Living a free and nomadic life on the road is a dream come true, though it is also true that in many ways, van life sucks. We have been living out of a van for two years now; indeed, it is fantastic! There are so many freedoms that come with traveling. There is no better way to see the world than from a portable home. You can reach places that wouldn’t be possible by public transport, you rarely need to book in advance, and you can decide each day what you will do and where you want to go next.
Life on the Road Is Great! But Sometimes Van Life Sucks.
For us, the benefits of living on the road far outweigh the challenges, and we would never try to deter anyone from this lifestyle. We didn’t know many things before moving into a van, and we hope to help prepare you for what may lie ahead. If you haven’t yet had a taste of camper life, you might think it is all glorious. We have put together a list of 10 reasons why van life sucks sometimes.
1. Overnight Parking
Finding a comfortable place to park can be quite a challenge for van lifers. This will likely become one of your most common chores throughout the week. The options available for overnight parking can vary significantly depending on the region.
Campsites
You will almost always have the option of paid campsites. These generally provide most facilities and are often more comfortable. They might not be the most Instagrammable settings, but at least you know you are allowed to be there. This may not work within your budget if you intend to travel for extended periods while living on the road.
Free Camper Parking
We have visited many places that provide free parking designated for campers to encourage tourism. Though they may not be picturesque, they often offer some basic facilities and are conveniently located near town.
Restricted Parking
Often, you will find areas with restrictions on the hours you can park or the length of time you may stay. It is not uncommon to see signs allowing parking only between late evening and early morning. This is typical in busier areas or industrial estates, meaning you can stay the night, though you must move to make space for employees in the morning.
Another common restriction is the length of stay; you may be allowed to park for a maximum of 24 to 72 hours, depending on the region. This can be a perfect opportunity for van lifers, as you have some time to relax and explore the area before moving on.
Be Respectful
Some regions may highly discourage or even criminalise overnight parking for campers. This is often the case in cities or highly touristic areas. In most cases, it can be more convenient to park outside of the city and use public transport if you wish to visit.
In general, we have not had many issues with parking. We always make sure not to set our chairs and table out unless it is allowed. Being respectful and keeping the area clean will get you very far while living on the road.
2. The Space
If you decide to move into a camper, you will quickly notice that space becomes a luxury.
There is only so much room. Everything needs a home; otherwise, it can get very messy, very quickly. Having less space means you have less room for luxuries. You can only have so many clothes, shoes, or gadgets, and fitting everything in can become a constant game of Tetris. This can be tiring, especially with multiple people in the van.
Be Organised
In most cases, you will lean in one direction or the other: becoming overly tidy and organised or creating a completely chaotic mess. Either way, the best solution is to find clear spaces for everything stored in your van and not let the mess build up.
A camper is extremely small compared to a standard house or apartment. It is very easy to take something out and leave it on the table. If you do that ten times a day, there will be no space left! Be sure to keep things in order and put everything away occasionally. You will become resourceful with space, finding ways to store things more conveniently.
Set Boundaries
It is essential to set some boundaries if you will be sharing a tight space. Make time for yourself, have your own areas, and ensure that you get outside as much as possible. Living in a camper can be a test of strength for a relationship.
There are moments when we realise how comfortable we have become in our small space:
- We have become a little cautious of what is behind us—always check if a cup is on the kitchen table before turning too quickly.
- When looking for something, we find ourselves turning around on the spot—if it’s here, then it must be around us.
- Make space for each other—when someone is walking past, the other must sit or stand to the side.
3. Privacy
Moving into a box of five square meters can be confronting. You will lose a lot of privacy, especially with more than one person in your home. The reality is, you will be using your kitchen as a bathroom and cooking in your bedroom, with no second room to escape to. You will need to be close and comfortable together; otherwise, it won’t last long.
Living in a van puts your life on display. If you decide to leave your door open for a breeze, expect some heads to peek inside. While doing chores that require you to step outside frequently, people may ask for a tour. In general, your closed door is the only barrier between you and a public parking area.
If you frequently visit towns and cities, you may easily become annoyed by the sounds of cars and people outside your door. Staying further off the grid or in rural areas may be the only way to find some peace while living on the road.
4. Showers
Van dwellers may be seen as unhygienic, though this is not always true. In a traditional house, you wake up and walk to the bathroom to take a shower with ease. This is not the case with van life. While some campers do have a shower, it is not always so simple.
Our shower is usually used for storage, so we need to move everything out first. It takes about half an hour for our hot water system to heat up, as long as it is not too windy (or freezing) outside. In the meantime, we need to find a graywater drain to park over, in case our graywater tank overflows. After showering, we need to dry everything to prevent too much humidity inside. Only then can we put everything back into the shower storage room to continue driving.
For those without an inside shower, it may mean a trip to the gym or swimming center. For others, it could mean finding a quiet corner to shower outside behind the van. In any case, living in a van will make you very aware of local resources, like beach showers, as a possibility in case of need.
5. Maintenance
When your home is so small, everything needs to serve multiple purposes, and more use means more wear. A camper will require extra maintenance, as you are more likely to bump, scratch, or damage things in such a small space. The tasks that get done every five years at home will need to be done every year. Your spring cleaning will be needed almost weekly.
Prepare to become a DIYer, as you may find yourself fixing, tightening, or replacing something every other week. Van life requires a bit more hands-on action. You’ll become a professional painter with yearly practice, a plumber when you find a leak, and a semi-qualified electrician when a switch stops working.
Over time, any camper will begin to show wear. You have a moving house. It is impossible to expect everything to stay in top condition while you’re rattling down the road every day.
6. Internet
For some, it is enough to be under the stars every night, and internet may not be a problem. However, like many, we enjoy a movie or series to wind down at the end of the day. We spend quite some time each day researching where we will go next or finding things to do the following day. Working online can make this even trickier, as requiring a solid connection to complete your tasks can sometimes become a burden.
When you’re on the road for a while, you may want to go further off the beaten path to find something new. It is often hard to find a peaceful place that is safe, legal, and has a good connection.
If you frequently cross country borders, you can quickly accumulate a pile of SIM cards. In Europe, each country has different internet providers. It is possible to get a plan that includes international data, though it is generally quite limited. Often, it is cheaper to buy local data-only SIM cards, but this means you need to find a new one each time you cross a border.
7. Additional Chores
While van life offers a lot of freedom, it also requires a lot of work to maintain that freedom. All of the chores you do at home still need to be done—only smaller and more frequently. Another reason why van life sucks, is all of the new common chores to keep you busy while on the road.
If you are moving from a home to a camper, prepare to be overwhelmed. Filling your water tank will become a new normal; depending on its size, this may be once a day or once a week. All the water you use needs to go somewhere, and emptying the gray-water tank is not a fun job. Finding rubbish disposal can sometimes take days, especially when thoroughly recycling. And emptying the toilet? Yes, you need to deal with that.
Many of the camper-specific tasks can become quite tedious. It often takes a lot of time and energy to find a location and get the jobs done. These can be the most inconvenient, yet all of the standard chores still need to be tackled.
You won’t have the luxury of a full-sized fridge, meaning shopping multiple times a week is normal. Laundry is often the most time-consuming chore. No longer can you start the washing machine before leaving for work and return home to clean laundry. While on the road, you will find yourself waiting at the laundromat for an hour or more each week. In many cases, you will find a laundromat close to an ideal shopping center. We generally do our groceries while the washing machine is running, then swap the clothes into the dryer, putting away our groceries in the meantime.
8. Decision Overload
With all of the freedom that comes with van life, you’ll be faced with many decisions to make daily. Every day, you will have questions to answer. While most are basic, they can become overwhelming.
In one day, you could face numerous decisions while living on the road: Where to go next? How long to stay? Is there enough food for a meal? Should I find laundry or not? Where to do services? Does it feel comfortable to park for the night?
Eventually, you become accustomed to it and start to plan the basics ahead of time. Constant decision-making can quickly become a headache, but this is also part of the gift of van life. It is not very often in a traditional life that you will have so many options to choose from daily.
9. Weather Reliance
The weather heavily affects how much you see and do each day. Rain can be a real downer when living in a van. At some point, you may tire of seeing the same four walls and wish to get outside. If you have packed the essentials, this is possible, though things don’t dry easily in a closed-off van.
You may end up spending more time near a city to give you more chances to get out of the camper. Cafés or shopping can be a temporary savior to keep you out of the weather while enjoying some different scenery.
On the other side is the heat. A hot sunny day can keep you busy throughout the day. Finding a shaded parking spot could save you some sweat, though this will keep you busy as the sun is constantly moving. You’ll need to juggle shade and solar power, as the heat will make your fridge work harder.
Wind can sometimes be the most annoying in a van. The constant swaying inside your little box of a home can quickly bring on seasickness. And trust me, van life sucks when you are sick in a camper and having to use a porta-potty!
10. Lack of Stability
Van life sucks when you’re feeling a little lonely while living on the road. You may find it difficult to keep a community around you, and making friends can be challenging when you are constantly moving.
Things like maintaining a regular gym routine become tricky, as you may not always be near a gym. Attending weekly classes is often most convenient online, which means you miss the face-to-face connection. You might miss family gatherings or friends’ milestones when you are miles away.
How badly this affects you depends on how rigid you are with routines and how far your journey may take you. Change can easily become the only consistent thing when you leave a fixed home.
Thats Why Van Life Sucks. Luckily It’s Not all Doom and Gloom
If you’re still considering this lifestyle, you may be up for the challenge. If you have lived this way before, then I’m sure you can relate to these ten reasons why van life sucks. Although these are realities of van life, there are so many reasons to love living on the road. You will have the chance to see new places, meet new people, and experience things that are only possible this way. While on the road, there is the freedom to choose and the opportunity to explore.
Living a free and nomadic life on the road is a dream come true, though it is true that in many ways van life sucks.
We have been living out of a van for 2 years now; indeed, it is fantastic! There are so many freedoms presented while travelling. There is no better way to see the world than out of a portable home. You can reach places that wouldn’t be possible by public transport, you rarely need to book in advance, and you can decide each day what you will do and where you want to go next.
