3.5 Months In...

I’ve officially been a full-time-solo-female-vanlifer (whew) for nearly four months now. A third of a year. I’ve seen some summer, fall, and had a little taste of winter.

It’s the week after Thanksgiving now, and I’m back at work in Philly. I spent a few days at home in my parents’ house, on the lovely Aquidneck Island, in Rhode Island.  I put some pictures of the ocean views, and of our goofy dogs, below 😊

It’s been a while since I’ve slept in a regular bed, in a regular house.  In the van, I just barely fit laying down in my bed across the back, so it felt pretty amazing to stretch all the way out and not bump the wall with my toes.  Otherwise, sticks-and-bricks living has nothing on vanlife.  Being home with the fam is always great, and I love our small house by the ocean, but spending a few days indoors has confirmed for me that my place is in an alternative living situation.  Van, bus, tiny house on wheels…that’s my present and future.

Some things about visiting my parents are awesome, such as: the emotional comfort of being near my family, cuddles from our dogs Goofy and Ernie, doing laundry somewhere where I can sit on a couch and watch Netflix between loads, the waterfront views from the back of the house, and getting my mom or dad to make food for me like I’m 14 instead of 34.  Some things about just being in a house instead of my van are also awesome…like standing up whenever, using a nice clean bathroom whenever, hot water whenever, consistent wifi, and a real kitchen.  Those things are nice, but as I’ve proven to myself this fall, largely unnecessary. I don’t need those kinds of luxuries to feel like I’m living the good life.  (Sidenote—things I would rather spend money on than rent: tattoos, tattooing supplies, and delicious vegan food. Fuck paying rent dude).

Being parked in my parents’ driveway for a few days gave me an opportunity to do the first deep-clean of the van.  I pulled everything out, checked under the floor insulation and carpets to see if there was any mold (none yet, yay), and then vacuumed.  I winterized just a little more, adding another curtain along the back, and securing the insulation panels in the windows more tightly.  Everything’s organized and tidy, and I feel like I really have my vanlife shit together.  I’m planning to film a full tour of the converted Astro soon, so I’ll post the YouTube video in another blog post here when it’s live.

So, ultimately, 3.5 months in and I have no regrets.  East coast vanlife in the wintertime is no joke…I’ve already experienced a few below-freezing nights, and it’s only Thanksgiving.  But, I still love it.  I layer my clothes and my blankets like a motherfucker, and it’s been comfortable enough.  I do have an Olympian Wave 3 propane heater coming later this week, which is kind of exciting, but I like knowing I can do cold weather without it.  I’m looking forward to some snowy hiking, maybe even snowshoeing for the first time, when true winter sets in.  Vanlife is giving me opportunities to get to know each season in a deeper way, and I’m feeling great about this whole ride so far.

Here’s a few pictures of RI life…

Thanks for reading, and stay cozy!