Vanlife: three reasons to live without a lease

If you’ve spent much time off the beaten path in the last decade, you’ve probably heard of vanlife. Dirtbags living out of their cars on the cheap. They do what they like when they like, and are as free as the wind on the open road.

But these days, rising costs of living and increased mobile job opportunities are pushing more and more people to try it. Vanlife is no longer as eccentric as it once seemed. Nowadays people put showers, solar power, TV’s, and toilets in their vans. Last weekend I saw a woman with two cats living with her in her Honda CRV!

Some of these travelers are living a more luxurious lifestyle than you might have imagined. Others keep it simple and invest in experiences instead of comforts.

Either way, there’s one thing they all have in common: They’re free, and you could be too. Here are three reasons why you might consider living off lease.

There are countless reasons why you might love to kiss your house key goodbye. The open road is as romantic as it is challenging. Here we’ve compiled a list of just a few reasons why you might consider vanlife before signing on to your next lease.

1. Does your passion take you outdoors?

As a rock climber, I meet more van travelers than I can keep track of. For anyone that loves outdoor sports, vanlife is an obvious choice. You save money on rent and get to live where you like. You can wake up right below the climb and gear up in your living room in the morning.

Many people that spend time professionally or recreationally outdoors depend on certain weather conditions. Kayakers, climbers, bikers, skiers all chase the seasons. In a van, you can follow the weather anywhere you like.

2. Is your job mobile?

If you are a photographer or writer, hitting the road might actually make it easier to work. The inspiration of the open road and the ability to travel to incredible locations might be just what you need.

Even if your job isn’t contingent upon traveling to new places, it might be mobile. Programmers, designers, artists all can develop mobile lifestyles quite easily.

You may have to quit your current job or negotiate a mobile work agreement. But for many people, the internet is all they need to get their work done from anywhere in the world.

Even if you don’t currently work in a profession that is as mobile as you’d like, it’s never too late to change. Start freelancing on the side or developing a skill you would like to support you while on the road.

3. Do you long to see the world?

Maybe you don’t have a job that can follow you and maybe you aren’t into adventure sports. You might just want to see what’s out there. It can be so easy to get bogged down by city life and depressed by the day in and day out of our culture. If life in the slow lane’s got you down, vanlife can be a great way to change how you see the world.

Is vanlife for you?

We all live very different lives. We have different jobs and different passions. Each of our days are different and we bring different skills, perspectives and desires with us along the way.

It’s easy to feel trapped in your everyday life. But most people are surprised how easy it is to cut ties to those things that hold them back and make a change. The hard part is believing that you can.

There are as many reasons to try vanlife as there are people to try it. One thing’s for sure though, if you want to see the world, there’s no better way than to take your life on the road.

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We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.

Outdoor Revival – Reconnecting us all with the Outdoors.