10 Questions About Living In A Caravan

So, a while ago I asked my online community about what questions they wanted me to answer regarding my current lifestyle. Said current lifestyle being living in a RV with 2 dogs.

There were so many great questions so I am going to answer 10 at a time.

Here we go!

• What do you do to control the temperature when its hot

In my caravan I have a huge aircon. It’s obnoxiously loud and is quite often likened to an airplane propeller (by me). In my driveable van (the ford) I don’t have aircon, just a ceiling fan. And it’s because of this that I will probably sell my van and upgrade to something a bit newer. I love my van so much, but because it is currently 40yrs old, I am uncertain as to whether I should invest another few thousand $$$ into putting in aircon or not. Honestly though, probably not… I wish there was a way I could keep my van AND build a new one with everything I need. Realistically though, I don’t need so many vehicles and I am trying to keep the van because I have an emotional attachment to it. I am trying really hard to base my life a little more logically and not so emotionally. So we shall see what happens!

• Can you stand up?

In the ford van, no. In the caravan, yes. It is like a tiny house. I feel like this question was specifically for the van but I am answering for both anyway

• Do you want a house or do you prefer the caravan life? Freedom vs Foundation?

I LOVE my lifestyle. I initially bought the caravan as a way to be able to move to Northern California sooner, as it is so expensive in that region. However since I have been living this way for over a year now, I am pretty settled and accustomed to it. I love it. Truly. My life is simple. I am constantly outdoors. I constantly have the pups by my side as we pretty much just live in one room.

I don’t understand the Freedom vs Foundation portion of the question though. Living in the caravan IS building my foundation. I save a lot more money than if I had even a studio apartment near the gym. Since I live in such a small space and have limited storage options, it stops me from buying unnecessary things (except for the $300 custom denim jacket I just bought *face palm*)

To me, this lifestyle affords me Freedom AND Foundation. I am happy in my space constantly. I feel like I can be creative. I am motivated. I am constantly flanked by my 2 favourite beings in the whole world, Blue and Dog.

I love this lifestyle and recommend everyone try it at least once. It really helps to put into perspective just how much bullshit we allow into our lives and homes.

• What is the toughest challenge of caravan life

The toughest challenge for me so far was the first winter I was here, it was so incredibly cold and my heater runs off propane which would run out every 2.5 days. This wasn’t so bad if it ran out through the day, but more often than not it ran out in the middle of the night and the pups and I would be curled up under my blanket, trying to create some body heat. Then I realized I could use an electric heater just as effectively and save myself a hell of a lot of money on propane!

Other than that though, it’s been relatively easy!

• Is it easy to find a lot when youre settling down in an area for a bit like a training camp

Whilst I have the towable caravan, I settle down in RV parks wherever I go. Eventually I am going to sell this caravan and buy a small bus and then I will have a few more options for where I can park and stay.

• Ever pick up hitchhikers?

Fuck no dude. I don’t have a death wish.

• Is that a permanent home or just while travelling and how do showers work

The caravan is my permanent home and the van is for traveling. I have a shower and toilet in my caravan however I usually use the campground showers so that my propane isn’t all taken up by the water heater.

Failing that, I have EOS Fitness and 24Hr Fitness gym memberships purely to be able to have somewhere to shower if necessary.

• What is the best thing about living in a van/ The worst?

The best thing is having my dogs right by my side all the time, as well as having my whole life at my fingertips. Being mobile and not restricted to a lease or having to move furniture is pretty rad too.

The worst thing… This is a good question. I would say the only negative of living in a caravan, is when it’s raining. Because there’s no entry way like in a house, if the pups are wet or muddy, it goes through the whole house. Also not having a yard for the dogs means I have to take them to the park multiple times a day. And this is fine, I enjoy taking them out and it makes them happy, it would just be nice to be able to put them outside in the yard to run around while I am working on the computer or need a break.

• How do you cook? Do you eat out all the time? Do you have a fridge?

In the caravan I have a full kitchen and a fridge. In the van I have a cook top and a camping fridge. So I pretty much have kitchens in both. I get premade meals from Icon Meals and mostly just microwave them but I do love to cook. It’s hard to get motivated to cook full meals when it is just for me though.

• How easily did you adjust to living in a van?

I adjusted pretty easily because I had been wanting to do it for so long that it was all I’d thought about for years. I think the rest of the crew that came with me in the caravan had a much harder time though haha. They’re all gone now though so it’s irrelevant really.

I think the biggest adjustment for me was just having to be more aware of how I am using my time, because I couldn’t just leave the dogs outside or anywhere to chill, so I had to make sure I had ample time before every outing, to take the dogs out and get them organized. That’s really the only adjustment though. I have loved every minute of this lifestyle!

OK so that’s a quick 10 questions! And I will have another 10 for you in a couple of days. Keep the fun questions coming!

Jessy <3