11 Van Life Questions People Can’t Stop Asking Me

In the past six years, I’ve lived in both a Chevy Astro van and a Sprinter van. While we try to split our time evenly between van life and sailboat living (our boat is in Mexico), it seems we’ve done way more van life in the last couple years. From boondocking outside Yuma, Arizona, to traveling to Minnesota and the Pacific Northwest, to living in a boatyard in our Sprinter for five months while Tom repaired our sailboat, there has been a LOT of time within the walls of a campervan.

Over the years, in social media, in person, and on my email list, I get the same questions over and over again. Here are some of those questions answered.

How Do You Carry Your Surfboards?

We joke sometimes that our Sprinter van is a “gear hauler” with a bed in it, and that’s totally true. You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff we carry both inside and outside our van. On the outside, we have surfboards, windsurfing boards and equipment, a paddle board, and two mountain bikes.

What people are MOST curious about is how we secure the boards to the back of the van.

Here’s how: With the Owl Van’s B2 Bike Rack. Tom uses straps and small ropes to secure the surfboards to this bike rack.

How Do You Go To the Bathroom?

Complete strangers actually approach us in store parking lots to ask if we have a bathroom in our Sprinter van. I still don’t know what to make of people asking about our bathroom habits, ha! In the future, I’ll just have to refer them to this blog post.

We do not have a bathroom in our Sprinter van, but like most van lifers, we do have a way to go pee in our van. The other number happens in a variety of places. Typically public bathrooms, either at campgrounds or on the road. If we’re out in the middle of nowhere in a deep boondocking spot, we do the “dig a hole” technique popular amongst backpackers. We followed Leave No Trace principles when we do this.

I did try a composting toilet but didn’t like it. The entire process of stirring the poop around, adding coconut coir, making sure things were dry, then digging a huge hole and dumping the bucket out thoroughly grossed me out. I don’t think a composting or chemical toilet is for me, but many people would beg to differ.

How Do You Make Money?

In 2017, I started this blog knowing absolutely nothing about online business or that blogs could even make money. But I wanted to start a website for people curious about alternative living, such as van life, RVing, sailboats and tiny homes. As a former news reporter, I knew these types of stories were doing really well in media outlets. So, The Wayward Home was born.

I took so many classes and courses, treating blogging like I was getting a new degree. By 2019, I was making a full-time living blogging, and have made six figures every year since. Blogs like mine make money through advertising, sponsored posts, affiliate links (where you buy something through my link and I make a small commission), and products. I have a variety of digital products including the Van Life Prep Pack and the Van Life Parking Playbook.

If you’re curious about blogging, you can click here to download 10 Profitable Blogging Niche Ideas with examples of successful websites so you can get an idea of what type of sites make money.

How Long Are You Going to Do This For?

Friends and family often ask me this question, and what I tell them is this: As long as we’re having fun. Sure, van life comes with its ups and downs, but as long as the positive outweighs the negative, we’ll continue doing it.

I think it’s fun to be able to hike and mountain bike when we are still in good shape and have a lot of energy. We try to be outside and active as much as possible.

That being said, I do get tired of van life on occasion, which is why its also nice to have a sailboat. The sailboat is bigger and has more amenities of home, and is a nice change from the van.

Do You Ever Miss Being in a House?

Yes! I definitely miss being in a house sometimes. Houses have so many amazing amenities like endless hot water, a huge fridge, a large cooking space with multiple burners, bathrooms, bathtubs, you name it. I love getting the chance to housesit for family members and also stay with family and friends. I love sleeping in my van, but a house sure is nice.

I think it would be fun to someday have a cabin or a tiny house to retreat to. Being constantly on the move can be challenging and tiring, and I crave stability. I think a few months in a sticks-and-bricks, and then going off on van or a sailboat adventure would be the perfect combination.

Who Built Out Your Van?

We did! We purchased an empty Sprinter cargo van in 2021, and have been working on it ever since. The most challenging part of all this is that we are nomads and don’t have a garage or workspace. We did much of the van build out in the desert boondocking with a cargo trailer, hand tools and a generator. The van isn’t finished yet because we don’t have a good place to work on it.

But its livable enough for now and comfortable, with a large bed, windows, fridge, furniture and both indoor and outdoor cooktops. Next we’d like to add more storage spaces and finish the walls and water system.

Is a Sprinter Van Worth It?

Some people wonder if a Sprinter van is actually worth it because they are more expensive than other cargo vans like the Dodge Promaster or Ford Transit. Plus, Sprinters usually have to be worked on at Mercedes dealerships, making annual maintenece very expensive. Lucily, Tom is very handy and has done the work on the van himself, such as changing the oil and filters.

We chose the Sprinter for a few reasons: it has the highest clearance of any cargo van, it was the only 4×4 model at the time, it has a good resale value, and many companies create van build out parts for Sprinters. It also came with a diesel engine, which we prefer.

Our 2021 Sprinter has had no major mechanical issues so far. We did purchase an extended warranty on the van, “just in case.”

Where Are Your Favorite Places to Camp?

People think we are constantly traveling all over the country, but we have a couple routes we stick with in order to visit family, windsurf, mountain bike, and make our way to and from Puerto Penasco where our boat is stored. So, we’ve spent lots of time in Minnesota (Tom’s family), Oregon (Kristin’s family), and California (both families) and where we met. We both lived in San Francisco for a long time as well.

I’d say all those places are spots we love, and I’d add Washington State and Colorado to that mix. We’re still looking to explore New Mexico and Utah, and someday, I’d like to drive out to the east coast for fall colors.

Do You Feel Safe? Do You Carry a Gun?

These questions are asked of us all the time, and I always answer, “Yes, we feel safe, and no, we do not carry a gun.”

What’s interesting is that we both feel safer way out in nature boondocking than in cities. It’s going to take someone a lot of time and effort to drive down an old dirt road to find a campervan to break into. We are way more likely to get broken into when parking in a city. We carry tons of gear on the outside of our van and we do lock up our gear with cable locks and very powerful bike locks. That being said, we still don’t leave our van unattended for very long.

We’ve never had ANY issues with personal safety on the road or anywhere we’ve camped, knock on wood. When we go off-grid, we do have safety devices like the Garmin InReach Mini and Starlink satellite internet so we can get ahold of someone if we’re in a bind.

Do You Miss Community?

The answer is a resounding “yes!” I do miss community when we are on the road, but one thing that’s nice is we can spend a lot of time visiting family. Last summer, we spent three weeks in Minnesota and five weeks in Oregon! If I were working a normal 9-5 job, I wouldn’t be able to spend so much time around family.

I DO miss being around a solid friend group, though. I find this more often in sailboat life both in the boatyard, and when sailors buddy boat and hang out for long periods of time together.

But with constant travel, I can’t do things like dancing and dance lessons, which I really miss.

What Do You Not Like About Van Life?

The constant travel and decision-making can be very exhausting. This is appeased a bit when we stay in one location for longer, but we still have to figure out where to grocery shop, do laundry, get water and throw our trash. There’s so much to be figured out that I think it cuts into my time being creative, writing, reading or doing yoga. I really have to make it a priority to carve out “me time” when we’re on the road.

I also miss amenities like large kitchens, baths, a washer/dryer, etc. I think I might miss baths the most.

What do you think about van life? What are your positives and negatives?