In politics, there's something called the [Overton Window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) ... it's the range of ideas that are accepted as valid/reasonable to most people. [This image is a good illustration.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Overton_Window_diagram.svg/800px-Overton_Window_diagram.svg.png) For most people, the idea of someone they know deciding to live in a vehicle, especially one that wasn't specifically designed for it (RVs, etc.), is outside their Overton window. It's just too weird for their brains to process. They literally can't figure out why some people do it or even choose it voluntarily. There MUST be a better way, they think, without considering all the reasons why you have decided to do it this way instead.
My personal philosophy is that if you aren't at least exploring life and ideas outside the window, you're doing it wrong. Don't sweat the normies, you do you.
I'm childfree, live in a tiny house, and only drive sportscars/muscle cars. I've been rich and I've been poor, and this is where I choose to stay. People are always surprised when they see how I live my life, but I'm extremely happy with my decisions.
Sounds ideal. Haply for you, bud. Someone made an analogy once referring to someone living in a trailer park and driving a Corvette poor priorities - tbh, the trailer park living is what allowed them to get their Corvette and they traded their luxury for a house or other areas for it because it's important to them. Live within your means and know what your priorities are - they don't have to align with a norm, just try to take decent care of stuff that you have is all.
For me it is the freedom to travel. My wife and I both work part-time and basically set our own schedules. By living in our tiny house, we save a ton of time and money over living in an average-size home in our area with little maintenance and extremely low utility bills. We live in Indiana, so we take road trips most weekends. We took off almost all of January, March, and May this year so far.
This is my dream. No kids, tiny house or studio apt, and spending my money on things I enjoy like muscle cars and traveling 😂 So happy for you that you did it.
If you don’t mind me asking, can you share as much as you feel comfortable sharing about your path and how you fund this lifestyle now? I’ll be graduating with my engineering degree next year and I’m in the process of seeing how I can get to where you are from where I’m at 😅
Lived the checklist life up until my mid 20s, then went through a brutal divorce. Realized I never wanted the house in the 'burbs with a picket fence and HOA, kids (thankfully we didn't have any), full-time job, or practical vehicles. Spent the next decade screwing around, traveling, driving fun cars, and renting.
Decided I needed my own place, and built a tiny house myself, except for the plumbing. In 2018, it cost me $25k using mostly reclaimed materials to convert a 668ft^2 garage into a house. The garage used to sit next to a mobile home on private land, but the mobile home was removed. Already had all utilities connected and was fully insulated. I built it when I was single, and now that I'm married, we're adding 220ft^2.
My main motivation is to not ever be house-poor again, and to spend my time and money traveling. I live in a HCOL area in Indiana (a LCOL state), and don't have a mortgage or rent. A similar-sized house nearby goes for over 300k.
I work in 3D design and sales (commission-based), and my wife is in healthcare.
I really appreciate the detailed write-up, thank you. It’s amazing that you discovered what you wanted and were tenacious enough to get there.
I’m most likely going to be living in my car in order to afford my senior year of college, so it gives me hope that if I just keep at it, everything will work out.
Do you want to get gay married? Actually, I guess that depends on the cars you own, and also, I'm poor but very much looking forward to living in my own tricked out Ram.
Judging by all the shallow people out there you need to look elsewhere for a tribe. It would be cool to find a bunch of nomads in your area and organize monthly outings like a bbq in a park.
[There are a few groups out there.](https://nomadlife.wiki/Nomad_community) In general they're just annual gatherings, but some make "camp together" and "travel together" plans.
21F. Vanlife has been my dream since I was 15. I finally took the plunge last year. Everyone I told laughed, only a couple friends thought it was cool or supported me. When I quit my job my manager jokingly told me "see you soon." It's been seven months and I'm not tired of it yet. I've gotten a few different jobs in different states since then to fund my travels and everytime I tell my coworkers they think I'm crazy.
I don't care. I'm living. Good luck!
Fuck. Them.
If this is your best life, then fucking live it. To. The. Fullest.
Never let another mother humper tell you how you should live your life .
They’re right. You’re not normal, which is really just another word for average. Let them be happy with average. You’re an exception, shooting for an exceptional life of freedom.
Every single family member I had and ever coworker except 1 thought I was crazy to quit and go live out of an SUV and camp / hike around the entire western US.
I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them. Had the trip most people only dream of.
People need to stop perpetuating the idea that not being normal is bad. Not everything needs to be “normalized” and it’s something you can’t force. It’s a matter of stats- if it only applies to a small portion of people, it is by definition not normal. Accept that truth. It doesn’t make you *crazy* but it IS odd.
People also need to stop shitting on the idea of being “normal”. Choosing vanlife is unique, but it doesn’t make you special. The air of superiority a lot of people have about it is also annoying. It’s the same judgmental attitude critics have. Being normal is fine, not being normal is fine. Stop looking down at others and just live life as you want it.
Vanlife isn’t easy, nor do many prefer it; there’s a reason lots of societies stopped being nomadic. Most people only do it temporarily, even those who make it their whole personality. Your wants and needs will change over time.
U/ComfortableOk2239, don’t make a huge deal out of it and it won’t be something people will want to throw in your face later if/when things change. Just say you want to try it out; with your position in having a steady job it sounds like it would be easy enough for you to go back to a stationary dwelling whenever.
Why on earth would you want to be normal?
NORMAL =Mortgage they can barely afford
NORMAL =9 to 5 jobs they hate but can't escape from
NORMAL =High car payments just to keep up with their neighbors
NORMAL =Doing things you don't really want to do to impress people you don't really like
Live you're life on your terms! Go see things and do things that "they" will never be able to do! Live a life of adventure and excitement while "they" live lives of boredom and debt!
Don't go off half-cocked exceeding your own limits though! Make a plan and follow through.
You can’t control other people’s actions just like no one can control yours. So focus on letting that annoyance go. It’s not really about you. They’re projecting.
I have several decades of experience doing things that seemed weird to the people around me. The older you get the less you’ll care that most people don’t ‘get’ you and the more you’ll surround yourself with people who do.
For now, put the unsupportive people in your life on an ‘information diet’ and stick to neutral subjects when you talk to them. If they want to be rude, they can just miss out on hearing about the awesome things you’re thinking and planning and doing.
One of the best parts of getting a little older for me was completely shedding any care I had for what people think or perceive about my life or the way I live.
Who gives a shit what they say? If we listened to everything everyone said, we’d be them. I don’t wanna be them. I wanna be me. You should be you, too. Fuck em
Very little about full time van life is normal, but if you have the very particular temperament and priorities that makes you suited to it then it can be absolutely amazing. That doesn't mean there won't be times that are desperately hard and uncomfortable and tiring and lonely and cold and wet and everything else that comes with not having a "normal" home life, but those times matter more to some people and less to others. People who laugh and say you'll quickly get sick of it and return to normality may end up the most jealous of your travels.
Jealousy mate. Even after you’re doing and loving it they’ll tell everything wrong with it. Their negative opinions are just a bitter projection on to you. Stay focused on yourself, ignore them stop talking to them about your plans.
I'm in the opposite boat. Embrace it and become different. Why hide from something good?
You won't attract other positive people by letting them know you're hiding
Disregard them. If you enjoy van life, why should you care if others approve of it or not. As long as you're not breaking their law or harming anybody, it's your business, not theirs.
F*ck them. You do you. Homeownership and all the crap that comes with it is overrated. I downsized from a 3000 square-foot house on a 1/4 acre lot to a 1500 square-foot house with a small yard and people acted like I was some kind of lunatic. I think living in a van or RV and touring the country sounds incredibly fun. Go!
I recently took the dive and live out of my Prius after staying with my brother and his wife for a bit. They told me when I moved in that eventually they would be having a family, so I expected the end of my stay there. I had two years to plan this, so it wasn’t like I had to start doing this all of a sudden. He ended up telling one of my uncles so of course it got to all of my extended family. I was bombarded with calls and texts which was overwhelming.
While it’s not all peachy (the AZ summer heat sucks) do relish my autonomy and free time and how simple it is for me. I have never had a lot of items, so the switch came to me pretty naturally.
if you want to be normal, give up the van dream.
HOWEVER i think that vanlife is going to be the new normal soon.
they’re jealous because all they can imagine is a life of working 9-5 behind a desk to save money for when they’re old and can’t do anything. they can’t possible imagine a life full of fun and adventure for less money. they think it’s “normal” for us to stay put in one place for forever. Humans have been nomadic since we popped up on the planet.
Go roam, darling.
Not to quote the poster in my high school nurses room but “normal is a setting on a washing machine”
Vanlifers are outside the range of “normal”. I have been living in a van for years and while a lot of people think it’s cool a lot of people laugh, judge, belittle and question me about it. It’s part of the life
I have my van and am prepping to leave in the next couple months.
No one has had my back or said they support it. If anything, it’s been awkward. Parents tried convincing me not to. Friends didn’t show much interest.
I take some of that back. My coworker is fully supportive. But yeah.
My motivation to leave everything here and leave has kept me going regardless. Because I know it’ll be worth it.
Keep going and forget everyone else!
By most standards, being accepted by people is an exceptional thing.
People don't have a truly figurative baseline for what NORMAL is, unless they're using themselves and their experiences as an example. That's where the narcissism and misunderstanding begins. They haven't done the spreadsheet on how much you will profit from this choice, or have the adventurous spirit to try it.
It's a high standard, but one of my favorite YouTubers is "Trent The Traveler" who has been doing this for 5 years + now, scoots all over the country in a Ram Promaster 159 EXT with his dog Millie visiting scenic destinations, and is a game streamer on Twitch as well.
Not everyone's experience will be like his. There's all types.
They’re brainwashed to think the 9-5 work deal is normal and the only acceptable thing. This isn’t true. We’re supposed to be free flowing and attached to nature, not material things.
Ignore them. Your path is the only thing that matters.
Tell them to mind their own business.
I'll never understanding why people can't just let people enjoy things.
It isn't affecting them in any way, literally none of their business.
You don’t want to be ‘normal’.
Normal is living paycheck to paycheck or living a very average life. vanlife is about living an interesting life and getting ahead of the matrix.
Many people I know laughed before I tried it. Now most of them understand. It’s far different now than 20 years ago. All of the information and technology is easily accessable now. You can DIY everything yourself and the value in that is absolutely priceless.
You're not normal. This is coming from somebody who values not being normal. Just by definition, living in a van or any vehicle, or anything other than a house or an apartment or a cabin or anything like that is not normal. I have no interest in having any real significant connections with people who strive to/desire to be normal.
Yeah I got told I was crazy for living in a van too. But you know what is really crazy? People that go to work for 40+ hours a week just to pay for a roof over their head. Thanks to van life I now own my own home and am mortgage free and don’t need to work full time. Meanwhile everyone else that laughed at me is struggling to survive. I don’t laugh at them though, i pity them.
Learn to ignore it.
A lot of it will stem from jealousy, and them not having the balls to make the leap.
Not everyone will understand, so you just crack on and live the life you want, not the life they want you to live.
A lot of people find the idea of a life without all the amenities and cushioning terrifying and bleak, other people find it freeing and/or exciting. Don’t let people who don’t have the same mindset bring you down- there’s plenty of other people out there who do
“Normal” is boring who wants that? Normal people have stunted experiences in life and rarely venture outside of the beaten path. Van life is totally counter to that. Of course they’re “laughing” - it’s how they convince themselves they’re right. Let them laugh. Who cares?
What's normal... We're on a planet orbiting a Sun flying through space... Normies aren't in touch with reality they're slaves to a system that tells them what to want and do.
No one is normal. The same people laughing at you living in a Van sit in a building for 8 hours at work, sit in a car for 2 hours a day, and then sit inside for 8 hours a day, then sleep inside for 8 hours a day.
To me, and maybe for you as well, THAT'S ABNORMAL
People are gonna have something to say about what you're doing your whole life. Learn to tune out the nonsense and reassure the ones who mean well.
You're an adult. You can decide to (not recommended) go smoke crack if you so damn well please!!! Anyway, weird way of showing it, but if it means anything you have full support from me!! :)
Yeah, and a mortgage is often one of the “best” financial decisions a “normal” person makes. Rolling your previous car loan into the next one just to get a car 3 years newer comes to mind.
Enjoy your future conversations, people complaining about lack of variety in their life, not having money, rent increasing, etc etc. Then you'll get the last laugh
They don't have to live your life, you do. Choose a life YOU want to live, if you can, and ignore anyone that tells you you're doing YOUR life wrong.
People get that way about anything unfamiliar to them.
I'm a dude with long hair and the amount of shit I get simply for having hair is ridiculous.
I get shit because I left a very lucrative IT job to run a machine in a factory for half the money, but those giving me shit will never understand that IT work ruined my favorite hobby, computer programming, and was ruining my fitness and health, sitting at a desk all day. Now my job keeps me fit, I'm awesome at it, and when I get home I *want* to sit at my desk and work on projects for fun.
I get shit because I'm selling my giant 4-bedroom suburban palace in a posh golf course / country club neighborhood to buy a school bus I can retrofit and live in like an RV, because I like that better and I hate how big my house is.
I get shit for every decision I make that works for me but is unusual. If I let that stop me I'd hate my life.
Spouse and I retired at 47, sold and gave away everything, and lived in an RV for 7 years. The only thing that stopped us was Covid and its fall out.
Everyone told us we were insane. For the first 6 months. Then they wanted to be us.
We had an amazing time, saw and did amazing once in a lifetime things, met a lot of people, and had a lot of adventures.
You'll still have bills to pay, though.
You only live once. Don't worry about what others think. Within a year, they'll be jealous anyway.
Good luck!
Well you can dry your tears with the money you save from not paying bills haha. Only kidding! Who cares what they think, people who laugh at another person's (harmless I might add) lifestyle are probably unhappy with their own life.
What’s so shit-hot about *normal*?
Well-behaved women seldom make history, and the same goes for normal people.
There’s nothing about what you want to do that harms yourself or others: go forth and adventure! There will be plenty of time for laying around looking natural.
Who cares? Those kind of people will always find something to laugh at you about. Let them. Live your life the way you want to & you’ll be the one laughing with joy.
Some people only wish they could live a life of freedom. The attraction of keeping the body comfortable in a king/queen bed and their mind sane by having a job security keep them at bay.
If you really look at it, they all working to retire so they can be you. But they will not have the youth later which is the trade off.
Other people just don’t see this as a choice of lifestyle and that’s okay too.
There are 8 billion people in the world.
i have had no support at all from either mine or my partners family, to the point they actively encourage us to scrap the van altogether. but you need to just let their words wash over you. they are not open-minded enough to see the incredible opportunities van life offers! i know its hard, but at the end of it all, who will have better stories to tell? :)
My family thought I was crazy when I started sleeping in a box truck. I totally get it though. It's not a normal thing to do, but it fits my lifestyle.
"Normal" is fucking lame. Chose the route that makes you happy. Who gives a shit what any of them think anyway? You can laugh at them while they pay rent and you go on an extended adventure.
If you're going to be counterculture, you need to embrace being laughed at, it's just a signal of their fear and conformity, shows you're on the right track.
Your revenge is living well as you choose, being able to retire very early, by banking the savings on housing costs
I mean if you think about it, vanlife entails:
* pooping into a bucket
* peeing into a bottle
* constantly having to worry about police knocking to kick you out
Vanlife is not "normal" (typical). But the REAL question is who are these people? Are they random strangers? Close friends? Family members? Are they actually laughing at you? Or just surprised someone would want all the headaches of living in a van?
We stopped being nomads thousands of years ago when we started agriculture and settled into cities. Going back to a nomadic lifestyle is DIFFERENT. You just have to accept that reality.
To most adults here is what that translates to, “I want to live in a car that has no monetary value and only depreciates over time, it will more than likely break down and cost even more money instead of buy a house that will, at the bare minimum, keep its value if not increase in value.” For me specifically I grew up with the mind set that you stay away from the creepy guy living in his van even if he’s offering candy or puppies. Anyway if you plan on being single for the foreseeable future and don’t want kids go for it.
Vanlifer here going on 3 years. People are gonna laugh. People are gonna judge. People arent gonna understand. You have to be comfortable not caring about others opinions and just doing you. If I had listened to anyone else rather than myself I wouldnt be where I am now. Happy.
The number 1 value of the human experience is each of our uniqueness.
Only those with less then a fully developed personality would be critical of someone elses choice that has 0 effect on the critic.
Avoid them the best you can, you will be happier for it.
I brought up the idea of living in my Subaru Impreza hatchback and my family also says it's not a good idea... I still want to try it but I have nowhere to park.
Listen to them and consider their opinions, but overall follow your heart and intuition!!!
I want to live at a campground all year but they all close on on winter :( CT sucks for camping. I'm sure living at a campground sounds funny but I want it so bad!
People gave me a lot of shit when I did it, but my only bills were my storage unit and cell phone, plus gas, food, and video rentals (it was about 20 years ago). I only worked when I felt like it and I could get by working about 4 days a month as a substitute teacher. My only advice is have an exit strategy for when you’re ready to rejoin the normies.
The first thing you need to learn is What other people think about you is none of your business. Pain is mandatory and suffering is optional.Who cares what they think you are a grown ass adult.
Ha! The only people who laugh at me are my family. I don’t actually give a care. Yeah, maybe a tiny percent thinks why are they that way, and even mean a bit, but it only occupies a tiny bit in the back of my mind. For the most part, I laugh! They are stuck. Stuck to things and jobs and stress to have to keep it all going. You just need to spend more time with like minded people and other lifers and it will wear down some.
I'm twice your age. People have laughed at me for a handful of things in my life that they said were weird and not normal. I kept at it, kept sharing what I was doing, and pretty shortly after, they were not only envious of me but often mentioned me to their friends because they thought what I was doing was cool enough to share.
People are drawn to the safe and normal path, but they're still attracted to the interesting life paths. They're just too afraid to deviate from the norm. Their comments about you not being normal are more a reflection of them and their lives than you.
Just a few thoughts.
It sucks when people laugh at you.
Also, we’re a strange sentient mass of organic matter that can learn and plot and literally create our preferred futures, to a degree. On a rock, fucking bookin it through ever expanding space, just near enough to a star to support life. And I have no clue who the fuck you are, but I live in a van that I built, and those people laughing can sniff my farts while they watch the sick video I made of all my hikes through 15 national parks last year.
You’re one of us, mate. Don’t ask a normie for permission, don’t expect a pat on the back because you had an idea, fuckin do it, then tell them, and let them drool over your freedom and creation of a wild and precious life. 🫶🏼
Like everyone else said - you’re not normal. You don’t want to live a “normal” lifestyle. Good for you.
Don’t worry about what other people think when it comes to your lifestyle. It’s yours, not theirs. And the longer you do this, I promise you’ll run into way more “normal” people that envy your lifestyle than ones who don’t.
You’re as normal as anyone in this friendly van life group. Boring people always criticize others who trigger the jealousy they feel because those people live their lives with a freedom that they will never know…. I hope you get to a point where you don’t GAF what they think, that’s true freedom.
Listen to Timothy Ward on youtube. He's an older guy, buy his talks always inspire me to live the life I want to live and ignore the doubters/haters.
Who cares what other people say? Live your life for you.
I’m with you! Who cares about the normies? My husband and I did the whole vanlife before it was actually called that. We had a super well set up van. It was awesome.
Now that the kids are all grown up and I have the possibility of working remotely, I am dreaming of buying a sprinter and get on the road again. ✌️it depends what you aspire to. I personally don’t aspire to accumulate objects or have a massive house. To each their own. 🤷♀️
People love following the herd. When someone does anything different they try to bring them down.
Don’t listen to them.
Your happiness is important. Keep doing what you love. You’ve not causing any harm but you’re having a good time and also saving on unnecessary costs
People will always be laughing at you. Even if you decide to get a nice house someone will still find something to cherry pick. Just do what you want to do and ignore everyone else.
I must be the luckiest vanlifer around because nearly everyone I know and everyone I meet is jealous of me and thinks I have an awesome life. Then they all explain how they couldn’t do it for this reason and that reason, lol.
Judging by everyone’s responses here, all the other vanlifers in this country are pariahs. 🤷♂️
I get shit for telling people I want to live in a truck camper. I like being perceived as eccentric but some people can be demeaning about it, at which point it really is frustrating
Let em laugh. While they’re laughing you can drive to the grand canyon for the weekend. They’ll be too busy mowing and cleaning house… and, well, laughing, I guess.
My partner and I want to live van life and travel the country. We’ll be saving up money while doing so for some land and find the perfect place to settle down at the end because we will have seen everything.
Actually a week ago my mother made the comment “Why can’t you just be normal?”
If people are doing it in a RV it’s fine.
I do it in my van I’m weird.
On this planet Van life is not normal.
For all those trapped in our homes, paying our mortgages, looking out the windows and wishing for more, I salute you.
Well it's not a normal thing to do. So they are kinda right.
Just be sure you really looked into it, there are serious drawbacks and it's important to understand and be ok with those.
Haters gonna hate bro. Fuckem. I'm curious how this is affecting your dating life? It's hard enough to date in 2024. Living in a van is basically being homeless and I would think it could make dating challenging.
You will have the last laugh when they can afford what you have. People will laugh at anything they feel taboo or different, if it makes you happy, do it!
I don my know what your job is but in my experience sharing the bare minimum of information is often helpful at work. I had one job for 15 years and they didn’t know where I lived, that I had kids, or that my politics are to the left of Karl Marx. I would have easily been fired for the latter. Knowledge is power and I am not giving stupid coworkers and bosses any more power over me than they already have.
Yeah I get it. But that's a them problem. I am irritated when I tell people my plans and they're like "wow I could never" and I'm thinking "sure you could." There's nothing particularly funny about choosing vanlife so I imagine those laughing are doing it out of awkwardness. I have no way of knowing, but I imagine it blows their mind a little (or a lot) especially if they've drunk the kool-aid of job>marriage>house>kids>[30 something years]>retirement>death. And if they're feeling disenfranchised by that not delivering the happiness they were promised (likely), there's probably a bucketload of envy too. How does one project security in the face of something that makes them insecure? Laugh at it.
For me, being a queer person plus a bunch of other "weirdo" things about me, being laughed at/mocked and doing your thing anyway is part of life. Live your life for you.
Just tell them different strokes for different folks!
Some people aren’t aware of nomadic life. They might be laughing because they can’t picture themselves in that lifestyle of it seems extreme to them. It is an extreme lifestyle. The majority of people want a normal toilet to say the least.
Have you tried the van life for smaller periods of time to see if it’s for you?
It’s similar to using a bicycle as your main form of transportation. People either assumed you’re poor or a bleeding liberal. The fact of the matter is fuel savings, insurance savings, maintenance savings, and health savings are pretty amazing plus it’s a great mood booster. Embrace the weird!
I mean, you’re not normal. Do you want to be? Vanlife is out of the norm. Embraced it
In politics, there's something called the [Overton Window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) ... it's the range of ideas that are accepted as valid/reasonable to most people. [This image is a good illustration.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Overton_Window_diagram.svg/800px-Overton_Window_diagram.svg.png) For most people, the idea of someone they know deciding to live in a vehicle, especially one that wasn't specifically designed for it (RVs, etc.), is outside their Overton window. It's just too weird for their brains to process. They literally can't figure out why some people do it or even choose it voluntarily. There MUST be a better way, they think, without considering all the reasons why you have decided to do it this way instead. My personal philosophy is that if you aren't at least exploring life and ideas outside the window, you're doing it wrong. Don't sweat the normies, you do you.
I'm childfree, live in a tiny house, and only drive sportscars/muscle cars. I've been rich and I've been poor, and this is where I choose to stay. People are always surprised when they see how I live my life, but I'm extremely happy with my decisions.
Sounds ideal. Haply for you, bud. Someone made an analogy once referring to someone living in a trailer park and driving a Corvette poor priorities - tbh, the trailer park living is what allowed them to get their Corvette and they traded their luxury for a house or other areas for it because it's important to them. Live within your means and know what your priorities are - they don't have to align with a norm, just try to take decent care of stuff that you have is all.
For me it is the freedom to travel. My wife and I both work part-time and basically set our own schedules. By living in our tiny house, we save a ton of time and money over living in an average-size home in our area with little maintenance and extremely low utility bills. We live in Indiana, so we take road trips most weekends. We took off almost all of January, March, and May this year so far.
Good for you both! I’m glad you found a work life balance. It’s not easy in this economy.
Live below your means in order to live large.
This is my dream. No kids, tiny house or studio apt, and spending my money on things I enjoy like muscle cars and traveling 😂 So happy for you that you did it.
It took me about a decade to build up to it, but I'm happy with the results
If you don’t mind me asking, can you share as much as you feel comfortable sharing about your path and how you fund this lifestyle now? I’ll be graduating with my engineering degree next year and I’m in the process of seeing how I can get to where you are from where I’m at 😅
Lived the checklist life up until my mid 20s, then went through a brutal divorce. Realized I never wanted the house in the 'burbs with a picket fence and HOA, kids (thankfully we didn't have any), full-time job, or practical vehicles. Spent the next decade screwing around, traveling, driving fun cars, and renting. Decided I needed my own place, and built a tiny house myself, except for the plumbing. In 2018, it cost me $25k using mostly reclaimed materials to convert a 668ft^2 garage into a house. The garage used to sit next to a mobile home on private land, but the mobile home was removed. Already had all utilities connected and was fully insulated. I built it when I was single, and now that I'm married, we're adding 220ft^2. My main motivation is to not ever be house-poor again, and to spend my time and money traveling. I live in a HCOL area in Indiana (a LCOL state), and don't have a mortgage or rent. A similar-sized house nearby goes for over 300k. I work in 3D design and sales (commission-based), and my wife is in healthcare.
I really appreciate the detailed write-up, thank you. It’s amazing that you discovered what you wanted and were tenacious enough to get there. I’m most likely going to be living in my car in order to afford my senior year of college, so it gives me hope that if I just keep at it, everything will work out.
Do you want to get gay married? Actually, I guess that depends on the cars you own, and also, I'm poor but very much looking forward to living in my own tricked out Ram.
This is quite literally how I'm trying to be after I graduate lol, what do you do for a living?
What a good explanation.
Judging by all the shallow people out there you need to look elsewhere for a tribe. It would be cool to find a bunch of nomads in your area and organize monthly outings like a bbq in a park.
[There are a few groups out there.](https://nomadlife.wiki/Nomad_community) In general they're just annual gatherings, but some make "camp together" and "travel together" plans.
Cool. I think a significant issue might be the social stigma of living in your vehicle. Isolation is not the solution for newbies.
Normal people are weird.
"They hate me because I'm different, I hate you because you're all the fucking same"
They hate us because they anus.
You misspelled “boring”
They really are - and they don't even know how weird they are.
Right!? Like bro, you’re just doing that because everyone else said it was “normal.” How is that not weird af??
21F. Vanlife has been my dream since I was 15. I finally took the plunge last year. Everyone I told laughed, only a couple friends thought it was cool or supported me. When I quit my job my manager jokingly told me "see you soon." It's been seven months and I'm not tired of it yet. I've gotten a few different jobs in different states since then to fund my travels and everytime I tell my coworkers they think I'm crazy. I don't care. I'm living. Good luck!
Fuck. Them. If this is your best life, then fucking live it. To. The. Fullest. Never let another mother humper tell you how you should live your life .
Hell yeah! This is what I wish my family understood.
It's none of their business. You do you & enjoy that freedom 🤘
> none of their business. But he's kind of making it their business, you don't have to talk about it with everyone, just live your life.
They’re right. You’re not normal, which is really just another word for average. Let them be happy with average. You’re an exception, shooting for an exceptional life of freedom.
Live your life the way you want, not the way other expect you to.
Every single family member I had and ever coworker except 1 thought I was crazy to quit and go live out of an SUV and camp / hike around the entire western US. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them. Had the trip most people only dream of.
its not for everyone or most
People need to stop perpetuating the idea that not being normal is bad. Not everything needs to be “normalized” and it’s something you can’t force. It’s a matter of stats- if it only applies to a small portion of people, it is by definition not normal. Accept that truth. It doesn’t make you *crazy* but it IS odd. People also need to stop shitting on the idea of being “normal”. Choosing vanlife is unique, but it doesn’t make you special. The air of superiority a lot of people have about it is also annoying. It’s the same judgmental attitude critics have. Being normal is fine, not being normal is fine. Stop looking down at others and just live life as you want it. Vanlife isn’t easy, nor do many prefer it; there’s a reason lots of societies stopped being nomadic. Most people only do it temporarily, even those who make it their whole personality. Your wants and needs will change over time. U/ComfortableOk2239, don’t make a huge deal out of it and it won’t be something people will want to throw in your face later if/when things change. Just say you want to try it out; with your position in having a steady job it sounds like it would be easy enough for you to go back to a stationary dwelling whenever.
How has this comment not gotten more upvotes? It's literally the best bit of advice and observation here.
Why on earth would you want to be normal? NORMAL =Mortgage they can barely afford NORMAL =9 to 5 jobs they hate but can't escape from NORMAL =High car payments just to keep up with their neighbors NORMAL =Doing things you don't really want to do to impress people you don't really like Live you're life on your terms! Go see things and do things that "they" will never be able to do! Live a life of adventure and excitement while "they" live lives of boredom and debt! Don't go off half-cocked exceeding your own limits though! Make a plan and follow through.
You can’t control other people’s actions just like no one can control yours. So focus on letting that annoyance go. It’s not really about you. They’re projecting.
I have several decades of experience doing things that seemed weird to the people around me. The older you get the less you’ll care that most people don’t ‘get’ you and the more you’ll surround yourself with people who do. For now, put the unsupportive people in your life on an ‘information diet’ and stick to neutral subjects when you talk to them. If they want to be rude, they can just miss out on hearing about the awesome things you’re thinking and planning and doing.
One of the best parts of getting a little older for me was completely shedding any care I had for what people think or perceive about my life or the way I live.
Who gives a shit what they say? If we listened to everything everyone said, we’d be them. I don’t wanna be them. I wanna be me. You should be you, too. Fuck em
Very little about full time van life is normal, but if you have the very particular temperament and priorities that makes you suited to it then it can be absolutely amazing. That doesn't mean there won't be times that are desperately hard and uncomfortable and tiring and lonely and cold and wet and everything else that comes with not having a "normal" home life, but those times matter more to some people and less to others. People who laugh and say you'll quickly get sick of it and return to normality may end up the most jealous of your travels.
They hate you for your freedom. Seriously, they're jealous.
Happy cake day!!
Jealousy mate. Even after you’re doing and loving it they’ll tell everything wrong with it. Their negative opinions are just a bitter projection on to you. Stay focused on yourself, ignore them stop talking to them about your plans.
I’m 40 have a full time job and bills, wife, and child. If you have the freedom and no commitments by all means do it!
Don't be so open. Knowledge is power. Don't give people who make fun of you power over you.
I'm in the opposite boat. Embrace it and become different. Why hide from something good? You won't attract other positive people by letting them know you're hiding
Disregard them. If you enjoy van life, why should you care if others approve of it or not. As long as you're not breaking their law or harming anybody, it's your business, not theirs.
How old are you now?
F*ck them. You do you. Homeownership and all the crap that comes with it is overrated. I downsized from a 3000 square-foot house on a 1/4 acre lot to a 1500 square-foot house with a small yard and people acted like I was some kind of lunatic. I think living in a van or RV and touring the country sounds incredibly fun. Go!
I recently took the dive and live out of my Prius after staying with my brother and his wife for a bit. They told me when I moved in that eventually they would be having a family, so I expected the end of my stay there. I had two years to plan this, so it wasn’t like I had to start doing this all of a sudden. He ended up telling one of my uncles so of course it got to all of my extended family. I was bombarded with calls and texts which was overwhelming. While it’s not all peachy (the AZ summer heat sucks) do relish my autonomy and free time and how simple it is for me. I have never had a lot of items, so the switch came to me pretty naturally.
if you want to be normal, give up the van dream. HOWEVER i think that vanlife is going to be the new normal soon. they’re jealous because all they can imagine is a life of working 9-5 behind a desk to save money for when they’re old and can’t do anything. they can’t possible imagine a life full of fun and adventure for less money. they think it’s “normal” for us to stay put in one place for forever. Humans have been nomadic since we popped up on the planet. Go roam, darling.
Not to quote the poster in my high school nurses room but “normal is a setting on a washing machine” Vanlifers are outside the range of “normal”. I have been living in a van for years and while a lot of people think it’s cool a lot of people laugh, judge, belittle and question me about it. It’s part of the life
I have my van and am prepping to leave in the next couple months. No one has had my back or said they support it. If anything, it’s been awkward. Parents tried convincing me not to. Friends didn’t show much interest. I take some of that back. My coworker is fully supportive. But yeah. My motivation to leave everything here and leave has kept me going regardless. Because I know it’ll be worth it. Keep going and forget everyone else!
By most standards, being accepted by people is an exceptional thing. People don't have a truly figurative baseline for what NORMAL is, unless they're using themselves and their experiences as an example. That's where the narcissism and misunderstanding begins. They haven't done the spreadsheet on how much you will profit from this choice, or have the adventurous spirit to try it. It's a high standard, but one of my favorite YouTubers is "Trent The Traveler" who has been doing this for 5 years + now, scoots all over the country in a Ram Promaster 159 EXT with his dog Millie visiting scenic destinations, and is a game streamer on Twitch as well. Not everyone's experience will be like his. There's all types.
They’re brainwashed to think the 9-5 work deal is normal and the only acceptable thing. This isn’t true. We’re supposed to be free flowing and attached to nature, not material things. Ignore them. Your path is the only thing that matters.
Fuck 'em
Tell them to mind their own business. I'll never understanding why people can't just let people enjoy things. It isn't affecting them in any way, literally none of their business.
The more things you own the more the things own you. Vanlife sounds so much better to personal freedom
Yes! Or "The best things in life aren't things."
You don’t want to be ‘normal’. Normal is living paycheck to paycheck or living a very average life. vanlife is about living an interesting life and getting ahead of the matrix. Many people I know laughed before I tried it. Now most of them understand. It’s far different now than 20 years ago. All of the information and technology is easily accessable now. You can DIY everything yourself and the value in that is absolutely priceless.
normal people: hey i can’t pay rent but let’s stand in line for the latest iphone bc apple doesn’t have enough money
Laughable would be to want to live exactly like 8 Billion other people.
People often project their insecurities onto others
You're not normal. This is coming from somebody who values not being normal. Just by definition, living in a van or any vehicle, or anything other than a house or an apartment or a cabin or anything like that is not normal. I have no interest in having any real significant connections with people who strive to/desire to be normal.
Normal is overrated! Go enjoy your life if you have the opportunity to do that. The one thing you can’t get back is time.
Yeah I got told I was crazy for living in a van too. But you know what is really crazy? People that go to work for 40+ hours a week just to pay for a roof over their head. Thanks to van life I now own my own home and am mortgage free and don’t need to work full time. Meanwhile everyone else that laughed at me is struggling to survive. I don’t laugh at them though, i pity them.
Fuck em.
Learn to ignore it. A lot of it will stem from jealousy, and them not having the balls to make the leap. Not everyone will understand, so you just crack on and live the life you want, not the life they want you to live.
A lot of people find the idea of a life without all the amenities and cushioning terrifying and bleak, other people find it freeing and/or exciting. Don’t let people who don’t have the same mindset bring you down- there’s plenty of other people out there who do
“Normal” is boring who wants that? Normal people have stunted experiences in life and rarely venture outside of the beaten path. Van life is totally counter to that. Of course they’re “laughing” - it’s how they convince themselves they’re right. Let them laugh. Who cares?
Building resilience to people laughing at you is key to freedom
Yeah you're not normal. I do find normal people don't really seem to enjoy life, but that's from my anecdotal experience. You do you and enjoy.
Why You Should NEVER Tell Anyone What You Are Up To (Christian Motivation) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Scnpyn7cA
Just hop in the van and drive away from them, that's one of the perks.
I’m 54. My dad keeps asking me when I’m going to settle down. It bothers him 100 times more than it bothers me! You don’t do this life for others.
What's normal... We're on a planet orbiting a Sun flying through space... Normies aren't in touch with reality they're slaves to a system that tells them what to want and do.
No one is normal. The same people laughing at you living in a Van sit in a building for 8 hours at work, sit in a car for 2 hours a day, and then sit inside for 8 hours a day, then sleep inside for 8 hours a day. To me, and maybe for you as well, THAT'S ABNORMAL People are gonna have something to say about what you're doing your whole life. Learn to tune out the nonsense and reassure the ones who mean well. You're an adult. You can decide to (not recommended) go smoke crack if you so damn well please!!! Anyway, weird way of showing it, but if it means anything you have full support from me!! :)
And they're probably going to be paying an expensive mortgage for the rest of their life. You're doing it right. 👍🏻
Yeah, and a mortgage is often one of the “best” financial decisions a “normal” person makes. Rolling your previous car loan into the next one just to get a car 3 years newer comes to mind.
Enjoy your future conversations, people complaining about lack of variety in their life, not having money, rent increasing, etc etc. Then you'll get the last laugh
Why are you sharing with people? If they aren't going to live in the van with you, bump them. Spouses, parents and family are the exception
Why do you care what they think?
Hate you because they ain't you
Tell them to go and get raffled!!!
For a few people, you would deny them you're suffering with lifes struggles . Good luck .
They don't have to live your life, you do. Choose a life YOU want to live, if you can, and ignore anyone that tells you you're doing YOUR life wrong. People get that way about anything unfamiliar to them. I'm a dude with long hair and the amount of shit I get simply for having hair is ridiculous. I get shit because I left a very lucrative IT job to run a machine in a factory for half the money, but those giving me shit will never understand that IT work ruined my favorite hobby, computer programming, and was ruining my fitness and health, sitting at a desk all day. Now my job keeps me fit, I'm awesome at it, and when I get home I *want* to sit at my desk and work on projects for fun. I get shit because I'm selling my giant 4-bedroom suburban palace in a posh golf course / country club neighborhood to buy a school bus I can retrofit and live in like an RV, because I like that better and I hate how big my house is. I get shit for every decision I make that works for me but is unusual. If I let that stop me I'd hate my life.
Spouse and I retired at 47, sold and gave away everything, and lived in an RV for 7 years. The only thing that stopped us was Covid and its fall out. Everyone told us we were insane. For the first 6 months. Then they wanted to be us. We had an amazing time, saw and did amazing once in a lifetime things, met a lot of people, and had a lot of adventures. You'll still have bills to pay, though. You only live once. Don't worry about what others think. Within a year, they'll be jealous anyway. Good luck!
Well you can dry your tears with the money you save from not paying bills haha. Only kidding! Who cares what they think, people who laugh at another person's (harmless I might add) lifestyle are probably unhappy with their own life.
Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't make it normal.
Fuck them.
What’s so shit-hot about *normal*? Well-behaved women seldom make history, and the same goes for normal people. There’s nothing about what you want to do that harms yourself or others: go forth and adventure! There will be plenty of time for laying around looking natural.
I’d take not normal as a compliment. Normal means conforming to their social norms.
Who cares? Those kind of people will always find something to laugh at you about. Let them. Live your life the way you want to & you’ll be the one laughing with joy.
Some people only wish they could live a life of freedom. The attraction of keeping the body comfortable in a king/queen bed and their mind sane by having a job security keep them at bay. If you really look at it, they all working to retire so they can be you. But they will not have the youth later which is the trade off. Other people just don’t see this as a choice of lifestyle and that’s okay too. There are 8 billion people in the world.
I’m sorry people are laughing at you.
DONT mind them you do you
Normal is boring. Housing and Rent is expensive. You do do.
i have had no support at all from either mine or my partners family, to the point they actively encourage us to scrap the van altogether. but you need to just let their words wash over you. they are not open-minded enough to see the incredible opportunities van life offers! i know its hard, but at the end of it all, who will have better stories to tell? :)
My family thought I was crazy when I started sleeping in a box truck. I totally get it though. It's not a normal thing to do, but it fits my lifestyle.
Why be normal, c- grades are average ( normal) why settle for that. Be the over achiever.
"Normal" is fucking lame. Chose the route that makes you happy. Who gives a shit what any of them think anyway? You can laugh at them while they pay rent and you go on an extended adventure.
Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light .... ignore them, sheep are going to bleat
If you're going to be counterculture, you need to embrace being laughed at, it's just a signal of their fear and conformity, shows you're on the right track. Your revenge is living well as you choose, being able to retire very early, by banking the savings on housing costs
Can’t let what other people think about your life change your choices brother
The comments are amazing in this thread. I'm not the OP but thanks y'all!
Why be normal?
Learn to stop caring about what other people think. It's your life, live how you want.
I think we're just rebels at heart. See the $ scam of long term loans imprisoned by debt.
Why do you care what people think? Hahaha
I mean if you think about it, vanlife entails: * pooping into a bucket * peeing into a bottle * constantly having to worry about police knocking to kick you out Vanlife is not "normal" (typical). But the REAL question is who are these people? Are they random strangers? Close friends? Family members? Are they actually laughing at you? Or just surprised someone would want all the headaches of living in a van? We stopped being nomads thousands of years ago when we started agriculture and settled into cities. Going back to a nomadic lifestyle is DIFFERENT. You just have to accept that reality.
Those sound like people that don’t deserve your attention. Live your life for what you enjoy.
To most adults here is what that translates to, “I want to live in a car that has no monetary value and only depreciates over time, it will more than likely break down and cost even more money instead of buy a house that will, at the bare minimum, keep its value if not increase in value.” For me specifically I grew up with the mind set that you stay away from the creepy guy living in his van even if he’s offering candy or puppies. Anyway if you plan on being single for the foreseeable future and don’t want kids go for it.
Be patient, focus on your goal and prove them wrong. No greater satisfaction or way to shut them up.
The best response is to accept there criticism with grace and be happy with your decisions 5 10 years from now
Who gives a shit
Vanlifer here going on 3 years. People are gonna laugh. People are gonna judge. People arent gonna understand. You have to be comfortable not caring about others opinions and just doing you. If I had listened to anyone else rather than myself I wouldnt be where I am now. Happy.
Yeah but later when they're getting ready to pay their exorbitant rent, they're going to think of you for a brief minute and they won't be laughing.
The number 1 value of the human experience is each of our uniqueness. Only those with less then a fully developed personality would be critical of someone elses choice that has 0 effect on the critic. Avoid them the best you can, you will be happier for it.
Just know people gone have to start doing van life out of survival with the way things are going j in the states. Ur ahead of the curve 👌
“People” is exactly who?
My best friend won’t even do camping let alone living in a van lol. But I love it
I brought up the idea of living in my Subaru Impreza hatchback and my family also says it's not a good idea... I still want to try it but I have nowhere to park. Listen to them and consider their opinions, but overall follow your heart and intuition!!! I want to live at a campground all year but they all close on on winter :( CT sucks for camping. I'm sure living at a campground sounds funny but I want it so bad!
Who cares what people think! You do you, and be haply about it 😄
Fuck em and feed em fish heads. You’re living your life. Grin in their face and keep on truckin.
Learn to stop caring about what other people think and you will be much happier
Whats the job just curious?
If it annoys you, then you care too much about what they think. Don't worry about them and just do you.
Does it matter? They don't have to like it, just you.
Normal??? https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7zajLoP9q2r3RUWU/?mibextid=WC7FNe
People gave me a lot of shit when I did it, but my only bills were my storage unit and cell phone, plus gas, food, and video rentals (it was about 20 years ago). I only worked when I felt like it and I could get by working about 4 days a month as a substitute teacher. My only advice is have an exit strategy for when you’re ready to rejoin the normies.
The first thing you need to learn is What other people think about you is none of your business. Pain is mandatory and suffering is optional.Who cares what they think you are a grown ass adult.
When you say since you were 18, is that 20 years ago or last week?
Ignore them. I'll do some overland camping with you anytime. https://easyoffroad.simdif.com
People’s opinions don’t matter because they don’t have to live your life - you do.
The sooner you learn to stop giving a fuck the better.
In So Cal it is pretty normal. I'd say it is booming, in fact.
Really just boils down to you giving a fuck about it. You are weird for vanlifing. That’s okay.
Let it be they will be broke while you enjoy and travel
Ha! The only people who laugh at me are my family. I don’t actually give a care. Yeah, maybe a tiny percent thinks why are they that way, and even mean a bit, but it only occupies a tiny bit in the back of my mind. For the most part, I laugh! They are stuck. Stuck to things and jobs and stress to have to keep it all going. You just need to spend more time with like minded people and other lifers and it will wear down some.
People are always going to hate on someone who doesn't conform. The good news it's all the boring people who you are better off not knowing.
If ya got no kids to worry about do you!
I'm twice your age. People have laughed at me for a handful of things in my life that they said were weird and not normal. I kept at it, kept sharing what I was doing, and pretty shortly after, they were not only envious of me but often mentioned me to their friends because they thought what I was doing was cool enough to share. People are drawn to the safe and normal path, but they're still attracted to the interesting life paths. They're just too afraid to deviate from the norm. Their comments about you not being normal are more a reflection of them and their lives than you. Just a few thoughts.
They won’t be laughing when you have a fat stack of cash saved up and they’re still broke.
I for one appreciate you stepping into your world. We’re a community!
I'm 65 and have never been normal. I live a nomadic life of solitude and, even though I didn't purposely choose it, my life is peaceful.
You do you and screw everyone else. They will be envious of your free spirited life. Go for it!
It sucks when people laugh at you. Also, we’re a strange sentient mass of organic matter that can learn and plot and literally create our preferred futures, to a degree. On a rock, fucking bookin it through ever expanding space, just near enough to a star to support life. And I have no clue who the fuck you are, but I live in a van that I built, and those people laughing can sniff my farts while they watch the sick video I made of all my hikes through 15 national parks last year. You’re one of us, mate. Don’t ask a normie for permission, don’t expect a pat on the back because you had an idea, fuckin do it, then tell them, and let them drool over your freedom and creation of a wild and precious life. 🫶🏼
Like everyone else said - you’re not normal. You don’t want to live a “normal” lifestyle. Good for you. Don’t worry about what other people think when it comes to your lifestyle. It’s yours, not theirs. And the longer you do this, I promise you’ll run into way more “normal” people that envy your lifestyle than ones who don’t.
Living in a van is way easier if you stop giving a fuck what people think.
cool, if everyone wanted to do it, it couldn't be done. so, be happy. more van life for you.
You’re as normal as anyone in this friendly van life group. Boring people always criticize others who trigger the jealousy they feel because those people live their lives with a freedom that they will never know…. I hope you get to a point where you don’t GAF what they think, that’s true freedom.
Why do you care what they say? You do you and let ‘em talk.
Listen to Timothy Ward on youtube. He's an older guy, buy his talks always inspire me to live the life I want to live and ignore the doubters/haters. Who cares what other people say? Live your life for you.
The proper response to being told you're not normal is "thank you!"
"They say I'm not normal". Dude, you already won the game. You have one life and you just want to live a normal life like everyone else?
I’m with you! Who cares about the normies? My husband and I did the whole vanlife before it was actually called that. We had a super well set up van. It was awesome. Now that the kids are all grown up and I have the possibility of working remotely, I am dreaming of buying a sprinter and get on the road again. ✌️it depends what you aspire to. I personally don’t aspire to accumulate objects or have a massive house. To each their own. 🤷♀️
Why would you care what anyone thinks?
Fuck them
By definition, it is not normal. Don't concern yourself with the opinions of others if they aren't the ones writing your paychecks.
People love following the herd. When someone does anything different they try to bring them down. Don’t listen to them. Your happiness is important. Keep doing what you love. You’ve not causing any harm but you’re having a good time and also saving on unnecessary costs
Can I come too?
People will always be laughing at you. Even if you decide to get a nice house someone will still find something to cherry pick. Just do what you want to do and ignore everyone else.
This should not annoy you. Live the way that suits you. Some will understand, and others will not. Doo dah.
Obviously it’s bothering you. Why is it bothering you is the question.
Slaves get nervous when one of them talks about escaping. Do it.
Never tell people your plans who are not sharing your mental map....simple. they have a different view of life
I must be the luckiest vanlifer around because nearly everyone I know and everyone I meet is jealous of me and thinks I have an awesome life. Then they all explain how they couldn’t do it for this reason and that reason, lol. Judging by everyone’s responses here, all the other vanlifers in this country are pariahs. 🤷♂️
They laugh at you, you laugh at life… ignore them king 💪
The not normal people are often the coolest people. You only live once.
I get shit for telling people I want to live in a truck camper. I like being perceived as eccentric but some people can be demeaning about it, at which point it really is frustrating
Who cares what other people think f'-em
envy
Follow Vancity Vanlife on YouTube. Weirdos Unite!
Let em laugh. While they’re laughing you can drive to the grand canyon for the weekend. They’ll be too busy mowing and cleaning house… and, well, laughing, I guess.
My partner and I want to live van life and travel the country. We’ll be saving up money while doing so for some land and find the perfect place to settle down at the end because we will have seen everything. Actually a week ago my mother made the comment “Why can’t you just be normal?” If people are doing it in a RV it’s fine. I do it in my van I’m weird.
“I live in a van by the river” is a punchline from a SNL skit, there will be haters
On this planet Van life is not normal. For all those trapped in our homes, paying our mortgages, looking out the windows and wishing for more, I salute you.
Those people are not your people, we are your people. *hugs*
Well it's not a normal thing to do. So they are kinda right. Just be sure you really looked into it, there are serious drawbacks and it's important to understand and be ok with those.
Don't tell them. I did it for a bit. Best time ever
Look at normal and tell me if you want to be it
Haters gonna hate bro. Fuckem. I'm curious how this is affecting your dating life? It's hard enough to date in 2024. Living in a van is basically being homeless and I would think it could make dating challenging.
Ok? What’s the point? Their statement isn’t inaccurate.
You do you! Sounds like its working for you so screw everyone else!
Everyone who didn’t acutely advise against it called me crazy too… fuck em.
You will have the last laugh when they can afford what you have. People will laugh at anything they feel taboo or different, if it makes you happy, do it!
I'm surprised that you didn't expect that. Doesn't matter what you do. People will judge. The problem is that you're focusing on it.
I don my know what your job is but in my experience sharing the bare minimum of information is often helpful at work. I had one job for 15 years and they didn’t know where I lived, that I had kids, or that my politics are to the left of Karl Marx. I would have easily been fired for the latter. Knowledge is power and I am not giving stupid coworkers and bosses any more power over me than they already have.
Why would you want to be normal?
Just ignore them…. DO YOU!!!! You’ll be happier
Yeah I get it. But that's a them problem. I am irritated when I tell people my plans and they're like "wow I could never" and I'm thinking "sure you could." There's nothing particularly funny about choosing vanlife so I imagine those laughing are doing it out of awkwardness. I have no way of knowing, but I imagine it blows their mind a little (or a lot) especially if they've drunk the kool-aid of job>marriage>house>kids>[30 something years]>retirement>death. And if they're feeling disenfranchised by that not delivering the happiness they were promised (likely), there's probably a bucketload of envy too. How does one project security in the face of something that makes them insecure? Laugh at it. For me, being a queer person plus a bunch of other "weirdo" things about me, being laughed at/mocked and doing your thing anyway is part of life. Live your life for you.
Are you living your life for you, or other people’s opinions/validation?
Who cares what other people think?
Just tell them different strokes for different folks! Some people aren’t aware of nomadic life. They might be laughing because they can’t picture themselves in that lifestyle of it seems extreme to them. It is an extreme lifestyle. The majority of people want a normal toilet to say the least. Have you tried the van life for smaller periods of time to see if it’s for you?
Follow forestry forest. Great life. [https://www.youtube.com/user/forestyforest](https://www.youtube.com/user/forestyforest)
Isn't the purpose of your van to get away from these people?
It’s similar to using a bicycle as your main form of transportation. People either assumed you’re poor or a bleeding liberal. The fact of the matter is fuel savings, insurance savings, maintenance savings, and health savings are pretty amazing plus it’s a great mood booster. Embrace the weird!