The Van Life Trend: How the Pandemic Shifted Traditional Living
What is the Van Life Trend and Why is it Becoming Popular?
Van life is a lifestyle of living inside a car full or part-time. The van is equipped with basic facilities such as household batteries, solar panels, platform beds, bathrooms, sinks, and storage space. Life in a truck is another way of life adopted by many nomads who want to lead a minimalist lifestyle and travel freely worldwide.
The charm of travel and the simplicity of the van life trend has created a global social media phenomenon during the pandemic.
Reasons Behind Shifting from Traditional Living to Van Life
A van life couple travelled through Canada and the United States started to share their expertise and opened their van conversion shop during the pandemic. But contrary to the pandemic, the business flourished when Canadians abandoned their traditional homes to live in a van. Here are a few reasons why Canadians choose to accept the new van life trend.
- Canadians decided to escape the “competition” of everyday life and spend more time with their families.
- Adapting to the restrictions of the pandemic seems easier for families in van life. The vans’ self-sufficient lifestyle has made it easy for them to travel and explore historic sites safely.
- A minimalist van life trend can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of illness, migraines, headaches, and improve overall health.
- Unlike living in a traditional house and having the same old routine, van life gives you excitement for everyday discovery.
- Build a lifestyle that matches your desires; always do it for yourself, not for someone else.
- Almost all tourist destinations are empty due to the pandemic, and people are worried about travelling. So van lifers are lucky to enjoy it without the crowds and the lineups.
Due to the booming business of van conversion, there is no actual data on the number of people living in their trucks across the country, as the number is going up every day. An ordinance banning it in some jurisdictions appears to be escalating tensions between city and vehicle residents as the affordable crisis escalates in Canada.
Some municipalities have launched crackdowns on RVs, trailers, and vans illegally parked on the road. The Skirmish recently passed ordinance changes that prevent people from spending the night in their vehicles in certain public places.
Cost Effect from Traditional to Van Life
With the van life trend, you can eliminate many of your biggest problems, especially many of your financial concerns. The less you own, the fewer accounts you need. Unlike traditional, you pay identical bills every month,
For example, a 46 years old owns a business in Squamish, British Columbia. And while she likes this form of the motel, she says she knows others who do as needed. High unemployment, an inability to pay rent, and a red real estate market have forced some to look for alternatives. Some people do it because they have no choice, And then there are people like her, who don’t make a lot of money. Own the business, but the money she earns is below the poverty line.
Van life allows you to be financially free in several ways:
- Getting rid of lots of bills.
- Avoiding unnecessary purchases.
- Working from different places and being resourceful of what you have.
- Loving what you do so that you will be more productive.
- Living life with basic needs.
- Contributions to savings accounts because of less cost of living.
To give you an idea of the monthly van life costs, some of the people living in vans now spend about $800 a month. This includes charges for gas, insurance bills, meals, eating out, camping, recreation, and everything other than the actual van cost.
Planning to Start a Van Life
When planning to embrace van life, you need to start choosing the right vehicle for your needs, hobbies, and travel plans. Next, decide on whether you’re going part-time or full-time. Once you choose to enter a full-time van lifer, prepare for what to do to make money on the road, like a freelance job. After that, you can plan to create a comfortable and functional room for long trips, depending on your needs: beds, toilets, kitchen appliances, etc.
Once your set on the actual van, prepare how to approach critical mechanical problems at any time on the road. In addition, be ready on how to deal with bad weather and safety. Lastly, since long-term travel can be exhausting, think about ways to spend time out or escape plans.
The Challenges of the Van Life Trend
Living in a van sounds interesting, and it is true, but it also has some problems. Here are some questions you might need to consider about living on a truck:
- The biggest challenge for living in a van is humidity. It may be challenging to sleep overnight without the temperature dropping.
- Parking space
- Dealing with laws and police
- Stealth camps to avoid harassing people
- Not much attention
- Limited space
- Keeping organized
- Surveillance of safety issues (auto accidents, health privacy, etc.)
- Vehicles Maintenance
In conclusion, we found that the COVID 19 pandemic has prompted more people to enjoy the freedom of living in a car instead of a more traditional home. There is no doubt that living in a truck is much cheaper than buying a house, but it still has its shortcomings. This includes breakdowns, unexpected costs, and even some lifestyle and safety issues.
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