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Do you dream about living in a van and visiting national parks with your kids? Even though campervans make cramped quarters, it is possible to do the van life with a family, especially if you plan on spending most of your time outdoors.

One inspirational family who’s been living in a van with three kids is the folks behind Wanderly. 

Nathan Swartz and his family of five have been traveling full-time for eight years – amazing, right? They started by living in a van, then moved to an airstream, and are now back in a van again. Nathan and his family hope to inspire others to cut the chains and go travel

How to fit an entire family into a camper van

The Wanderly family didn’t start out by living in a van full time. When they first embarked on their life of travel eight years ago, they first lived in an Airstream travel trailer. But their son – Tristan – who was blossoming into a young man, didn’t want to sleep in the trailer with his family anymore, opting instead for a tent right outside.

“After that happened, we realized we could fit the four of us into our camper van, and Tristan could stay sleeping outside,” said Nathan “We didn’t want to lug around a big, always breaking Airstream around, it just made sense to get back into living in a van.”

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So far, Nathan and Renee love raising their kids on the road.

“Personally, I enjoy moving around a lot and so does my wife. Our youngest two were born into this life, so it’s more or less all they know and they enjoy it. The benefits are getting to see the world, dodging bad weather, and being able to visit friends scattered all over the country. As their teachers, we also get to spend our entire lives with our boys instead of sending them off to school and only getting a couple of hours at the end of the day,” said Nathan.

The challenges of living in a van with kids

Living in a van with kids isn’t always easy, and you have to be prepared for mishaps during life on the road. The Swartz family has spent a lot of time fixing every vehicle they’ve used for full-time travel, and their patience is tested on a regular basis.

“You’ve got to be willing to be crawled all over when you’re all stuck inside the camper van in the rain, and your kids should be the types who want to spend most of their time outdoors, as it gets quite claustrophobic otherwise,” said Nathan. “It’s really less about living in a van and more about sleeping there, and making the commitment to otherwise live outside.”

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He said the family doesn’t really think about living in a house, since living in a van is their preferred way of life.

“Really, the biggest challenge all around has been watching our oldest get older and want something different than the rest of us,” said Nathan. “It’s important for us to make this a life that everyone can enjoy, and that was a hard thing to picture over the years.”

He said the joys really mitigate the challenges, though. With van life, he and Renee have been able to actively watch their kids grow up instead of sending them to daycare.

“I’ve been able to watch all of my kids learn to walk, teaching them all how to read, ride a bike, seeing them swim for the first time. I don’t miss many, if any, moments because I’m not off at the office or they’re not off at a daycare,” said Nathan.

How should people choose the right camper van or RV?

There are so many options out there when it comes to picking a van for van life. You can go for a Sprinter van conversion, or a minivan, or an RV.

There are endless possibilities for your life on the road.

“If you like watching TV and only going to the grocery store once a week or so and having your own bathroom and shower, then you’re probably going to be happier in an RV,” said Nathan. “Pushing through living in a van can be tough, even once in awhile you want to just kick back on a couch and take it easy, or when the whole family gets sick and projectile vomits all over, those aren’t exactly the best times to be living out of a van.”

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But if you’re outside a lot of the time – hiking, biking, climbing trees and exploring – a van might be the ticket for your family. A van is typically a lot cheaper than an RV, gets better gas mileage, and fits into parking spots.”

“It’s a lot easier to maintain a single van and it’s way easier to drive, find the best places to camp, and never worry about being too big, clearance, or issues that come along with an RV,” said Nathan. “I don’t think the van or RV makes the adventure, they’re just tools that allow people like us to get out and explore in a more meaningful way than most people can afford.”

The Swartz family does van life on the cheap – usually paying nothing for camping in national forests, also known as boondocking. When they explore state and national parks or the occasional RV park, sometimes their “rent” ends up being about $600 per month.

“So our money can go much further as far as eating at restaurants, going to museums and parks and other things that cost money,” said Swartz.

More and more people are living in a van with kids

Wherever you look on social media, it seems like somebody else is living in a van. While it used to be known as a hobby for surfers or hippies, van life is becoming mainstream. Part of this is due to the rising cost of rent and the social acceptance of living a non-traditional life.

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“Tristan and I first hit the road in 2008, and we didn’t meet many other full-time RVers back then, at least not anyone who wasn’t a retiree,” said Nathan.  “Instagram shows how much that’s changed. America boasts a lot about freedom, and nothing is more freeing than living in a vehicle you can pack up and take to the next beautiful spot at any moment’s notice.”

America boasts a lot about freedom, and nothing is more freeing than living in a vehicleClick To Tweet

He said there will always be people who look down on families who live in vans.

“But, really, no matter what your life choice, someone is going to be looking down their nose at you, so why not do what you want and drown out the noise?” said Nathan.

You can follow along with the Swartz family adventures on their Instagram page.