The Reality of Van Life on Social Media 

For those who think this was just a "me problem" because I did everything wrong- there have been sooo many comments on this video from people who have done van life or are doing it and have experienced many of the things I talked about in this video. I don’t want anyone to take this video as hate towards any other influencers and I know people aren’t idiots and know social media is just showing the highlights but I think being a youtuber gives a person a whole different perspective into just how true that is. When I made vlogs in the van, it was always on days where I had planned to do something that would make it interesting (they still never turned out that interesting though). Whenever I’ve filmed what I’ve eaten in a day, I’ve always planned ahead of time what I would eat to make it interesting. I don’t think that’s wrong to do.. but I began to feel like what I was sharing wasn’t real even though being authentic is one of the most important things for me and I never felt like I was glamorizing anything I did (I definitely wasn’t, my videos were never very well made lol- hope no one cringed as much while watching my clips in this video as I did). Over time I came to the conclusion that it’s really not possible to not make something on youtube look better than it really is without making it extremely boring. Many people think that they want or like creators who show all sides of their lifestyle accurately. No they don’t. Van life and travel vlogs are entertainment. They’re enjoyable to watch because they allow us to dream of a life we don’t have or can’t have. If you were to see what van life was actually like the majority of the time for anyone who’s not rich and not working or who’s income doesn’t come from making their life into a “reality” tv show so people can live vicariously through them, you’d yawn and move onto the next video. Van life allows people to do amazing things but the physical act of being and living in a van is not fun. The less luxuries you have, the less fun it is. Overall it’s a challenging way to live. I could make this video an hour longer going over things that are hard about van life but that’s pointless because no ones gonna listen me talk for that long. If someone were to ask me which van lifers I think are genuine and which aren’t, I wouldn’t be able to answer that (but I will say that if I had to guess, my first picks for most genuine probably wouldn’t be the ones who pose in bikinis in every other thumbnail). It’s really hard to tell who actually loves the way they’re living and who pretends to because they are scared of the criticism and hate they’ll receive for bringing up their struggles after hiding them for a long time or is worried about their income plummeting once they have to change their content. It’s really hard to tell if someone is super happy or pretending to be because they haven’t posted in a while and need to get a new vlog up so they have to maintain a facade while the cameras on. And it’s impossible to know what activities people would do and places they would go if they weren’t making money from showing their lives. Since doing van life, I literally haven’t watched any van life creators (or any vloggers in general) because I realized through my own experience of vlogging that it’s so easy for even the least scummy of people to start doing things just for content. And it’s cool when people make beautiful videos showing the most amazing parts of their lives, I like watching those types of videos every now and then, but when you feel yourself starting to compare your life to what you see of theirs, it’s really important to take a step back and remember that everyone's life is more boring than how they show it on the internet. I’m interested to hear your opinions on the topic, especially those of you who live or have lived in a vehicle. Have any of the hardships you’ve experienced in your travels come as a surprise? Have there been times when you felt like you were the only one struggling because everyone online seemed to have so much fun all the time? Have there been times where you questioned your decision and felt like you needed a break or wanted to end your journey? Those who are no longer in their vans, what made you move on to the next stage of your life? Those who want to do van life, I hope you really take all the downsides of living in a van into consideration before jumping into it with sunsets on the beach and driving through national parks being the only things on your minds! There’s always a little bad in the good... and good in the bad. All the hardships you experience will hopefully only benefit you and help you grow so if you know that there’s no way to prepare for or know about all the tough times you’ll have until they’re happening- but you’re as excited for those as you are for the instagram worthy moments- then I think that’s the best mindset to have going into it! If you’d like to see the videos I still have up of my travels, here are links to my van tour and van build and in the descriptions in each of those you can find links to a few unlisted van videos. How I Converted a Van Into an Off Grid Camper For Under $3,000: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3YcD5XJNzkM.html My 1997 Chevy Gladiator Van Tour: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rx5M1r0sBAg.html

I go to the bathroom too much to live in a van...

Man, we did this after high school and vlogging it didn't even pop into our heads. I feel bad for people doing it now feeling like they're obligated to travel for their social media account. I thought the whole point was to disconnect

well now this just sounds like being homeless with extra steps

I used to be homeless in my car. The first time I saw van life channels, I knew immediately they left a lot out.

WOW, at last, someone from RU-vid who is no money-hungry and brave enough to speak the truth. My respect goes to you girl.

not to mention the fact that if your car breaks down, you are essentially homeless if you have to bring it into a shop... happened to me twice wooo

I did it back in the 80s & 90s when we called it "being homeless".

After years of van life, having a desk is one of my most appreciated luxuries.

It sounds like the trick to enjoying living in a van is to not make videos about it!!

I don't know why I'm watching this; I never want to live in a van. But I'm still watching.

I have been flirting with the idea of van life for about 6 months and this made me realize that it would be a great summer trip/vacation but definitely not a lifestyle change I want to make.

This is not just about van life. This applies to life in general. It is never the way it looks on TV, and everyone should find someone to spend their time with who realize this and are ok with it.

“It’s important not to expect travelling will fix all of your personal issues.” That was a much-needed slap to the face for me personally.

Do anything you want in life without showing it to anyone and then you'll realize if you like it or not.

Looking for a Wal-Mart parkig lot at 2am is so adventurous and romantic.

"Van Life" always struck me as the "ripped jeans" of lifestyles.

“Your problems follow you wherever you are” That’s worth a tattoo

She covered most of the bases, but one biggie, of all the things that would suck about being in a van, being really sick would be near the top. Having food poisoning or a bad stomach virus, where you need to be near a bathroom and a kitchen without the burden of needing to move every day or two or rely on someone to make runs to the store for meds or food really makes one appreciate having their own structure on their own piece of land.

Just for the record, nothing in life is like Instagram and social media

7:47 when you are like: "how did she get these muscles?" and then it turns out, this isn't her arm.

Thank you. This is brilliant advice. I remember my first night in my van in NZ. I lay in the back with the door open overlooking the ocean thinking this is perfect. I was so relaxed I fell asleep in utter contentment. When I woke I was covered head to toe in sand fly bites that burst and scabbed and itched like crazy for the next three weeks. Nobody put that on you tube! Life was hard. Wonderful but hard. People need to know this before they set out.

She didn't even mention the bugs. I have ants in my car if I leave any types of food for just hours!

I’ve been asking myself this so much lately - “would this person still be doing this if they weren’t making a social media post from it?”

I think the easiest way to determine if you can live "van life" is to see if you can just camp for a week in the cold or hot. Making all meals yourself, washing dishes, etc.

It's almost like when something becomes a Job it automatically kind of sucks

I've thought about getting a van just to have as an emergency home in case something happens... or in case I need to travel for some reason, but the thought of living in it alone, as a female is very scary... kudos to you, brave one.

That was the most well-thought-out, un-biased, un-filtered, honest, and inclusive analysis of van life I could have ever expected to find. Amazing.

What it says: “Van life” What I see: “Voluntary Homelessness”

Van life to me is like camping forever. I can't camp forever.

Get into backpacking. Then you’ll realize everything you own is a luxury.

I've been on a RV-binge for the last couple of days, with RU-vid reommendations fueling my frenzy. This video has completely shattered my delusional expectations back to reality. Thank you for sharing this. Your video is eye-opening not just about van life, but the reality of social media and influencers in general - where the attempt to entertain and increase views tends to conceal the truth.

this video talked me out of van life. i had seriously been considering it for a number of months now, and i hadn't thought about some of these things. your point about traveling wearing you down hit home. sometimes i DO just want to go home and sit around for a few days to recharge, and the idea of not having any space to do that is exhausting to say the least.

I used to LOVE "travel content" in the form of blogs, vlogs, and social media. It was like a drug. I kept a running list of all of the beautiful places I wanted to visit someday. Eventually, I realized that when I saw a beautiful, skinny, rich (yet "jobless") woman on a pristine beach, the ache in my heart was not for the beach. What I really wanted was to be beautiful, skinny, rich, and liberated from my 9-5 job. That's when I had to cut myself off. I don't go on social media anymore and the ONLY travel content I ingest are wordy blogs that have pictures without the author or with an author who doesn't look like a supermodel. I freaking love travel. I love meeting people from all over the world. I love struggling to survive with rudimentary foreign language phrases. I love self-guided walking tours around cities until my feet ache. I love the clean gulps of relieving air when I finally make it to the view point. Cutting out the idealistic, curated travel content did wonders for my mental health. Thanks for your honesty!

TL;DR: Don't live for social media.

The reminder that if you're a travel vlogger you'll be filming every beautiful thing you see while not actually living the experience fully was sobering

This sounds like liiiiterallll hell for someone like me. I like stability, safety and regularity. Yayy for being ordinary.

Nah, I think having a van with a bed to escape the city for weekends is a cool thing, but living in it all the time...

Why the hell I'm watching this? I don't even have money to buy a van.

From what i have experienced. The people who truly thrive living the van life, are people who do not start living in their van just to live in their van. They live in their van so that they can do what they love. Like rafting guides, professional climbers, trail guides, surfing or climbing instructors, mountain bikers and what not. I think you have to truly love the outside lifestyle for van life to work. Non of those people live in their van because they just feel like living in their van, they have a passion about something that living in the van allows them to do everyday. People need to go on a month long trip living out of their tent before randomly saying "that looks so freeing and fun"

Anna, I did van life for 18 months and this is the most accurate reflection of my own experience I have ever seen. Thank you so much for doing this video!

“No one wants to see someone sweeping their floor in real time with no music playing” Unless its asmr

i'm planning on starting van life in the next six months or so, and every few months i come back to this video for a reality check. it's a good honest assessment of what to look out for and what to be prepared for, and it makes for a great anchor when my head gets too high up in the clouds about how AWESOME life on the road is going to be.

Everything, I mean EVERYTHING she said here is the absolute honest truth. Take it from a 15 year full time traveler and 18 year van lifer. I will say that it is a very beautiful, strange and uncertain life but it is one that I have to live. Excellent video!

HONESTY is so under-valued in our culture today. Thank you. I've never been tempted to do the van thing, and this isn't just a van life issue, but your honesty and integrity are noted.

I'm 70 and one thing I've learned is life is hard. No matter what life you choose it's not always going to be easy and this lifestyle is no different. I do understand that those watching need to realize what you've said and I'm certain many only see the upside and think that's everday life on the road. One piece of advice is do your homework before choosing this or any other lifestyle. It's not always a bed of roses!.

Van life isn’t easy at all. I recommend taking on seasonal jobs in National Parks while living the van life. I saved all my cash while doing so. Great way to truly get ahead in life while living rent free in a van. Just a thought

I’m so glad I didn’t have social media until after college

The perils of turning your identity into a product

The whole point with having a "mobile home" in form of sailboat and camper van is for me the freedom. If you HAVE to do it for a living you loose that freedom and is essentially trapped in a spall space that you can move...

It's crazy how much we filter out reality online. Really appreciated this honest look at living in a van or being a creator online.

This is why I dislike social media. You only see what people choose to show you. It's not realistic EVER lol

I lived the van life. It was called being a homeless kid. This is just WASPS glamping.

"Mom???? DAD???? My van broke down. Can you send the butler over in the Lexus and give us a jump and a new AmEx card? Miffy chewed mine up. Life is good on the road. It's hard, but we'll get by. "

suggestion from someone who lived in a van for a year: if you're thinking about it, rent a van for a month first then see how you feel. dont just spend all your money on something you might get sick of

I decided to live in a van because my work is so spread out and I am always on the move. I was sick of sleeping in a tent out of my car and it was really nice to have a place to cook and sleep when it's raining. The van life transition was so easy for me as I was already nomadic and it actually increased my quality of life. I guess people who are used to living in an apartment in one place would find it a lot harder.

I think “vans” like these are neat and perfect for a weekend getaway, eg. leaving the place where you actually keep your things. But choosing a vehicle like that to “live” in is ignoring the decades of design of RV’s or campers which are built for that purpose. It may not be sexy, but a 70’s RV can be had for way less than $10k. While building our house, we lived in a 70’s Airstream that was perfect until it got below 32f. If you’re starting your new career as “vanlife traveling youtuber,” well ok - I guess get the right props. If you’re thinking it’d be cool to live on the move or posted-up at a different place every month, look into an older Winnebago and fix it up. Better still, an Airstream towed by a pickup or station wagon so you can plant it somewhere and still use your car.

Sort of relevant life hack, since you talk about sleeping in the cold: I've been taught by experienced survivalists/adventurers that you're not supposed to protect yourself from the cold with many layers of blankets, comforters and so on, but lie in a sleeping bag with only one layer of warm clothing, preferrably full-body thermal underwear, and to do a mild work-out like push-ups or jumping jacks before you get in the sleeping bag. That way your body warmth heats the interior of the sleeping bag, and you won't be as cold. Whether it works for *really* cold environments, I couldn't tell you, but it makes sense to me.

The only reason I'm getting a van to live in is so I can easily escape my abusive parents when I come out as gay.

I’m so amazed by how mature your opinions are and how nicely you express them. Don’t worry about people getting offended. Honesty can be hurtful sometimes but you deserve to have your opinions and people deserve to hear them. Keep going!

So social medias are full of lies?? Imagine my shock

I have lived in an rv travel trailer almost 2 years and I have to say it is MUCH easier than the way van life looks. You have a stove, heat, ac and all amenities built in, unlike these vans. I would not last one month in vanlife.

I still am buying my bus..was homeless and wasn’t home secure for the majority of my life. I’m definitely going to do this, appreciate the realism, but it didn’t scare me off 😂

Always made me giggle watching wealthy van lifers, we had to do that shit out of necessity 😂

Outside the RU-vid part the "van life" is what it is like to be a truck driver, just without the fun stuff and sleeping in or relaxing. Also you have less options for parking over night.

"Not to expect that travel will solve all your personal issues"

Great video! I live in a 36 year old 25 ft motorhome with my wife. We gave up renting our expensive apartment in the city and bought an RV so we could explore Canada. It's been great so far, but you're absolutely right about a lot of things in this video. The social media parts don't apply to us, as we don't film, post, etc.., but between working 50 - 60 hours a week to live in the city and having no money left to actually go out and enjoy ourselves, or living in an RV/van, I'll take the travelling lifestyle any day of the week. We're looking to downsize to a stealthy van soon, as parking in Canada is FAR worse than those photos you shared of places in the USA. My best advice to anyone, van life or otherwise, would be; don't wait until you're retired at 65 or 70 to enjoy life, but don't expect anything you choose to do to be easy, either.

i love honest and gutsy people. you had nothing to gain from taking the time and making the emotional effort to write these words and edit them into the video but you did it to help others. Well for me in my position, it was very helpful, thanks.

I traveled for 10 years on a bus singing in a rock band and there nothing glamorous about it. We did get laid a lot though. Then I traveled for 3 years all over the world staying in hostels. It can be exhausting. I’m so glad I wasn’t vlogging about. I was too busy living it myself to explain it on a video to complete strangers. Maybe I’m selfish but I’m more interested in living the moment rather than act like it. There were good and bad times, met a lot of cool people, saw lots of beautiful places, but have grown to appreciate staying in one place for a while. I’ve been living in Cancun for years now. Love it here. Home.

The smells. I’ve been traveling for 6 years and none of those homes are full size, but I just moved into a camper with my boyfriend for two dogs. All those farts CANNOT be blamed on the dogs XD

When i started living in a van, it was a step up in life for me. Prior to the van, my arthritic, senior, shepherd-mix and i had a bike & a bike trailer and a tent, when we were lucky. My pup's arthritis is so bad in her front paws, she'd start limping after walking around the block. Sometimes, between a bike trailer being stolen, or bike tires going flat, we'd be forced to walk, and she would literally just drop, eventually. We'd be stuck in that spot for 6-24 hours.... However long it took for the swelling in her joints to go down enough for us to continue hunting for an unlocked shopping cart, or trekking across town to borrow a wagon-- ANYTHING with wheels to get my canine friend off of her feet! When our tent and everything we owned was packed onto my back and into the "trunk" of the bike trailer, i would stack all of our folded tarps, sleeping bags, and blankets into the trailer, which left enough room room for her to sit, sideways, on top. She weighs about 60lbs. When we would pack up our entire camp and travel, i was sometimes pushing, pulling, and pedalling over 200lbs around the city! As the homeless populations increased across the country, more conflicts and issues arose, which resulted in being allowed to camp in fewer and fewer places, for shorter amounts of time. We were constantly having to "move." I'd never been so toned and buff in my life! I enjoyed flexing my biceps like a body builder, & i got a kick out of people's surprised reactions when they saw how this little 100 waif of a girl could lift and carry heavy items as well as a man twice my size! But, mostly, our life was HARD. Really, REALLY, HARD! We lost everything we "Master-level experiences for master level souls!" times, it became a minor frustration, rather than a devastating trauma. Housed people's attitudes toward the houseless were getting worse and worse. The reasons for the growing anti-homeless sentiment were understandable, but the way we were treated on a daily basis, day after day, was incomprehensible to me. I came to dread any and every human interaction. Life was HARD! A friend of ours had received an apartment from a V.A. program. My dog and i were allowed to stay overnight there 2 nights out of every week, which we took full advantage of! It was a neighbor of his who took such pity on us, observing our weekly visits-- the skinny girl with her gimp old dog, arriving dirty, exhausted, starving, soaked, & freezing! Maneuvering a bike, a packed trailer, and a good-sized dog onto the elevator... And leaving again 48 hours later, full and rested, warmed and nearly dry, hooking the bike and trailer up, tucking blankets, sleeping bags, and tarps over the dog, bundling myself up against the winter cold, and pedalling away in the rain... oh, we made such a pathetic sight!-- that he gifted us with a used minivan! So, almost 40yrs old, I finally learned how to drive. Suddenly, we could get across town in MINUTES, instead of DAYS! My pup could ride with the heat blowing full blast on her paws! Our belongings could be safely locked up! I no longer had to enter stores carrying a large backpack. We stayed dry when it rained. We could stop somewhere for the night, and go to sleep after only the few minutes it took to crawl in back and close the curtains. Our life became so much easier, in so many ways! What i mean is that, the truth of van life, or any life, is entirely dependent upon individual perceptions and judgements, upon the life you're comparing it against! Thanks for reading this very long comment!

How do you all of these #vanlife youtubers think homeless people feel? I'm sure it's nice to tryout a trendy lifestyle... but of course the lack of routine and instability causes burn out and mental health issues. I hope this #vanlife brings more consciousness to those that HAVE to live a highly mobile life because they have no where else to be. Thank you for highlighting all of the struggles, these are not just issues that privileged millennials in #vanlife culture face, but struggles for millions of folks across this country with housing instability.

This fits with a new concept I started to think about: If it's dull and boring, chances are it's true

One of the most if not THE most honest video I’ve ever seen.

I saw the video thumbnail and thought, "Oh great another vanlifer using the same tired video title to make some money". But then I thought I'd better watch it and make sure it's just another one of these "top 10 worst things about van life" and I'm very happy I did because this has been the most sincere and thorough video on what vanlife is and what vanlife content creators really go through and the pressures they face and ALL the pitfalls of the lifestyle. As someone who's been intrigued with van life since 2015, I think this is one of the most important videos about the topic.

i’m writing an essay about van life influencers not putting out honest/authentic content and this video is great for my research. thank you!!

Hey I did this in my truck, I called it being homeless, but hey whatever floats your boat.

I think you nailed it. I have never lived in a van, but have lived on a boat for 27 years. Sure, I could show the cocktails on the deck as the sun sets over the water or I could show cleaning a pile of gooey, shampoo ick hair out of the shower sump. What would sell? The sunset.

I've owned my van for 19 years and have a fair amount of travelling and living experience in the UK and western Europe. I appreciate your perspective in this video because it is realistic and truthful. I wonder how many people would pursue this way of life if no-one could watch them? A fundamental human need is to receive attention from others, to gain some form of approval and to feel validated by that approval. This human need is met on a superficial level by social media. The point was made that many RU-vidrs end up becoming a character that is simply designed to meet the needs of their audience and consequently become lost in creating an image and content that supplies a demand for that character/life-stlye. Most people try "vanlife" because it is an escape from a previous life that wasn't meeting a variety of human needs and even toxic to those needs. But, what happens is they then create a new artificial way of life that simply introduces a new set of demands that can become unsustainable or toxic in different ways. My advice to anyone wanting to try "vanlife" is to do it quietly for at least a year. Tell no-one. Keep it simple. Travel slowly. Connect with your environment and other authentic people. Read. Think. Relax. Then, see how you feel about yourself, the van and life. I hope it works for you. Joe (UK)

I parked my "stealth van" to sleep on the very shore of the Beagle Channel. You can see tons of minivans there, all of them painted with "Ushuaia to Alaska" signs, having fb, instagram, twitter, pinterest, vlog logos, drivers are modern, nice guys, young, trendy and beautiful. And they didn't even travel an inch of the trip yet! This video is for them.

I knew it was too good to be true. Thank you for this video. Starting to love my apartment even more.

We're taking a full break from van life and living in an apartment for the next 6mos just to re-group and re-set. Love this video so much, it is soooo unbelievably accurate! Thank you for bringing light to the realities of van life 😊👏💫

I lived the van/car/camper/tent life on and off for almost ten years and really felt touched that someone wanted to talk about the not so great. Thank you so much.

Hello, I’ve experienced homelessness for the majority of my life party due to parents dying at a young age and no one really noticing my situation. When I first learned people purposely lived in cars I was very confused and taken aback. It was a forgien concept for me. I think the reason I was so concerned and confused was because of the points you make about the “small” trials which are actually HUGE deals. I’ll probably have pushback from my homeless peers for even saying this but I think this is really important to bare in mind and you make stellar points. There are elements of my homeless experience that truly are pricessless and I wouldn’t change for the world but for the most part it’s a lot of nuisance and small complex things that can lead me into a mental health crisis. Stability and routine is such a key to good physical health and mental well being too! Weither you end up in a van by choice or less by choice these are solid things to be aware of and consider. I personally am really thankful for you sharing this because there is a huge stigma around homeless humans of course which I’m aware of and this video could help bridge the gap and re humanize those who didn’t really have much choice either. Anddddd I wouldn’t wish those seeking adventure and traveling and those amazing pieces of this life to step blindly into other parts that are challenging. Thank you very much for sharing. I also want to apologize for how timid you sound to push back on the glitz and glammor. You’re brave to make this video and with social media things can escalate quickly. Thank you so much.

After getting dumped by my fiance (yes the one in my picture that I need to update), I want to escape to the vanlife or trailer life or bus life whatever. Normally, I hate staying in watching movies, playing games, etc. I am not easily tired and prefer to use my tired days laying outside in cool weather conditions. I appreciate you making a realistic and authentic video on van life. This helps me out so much!

Travel fatigue is real. Constantly finding places to (legally) park if you're staying in a city can weigh on you. Definitely invest in a high top van if you can, staying in your van on bad weather days is much harder if you're constantly having to stoop or sit. If you're considering van life, little "luxuries" like heat and cooling, solar, reliable internet are super important. 3 years into full time van life and I still wouldn't trade it for apartment/house life.

This girl is the real deal, I absolutely love you. It looks very intimidating on RU-vid, not for me,and I see so many people leaving van life it seems cool to do part time. And if you are traveling you will be spending tons of money.

as a child my father and I were homeless for much of my child hood. We lived in vans, campers, cars etc etc . It is no way to raise a child. I assure you there was nothing even remotely glamorous about it.

I lived in a van for 2.5 months. I only got to shower every other day, some nights were super uncomfortable and hot 🥵 the van would get messy and dirty due to us camping often and tracking dirt and other debris inside. It was a great adventure though and would absolutely recommend short term or for an extended cross country trip! Oh, & I didn’t film it! hehe took lots of photos though 👌🏻

when being homeless seems like a better option than crippling debt the veil is lifted off of the financial situation we're in

“Living for someone else when you should live for yourself”. Great line!

This video is the best thing I've seen covering van life since I started paying attention to the lifestyle on Instagram a few years ago. I don't really watch van life RU-vidrs, but some of the van lifers I follow on IG do attempt to discuss some of the realities of van life (especially solo vanlife). But none of them have touched on the ACTUAL reality of van life, from everyday minute to minute experiences that no one talks about. They've all been 80% entertainment and 20% informative/real talk. I started to fantasize about living in a van with my cat and traveling solo around the country, but your video showed me what that actually might look like, for the first time. Thank you!

This video is so important. Even more now, after the horrendous homicide of van lifer, Gabby Petito. Her video and photos, portray this ideallic life. Beautiful views, lots of cuddles and kisses, but we seen the reality on the police bodycam. It looked as if Gabby was living the perfect life, with the perfect man, when she was sharing her van with a monster. Of course that story is very extreme and thankfully not that common, but even police cam footage showed the stresses she felt, trying to build up her website and as you pointed out, the nice parts we see, are only a very short portion of that day. Everyone should be made to watch this video before embarking on the van life. 🙏🏻

I'm a Backpacking RU-vidr, and I see the same thing happening in Backpacking videos. I can go on a miserable, devastating backpacking trip. Get lost, get kicked off trail by a ranger and still put out a video mixed with amazing music and slo-mo shots showing how easy it is without talking about permits or gear requirements. This brings people to the same trail the next weekend, not knowing if their dog is allowed, where to park or where to get the permit to park, not having a permit to be on the trail, not having the right gear to deal with the cold / snow or heat / lack of water, etc. Just as in glamorous Van Life videos, glamorous backpacking videos are downright misleading. In backpacking, this can be dangerous to the viewers. ~woodglue

I’m 6’4 pretty sure it is not for me.

Seeing this video really made me think about how miserable I usually feel after sleeping badly on the road inside my car or in a tent, and whoah, it takes some guts to do van life. I really appreciate this video, you cut the crap and went straight to what is always left out. I am in quarantine right now and I couldn't be more happy to live in my tiny apartment.

Thank you for so perfectly articulating what I've had running around in my head with regard to van life "influencers"! You are definitely wise beyond your years.

Raw honesty like this is so rare

You have gotten enormous insight, especially at 18. It will serve you well. I appreciate your video.

I've been living out of a SUV for several years. More than 15. One thing you have failed to mention, beyond the sacrifice that is involved that should make people think twice about this lifestyle, is that many local governments are now creating statute and code that has made it illeagal to live in a vehicle. You can expect, on almost a daily basis, a visit from law enforcement if you are anywhere near a populated area. Unless you have learned to become very stealthy... I used to live out of my SUV, work all summer and travel to Central and South America in the winter. Eventually I bought a piece of land but quickly found out how FREE America really is. When you not only have to get permission, but pay for that permission to so much as dig a whole for a fence post on your own land and your told you cannot live in your own RV on your own land for more than 14 days in a calendar year... Are you living in a FREE nation? Good luck out there kids... Peace and health always....