Is VAN LIFE for me? - 10 Questions to ask yourself BEFORE buying a VAN

If you ever thought of living in a van, this is the among the first questions that came to your mind: "Is van life for really for me?" And then, all those other questions pop up: "How will I do van life during winter", "How different is living in a van", "Did I watch enough van tours", "Did I understand all those DIY conversion videos"?

Hold on a second. We're here to help.

In this video, we are giving you 10 topics to think about before selling everything and live in a vehicle for the next few years. Some of our tips are obvious, others might trigger a lot of questioning.

Skip the boring parts and click on what you really wanna know:

CHAPTERS
1) Intro - 00:00
2) Can you live without daily showers? - 01:21
3) Can you manage your #1s and #2s in a van? - 02:35
4) Can you plan your life in a van? - 03:48
5) Can you live with the bare minimum? - 05:06
6) Can you live without connection? - 06:16
7) Can you keep your van tidy and organized? - 07:36
8) Can you manage food in a small kitchen? - 08:56
9) Can you face extreme heat or cold? - 10:13
10) Is comfort a top priority? - 11:27
11) Can you plan your finance? 13:07

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WHO ARE YOU? WHAT’S WITH YOUR ACCENT?
We're Dom & Marie, a French Canadian couple who love Nutella toast and live in a van. Marie is the brain (Ph.D student) and Dom's the dreamer (Creative director). We have spent the last 2 years travelling around North America in our Promaster 136'' named Vanessa. In 2020, after a 12-month trip that was cut short because of Covid, we decided to sell our van to start a new project: a BIGGER van.

Our goal is to inspire others to start #vanlife​​ and to help build their very own home on wheels while living and enjoying a balanced online and offline life.

[juliemac]

This is a really smart list. One of the best I’ve ever seen. People don’t realize that cars are just an expense; it’s even less value when it’s a custom van product.

[LRC]

I would add:
Have an Exit Plan
for when it’s no longer feasible, enjoyable or life changes.
The exit plan being where to live, what to do for work, finances, sort of “re-entry into the atmosphere”. But don’t overthink it, just have a reasonable list of thought-out general options that would be acceptable and feasible.

[whiteeulogianraven]

Now I realize I've been doing Van Life without a Van.

[patriciacarter]

Being informative with humour is a skill you two have mastered. Love your videos! 🥰

[colleenbalch]

FIRST, just so good to see the two of you enjoying each other. THATS a big win. SECOND, thanks for making it super real. You’re the best!💛💛

[nancyhilborn]

Please do an episode dedicated to the financial considerations of van life. I think that is an aspect people under appreciate.

[sigreddasparks]

Yes please do a video on how to financially plan for van life because I'm trying to figure it out in the next couple of months. Thank you so much for such a good video! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[ukyzmyh]

The energy between you two is beautiful. Whatever road you both take, never lose the connection.Its rare.

[laumoonchild]

Vanlife has been a dream of ours for the past couple of years, and we’ve seen countless of videos, but let me tell you, this one is undoubtedly one of the most important videos out there! It touches all the major questions people MUST absolutely think of before jumping on the vanlife, we’ve seen a fair share of (social media) vanlifers come and go because they’ve failed to ask themselves these questions.
GREAT JOB GUYS!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Also, yes to the financial video! It’ll be another hit for sure!🙏🏽

[bypinkerton]

Good to see this video of you BOTH having laughs....
My biggest Fear of Van life
1- having my Van Home Stolen....
2- having my Van Home Damaged & Unusable or Without it while being Repaired....

[tintinthepirate]

I have owned a small travel trailer with similar living space of a camper van, after nearly 2 years of on and off camping, and watched more youtube channels than I should, I can say, this video is the most comprehensive and honest on this topic. Thanks!

[teetertotter]

I think my favourite thing about you both is the REALNESS you bring and all the complexity and challenges that come with it. I admire you for that so much.

[malcolmoliver]

I like this list. It’s not as fancy and comfortable as many people think. One important addition to the list could be: are you comfortable with being transient in general? Moving away from local community can difficult, and is quite common in vanlife

[laurawinter]

Hey guys, nice to see you two. Dom, you mentioned you could write a financial plan for vanlife. Plz do!!!! We would love to see your thoughts about that.

[blessedveteran]

Omg, it is so good to see you two together! Thank you...this made my day!! Great information too 😉😊

[markrenfrow]

Hey, it's really nice to see y'all sitting down together to make a video. Last summer our trip from Kentucky to Washington (June-July) taught us a bit about dealing with heat, mechanical problems, and travel with our kids(older dogs). Our shuttle bus, "Serenity" began to overheat, somewhere around Occoma South Dakota, we found a campground, parked in full sun, it was 107 degrees, wind was 30 to 40 miles a hour with gusts way more than that. So we were sitting in a metal box rocking in the wind, our little air conditioner working as hard as it could, 90 degrees was as cool as it could get us until after sundown. Left there at dawn and got to a National Forrest Campground in Wyoming before we overheated again, but we had shade in this spot. Had just enough cell signal to call mechanic shops, the earliest any of them could get to us was 5 days later. We had food enough, but ran very low on water. Turned out we had broken wires to the radiator fan clutch, repairs cost only $450. Three days later we crossed the "scablands" of eastern Washington in 110 degree heat. Bus engine stayed cool, and so did we running both front and rear AC units. (AHH, memories, we will enjoy them!)

[janadawn]

I’ve been runnin after my wallet for years, y’all..but mostly in English, not French Canadian😀
Thanks for pointing out the realities of 🚐 vanlife, and challenges that go with it. Y’all have made it look like continuous fun and adventures but I’m sure sometimes it’s just the opposite, especially when you don’t have a place to park and sleep…I think that would be the biggest challenge for me.
Here’s a question…and I would imagine you both have your own answers…
**Have you ever been parked somewhere that you thought would be fun but you both ended up bored out of your minds and just wanted to go back home. Were the days just so boring that it wasn’t worth the trip.
Love and hugs to you both🧡🧡I’m very happy you are still creating Vanlife Saga..to not see y’all regularly would be so sad for those of us who have come to love you. It really would 😉

[flyovercounty]

Great video subject! I’ve learned these truths to be self evident:
1. Amp hours are amp hours when designing a DC electricity system.
2. Shit does not need a bath in clean fresh water.
Looking forward to your money management video.

[Texasishot]

Great informational video!!!❤ #11 for us older folks, medical needs. Plan for any medical emergency 🚑or how to get your medication while out on the road. In my case I need a refrigerator for insulin💉. Kinda important. 🥰🥰🥰Love you two!

[ZeldaJeanE]

Great theme to re-visit periodically to keep up with changing times/environs