I had quite a few people slide into my DM’s while I was on the road asking me about my van. What vanlife is like, why and how I was able to travel by myself in a van and so on…so I wanted to make a whole blog post about my vanlife journey!

We’ll start with the why.

We’ve all seen the pictures on Instagram of people traveling around in their van. This is not a new concept, it’s been happening since our parents were in school. But now it’s becoming more popular with millennials. I had that dream for myself. I wanted to travel around and see new places while taking amazing pictures along the way. Like I said in my previous post, I had just gotten out of a long relationship, I finally felt like I was free to pursue this dream! 

In February or March of 2017, I met someone who had a picture of a Westy on his Instagram. Immediately I thought I needed to take an adventure with him so I could get some cool van photos. And we did! Two nights in Forks sparked my love of vanlife. I knew that living in a van was for me and I needed to make it happen.

Traveling around in my car that summer, sleeping in the front seat sometimes, I knew as soon as I got home from that trip I would be getting my van. I did a lot of research trying to determine what kind to look for. I figured a Westy would be out because 1- They are pretty dang expensive. and 2- Apparently it’s harder for them to get worked on. So it was between a Chevy or Ford. I am obsessed with photos, so whatever van I got would have to be adorable. With that said, I fell in LOVE with Chevy shorties. I thought they were sooo cute and I figured it would be easier for me to drive with it being shorter. One must have for my Chevy shorty was that it had the barn doors compared to the sliding, I liked the look of that a lot better. 

So with the make and model of my future van in mind, I started to search more seriously. I was checking craigslist all day everyday, refreshing the page every couple of minutes. The first one I landed on was completely white and I loved that. I fell in love immediately. So I contacted the owner, found out it would need an engine replacement and I let that one go. Maybe a week later, I hit refresh on Craigslist and up popped an ad for a 1988 Chevy shorty. There was no picture but I didn’t need one, I had a feeling this was it. So I called immediately and scheduled a time to check her out!

My best friends’ parents went with me because I know nothing about what to look for or ask when buying a new vehicle and I am so grateful for that! They are the best. When I took her on a test drive, it felt so right. Like I was meant to sit in that seat and put my hands on that steering wheel. She definitely leaked and there were other problems the owner was mentioning but I wasn’t really listening. I was practically pulling all my money out to give to him right then and there. Done. Gimme the keys.

$1,500 later, I had my van. MY VAN. I drove her home, and this was a long drive, we had to take the ferry to get her, and it felt AMAZING. Finally my dream was coming true. While on the ferry one of the workers complemented on how nice she was and I was like, “Yeah…I know…she’s mine.” I was so happy.

Before we get to the pretty Instagram photos you see today, let’s go back to where Charlotte started. Oh yeah! I named her Charlotte. Why? Because I wanted something that went with Chevy. Charlotte the Chevy sounded pretty good to me :)  

She had this blue carpet, a bucket seat, and a pull down bed in the back that was not nearly large enough for me. So we tore it all out! By we, I mean my incredible Father and I. I am so grateful to him for taking on this project and making Charlotte everything I dreamed of!

Once everything was out, we realized the plywood in the back was completely rotted. That would explain the smell…cut that out and replaced it. Luckily my dad had plywood to use! That helped cut down my cost of the remodel.

We tore out the side compartments so I had more room for my bed. Once the new plywood was down, we went floor shopping! I got mine from Lowe’s, It’s floating laminate and just popped right into place. He had wood for my bed too so I didn’t have to pay for that either! Way to go Pops. The walls were done with white bead board.

Okay, let’s get to the pretty photos :)

The storage underneath my bed holds random things I tend to forget about. I also keep my shoes back there. I have a dresser that holds all of my clothes. Not my dog…but I wish she was!

I have my tapestries on the ceiling, covering my dresser, and hanging in the front so you can’t see through the windshield. Again…not my dog but I love him. I have solar powered lights on the ceiling that I got from Home Depot!

Now that we have the why and the how of my vanlife journey, let’s get to the not so pretty parts. I am fully aware of Charlotte’s issues. The leaks and burning through oil was having me pour in oil every time I stopped for gas. Luckily I was able to stop in at every Jiffy Lube I could to get a top off. I just wanted to leave. I knew in the back of my mind there was the possibility of her breaking down at any moment, but didn’t let that stop me from my journey. And guess what, she was a complete trooper. I got everywhere I had planned to go! I got AAA for Christmas from my parents so it was nice to know I had that, I had to use it twice from locking my keys inside…thanks Mom and Dad!

It’s been 6 months of my vanlife journey. Six months of me being able to go to sleep and wake up in my own home, the home of my dreams, my safe place. I don’t have a complete house, she’s lacking a kitchen and bathroom, but luckily I know a lot of amazing people who let me park in front of their place and use their facilities along my journey. And am currently parked on my parents’ property. They are the best.

How was I making money on the road? I make enough to cover my bills running the social media for Mystic Hot springs. For gas, I was using my savings from my custodial job I was working prior to leaving on the first trip, and I also made a little side cash doing photo shoots and scouting properties for Hipcamp.

This definitely is not the traditional way to go, but it’s the only way I see myself living. For now at least. I am so happy and that is all that matters to me! Go after your dreams. Life is much too short to not go after what you want.