I guess this is a FAQ part 2 of sorts! Going on our 9th month as full-time vanners, we still get a ton of questions and for the most part, pretty happy sharing our story! A couple months back I had asked for folks to ask us anything about our #vanlife…here are the questions + the ones we get when telling someone for the first time:
Q: Where do you guys park?
A: We have our 3 go to spots (thank you to our vanlife families!) We have had some serious support from a handful of friends letting us be neighbors! Mommy Lou has been added to our list, she’s given us the invite to stay through next summer. We typically park on the street and if it’s free, the driveway!
Q: Have you installed a bidet in the van?
A: Ummm, no. A water bottle does the job 🙂
Q: Where does everyone sleep?
A: It depends on how late Tara will be with her homework, usually Teren and I sleep in the back since we’re ready for bed by 9pm.
Q: How do you and Terence get alone time?
A: We make it work, haha!
Q: Do you guys ever plan on getting back in a house?
A: Nah, I (we) really love living in the van. Don’t think I could ever go back to living in a house. It’s super freeing to not have any financial obligations, commitments, yard work, etc…plus this whole minimalist living is pretty amazing.
Q: Where do you keep all your bikes?
A: In our mini-van. We ended up trading in our Honda CR-V for a Dodge Pro Master City. It’s big enough to keep a couple bikes, a couple bins of seasonal clothes and the kids sports gear and equipment. Terence ended up trading in my mountain bike for a cross bike for himself, I gave a former teammate my track bike, sold my cross bike…which leaves me with just my road bike. Terence on the other hand has 4 bikes (I think!)
Q: How do you guys fit clothes for all four of you?
A: We don’t own much. I probably have 30 things to wear which includes my workout gear, work clothes, and shoes. I’m always getting rid of stuff! We do have a bin in the mini-van with our winter stuff (sweaters, jackets, etc…) try to keep the essentials and must-haves versus the wants.
Q: How do you guys shower? Do you have a bathroom?
A: Yes, we have a bathroom with a toilet and shower. Teren is probably the only one who really uses the shower in the van. Tara and I take our showers at LA Fitness. Which works out in the end because it forces us (ME) to workout and keep my fitness 🙂 Terence takes his showers at work.
Q: Does it smell like a porta-potty in your van?
A: C’mon! No, it doesn’t smell like a porta-potty. It smells like our home. There are chemicals and RV stuff we use so it prevents the black tank from smelling.
Q: Do you guys work?
A: Terence never stopped working, he’s been at Children’s for 12+ years. His schedule is fairly flexible and works remote when needed. I was laid off at the beginning of May this year and been working on my consulting business which is going well! And…I recently accepted an offer with a dental start-up company. I wasn’t really planning on doing anything full-time like this but the opportunity found me and things just fell into place. It’s a remote, wfh position, which is AMAZING and perfect.
Q: How are the kids doing with it?
A: They’re doing good! Tara has totally embraced van living and minimalism. The same for Teren. I mean, as long as his XBOX is connected, he’s fine. He’s been pretty open about our future plans for van living and next adventure so I would say that is a good sign. We’ve been parking the big van at his school and at first thought the kids would make fun of him but totally the opposite!
Q: Do you guys have any road trips planned?
A: Both kids are back in school and in full swing with sports which means trips are on hold until the holidays and summer! The one pending road trip we have will most likely be late November/early December – getting a one way ticket to San Diego and picking up our new van then driving it back to Seattle!
That’s it for now until the next post!
