We recently jumped into van life! When we sat down a few months ago and thought about our goals as a family, we realized we wanted to travel more while spending quality time together.
Van life seemed like a perfect fit, especially since we needed a bigger vehicle to help us transport rugs, sofas, and other furniture for staging houses as realtors.
And even though we absolutely love Pittsburgh, we couldn’t ignore the wanderlust that was tugging at us to explore the country!
After much research and a number of trial trips, we’ve assembled our own cozy van for traveling with the kids, and we’ve developed a process for transforming this little shelter on four wheels into a temporary home while we’re traveling.
Today, we’re giving you a closer look at what life on the road looks like!
Living (And Loving) Van Life
Here’s how we’re navigating van life—and what we’ve learned since getting started:
Living Responsibly
In the real estate world, we often discuss finding the right fit. The worst thing someone in the market can do is become “house poor”—essentially owing so much on their monthly mortgage, they can’t afford anything else.
We used that same mentality in our approach to our van. Our ultimate van had numerous requirements:
It had to be comfortable enough to live and travel in for weeks at a time. That meant the van should be capable of holding the basic amenities while still being safe enough and comfortable enough for a 10-hour drive.
It had to be versatile enough for us to use it to transport furniture for staging homes—without completely disassembling the van.
It had to be affordable. We didn’t want to break the bank on our van setup, so everything had to be within our price range.
Sticking to these requirements has helped us craft a custom experience that feels uniquely ours without any major investments outside of the van itself!
On Creating Comfort
Because of the van’s size, there’s already plenty of room for us and the kids to spread out during our busy travel days.
That meant we were able to remove the back row of seats for even more space. Ted built us a bunk bed system in its place, and there’s enough room for us and the kids to spread out when it’s time to go to sleep. Ted even briefly experimented with a hammock inside the van, though that endeavor was quickly abandoned for safety reasons (Julie didn’t want him falling in the middle of the night)!
And although we can always layer up during cold nights in the mountains, we had to find new ways to keep cool in the summer months. One convenient feature of the van: We can schedule it to turn on at intervals throughout the night. That means we can schedule the van to turn on and crank up the A/C or heat while we’re sleeping—important for keeping the entire family comfortable!
On Remaining Versatile
One thing that was critical: We had to make sure our van could accommodate people one week and dressers and sofas the next.
We toyed with the idea of installing a small, modular kitchenette, but that would have required the painstaking process of building and disassembling it every time we wanted to change the van’s usage.
Instead, we opted for an organized system of labeled totes to store necessary items. When we’re traveling, we slip the totes into the van. When we need the van for real estate purposes, we remove the totes. Easy!
On Remaining Affordable
Because the van has to remain versatile, every decision we make is calculated—including our supplies and investment.
Nearly everything we use inside the van, we already had. From the bedding to the totes, we didn’t need to make any serious investments to become road-ready.
We did a lot of research beforehand, and you’ll find plenty of websites and social media accounts packed with gorgeous converted vans—but that simply wasn’t for us.
When we hit the road and meet other families living the van life, there’s a mutual level of respect. We admire their customized houses on wheels, and they’re regularly impressed by how little we were able to spend in order to start traveling.
Living Organized
Much of our success on the road comes from careful planning and lots of scheduling! For our longer trips, we often think about:
Groceries - We can only carry so many supplies inside the van, so we schedule Target visits in certain towns so we can restock.
Showers - We have to stay clean! We often book campgrounds or visit rest stops that have showers. When those are unavailable for a certain part of the trip, we’ll look for locations where swimming is allowed—and we bring along environmentally-friendly shampoo designed for campers so that we can quickly clean off in the water in our bathing suits.
Sleeping arrangements - Before we set off on the trip, we know exactly where we’re sleeping each night! And although the van can easily hold all six of us at once, there’s really no substitute for having a real bed. To give ourselves and the kids a break, we’ll occasionally schedule a stop at a hotel so we can stretch out and get a good night’s rest. On one of our upcoming trips, we’re evening renting out a whole house for a few night so everyone has their own space.
Laundry - We also have to carry a limited amount of clothes with us, so we have to schedule our trips to the laundromat in advance so we’re not driving all over the country looking for a place to wash our clothes!
Beyond that, we have to be very organized with our supplies—especially with food. To help, we created a big Excel spreadsheet that figures out our food purchases based on the number of people traveling, the distance we’re covering, and the amount of time we plan to spend on the road.
When traveling, we have totes packed with food for each meal. As an example, one tote is filled with freezer bags of breakfast items and notes on how to prepare them. A typical bag might hold six bags of instant oatmeal (one for each person), and a note to grab some fruit from the cooler to supplement the oatmeal.
You’ll also find organized totes with small appliances, like a solo stove or a small portable water heater. Keeping everything organized is an extra step throughout the day, but it’s important for ensuring our van remains functional and that we’re able to stick to our schedule!
Living On the Road With Kids
Having kids along for the ride means we need to ensure the drive stays interesting enough and engaging enough that they don’t get too bored on long trips.
With that in mind, we stop frequently for breaks so that we can all get out and stretch and take a look at the surrounding areas—which is really great once we leave the surrounding Pittsburgh region and farmland of Ohio!
Inside the car, the kids stay busy. They have homeschooling materials to work on while we’re traveling, and we’ll take time during our stops to explain any ideas of concepts they don’t quite grasp.
For our longer trips, each child carries a Polaroid camera with them, and everyone is responsible for taking at least one photo a day and journaling about what they saw. In addition to keeping them engaged, it also makes for an interesting scrapbook to remember the trip by!
And since we believe so strongly in education, we’ll make a point of looking for as many educational opportunities as possible. When we stop at the Grand Canyon, for example, we’ll talk about erosion and wildlife. When we reach Santa Fe, we’ll discuss pueblos and Spanish architecture.
Of course, it’s also important to indulge the kids in their favorite activities. Katherine loves the water, and she’s perfectly happy jumping in puddles or reaching her hand into a stream as we hike over it. Marie loves to climb, and she’ll look for small ledges and alcoves to scurry up while we’re stopped or hiking. And Emma loves to look at bugs—especially ones we never see around Pittsburgh!
Buckled Up For Adventure
Our version of van life isn’t for everyone, but it’s a wonderful way for us to give the kids an opportunity to travel and see more of the country.
We plan to share more of our travels in the future, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Cheers,
Julie & Ted