We’ve all dreamt of living the Van life. Freedom, no rent, the whole county before us. But building out a Van, let alone buying one, is a big investment, and not one we can all make. Does that mean the open road isn’t for us? I say no, and so do many others. Living out of a car while you travel is not only possible but more achievable than you may think. Skip the expensive van and try car life. Dying to know more? Let’s get started.

What do I need to know about car life?

The first step to Car Life is research. Boring to some, yes, but exciting for the rest of us. When you decide the normal path is not for you, whether you’re looking for a short-term road trip or long-term travel, research will be the fuel you need to get started. But where to begin? There are countless resources across the web that provide detailed descriptions of how every Car Lifer and Van Lifer make their dreams possible. They are there for you, so dive deep.

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Don’t just read one person’s opinion. Take a look at the wide range of lifestyles and sift the gold from all of them. They all have valuable tips and advice that may help you now or even years down the road. Listen with an open mind, but don’t take everything said as absolute truth, do your own truth-seeking; we all have different perspectives on what we are comfortable with and what we think is safe and wise.

Resources for finding the best places for overnight parking, taking showers, and doing laundry can be found in every Van Life, cross country blog, channel, and chat room across the web. So get out there, explore, get to know this online community, and don’t hesitate to reach out to people for questions. People who live this life are enthusiastic and are often eager to help others along the path to the freedom of the road. Below are a few links to resources I have found invaluable for finding places to overnight park. These resources are not the only places to look but are a good place to start.

Our favorite resources:

• Free Campsites
• All Stays – an app with user reviews for finding truck stops, campsites, and more
• Rest Area Parking Rules by State
• GnomadHomes guide to sleeping, camping, and overnight Parking

Car Life Essentials

While you won’t need a ton of things to live car life, there are a few essentials.

The Car

You’ll need a reliable car. I know this can be a dampener, but don’t make your new home one that may break down at any moment. Your car doesn’t have to be the newest Subaru Outback, but it should be reliable. A car you know can drive up a mountain without overheating. Or can cross a desert without worrying you’ll be the next poor soul without a cell connection, waiting on the side of the road for a state trooper. No one wants that.

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The Bed

A bed is your next step. You can build a bed in the back of your car. This will allow for more storage room and will be more comfortable in the long run. But if you’re not ready for such an investment, you can easily remove your back seats, throw down some blankets, maybe a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, and you’re ready to go. Just remember, this will be your bed for however long you travel, so it’s worth taking a bit of time to make it more comfortable. Better the sleep, the happier the traveler. Check out our guides: How to choose a sleeping pad and How to choose a sleeping bag.

The Water

The next necessity is a water container. If you don’t want to haul around a big water jug, just fill a bunch of Nalgenes. Make sure, however, to always have much more than you need on hand. It’s always better to play it safe when water’s concerned. Luckily, water is pretty accessible in this country, so any time you buy gas, just go ahead and refill your containers. There are always spigots on the outside of gas stations, so after you fill up your tank, tell someone inside you’ve paid and get permission to use their spigot. We recommend the Aqua-Tainer 4-gallon water container plus a few classic 32oz Nalgene water bottles.

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The Stove

You’ll want a stove unless all you want to eat is cold sandwiches and granola bars. This gets tiring, believe me. A simple camping stove, like a Jetboil, is relatively low cost, ranging anywhere between 40.00 to 140.00 USD. They hold up well over time and are a worthwhile investment. And when you wake up in your new home to freshly fallen snow on a mountain in New Mexico and get to have hot coffee and oatmeal, the cost will feel worth it. Our favorite is the Jetboil Flash Cooking system, seen below. If you want to be able to cook more complex meals, something like the Eureka Ignite 2-burner camp stove is a great option.

The Food

Where to keep your food? You will want at least two storage containers. One for nonperishables: rice, spices, granola bars, canned beans, etc. And one for perishables: fruit, veggies (good for you getting those in), cheese, eggs, and more. Finding space for these will be easier if you have decided to build a bed because, with an elevated platform, you now have more room for storage in your car. But, if you don’t build a bed, these containers can always be your cuddle-buddies while you sleep. No problem.

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For dry food, a simple plastic bin with a lid is all you need. For cold storage you have two options: you can either use a simple cooler or you can invest in a mini-fridge. Usually, Car Lifers opt for the cooler because a mini-fridge will take up more space. For a cooler, you can spend as little as 20.00 or as much as 800.00 USD. In general, the more money you spend on a cooler the longer the cooler will keep things cold. Nevertheless, even a cheap cooler like this Igloo will do the trick. You can always buy a nicer cooler later on if you want. If you want something nicer you can opt for a cooler like the Yeti Tundra.

If you do decide to go the route of a mini-fridge make sure you do a lot of research. To power the fringe you will need a portable battery that charges while you drive. The battery and the fridge together will be a big cost investment and will significantly cut down on available space, so in general, unless you have a spacious car, a cooler is the better choice.

The Power

A battery is not a necessity for the everyday traveler but it is worth mentioning. Some travelers use batteries like the EcoFlow River to power their phones, laptops, and lights when their car is not running. This is worth looking into, especially if you plan to spend a lot of time in National Forests and BLM land (federally owned land open to the public) where you won’t have access to electricity and won’t be running your car as often. The cost of a battery ranges anywhere from 200.00 to 500.00 USD. However, like an expensive cooler, this is something you can invest in later down the road. So don’t feel the pressure to get one right away. After a few weeks or a few months on the road, you will know if a battery is a good option for you.

Car life is waiting

What are the main things holding you back from taking on the open road? Rent, a job, family and friends? These are all valuable things to miss and could be good reasons to forgo life on the road. We all have to work out these details for ourselves and each person’s final decision, whether to go or stay, will be different.

But something I’ve seen that often causes people to hesitate when looking at the possibility of the Car Life is the fear of the ‘not perfect,’ the ‘uncomfortable,’ the ‘nothing like I’ve experienced before.’ And if this is you, listen: life is short and this path doesn’t have to be permanent. Being uncomfortable, even a little miserable when things don’t go as planned, is still well worth the journey and the experience.

Is sleeping out of a van cozier then sleeping out of your Prius? Probably, but so is sleeping in a bed at home and never traveling at all. If you have your tiny mobile home already in your driveway, but all it does is drive you to and from work, why not use it for more? This also doesn’t mean Van Life may never be for you but it does mean that your options are now much broader.

Experiences are what make us. And not getting amazing sleep one night in a Walmart parking lot because a semi-truck has parked beside you doesn’t negate the dazzle of the white-capped mountains you saw that morning or the HUGE plate of country fried steak you ate as you gazed at them.

So, get uncomfortable, talk to strangers, do the unusual thing, and encourage others to do the same. I promise you will look back on even the most unideal situations and laugh, remembering them with fondness.

Advice for life on the road

Looking at the common traveler, it seems that the biggest flaw in modern travel is the lack of time. So many travelers flit from one popular place to another and never really see the places they visit. Here’s the beauty of having your own home with you, whether it’s a car or a van:  you CAN take your time and enjoy where you are.

Go slow. Not only will this provide you with unique experiences, but will be far more sustainable for long-term travel. If you go too fast, the burnout will be fast as well. But if you take one day to the next as though you’re actually living on the road rather than racing down it, your energy, your contentment, and your mental state will be better for it. You’ll be more open to enjoy the sights and strangers around you. As Rolf Potts said in his book ‘Vagabonding,’ (his term for long-term travel), “Slow down…vagabonding is about not merely reallotting a portion of your life for travel but rediscovering the entire concept of time.”

With car life, you have time. There’s no rush to be anywhere, no rush to make it to work, or back home to beat the traffic. So stop by the side of the road and take a long look at those mountains. Walk along the California coast and LITERALLY smell the flowers growing upon the bluff.

Embrace car life

Though ‘normal’ people might call the Car Life ‘homelessness,’ Car Lifers call it FREEDOM. So don’t sweat the details, don’t worry about everything being perfect, just take stock of what is around you, and realize you have what most 9-5 people don’t have: TIME. Time and the freedom to stay or go, to sleep under the desert stars, and to say, “wow, here I am, upon the road.”

About the author

Kendall O’Brien is a Freelance Writer who values an authentic voice and writes with the hope to encourage and inspire. Born in Virginia Beach, VA she loves to read, write, and explore the world whether it is just outside her door or in faraway places. Need someone to write a blog post? Looking for a good copywriter or ghostwriter? Visit her on her website at kendallobrien.net or on Twitter @kendallgrayO.