Mona McCoy had at all times dreamed of touring, however may by no means afford it. Then, in December 2020, she watched a YouTube video of a man who lived in his van, and it modified her perspective. After watching it, “I assumed, ‘I can try this for holidays and save on motels and have the ability to cook dinner within the van,’” she says.
Her job at a automobile dealership allowed her to buy a van at a wholesale value in March 2021. She outfitted it with necessities like a mattress, bathe and cupboards to create a livable area for journey. That November, her plans shifted. “I made a decision I’m going to promote all the pieces I personal and transfer utterly into the van and get monetary savings,” she says.
At first, she continued working, however when her boss bought the dealership the next yr, she determined it was time to journey. “I hit the street full time,” she says.
Now, at 66, she’s spent the previous two years touring throughout the U.S., dwelling in her van. She funds her travels by Social Safety checks, an emergency fund, and a modest earnings from her YouTube channel, This Van Lifetime of Mine.
McCoy’s story displays a rising pattern amongst older adults in search of freedom, simplicity, and journey in retirement. Of the three.1 million vanlifers within the U.S. in 2022, 4% have been retired, reported RV Professional, although that determine might be on the low facet based mostly on what number of older persons are on the street.
Lure of the open street
After touring to Africa in October 2024, 72-year-old Natalie Hill was impressed to embark on her personal van life journey. “This journey was life-changing for me,” she says.
When she returned, she realized assembly fascinating individuals and experiencing nature have been lacking from her life. Whereas exploring her choices, she got here throughout the #VanLife pattern on YouTube, notably amongst mature girls. “I’m going to dwell in a van within the U.S.,” she determined after watching the movies.
Earlier than buying a van in December 2024, she launched a YouTube channel, My Life In a Van, to doc her journey. She determined to check out van life earlier than totally committing by taking a number of shorter journeys.
On her first journey, she bumped into a number of issues, however they didn’t deter her. “My shelving construction collapsed. I didn’t have sufficient energy. The meals I introduced was horrible. I used to be freezing on a regular basis. It was a catastrophe. And it was like, ‘I’m bought. I’m doing this,’” she says.
So, what saved her ? Meetups, scheduled occasions the place others dwelling the van life come collectively to attach. “Meetups construct a way of group,” she says.
She’s presently within the course of of buying a bigger van. As soon as that occurs, she says, “I’m going to promote my home [and] hit the street full time.”
Van life ideas
Feeling impressed to have an journey? Listed below are some professional ideas for embracing van life in retirement.
1. Take a look at drive with small journeys
Earlier than you promote all the pieces you personal and hop right into a van to journey the nation, attempt it out first, because you may not prefer it. Hill says she met one part-time van lifer who rented a van after which went to a neighborhood retailer to buy “a mini fridge, a mattress body, a mattress, a bit plastic dresser, some meals and water, and he or she was able to go,” says Hill. It’s a simple, low-cost option to check the approach to life earlier than making a full dedication.
2. Have an emergency fund
Regardless that dwelling in a van is inexpensive than renting or proudly owning a house, there are nonetheless prices concerned in sustaining your automobile, and typically they’re sudden. McCoy says it’s essential to have an emergency fund earlier than you start your van life journey.
“You’re dwelling in a mechanical automobile, and mechanical issues break down on a regular basis,” she explains. When she first began out, she says her tires weren’t rated for a heavy-duty van, inflicting them to come back aside. “With solely 20,000 miles, I needed to provide you with $1,000 to purchase an additional set of tires,” she says. Fortuitously, she was capable of cowl the prices utilizing her emergency fund.
3. Use apps to search out free parking and water
Throughout the U.S., there are 245 million acres of public land—largely within the western states—managed by the Bureau of Land Administration (BLM). Van lifers typically use this land free of charge parking, usually for a restricted keep of 14 days, although this may differ by location. McCoy explains that you should utilize apps to search out BLM land or different free parking choices, comparable to Cracker Barrel parking tons. She additionally makes use of apps like Dyrt to search out free water, which she makes use of for each showering and ingesting.
Chris Lowe, 57, and Bobby Brown, 67, are a pair who’re part-time van lifers. They acquired so many compliments on their self-built van that they now personal an organization known as Boujee Builds, the place they construct vans for others. Additionally they suggest utilizing apps like Campendium or Harvest Hosts to search out parking. They clarify that some 24/7-hour gyms supply free parking, which apps can assist find. 24/7 gyms can even come in useful for bathe amenities.
Apart from touring within the U.S., Lowe and Brown rented a van and traveled round New Zealand. There, they used the app Mad Campers to search out parking. “It’s only a actually cool option to journey,” says Lowe.
4. Preserve secure whereas touring
McCoy stresses the significance of at all times being conscious of your environment when touring. “I’ve, on a few events, pulled into a spot and acquired a bizarre feeling that I didn’t prefer it there, so I moved on,” she says. She notes that she by no means stays someplace in a single day that doesn’t have cell service. “I’ve a tribe of women that we comply with one another on Google Maps. I can see the place they’re at any given time and so they can see me,” she provides.
McCoy finds staying at Cracker Barrels to be very secure. “I really feel they’re 99.9 p.c of the time in good neighborhoods. I’ve by no means had any issues staying an evening at a Cracker Barrel or a Walmart,” she says. “I additionally like mom-and-pop truck stops. I do know women that desire Love’s and Pilot’s, however I don’t.”
5. Attend meetups
The van lifers interviewed emphasised the sturdy sense of group fashioned at scheduled meetups. Hill says she has stayed in contact with a number of girls she met by these occasions. “Regardless that there may be 60 or 70 girls there, you step by step get to know [them], and you then would possibly meet them once more at one other meetup.”
McCoy shares the same expertise. After one meetup, she grew to become mates with a girl and stayed in her driveway for a few nights to discover the city.
“It’s like an instantaneous bond with somebody who’s in a van,” Lowe says.
Brown provides, “We spent three and a half hours doing van excursions,” the place they try one another’s vans. He recollects being stunned by everybody’s friendliness and willingness to indicate their van to him.
Hill says she’s “made extra new mates within the final three months than I’ve within the final three many years.” Van life just isn’t solely a good way to journey but additionally a option to discover a sense of group.
Picture from Inside Artistic Home/Shutterstock.com
