Welcome, my fellow Van Life WannaBes!
If you’ve found your way here, there’s a pretty good chance we’ve got something in common. You’ve probably watched more van life YouTube videos than any reasonable adult should. You’ve admired beautiful camper vans, researched solar panels, debated whether you could survive without a shower, and maybe even wandered through an RV show drooling over a $150,000 adventure van.
Because nothing says simple living quite like a six-figure vehicle payment.
But despite all that research and dreaming, you haven’t quite taken the plunge. Maybe it’s money, family responsibilities, work, or simply not knowing where to begin.
Whatever the reason, you’re in good company.
VanLifeWannaBe.com is for people who dream about a different way of living but haven’t quite figured out how to make it happen.
And here’s the thing: I don’t believe there’s one right way to do van life. You don’t have to sell everything you own, quit your job, and move into a converted cargo van to qualify. Maybe you want to travel for a few weeks every summer. Maybe you want to spend your retirement exploring the country. Maybe a minivan, SUV, or even a car is all you need.
The important question isn’t necessarily whether van life is right for you.
It’s how we can make van life right for you.
That’s what this website is all about.
Meet the WannaBe Behind the Website
My name is Doug, and I’m a Van Life WannaBe.
Hi, Doug. We support your questionable financial decisions.
I’ve spent most of my adult life as a school teacher, with a four-year break to serve in the Army. Along the way, I got married, raised two kids, and spent a whole lot of time trying to be a positive influence on the thousands of children who passed through my classrooms.
It’s been a rewarding life, but as my own kids have grown into adults and retirement has started appearing on the horizon, I’ve begun thinking more seriously about what comes next.
And what comes next, at least in my imagination, involves fewer home improvement projects and a lot more open roads.
You see, my wife and I own a four-bedroom house. It’s a nice house, but owning a house on a teacher’s salary means developing an intimate relationship with YouTube repair tutorials and the plumbing aisle at Home Depot.
I’m ready to simplify things.
Not necessarily sell everything and disappear into the wilderness. I still enjoy woodworking, kayaking, and having a permanent place to call home. But I’d love to spend less time maintaining possessions and more time enjoying experiences.
And I suspect I’m not alone.
My Road to Van Life
Unlike some of the van life influencers you’ll find online, I’m not writing this from a beautifully converted Sprinter van parked beside a mountain lake.
I’m writing it as a fellow VanLifeWannaBe.
My long-term goal is to retire from teaching, downsize into a smaller home base, and purchase a cargo van that will allow me to travel for extended periods. I want the freedom to explore the country without giving up the hobbies and comforts I enjoy when I’m home.
Before then, I’d like to experiment with smaller vehicles, shorter trips, and different approaches to camping and traveling.
I also love building things, so the idea of designing and converting my own camper is almost as exciting as actually using it.
In fact, there’s a small part of me that worries I might enjoy building a van more than traveling in one.
Which would be unfortunate, because that sounds suspiciously like another expensive hobby.
I’ve already had one adventure in overestimating my abilities. I once purchased a shuttle bus with dreams of converting it into an RV. Unfortunately, the mechanical problems were a little beyond my expertise, and between work and family responsibilities, the project just wasn’t realistic.
Consider that lesson number one: Just because you can buy something doesn’t mean you should.
The Dream Meets Reality
Of course, there are a few obstacles between me and the open road.
For starters, there’s the house. We have an incredibly low mortgage interest rate, and downsizing isn’t quite as financially straightforward as it sounds.
Then there’s my wife.
She’s perfectly happy with the idea of traveling, but her vision involves a larger RV, comfortable campgrounds, and bathroom facilities that don’t require explaining the concept of a composting toilet.
Apparently, pooping in a bucket isn’t everyone’s idea of freedom.
Who knew?
We also have somewhat different ideas about what constitutes an acceptable home base. I’m picturing a small house, a workshop, and enough room to store a kayak. She seems rather attached to luxuries like spacious rooms and indoor plumbing.
So yes, there are some negotiations ahead.
And that’s part of why I started VanLifeWannaBe.
Because the real challenge isn’t dreaming about van life. It’s figuring out how to make it work with your finances, relationships, responsibilities, and personal preferences.
What You’ll Find on VanLifeWannaBe
I’ve spent countless hours researching vehicles, camper conversions, electrical systems, camping options, and just about every other aspect of van life.
At this point, I’m reasonably confident I could survive off-grid for an extended period.
As long as I still have Wi-Fi.
But I also recognize there’s a big difference between watching someone install a solar system on YouTube and actually installing one yourself. I’m not going to pretend I’ve personally tested every product or mastered every aspect of life on the road.
Instead, my goal is to share useful research, practical information, personal experiences, and lessons learned as I work toward my own version of van life.
We’ll explore topics like:
- Choosing the right vehicle: Cars, SUVs, minivans, cargo vans, shuttle buses, skoolies, and other options.
- Building your camper: From simple no-build setups to more elaborate conversions.
- Camper systems: Electrical power, water, cooking, sleeping, toilets, heating, cooling, and storage.
- Where to stay: Stealth camping, dispersed camping, public lands, campgrounds, and membership programs.
- Money matters: Buying vehicles, budgeting for conversions, and keeping travel affordable.
- Part-time vs. full-time van life: Finding the right balance between adventure and a permanent home.
- The realities of van life: The compromises, challenges, mistakes, and unexpected surprises that don’t always make it into those beautiful YouTube videos.
I’m not here to convince you that everyone should live in a van. For some people, full-time van life is the dream. For others, a few weekends a year in a converted minivan might be the perfect escape.
Both are perfectly valid.
Let’s Figure This Out Together
One of the things I’ve discovered is that there are an awful lot of grown adults who dream about living a little differently.
We want more freedom, fewer obligations, and the opportunity to spend our time and money doing things we actually enjoy.
But we also have jobs, families, bills, responsibilities, and sometimes spouses who insist on flushing toilets.
We’re not necessarily ready to abandon our current lives. We’re just trying to figure out how to make a little more room for adventure.
That’s why I created VanLifeWannaBe.com.
I want this to be a place where we can explore the possibilities, learn from each other, and figure out how to turn those dreams into something realistic.
You don’t need a $150,000 camper van. You don’t need to live on the road 365 days a year. And you certainly don’t need to have everything figured out before you get started.
You just need an idea of what you want your life to look like and a willingness to explore how to get there.
So welcome aboard, fellow WannaBes.
Let’s figure out how to make van life right for you.
Buckle up, buttercup. It could be a bumpy ride.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me on our Contact Page.