Van Dwelling

Van dwelling is exactly what it means—living in a van. Not in an RV, but in a van. There are people doing this every day for lots of reasons.

Some people decide to live in a van because they don't want to pay rent anymore. Others do it because they want to because they feel they have to. And finally I think some people do it to travel.

You might be wondering how someone could live in a van...

By no means is this for everybody, but let's not forget how creative people can get when they want to. Proper modifications are usually made to make these vans livable.

This includes beds, storage, kitchens, and entertainment. These modern day nomads are able to use technology to improve their extyremely simple lives.

So let's get back to why people are doing this...

Is it society? The ever increasing cost of living? Loss of jobs and income?

Or... Can it be the opportunities and benefits of this mobile lifestyle?

I think all of these things play a good part in somebody's decision to do this, including my own thoughts.

But what about people who are van dwellers with a purpose? They're not doing it to be lazy or to just be a “hippy”... They're sacrificing so that they can achieve their dreams of travel, or saving money for a particular reason.

I know that's exciting, but let's get back to the vans...

Finding an affordable and reliable van is the first step. I've seen lots of people go with a used Chevrolet Astro van. Like this one...

Then do all of the necessary customization...

Ripping everything out
Carpet and reupholster
Build a bed with storage
Build more storage for food, clothes, etc

With some work, you can actually make the interior of one of these vans look and feel nice. I guess what you're doing is turning one of these vans into a small and stealthy RV.

See how Jason converted his van for van dwelling. He created a kitchen, bed, entertainment center and more.

The whole point of not getting a real RV is so that you don't look like you're living in it. Because we all know that staying in campgrounds every night is just as expensive as having an apartment.

I think you get the point... So what opportunities do you have as a van dweller?