7 Reasons Why Van Life Sucks

Here are the top 7 reasons why van life sucks. In my opinion, the pros still outweighs the cons but I'd be lying if I said there weren't downsides to this lifestyle.

Everyone thinks living the #VanLife is rainbows and sunshine all the time, but in reality, it's a pretty uncomfortable way to live. Obviously everyone's experience will be different depending on what van they have, how it's built out, what kind of amenities they have, etc. But for the most part, I think most people living this lifestyle can agree on these items.

Don't let these things discourage you, I think most people living this way, will also tell you that the pros still outweigh all of these cons. With that said though, van life is not for everyone, so it's important to share the downsides along with all the good stuff.

After reading this, you will have a more well rounded view of what van life is actually like on the other side of all those beautiful Instagram posts you see.

This post is all about the reasons why van life sucks.

1. Dirty

When you're living in such a small space, it gets very dirty very quickly, there is really no avoiding it. And of course, the smaller the van, the quicker it becomes a mess. While it is true that the small space does make for quick clean up, it more so feels like your either always cleaning or its a mess, I haven't been able to find a happy medium yet.

A big part of this lifestyle is being outside a lot of the time. You really live "out" of your vehicle rather than "in" it, and unless you're in the city, you are probably living a good chunk of your life outdoors. Think about when you go camping, it's basically that...all the time.

To top it all off, you shower less when you're living on the road. Even if you do have a shower in your home on wheels, you won't be able to shower as often as you did before. If you're in the city you can shower every day if you want to but if you're anything like me, I try to be in the city as little as possible when I'm in the van. So if you're boondocking and do not have a way to shower then you will be using wipes to freshen up until you decide to leave. If you do have a portable shower you'll need to decide to use the limited water you have which will shorten how long you can stay "off-grid". Either way you quickly learn to not take for granted a long hot shower.

My final point doesn't apply to everyone but if you have your fur baby with you, you'll just need to learn to be okay with the dirt. You can try to clean them off as best as you can but...I promise just accepting it, is much easier. 😅

2. Uncomfortable

This is the one that I think varies the most depending on what kind of van and build you have. I can only speak from my own experience but having an amateur build in a '94 Chevy G20, van life is a pretty uncomfortable way to live. Just like with anything else, the more amenities you have, the more comfortable you are.

If you have a van where you can stand up, have air conditioning, a table, sink, toilet, shower, safe heat source, and easy access storage then I think you would be very comfortable and this might not even be on your list. But if you're anything like me, and many others, you don't have any of that which makes it rather uncomfortable.

My biggest advice, to anyone wanting to do this full time, is to buy a van you can stand up in! If you're only using your van part time or as a weekend warrior, I don't think this matters as much (which is what I originally bought my van for). But if you're planning on doing this full time then I think it would do wonders for you.

3. Scary

While I don't generally view van life as a scary thing, most people do and I can understand that. It can be scary.

I usually love being in the middle of nowhere, can't spot another person for miles but as soon as I am in a spot without cell signal I get all weird and nervous once it gets dark. It doesn't make sense because even if I was to call someone I'd probably be dead or gone by the time they got there anyways but for some reason it does still give a sense of security. So I've definitely had a few nights where I don't sleep and I just lay there listening to every noise outside.

Most "scary" nights are filled with more nerves than fear I found though. Those nights when you are parked somewhere you're not 100% sure you're allowed to be and you're waiting for that dreaded knock in the night telling you to move. Majority of the time the knock never comes so you were nervous for nothing, but when the knock does come it scares the crap out of you. You might be half awake and trying to figure out what's happening and until you can confirm it's a cop you are just praying it's not someone wanting to murder you. Those nights are fun.

Now I of course have to address that if you are a solo traveller you have to be extra careful. You are obviously going to be more of a target than multiple people, especially if you are a solo female traveller, unfortunately. While the majority of people I've met on the road so far, have been kind, I have had a couple creepy encounters. Although one of them was in the middle of the day in the parking lot near the gym, so do with that what you will.

In my opinion, living a "normal" life is just as scary now a days, even more in some ways. So whether you are living on the road or not, you should be prepared to defend yourself, always make smart decisions, and listen to your gut.

4. Inconvenient

There are so many conveniences you have in your day to day life that you don't even think about...until you don't have them. For example going to the bathroom in your own bathroom, taking a long hot shower, getting an unlimited amount of water out of your faucet, unlimited electricity, or even your normal size refrigerator. These are all rather small things that just add a few more chores to your list, not a big deal, just inconvenient.

There are then some bigger inconveniences that can be pretty stressful if you let them. Any sort of mechanical issue, breakdown, flat tire, accident, ect is a lot more complicated when your van is also your home. If your van needs to go to a shop, you need to move out of it. If it's only for the day and you explain your situation, usually they'll let you hangout at the shop but that's not always the case, especially if you have a pet. If they have it for multiple days then that means you have to book a hotel room.

You're probably thinking "oh that might be a nice break from the van" and if it was just me then I would probably agree with you. But aside from it being a hassle, I have Jack with me which makes it harder to find a room and he hates when we have to get a hotel room. The van is his home and when we're in a new unfamiliar space he gets really stressed out and I feel so bad for him every time we have to do it.

5. Exhausting

Okay I know this one is going to sound dramatic but hear me out. Unless you find a jackpot of a spot (free two week spot with plenty of privacy and enough service to be able to work), which is not as easy as you'd think, you are constantly making decisions. And let me tell you, decision fatigue is a real thing!

When you're in the city you can't just park at one business all day and hangout in or out of your van. You are going to draw attention to yourself and make people nervous or uncomfortable and cause issues for van lifers down the line. So you have to keep moving. Spend a few hours in one spot then go somewhere else for a bit and so on until you can go to your spot for the night.

If you're using this lifestyle to create a business for yourself, like I and many others are, then you have to keep thinking about your next move. Where to go next and when and how that will line up with the next spot and timing and all of those little decisions that go into it. Not to mention that doing all of these hikes and things are physically tiring.

I know at this point I sound like I am complaining but trust me, I'm grateful for it all. Just being totally honest about the downsides so you have a full picture!

6. Expensive

I know this one probably sounds like the opposite of what most people say about van life. While you do get to save a lot of money by not paying rent/mortgage and utility bills, you do run into a lot of big expenses in van life. Right off the bat, depending on what kind of van and build you have the amount you paid upfront will vary greatly. I went a very cheap route but there are vans now a days that are very expensive, many that costs the same amount as a legit house.

Whether you live in your vehicle or not, you will always encounter expected and unexpected mechanical expenses. It just becomes a lot more complicated and usually more expensive when you live out of your vehicle.

You will most likely be getting routine maintenance done more often as you are usually driving more and longer than before. One of your biggest expenses now will be gas. You can control how much you spend on gas by how much you're driving but it'll still be more than when you were just driving to and from work. Not to mention that vans don't usually have great gas mileage.

Then of course, the big unexpected expenses. Like I mention in reason 4, sometimes your home on wheels has to go into the shop. Hopefully you don't have to tow it there but if you do that's even more money. You don't usually get to be picky about the shop you go to if you're in a pickle so they can basically charge you whatever they want. To avoid that have an idea of what you're talking about so these shops can't take advantage of you!

On top of the shop costs you may have to pay for a hotel room, if your home is in the shop for an extended time. That's always a huge expense that you weren't prepared for. These times can be super stressful if you let them so it's good to know that these things come with the territory and having an emergency savings can definitely help in moments like this!

7. Inconsistent

If you are someone that needs to have a routine then this lifestyle probably isn't for you. While I think part of the inconsistency can be a good thing, push you out of your comfort zone and challenge you. I had to add it to the list because consistency is a good thing to have in life and van life really does make it hard to have that.

If you are still working a 9-5 or have a remote job working for someone else then it is probably easier to have more of a routine because you have to be somewhere at certain times. But when you're working for yourself and the traveling is part of that then it is really hard to plan things out in advance because you're not sure where you will be then, if you'll have service to work, if the spot you wanna go to will work out, ect.

A big part of van life is being flexible and being able to change plans on a dime because it's truly unpredictable. I don't even attempt to make plans more than a couple days in the future, anymore. Most of the time I don't even go more than the next day because half the time those plans don't work out as I thought they would. It's tough though, being able to plan things out in advance really help with productivity and just being prepared in general. I've tried so many times to get into different routines but it's so inconsistent I haven't been able to figure it out yet.

As I said before, the pros of this lifestyle far outweigh the cons for me but it's important to share the not so good stuff, as well, so anyone who is thinking about pursuing van life has a more well rounded idea of it.