I get a lot of questions from readers about van-dwelling, so I’m going to talk more about that this week. I promise. I’m also in the process of writing an ebook about how to start, what to consider, how to find parking spots and how to “survive” and “thrive” on the road….Hint: to do it legally, you need to work at something!

Originally I wanted to be a full-time RV’er. I surfed websites for RV’s, and read all the camping stuff, did the traditional thing of buying a camper and finding a campground and paying rent on a gravel parking space in the high desert of Washington State. I loved it. I loved having different neighbors every week, not having to clean a 1,000 square foot apartment every week, being mobile enough to pick up and go, and having everything I needed within a couple of arms length reach. The animals were happy-the cat came and went at her leisure through a cat door. The dog had lots of long walks in the morning and evening when we just walked 50 feet out the back door for her to chase sticks on hundreds of acres of wilderness.

Then I left Washington. The RV was parked and died at a friend’s farm and I was stuck trying to duplicate the life in a Ford pick-up truck. The search for another RV was launched and somewhere along the line I discovered “house-trucks” and tear-drops and VAN-DWELLING! I was hooked. I began dreaming of finding a van I could rehab myself. In 2006 when I decided to quit my job and hit the road again, I found an old Forest Service van for $750 and started fixing it up - VERY slowly. New fuel pump, brakes, mechanical repairs ate me alive for the first two years. Then it was tires and the interior. The van I live and sleep and live in today is very different than the van I lived in in 2006!

Anyway, while I hear from men and women excited about the idea of living in a van - if only for a weekend or a week, the motivation behind their excitement seems to be the same - freedom of movement. They want to be able to come and go without checking into and out of a hotel or campground. There’s something freeing about just waking up, getting behind the wheel and starting the key and driving off. It’s an attitude. It’s about being able to control your time, where you are and what you’re doing and going to do next.

There are “tests” for entrepreneurs and for everything other thing under the sun. These so-called tests determine if you have the aptitude and attitude for the lifestyle you’re considering. Those considering van dwelling are no different. When I talk to people considering the lifestyle - if only for a weekend, or for several months, I ask:

“Do you mind change?” Van dwelling is the same, but different every day. If you like a routine you can build that into it, but change is definitely a part of van dwelling.

Are you a risk taker? Parking in a strange location every night, even some place as “friendly” as a Wal-Mart or campground or friend’s driveway, is risk-taking behavior. Getting in a van and driving someplace you’ve never been and finding food, fun and a place to park is risk-taking.

Do you love to drive? You’ll be doing a lot of it unless you’re one of the few who can find a long-term place to park. You’ll drive, on average, 20-to-300 miles a day. Yes, there are a lot of exceptions and people do park for weeks and months at a time. That, in my book, is “city camping.” I think the purpose of van dwelling is to experience life in a van on the road-meeting people, discovering new places, enjoying a different pace of life. It’s not in finding a side-street where no one bothers you while you dig through dumpsters for “free food” and beat the system. Although, that’s an option for some folks too. You do what you need to do to survive. I’ve been there. That’s not why I’m back in my van this time.

Do you care what people think about you? Better not, because while a lot of people will think what you’re doing is wonderful, fascinating and brave, more will simply see you as homeless and weird. Having an expensive, well-equipped and tricked out van, or a VW van will deflect a lot of those attitudes, but not by much!

Are you organized? Space is at a premium in a van. The more stuff you have, the better organized you have to be obviously! If you’re a slob, your van will be a wreck inside and you’ll have a hard time keeping clothes, dirty laundry, food, books, tools, supplies and everything you need to live, easy to find. It’s easy to clean 40-to-60 square feet of space. If you can’t handle that, van dwelling will be hard for you.

Can you sleep through noise, lights, slamming car doors, people talking and traffic noises only a few feet away from your head? Learning to sleep in a van is the hardest part of van dwelling. Many people become hyper-vigilant and lose sleep until they get used to the noise and light of a busy parking lot, or the emptiness and spookiness of an empty lot.

All-in-all, van dwellers who have made a conscious choice to live and travel in their van as a lifestyle tend to be independent, self-possessed, confident, curious, risk-taking, innovators. They enjoy meeting other people or are extremely introverted. They enjoy challenges, are intelligent, open-minded and bright.

But there are also a lot of van dwellers who are desperate, poor, forced into the lifestyle because of financial reasons and are suspicious, paranoid, angry, bitter, desperate, mentally ill, physically ill, greedy and defensive. They see anyone who challenges their lifestyle or who is interested in it, as a threat. They see themselves as elitists, as “special” or as victims. Just because someone is living in a van doesn’t make them a soul-mate.

If you’re considering living in a van because the lifestyle appeals to you, don’t give up your apartment or home until you’ve done it for awhile. If you’re considering living in a van because you’ve lost your job and are about to be evicted, or because you don’t want to live in a shelter, or because it’s all you can “afford” right now, be aware that the costs of living in a van are about the same as living in an apartment. You’ll still have to pay for food. You’ll have gasoline bills instead of rent and electric. You’ll be paying to do laundry. You’ll spend more time buying food, cooking it, finding a shower, staying clean, finding toilet facilities and tending to the normal routine of life than you would in your apartment.

If there is a way to keep your place, rent a room in your current apartment to pay rent, share a room with a friend, to couch surf, to rent an extended stay motel or hotel, try that first. Vans and their repairs and maintenance and gas will cost you more. You’ll have the safety and convenience of having your things around you, and the freedom to go from city to city in search of a job, but the cost of supporting any lifestyle, short of resorting to dumpster diving or scrambling for survival, will be about the same. I can live on $600 a month if I don’t drive much, eat much and pay my storage unit, cell phone and insurance bills ($200 a month). Your costs may be much lower.

I don’t think van dwelling is about how cheaply you can live-although for some it is. I think it’s about a lifestyle, an attitude, a way of seeing and experiencing the world. Ultimately, it’s up to you what you make of. I hope you enjoy it. I have!