Exactly one year ago today we transitioned into living out of a 60 square foot mobile box. Back in the fall of 2014 we packed our belongings into boxes, built the "Millenium FalcVan" and then on November 20th we
moved in to start our dream rock climbing trip around North America.
We love our climbing van life, and are so happy we made the commitment to taking this trip. Living in a small space does have some limitations though.... We’ve come up with a list of five things we love that are unique
to this lifestyle, and five things that we kind of miss from before.
The Loves
1.
Improved health. We go to sleep and wake
up with the setting and rising of the sun. We eat better (in part to save
money), we sleep way more, and we are active all day. We experience very little
stress, and never get sick.
2.
Living simply. Our van home has a lot of
storage space to hold the things we need, but overall we live with few
possessions. We do not have phones or constant access to wifi (unless we seek it out), so
we live a mostly distraction-free life, spending time with each other and
friends.
3.
Our backyard. The inside of a van is a
very small space. As such, we are pretty much only inside when it’s raining or
when we’re sleeping. All of our every day chores happen outside of the van.
Cooking, eating, washing, finding bathrooms… etc. This allows us to truly enjoy
and appreciate our existence in so many beautiful natural places.
4.
Mobility. As the saying goes, “home is
where you park it”. If we are tired of one place, we simply move to another. Being
in a van as opposed to a camper or RV, we also have the advantage of “stealth
camping” just about anywhere we go.
5.
Closeness. We simply have to get along
in such a small space. Communication and teamwork are essential to keeping our
van life successful. And we are forced to snuggle every night :)
The Misses
1.
Friends and family. The van is a great
magnet for meeting a lot of people, and we have made some truly incredible
friends on the road. That said, being so far from our friends and family back
home is a huge challenge.
2.
Lattes and Restaurants. Graham likes
lattes… a lot. Back in city life, we’d often go out for a coffee a day. Being
on such a tight budget, we are simply unable to indulge in these luxuries. Same
goes for ordering out pizza…
3.
Theft. Although we haven’t experienced
this (knock on wood), theft is a worry. Our whole life is currently in our
vehicle and a break-in would be devastating. There is nothing more haunting
than parking in a lot with signs up that say “Don’t leave valuables in your
vehicle”.
4.
Clutter. For the most part, we are
pretty darn organized. We just have to be. However, after a hard day of
climbing it is a lot more inviting to have a beer and relax with friends than
it is to tidy the van. So inevitably, clutter happens.
5.
Showering. You really learn to live without
it, and to be honest this one doesn’t really bother us all that much. The
reality is, that frequent showers disappear from your life, as paying for them
quickly adds up. We often have friends in different places say “you’re welcome
to stay with us when you’re passing through!” We usually respond with, “Oh
we’re very easy house guests. No need to put us up in a spare room, we’re happy
in the van. But could we hit you up for a shower during our visit?” Same
usually goes for laundry…
<3 Kim and Graham
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a post box sticker from a few years ago |
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The FalcVan holds up in the snow!! |
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<3 |