My vanlife travel bug started in 2015 when I went on a 6 week cross country trip. Travelling about 20,000 miles through USA. I started in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Travelled down the West Coast across the southern states, up the East Coast and back along the USA northern border.
I travelled in my Ford Escape during that trip. With a foam mat in the back where I could sleep and a couple blue bins with clothes and cooking stuff. I am not a small person so I found the SUV quite tight. All I could really do was sleep in the back and sit in the front seat. On those rainy days it was hard to get the stove out and when I stopped for the day there was not a lot I could do inside.
That trip was organized through my vegetable gardening website. I visited 12 different gardeners who allowed me to visit their gardens, take pictures and write a blog post about my experience of their garden. I travelled 2-3 days and then visited a garden site. Often staying there for a night with them. Then on to the next destination.
By the time I was on the east coast I had to be fairly on purpose as I needed to get back to my job in Vancouver BC Canada. It was a wonderful trip, met some fantastic people and saw many outstanding areas in the 25 states I drove through.
More comfort on my next trip
The journey was awesome but when I got back I decided my next trip would have to have a tiny bit more comfort. Something big enough to move around in but not too large that it was difficult to get in and out of a city and easy to park.
Somewhere to cook efficiently and to go pee more easily were also top on my want list. Having more freedom to stop when I wanted and to explore more spontaneously were also high wants. I did not want any restraints on my time and where I went. That is when my vanlife dream started.
Creating my vanlife
I did lots of research on van living, watching YouTube videos and reading travel books. My next step was creating my ideal van interior design. Contemplating between a Ford transit or a Dodge Promaster van, I finally decided on the Promaster. This was mainly because it was more square inside thinking I would be building it out myself over time with the help of my dad.
After some intentional creating, vision boarding, saving money, in January 2021 I finally bought my Promaster van. My dad passed away suddenly changing my building plans. When I was looking for someone to do my solar setup I decided to just pay them to build out the inside as well. They agreed to my design plan, it took a couple months then in mid May 2021 I moved into my converted van.
I sublet my rented apartment for the summer just to see how living in my van in the city would be as I was still working. I did one trip up to Northern Alberta that June to visit family. My first experience in my new vanlife travelling was a big success.
Stealth Vanliving
Getting back to Vancouver I let go of my apartment and decided I would live full-time in my van over the winter. My design was for stealth as I knew I would be living in the city while still working.
I chose to have no windows except for the back ones. Solar panels and fan were low profile on the roof so no one could really see them from the street. A wall built behind the seats with at sliding door to make it look more like a work van. Big white work vans are common on Vancouver streets so I easily blended in.
I had no problem parking on the street for the year I lived in Vancouver. Leaving my sleeping spots by 9am and would park elsewhere during the day. Rotating between 3 or 4 spots at night. Explored different parks and parking lots during the day finding many great spots to park for a few hours.
My test vanlife trip
Travelling full time in my van had been part of my 5 year plan which come to fruition when I decided to retire. The USA border was reopened after covid so I decided to do a little test trip down to New Mexico and Arizona before I gave my official notice at work.
The test consisted of a few questions. Could I stick to my budget? Could I find cheap or free places to park? Did I still like to travel as I hadn’t for a few years? That trip was a resounding success. I can truly say I ignited the vanlife travel bug.
I travelled for 5 weeks through February and March 2022. Driving from Vancouver Canada through Washington, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. Enjoyed every minute of driving and exploring. Loved having my home with with me wherever I went. Stopping at rest stops or just pulling off on a dirt road to make my tea or lunch. I love photography so I took an abundance of beautiful pictures from my trip.
Gas prices rose during that time so I decided I had to really watch my budget on future trips. What would that look like? I decided I could travel a maximum of 5 to 7 days a month. This meant I would have to stay longer at places. I figured this would work out well for me as I would not working. When I arrived back in Vancouver I made the leap and officially retired from my 20 year job.
I’m spending June, July and August in northern Alberta visiting my mother who is elderly and staying at the family farm. I am enjoying my first summer off in 40+ years. I planted a small veggie garden, visiting with family and just enjoying my free time. At the end of August I’m planning to travel across Canada and then down into the states for the winter. Stay tuned for my next adventures and take a vanlife trip with me.