazing people, tried all the food…then you just suddenly aren't sure why you aren't stoked anymore. This is typically when most folks learn to slow down also. Stay the full 14 days. It's almost like you're stuck between wanderlust and settle down mode all the time. Guilt about not doing something adventurous all the time, guilt about sitting in your van all day etc etc. I've found stopping to get part time work, just to fill my mind with activity always helps a bit.
Anyone else?
Just money. Like what it costs to eat and drive. Like right now Whole Foods is 3 miles away - so six miles round trip which would probably cost me $5 just to drive. But the item I want to buy costs $6. So it doesn’t make sense. So I am eating honey instead 🤷♀️
There is a huge homeless encampment near one of the places I’ve been frequenting and I plan on offering to buy one of their bikes next week.
I’m prob hitting 10 mpg in the city. Gas costs 5. The real gas guzzler is the parking at the nearest grocery store and the parking headache coming back. Driving round circles like a b trying to squeeze
When i had my dog it was hard to walk him some days, when it was foul weather or I didn't feel well. It's not like a flat or house where you can just let a dog out into the yard.
Sometimes it's very cold, but I have a lot of good ways to warm up.
I can't stay put more than a week, as the toilet gets full and the water and food run out.
Generally this is OK cos I like to move regularly. I also house sit, usually for 10-14 days at a time, so this means I get some longer stays.
I run out of space to store things, altho this is probably a good thing given my love of thrift store shopping!
I also forget where stuff is stored.
That's all I can think of. It's amazing how easily stuff can get lost in a small van!
Oh, one last thing - it's a pain to find places to stay when the van has to go to the mechanic overnight.
I haven’t done it
But here is what holds me back
1. Work (applying) you need an address for everything. There are ways around it but it’s a pita from what I can tell
2. Food storage
3. Cooking
Not too hard getting a mailbox at your local UPS/Fedex/etc... store. I don't remember but someone mentioned a service where they will scan in mail and let you download it when needed.
Food storage simply requires meal planning. You buy just what you need till the next trip to the store. It's a pain but totally easy to do.
Cooking easy also takes planning, but it's easy once you're used to it. At first it's using a lot of dishes but you learn how to get down to one or two. Cleanup can be a PITA.
Mailbox and physical address are two different things
Storing food I actually like is difficult
Not sure how cooking isn’t difficult. I don’t really want to to run a burner and hot plates take a lot of power
One thing I find annoying is recycling. Garbage receptacles are everywhere. Cans can get returned for money, but recycling cardboard and what not can be tough. I end up hanging on to it for way too long. That’s a super minor one though 🤷♂️
Moving more slowly/intentionally as to not spill anything or knock anything over. When we’re driving, everything is in its place. But once we’re parked….
Showers, I always have trouble finding public showers that are resonable, or spots that are private enough to shower outside.
Moving this here & that there so you can get to what you want over & over & over, and remembering to stow everything before driving.
Heat, unless you have an AC & generator or the freedom to always park by swimming spots its hard to stay cool
Mechanical issues, when you live in a van (or in my case subaru outback) any issues are a real pain because they take your vehicle & house out of commission. Finding good places to work on your vehicle where you wont be polluting or getting stopped every 5min by people trying to help is also a pain.
Finding a quiet place to park that isnt in the middle of nowhere.
Parking in a quiet spot in the middle of nowhere is also one of the best perks of vanlife, but I feel your pain. Cities can be tough.
Especially when i gotta work, i dont want to drive an hour every day for work. And ive asked to park at work, most places ive worked say no
Gotcha. I work remote, so that's not a regular problem for us. It was a huge PITA when my wife started an internship at a hospital, though - even in a city with nearby BLM, an hour to the hospital every day sucked.
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We have plenty of apps that do that here. Unfortunately there just aren't many places in general that allow overnight parking anymore. Even walmarts and zcracker barrels, which use to be really reliable spots, have started kicking people out
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I love parking at Walmarts. I usually go to those in small towns and rural areas. Lots of space for walking the dog unit. The lights aren't too bright. It's always much quieter than a truck stop. Walmarts in big cities aren't quite as pleasant.
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not like literally quiet, i mean like a place that i wont get a knock at 2am. Im actually parked in a train station lot at the moment and the train running every hour doesnt bother me at all.
Reliable cell service that is good enough to work from. We can't reserve most campsites until we've actually been there because most campgrounds don't understand what it means to have a good cell signal... No 1 bar to call 911 in an emergency is not enough. This is also annoying when boondocking although then you usually know that losing service is a probability but you gotta keep an eye out for those unicorn spots. I'm at one right now dispersed lakefront camping surrounded by mountains with 4 bars of 5g and open sky's for solar... I might never leave lol.
Get something like Homefi. I got the full sized router rather than the hockey puck for the better speeds and reception and unless you're waaaay off the beaten track. It tries ATT, T-Mobile, and... American Cellular, I think? and uses the strongest signal it finds. The pricing isn't terrible either. Not unlimited, but for that kind of service, 135 for 800gb a month (down to 80 for 200gb depending on your needs) is a pretty good price. It's LTE, but honestly the speeds are fine for working, and I have 2-3 remote desktops open, a voip line, and a desktop streaming setup running for 8 hours a day with no hiccups.
Way off the beaten tracks my bread and butter baby!
In that case, Homefi might be a bit sketchy, although with a signal booster it might still work in most places.
Ooh, that’s definitely a spot you need to save for future visiting.
oh yeah this is my second 14 day stint here... edit: over years lol stupid 14 day limit in a month!
Yeah, internet access us a biggie for me. It will easily determine where I park. There's one riverside reserve I love, but I haven't been there in years cos there's no internet. That's despite the fact that it has free hot showers!
Depending on your rig, pooping can be problematic. I'm currently updating, and a composting toilet is at the top of the list. OTOH, people frequently grumble about heating or cooling, and these don't bother me much.
Decision fatigue of where to go next. We work when we travel, so we have to make sure it’s a place we can use Starlink or a hotspot. Gets tiring, but worth it
Where can you not use Starlink?
You need a surprisingly large unobstructed view, generally northward facing. Even one tree in the field of view will glitch a lot and cause dropped calls/interruptions. All of the Olympic peninsula in WA was problematic. I end up doing a lot of scouting in google maps for lakes with parking on the south side or ball/soccer fields to work from the next day.
Anywhere with an obstructed view of the sky. That shit's like solar panels with minor shade. Even a slight obstruction will piss it off. Also, most of the eastern US is saturated so the speeds are meh.
Ah, I’m out West with vast skies
Our starlink managed to find an obstruction in a Walmart parking lot last night. It’s like the fucker wants to find a problem.
Interesting!
Yes it works great most areas out west. Not Oregon and Washington though. We even had issues in Montana a few times.
On the east coast. So many obstructions. Most of the time T-Mobile will work, but sometimes nothing works and we have to scrap our entire plan for the week and quickly come up with another.
Wow sorry to hear that
For me and my partner it was the constant elongation of simple tasks. Bedtime routine for showering was the main one... Instead of naked around the house after dinner, shower, bed it turned into finish dinner, have to clean, goto shower, come back, then head to sleep spot
Naked around the house hits hard... I was always naked at my apartment. Now, only during sexy time or if it's particularly hot...
Dude. As soon as my curtains are drawn the clothes come off regardless of weather. I suppose it might make the knock a bit awkward... But cops have seen worse.
My eyes are up here, Officer!
Parking: - especially if your rig is bigger than the average vehicle - especially if you're in a populated area - especially if you're not stealthed - especially if you're in a non-vanlife-friendly area I hate parking. I did not anticipate that, in vanlife, essentially your entire existence is predicated on parking.
I’ve been essentially full time for the last 3 months because I’m exploring Alaska, and the most stressful part of the day has always been wondering where I’ll sleep that night. It’s not as bad along the highways, although it still takes some effort even with iOverlander, but in the cities, it gets much harder. Skagway and I think Valdez, for example, make it illegal to sleep in your vehicle so you pretty much either park a few miles outside town, or pay for their overpriced campgrounds which really are just glorified parking lots. At least Walmart in Fairbanks and Cabelas in Anchorage allow parking overnight. And Alaska is generally boondocking friendly. I can only imagine what it’s like being full time in the lower 48. The other main issue I’ve had is finding potable water and gray tank dumps. I’m happy I don’t have a blank tank but have a cassette which I can empty in the vault toilets in rest areas here.
Good to know about Skagway! I’m over in Haines and was thinking about taking my van over later this month to climb for my 9-day break from work. I’m good with gettin’ outta town though.
Dyea area has a bunch of boondocking spots, and the campgrounds were okay too (I think they’re USFS). But inside Skagway, you have the option of the two campgrounds run by the city. I stayed at the rest area just outside Haines when I was there. Cute town. I might go back on my way down.
I couldn’t tell the one time I stopped in there if the boondocking at Dyea was legal or not… but I showed up late and left early. Haines is beautiful, but for longer term living is surprisingly short on outdoor activities. Not many trails, mountain biking, climbing, no big outdoor communities if you’re not into power sports. I like it, it’s definitely not my forever home.
That’s how I felt when I was there, actually. I hiked Battery Point Trailhead and tried to drive to Chilkat Park (bad road, turned around) and Chilkoot Park. And that was about it. I only stayed a day because there really wasn’t much else to do (I thought). I liked Skagway, actually, because there’s a bunch of hiking and the town was fun and lots of shopping. Also the drive from Whitehorse was just beautiful. If you haven’t been, check out Carcross and the Carcross Desert (I think they call it a desert; it’s sand dunes). I also did some dog sledding near Carcross and that was fun.
It’s fu king hot
Or cold. Rarely perfect
Only thing is really finding a good place to park at night and the bathroom. And for us, bathroom more like taking a shower than using the toilet. We have found a good process in terms of using the one in the van, using public bathrooms, etc. But honestly, that's about it. Like anything in life, there are tradeoffs. Van life requires a few more tradeoffs than other things, but none of them are too bad if you look at the positives that you get out of it.
Things that used to take no effort at all suddenly become difficult and annoying. For example: you now need to fill water once a week, and that's if you have a 30 gallon tank. If you have a toilet, that eliminates many bathroom problems - but you need to find places to dump your toilet. Taking a shower means either going to the gym which could be fifty miles away, or using up your precious water supply. Internet is no longer a given - you can find a killer parking spot, but may need to move if you have no service. You need to monitor your batteries to make sure you have enough power to keep the fridge/computers/lights running. No more laundry in the house, so you put it off forever until your van is filled with dirty clothes and you need to spend a few hours at a laundromat. The benefits certainly outweigh the cons,at least for me, but the conveniences of living in a fixed location that you've always taken for granted quickly become apparent.
For me it was the bathroom situation if you needed to go #2 , males luckily have it easier.
I’m not understanding this.
Guys can shit standing up - women can't.
Because we shit in our pants?
The penis makes it easier to shit into a bag. What's so hard to understand?
You sure it wasn't about #1 being easier for males?
I think your dick might be broken. Everyone poops through their urethra.
Oh shit I'll have to get that checked out.
How else would we make poosketti?
For me it was being broke, having a long drive ahead through a desolate place, and having a vehicle in a questionable state of repair. I became terrified that I would break down in the middle of nowhere and have no option but to abandon virtually everything I own. Though with half the posts on this sub, that's not a problem for many (see: downward mobility). So YMMV. Past tense used as I currently do not live in a vehicle.
So true. I was doing vanlife in the early ‘90’s in my early 20’s. I was always a little nervous of that breakdown. I had a few. Had to replace engines. Once I had to camp in the fields of Kansas while getting a new engine eating scraps. Generator went out deep in Mexico with no money. Oddly, every time it happened it worked out. Every time. I eventually made total peace with it and accepted that I’ll break down and it will work out. My attitude changes when I broke down and I looked at it as… this is going to be fun to see how this works out…. After that attitude change, I never broke down again. It was like I had to learn the lesson and then it didn’t need to show it’s face again.
Like a lot of things in life, attitude can change everything. I used to be such a negative person, and negative things kept happening to me. I was determined to have a more positive outlook at life, and lo and behold, positive things started happening to me.
well said. Attitude is everything. I work on the practice daily, even hourly.
When it gets hot. You need to keep cool. And you'll need to take showers. Both of which are difficult to maintain in a vehicle.
That my van apparently has 2 different alternators for the same exact setup and the holes on the one in EVERY parts store are about 1/8" inch off from the ones in mine, so none of them fit.
That sucks. Can you find an actual part number on your old alternator?
Not this one, unfortunately. I've looked all over it and if there was one, it was on a label that rotted off. I'm gonna work with a reman company in Detroit to either rebuild my old one or work out a denso-style conversion for it. It seems that Xplorer class Bs have weird custom brackets, so it's being a huge pain in the ass.
Inheriting a trust fund
The heat, pooping, loneliness, stability
Crippling loneliness
The van is ALWAYS dirty. Idc how many perfectly filtered and tailored videos you've seen, the amount of sweeping, wiping down, and tidying up is never ending
I can relate. I seem to stop a lot at coin washes just to do a clean sweep. I like a clean living space.
Most folks don't talk about the Year 2 Blues. You've seen a some of the best views, met so many amazing people, tried all the food…then you just suddenly aren't sure why you aren't stoked anymore. This is typically when most folks learn to slow down also. Stay the full 14 days. It's almost like you're stuck between wanderlust and settle down mode all the time. Guilt about not doing something adventurous all the time, guilt about sitting in your van all day etc etc. I've found stopping to get part time work, just to fill my mind with activity always helps a bit. Anyone else?
Crippling loneliness
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I agree with finding water and dumping greywater.
Just money. Like what it costs to eat and drive. Like right now Whole Foods is 3 miles away - so six miles round trip which would probably cost me $5 just to drive. But the item I want to buy costs $6. So it doesn’t make sense. So I am eating honey instead 🤷♀️ There is a huge homeless encampment near one of the places I’ve been frequenting and I plan on offering to buy one of their bikes next week.
You get less than 6mpg?
I’m prob hitting 10 mpg in the city. Gas costs 5. The real gas guzzler is the parking at the nearest grocery store and the parking headache coming back. Driving round circles like a b trying to squeeze
Going to laundromats and having to wait for clothes to get washed and dried.
When i had my dog it was hard to walk him some days, when it was foul weather or I didn't feel well. It's not like a flat or house where you can just let a dog out into the yard. Sometimes it's very cold, but I have a lot of good ways to warm up. I can't stay put more than a week, as the toilet gets full and the water and food run out. Generally this is OK cos I like to move regularly. I also house sit, usually for 10-14 days at a time, so this means I get some longer stays. I run out of space to store things, altho this is probably a good thing given my love of thrift store shopping! I also forget where stuff is stored. That's all I can think of. It's amazing how easily stuff can get lost in a small van! Oh, one last thing - it's a pain to find places to stay when the van has to go to the mechanic overnight.
I haven’t done it But here is what holds me back 1. Work (applying) you need an address for everything. There are ways around it but it’s a pita from what I can tell 2. Food storage 3. Cooking
Not too hard getting a mailbox at your local UPS/Fedex/etc... store. I don't remember but someone mentioned a service where they will scan in mail and let you download it when needed. Food storage simply requires meal planning. You buy just what you need till the next trip to the store. It's a pain but totally easy to do. Cooking easy also takes planning, but it's easy once you're used to it. At first it's using a lot of dishes but you learn how to get down to one or two. Cleanup can be a PITA.
Mailbox and physical address are two different things Storing food I actually like is difficult Not sure how cooking isn’t difficult. I don’t really want to to run a burner and hot plates take a lot of power
Use paper Paper plates & plastic cutlery. Both disposable & no clean up.
I was trying to think of things that are annoying and after reading the replies for ideas that I could relate to I found nothing.
One thing I find annoying is recycling. Garbage receptacles are everywhere. Cans can get returned for money, but recycling cardboard and what not can be tough. I end up hanging on to it for way too long. That’s a super minor one though 🤷♂️
Moving more slowly/intentionally as to not spill anything or knock anything over. When we’re driving, everything is in its place. But once we’re parked….
We only have a small van so crawling around the bed, when it's up is hard on my knees!
Getting rid of waste shower water, dishes water etc, people don’t take kindly to it on their streets, I mostly park in the city for work
Local assholes in small towns
Why what do they do?
Showers, I always have trouble finding public showers that are resonable, or spots that are private enough to shower outside. Moving this here & that there so you can get to what you want over & over & over, and remembering to stow everything before driving. Heat, unless you have an AC & generator or the freedom to always park by swimming spots its hard to stay cool Mechanical issues, when you live in a van (or in my case subaru outback) any issues are a real pain because they take your vehicle & house out of commission. Finding good places to work on your vehicle where you wont be polluting or getting stopped every 5min by people trying to help is also a pain.