So here’s what I know after almost five months in the van. Life’s different. Sometimes easier, sometimes harder. Kinda weird to describe.
On one hand, I’m in total control of all of it. On the other hand… not at all. I get the freedom to just go where I want, see what I want, be where I want. It feels pretty amazing to travel with my whole house attached. But also the longer I live in Oscar the more I realize how much stuff I still have. Like… why do I have so many shoes ? I don’t even wear shoes to work. Every week I find something else to donate or toss.
The van itself, yeah, it’s still half-finished. A real “makeshift conversion” situation. And I’ve made it work, but I have a whole dream list of things I’d love to do inside. Sometimes that bums me out, not having the space or the money yet. But eventually I’ll get there. Until then, it’s a lot of improvising. And honestly? I’m kinda used to it now.
Van life online is always two extremes. It’s either the dreamiest sunset freedom vibes or the nightmare “where do I poop?” stuff. I live both. Some days I joke that I’ll never live in a house again, and I halfway mean it. The financial freedom blows my mind. But yeah… I miss certain comforts too. (Relationship stuff definitely plays into that but we’re not going there today.)
Here’s what people don’t post about as much: how much brain power goes into just figuring out where to sleep safely every night. Or how showers get scheduled like dentist appointments. Or how groceries are basically a game of Tetris because I’ve got no storage space. And cooking? Don’t even get me started. My “countertop” is literally the stovetop, so I have to chop everything first, then cook it, because once the burner’s on… boom, no workspace left.
And because I work and pretty much live at the beach, sand is just a permanent part of my décor now. I should clean the floor more often but… I don’t. Laundry is a once-a-week laundromat situation. And yeah, while expenses are lower than a house, they’re not zero. Gas, parking, food, laundry, phone and internet… it adds up.
But even with all of that, I’ve found parts of myself here I thought I lost. And parts I never knew were in me. I really do love the life I’m creating. I kinda have to, it’s what I’ve got right now. And honestly, I’m proud of making something of it.
Six months ago I was so wrapped up in what I thought mattered… status, material stuff, all the outside noise. But van life has stripped a lot of that away. My needs are met. And what I want now isn’t material. It never should’ve been.
Before Oscar I thought I was missing out on so much. But truthfully? I was only missing two things. Myself, and passion.
I’m still figuring out my goals, still trying to nail down some kind of purpose. But for who I am and who I’m becoming. this feels like the right road. The long highways. The forests. The coastal pull-offs. Even the Walmart parking lots. And as cheesy and cliché as it sounds, it really is the friends I’ve made along the way.
Alright, that’s enough out of me.