In 2021, we set sights on selling our home (and everything in it), converting a van and spending a year touring the country with our family of four. Ever since we announced our plans, we’ve heard from a ton of people who want to do the same – or least dream of it from time to time. For us, the idea of teaching our children by experiencing it was a big factor, but there were many other factors which propelled us to make this idea a reality. Here are the three biggest factors we considered and might help you if you’re considering making #vanlife part of your journey.
Stage of Life
Traveling the country used to be reserved for your early-20s. You know, before you had a “real” job and started a family. To some degree, that still holds true – and I would certainly encourage anyone in their 20s to explore the world before settling down. But the reality is post-2020 pandemic, more and more people are getting comfortable with a less traditional path. If you’re considering taking this path, it’s important to fully grasp and understand where you are in your stage of life.
For our family, one of the bigger factors was our daughter’s age. At 8 years old and in second grade, we felt:
- We could still teach them 2nd grade math. Had we waited longer, we’re not sure 8th grade calculus would have been as easy.
- Being in elementary school, they absolutely had friends and activities they would miss, but the impact would be less than what we imagined pulling them out of high school might be, and
- Our kids still liked us 😊 Everyone knows how teenagers could be, so if we’re going to be holed up in a van together, this might be one of the last few years they would willingly go with us!
For you, assessing where you are in life, what’s important, and how waiting might impact your journey (positively or negatively) is an important factor to consider.
Job/Income/Savings:
#VanLife isn’t free! While it can certainly be less than your traditional home ownership or rent, how you’ll pay for the journey is certainly something you will need to consider.
Luckily, there are millions of ways to make money these days and some companies are fully supporting remote workforces, so it’s possible you won’t even have to quit your day-job to commit to traveling. For others, considering what savings you have available might be enough to get you started.
For our family, we had a mixture of both. We sold our home and were able to bank the equity – with the hope of using those proceeds to purchase our next home a few years down the road. Additionally, Matt’s job could be done anywhere in the country, so the plan was to supplement – or even sustain – our income with a fully-remote job.
Our advice is to get creative with your thinking. There are plenty of people living off grid using passive income from rental arbitrage, cryptocurrency mining, or a myriad of other strategies which would have seemed foreign one year ago. If you commit to making #vanlife a reality, we’re certain there is a way to pay for it. (And if you need help brainstorming, please don’t hesitate to reach out!)
Your Why
So let’s imagine you’re at a good stage of life, the timing is right, and you’ve found a way to pay for the journey. That leads us to the most important factor to consider:
Why?
Why do you want to do it? What do you hope to gain from the experience? Those are personal questions to answer, but extremely important to thoughtfully consider your response.
For our family, “why” always came back to creating a unique and valuable experience for our kids. At 38 years old, we both understand and value the experience traveling can provide. The people you meet, the sights you see, and the lessons learned in those moments can’t easily be recreated in the classroom or a book. You have to find, or put yourself in those situations for the magic to happen. And despite being fairly well-traveled, there is so much of this country we haven’t seen yet in our 38 years! Why wait?! Our “why” became and will remain about creating opportunities for daughters to experience the world through their eyes.
So there you have it. Three things to consider when deciding if #vanlife is for you. We’re just getting started on our journey – and we hope this article helped push you a little closer to yours. See you on the road soon!
