It’s easy to see so many people doing van life and think to yourself that you’ll never be able to do it for one reason or another. The truth is.. you can absolutely do it regardless of your financial situation. I have massive student loans which I’m thankfully paying off WHILE traveling in my van. I don’t come from a wealthy family and I pay my own bills. Yet I’m still making it work. That’s why I know you can too. You don’t need to start with a huge background in one particular field either. I had no idea how to blog before hitting the road. Let me share all the advice I’ve been given and tips that I’ve learned along the way on how you can save your money while seeing the world. If you prefer podcasts, check out my episode all about this as well!
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ALL ABOUT SOLO FEMALE VAN LIFE
SAVING ON YOUR CONVERSION
You may see beautiful photos of fancy conversions on social media but they don’t always have to be that way. You can easily put together a functional build for a couple thousand dollars. My best advice is always to save as much on wood, kitchen appliances, etc. and spend a good portion of your budget on electrical. Electrical systems are what really give you freedom from constantly having to hook up and make your van a functioning home. Other than that, here are some of my other major tips for saving on your conversion.
- Use materials you already have or find some free/super cheap stuff on Craigslist.
- You at least will likely already have kitchen utensils, a bed comforter/pillows, etc. Use it all!
- I didn't want to spend the money on an expensive roof rack. I opted to just drill the holes in my roof and mount my solar panels directly onto the van. Saved so much money by doing this!
- If you're having someone else do your build, you can still do what you can to save on labor. Absolutely anyone can install flooring. Do it before you hand it over and save the money!
- I do have real tile in my van kitchen but the peel and stick kind works perfectly fine. It's a lot less money and installs super easy. This is another thing you can do on your own if you're working with builders. Save on that labor!
- In my first van, we used an old door as my counter top. The door was free on Craigslist.
- This isn't really a tip but just a fact. Your van is an asset which you can sell eventually. You can likely make the same money you put into it or even more. When you pay rent for years in an apartment, you walk away with nothing. So consider your van an investment.
MONEY SAVING TIPS ON THE ROAD
Living on the road doesn’t have to be super expensive. There are tons of ways to decrease costs while still traveling. When you first leave, it’s easy to want to always be moving, and buying all your meals. I highly recommend going in with a budget set just so you don’t blow your money at the beginning. If you want help getting your finances in order, my friends are experts and they have a killer course that will keep on track. You can check it out here for more info. But these are the rest of my tips for saving while on the road:
- Find various Glacier water fill ups which are usually inside or outside of grocery stores. It's way cheaper than buying individual gallons. Use friends' houses when you can which is free! We like free.
- Grocery shop instead of going out all the time! The secret to this making sure you always have food in the van. When you get low, you'll be more inclined to just go out. So anytime I'm passing by Walmart or grocery store, I make sure I have everything I need before leaving.
- Unless you have a specific place to be, travel slow. When you find some amazing BLM land, stay for a few days! It's easy to get caught up on the hustle of moving constantly, but you'll enjoy the place you go more if you hangout a bit. You'll also save a ton on gas.
- Sign up for rewards programs at all your favorite gas stations. I haven't paid for coffee in forever because I get points for getting gas and then buy coffee with those points all the time.
- A gym membership is worth the money. It gets you a place to workout, shower, and hang out if need wifi for just a place to park for a few hours. Planet Fitness is $10/ month and worth every penny.
- My birthday? I only ask for gas cards. Christmas? Hello, more gas cards please (maybe a book or two, but mostly gas cards). If your family is going to be getting you anything for any reason, make it useful!
EARNING WHILE ON THE ROAD
There are so many ways to earn a remote income these days (thank you internet). It can be stressful when you’re still figuring it out but it will work out in the end. I’m a big believer that when you follow your dreams and you work really hard, it will always come together. So hitting the road is your first big step. The next step is working super hard to stay on the road and start bringing in income. Anyone can do van life and earn a remote income. There’s no reason it can’t be you! This is my best advice and favorite tips:
- The key to this: hustle. If you already have a full- time remote income, that's amazing. But for anyone still figuring it out, hustle and hustle some more. When I left in my first van, I walked dogs for an app called Wag because I could do it anywhere. This is while I was building my website and just needed extra money to get by. Do whatever it takes!
- Get involved in the community. If you aren't sure how you want to make money long term, I really recommend getting involved. There are so many start up projects and companies within the van world that opportunities will arise. You just have to make your skill set known and someone will be willing to bring you on board.
- Don't be afraid to sit still in one city for a few months. If you have to work full- time at a restaurant the first 3 months of the year and let that pay the bills for the rest of the year, so be it. Choose somewhere that you love and stay put until you can travel. You don't always have to be on the move.
- National parks are always hiring and Cool Works is a great place to check out current openings. They are almost always seasonal positions so you'd only work for a few months, you'd be in a beautiful park, and they usually give you a campsite to park in while you're working there.
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ALL ABOUT SOLO FEMALE VAN LIFE
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