Living your life out of a van might sound exciting, challenging, and adventurous in equal measure, but life on the road definitely involves its fair share of pros and cons.
A van lifestyle might turn out to be exactly what you have been looking to do with your life or it could become a four-wheeled nightmare that you wish you hadn’t embarked upon in the first place.
Here are some of the main pros and cons to consider so that you can decide whether a van lifestyle is right for you.
No set agenda
Plenty of us dream of escaping the rat race and swapping our 9 to 5 routine with something far more exciting where you have no set agenda and can follow your impulses to see where they take you.
One of the big advantages of a van lifestyle is the fact that you can enjoy almost total flexibility in terms of where you head to and how long you take to get there.
If you want to visit family or friends and find some work in the area for a few weeks or months in order to fund your lifestyle, living out of a van makes that easier to arrange than if you are tied down by rental agreements and a more rigid agenda.
Costs are lower
Financial pressures are often cited as a reason for seeking out an alternative lifestyle and living in a van is likely to prove more cost-effective than plenty of other accommodation options.
A simpler life
Stripping back your life to a more basic level can often prove to be an inspirational moment in your life and you may well find that you develop a new level of appreciation for all of the things that you probably take for granted at the moment.
Living a simpler life can have its rewards and take certain pressures away from you and the van lifestyle is one way of getting into that mindset.
Think about the space
There is no point pretending that everything about the van lifestyle is perfect and you need to be prepared to make some compromises for your decision to work.
One obvious drawback is the lack of space that you will have to live in and that means plenty of compromises because you will almost certainly find that you don’t have as much space as you might prefer when you are living in a van.
Lack of amenities
If you are someone who enjoys all of the usual creature comforts such as relaxing in a hot bath at the end of a tough day you might want to think carefully about pursuing the van lifestyle.
A lack of washing facilities and options for you and your clothes is certainly a downside that you have to think about.
You can often find somewhere to park up that offers hot showers and a place to wash your clothes properly, but that is not the same as having access to those facilities in your bricks and mortar home.
We are all different and you might see solutions where others see problems, so as long as you have an open mind and consider all of the pros and cons that matter to you, it might turn out that pursuing a van lifestyle could be an exciting chapter to write in your life.
