Mona McCoy had all the time 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 believed, ‘I can do this for holidays and save on motels and be capable of cook dinner within the van,’” she says.
Her job at a automotive 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 things I personal and transfer fully into the van and lower your expenses,” she says.
At first, she continued working, however when her boss offered the dealership the next 12 months, she determined it was time to journey. “I hit the highway full time,” she says.
Now, at 66, she’s spent the previous two years touring throughout the U.S., residing in her van. She funds her travels by way of Social Safety checks, an emergency fund, and a modest revenue from her YouTube channel, This Van Lifetime of Mine.
McCoy’s story displays a rising development amongst older adults searching for freedom, simplicity, and journey in retirement. Of the three.1 million vanlifers within the U.S. in 2022, 4% had been retired, reported RV Professional, although that determine may very well be on the low facet based mostly on what number of older persons are on the highway.
Lure of the open highway
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 attention-grabbing individuals and experiencing nature had been lacking from her life. Whereas exploring her choices, she got here throughout the #VanLife development on YouTube, notably amongst mature ladies. “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 offered. I’m doing this,’” she says.
So, what stored her ? Meetups, scheduled occasions the place others residing 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 highway full time.”
Van life ideas
Feeling impressed to have an journey? Listed here are some professional ideas for embracing van life in retirement.
1. Check drive with small journeys
Earlier than you promote all the things 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, just a little plastic dresser, some meals and water, and he or she was able to go,” says Hill. It’s a straightforward, low-cost solution to check the life-style earlier than making a full dedication.
2. Have an emergency fund
Although residing in a van is inexpensive than renting or proudly owning a house, there are nonetheless prices concerned in sustaining your car, and generally they’re surprising. McCoy says it’s vital to have an emergency fund earlier than you start your van life journey.
“You’re residing in a mechanical car, 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 return aside. “With solely 20,000 miles, I needed to provide you with $1,000 to purchase an additional set of tires,” she says. Happily, she was capable of cowl the prices utilizing her emergency fund.
3. Use apps to seek out free parking and water
Throughout the U.S., there are 245 million acres of public land—principally within the western states—managed by the Bureau of Land Administration (BLM). Van lifers typically use this land without spending a dime parking, usually for a restricted keep of 14 days, although this will fluctuate by location. McCoy explains that you need to use apps to seek out BLM land or different free parking choices, corresponding to Cracker Barrel parking tons. She additionally makes use of apps like Dyrt to seek out free water, which she makes use of for each showering and consuming.
Chris Lowe, 57, and Bobby Brown, 67, are a pair who’re part-time van lifers. They obtained 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. In addition they suggest utilizing apps like Campendium or Harvest Hosts to seek out parking. They clarify that some 24/7-hour gyms provide free parking, which apps might help find. 24/7 gyms may also come in useful for bathe services.
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 seek out parking. “It’s only a actually cool solution to journey,” says Lowe.
4. Hold secure whereas touring
McCoy stresses the significance of all the time being conscious of your environment when touring. “I’ve, on a few events, pulled into a spot and bought 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 observe 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 % 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 girls that choose Love’s and Pilot’s, however I don’t.”
5. Attend meetups
The van lifers interviewed emphasised the robust sense of group shaped at scheduled meetups. Hill says she has stayed in contact with a number of ladies she met by way of these occasions. “Although there is perhaps 60 or 70 ladies there, you step by step get to know [them], and you then may meet them once more at one other meetup.”
McCoy shares an analogous expertise. After one meetup, she turned associates with a girl and stayed in her driveway for a few nights to discover the city.
“It’s like an immediate 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 take a look at one another’s vans. He remembers being shocked by everybody’s friendliness and willingness to point out their van to him.
Hill says she’s “made extra new associates within the final three months than I’ve within the final three a long time.” Van life shouldn’t be solely a good way to journey but in addition a solution to discover a sense of group.
Photograph from Inside Inventive Home/Shutterstock.com