I really appreciate you telling your story. I am right there with you in wanting to live your retirement now. And love the thoughtfulness that pervades your mindset. Thanks for posting!
Hey Kaya Lindsay!!! Looks like you made a few adjustments after you gained more experience living in the van which is what happens as you live and learn. You are better and wiser for it. I only watched 'Vanlife Lessons: Year 1' video a week ago...still researching; looking at a LOT of builds...and I think some minimal living in the van (once I acquire one), will benefit my decisions on how to build it out. SAFE travels, Be Careful Out There and THANK YOU for sharing.
Thats awesome that even tho your bad experiences have been that of what could turn most people away, you continue having a positive vibe about it and still encourage the lifestyle, we need more folks like you spreading the good vibe about this life!
Just checked out the channel and subscribed! One thing I have found traveling on the road full time you constantly are reinventing yourself and the things around you. You really illustrate that in this video, It is so cool. Where in our lives are we able to really look at what we do and not be scared to completely change to fit our current and future needs? I think it is very interesting. I'll check out a few more of your videos! Safe travels!
Hey Kaya!!! Good info in here and some ideas to actually think about. I'm still researching; looking at a LOT of builds...and I think I need to do some minimal living in the van (once I acquire one), and then see what must-haves I will come up with. SAFE travels, Be Careful Out There and THANK YOU for sharing.
I'm getting ready to hit the road alone #teamonechicktraveling. Thanks for the little reassuring tips! Hopefully i get to you see you on the road somewhere
Happy One Year VAN-niversary, and thanks for taking the time to put this Awesome video together. Nice to know that there are mostly good people out on the road. Happy Holidays to you and Safe Travels 👍🏽😃
Thanks! Happy Holidays to you too! 9/10 people are good, 1/10 are not. But if you spend enough time out there you'll find the good and be able to avoid the bad (most of the time).
Good points about counter and cabinet weight. My build will be pretty much skeletal in that sense, with use of light weight bins/storage boxes throughout.
I wish you a happy new year! I have finished my DYI Sprinter Van conversion project a month ago. I appreciate for your input during the early part of the project. I hope to find time to create a walk-through video for youtube soon.
Thanks for your experience. I'm gonna be full timer (Montreal weather :D) in july and it's lot of preparation, your video is very helpfull to organise this change of life. Thanks again ! Be safe.
Yay daily videos coming! I laughed so hard at the cyclist animation at the end of the video. You went all crazy with the editing :') I'm so curious about your trip, I wish you good luck!
Hey! I have a suggestion about your solar situation. Have you thought of switching to flexible panels? They don't have to be fixed into a location, that can be moved easily and are so super lightweight. This would allow you to take them inside when trying to stealth camp. Congrats to your year!!
Very good video. I like that you keep it simple. People work real hard on things like a shower when using a face cloth and just squeezing it over your head does the job for cheep and set up is simple and easy.
Love your curls! I also really enjoyed watching this video. I've wanted to live in an rv full time, but being a female I've had reservations. Hearing your story is motivation that I can actually do it.
Good insight and advice. I hope to do the vanlife someday. I work in tourism and hospitality so I already feel like a gypsy, moving around. It would be nice to wake up next to a trout river for me.
Hi...I started my 'van quest' yesterday...I mean JUST started....have a mechanic buddy to help shop out the best deals etc. So I'm checking out a zillion youtube videos like yours and am getting more excited and sense it's gonna be very good. You bring up a point I haven't heard discussed much, if at all.....and that is security/loneliness. I'm a male, and fall into your 9 out of 10' good guys' classification....BUT....though I don''t look it , and that micro photo of me is,...well, micro....I'm 66 years old...I also am not an outdoors person and I'm doing this to save money...I have a good job so I might stay in the parking lot where I work for a while...but ultimately I'll head out. I'm no shrink and don't look to strangers for van therapy...but....you will learn that after 40 you will become utterly invisible to the human race unless you get married etc. So I don't know if you have a fast answer to that one. I mean...i am a highly educated, amusing, nice looking old bastard....and I can relate to anybody any age...BUT...as one day thou shalt see......hopefully not by personal experience...if you find yourself hetero single at my age.....and if that bugs you...you essentially have 2 options......suicide or heroin addiction. Now those options do not appeal to me so the question I ask my self is....relative to your commentary...are these youthful athletes you have no trouble forming instant conviviality with;;;;;;;;will just avoid me like the bubonic because i'm over 30. So....for me i see this as sort of a one way Lunar shot...oh, by the way....this is in noway a come on to you for anything except possibly a comment on this issue on youtube which would hopefully keep mockery and ugliness minimal. I guess it boils down to an ancient philosophic inquiry which is my only concern on this little capering into nowhere.....who on earth will even talk to me? Maybe some 80 year old dudes if I see any ....but it seems like more women drive vans then men...that's just the warped notion I get off you tube....and we all know....a man over 30 if not a millionaire had better turn to something like Baked Goods for satisfaction instead of people.. And i am not merely describing'sex'....I am a very kind un-monstrous person that works in health care.....I'm just not a millionaire as i was at age 35 from trading commodities. I think maybe one reason I'm doing this is because the mobility will take the edge of fthe crush of isolation I feel. My siblings and parents all had sense enough to get mates very early but I was too busy and didn't want to and now....the 'Price.' In this mythic new Van Community...do you see any evidence of people being friendly to anyone not a billionaire over 40 years of age....Old people are forced into hermitage until they finally forget about human company. Everyone is married or very young and in either case they have no time for people my age. I am a gifted musician and play a lot of local clubs so I'll bring some guitars with me and that might make people less suspicious of me when they see older people have souls but...well...you see my point....and my stanford binet/weschler IQ is around 145 so I'm not stupid and what i'm saying is not easily dismissed as delusional paranoid rant. Honestly...being ignored and shunned because of age is my biggest concern about traveling alone. But, redundantly, I'd prefer the distraction of mobility to the static isolation I'm condemned to now....just because I'm old. I'm not a dilletante surfer with rich parents.....This move is my sail into the sunset forever...no joke....and i have told you, as an utter arbitrary stranger, because your random video broaches the topic...what my concern is. Comment welcome. Peace....
I saw a van parked near the kids playground at the park where I walk my dog early the other morning. They saw me coming and carefully drove away over the grass and off the curb (there's not supposed to be access for vehicles). Before checking out RV and van living I would have probably been ticked off or afraid, but this time I was excited, like, "Oooooh, I've spotted a stealth camper!" They were obviously not a threat, just having a snooze.
Don’t know if you’ve made it to see the Cadillac ranch in Amarillo yet but that’s where I’m from! It’s a real neat stop but Palo Douro canyon is only a short trip from there and is the second largest canyon in the United States!!
A guest book is a fabulous idea! Your people will feel special to sign it. You are so neat hah. If I make a guest book I will learn a bit about what the person likes to do for a point of reference for meeting again.
One of the issues I ran into when it came to Van Living, is that if/when the vehicle itself needed to visit the mechanic shop(keeping the van overnight), I was like: "Where am I going to stay?!?" Solution! ...I still have a van, but I also tow a box trailer. So if the van ever needs to visit the garage again, I'll still have a place in the box trailer(which was parked in the shop's lot), instead of having to find a motel or sleeping bag it.
I've had this happen! Fortunately, I've always had friends in the area who can let me stay with them. I've talked to a few other vanlifers about this issue and even my own mechanic and they've all said they just sleep in the van at night and then during the day the mechanics work on it!
Great vid👍.... maybe instead of draws you could shorten the bed ..,use that space for a couch / storage. You would effectively not loose storage and have somewhere to sit and work. I kinda like that layout loads as well
You should keep a journal of every day... even if it's only a couple of things logged for the day... where you stayed...things seen...weather...etc,,,etc .. would be a great read years later... just sayin
Thank you for the great videos, Kaya. Could you elaborate on drawers. What would you do as an alternative? I am considering bins that lock into place by I can remove for full access.
I took the drawers out! Right now I have bins. I like those better since I can move them around. In the vans next life she might have shelves, but I'm a few years away from that.
Propane cylinders will vent. The gas is heavy and will accumulate in the lowest spaces of the room. I learned this from other goldsmiths who use an oxy/propane torch. You can also determine that the cylinder is filled with liquid and gas, not just gas. Any fault to contain the fuel would completely replace the air you breathe.
Fortunately for me whenever I open the door all the carbon monoxide will just spill out 😅 It's not great. I'm currently looking for another solution, but right now it works... ish.
Nice van.. and you have a good attitude and insight about living solo. Maybe the answer for you regarding solar power is to use a portable panel, that you set up when you make camp at an area. That way, the rooftop panel can do away. All the best for 2018.
Would you do a Sprinter van again? Costs for repairs and maintenance for GM, FORD, and Dodge are much less than Sprinters. Furthermore, parts are usually plentiful and easier to obtain. Congrats one the one plus year. Your doing what millions wish they could. Lastly, have you put out a book yet? Thanks again. Be safe and don't look down..lol
I would recommend a sprinter to most people I know doing this. Would I do it again? Probably not. But that's not because I don't love my van, it's more because I think I want to move into a tiny home or buy a boat next. Vanlife is wonderful but I think it wont be for the rest of my life!
I would recommend a sprinter to most people I know doing this. Would I do it again? Probably not. But that's not because I don't love my van, it's more because I think I want to move into a tiny home or buy a boat next. Vanlife is wonderful but I think it wont be for the rest of my life!
Nice comments on people and safety.... Stay friendly but keep a watchful eye... Hope your next year is filled with adventure.... ps,, I would probably freak out if my daughter told me she wanted to do what your doing... haha just a daddies view
Ray Sills buy them weapons, teach them how to use them(I have 7 grand daughters)...I also teach them Aikido...truth be told, I have driven the U.S. Canada and Mexico in a semi and they are just as safe/safer otr as they are stationary in sticks n bricks...I sincerely hope that if they should do the otr experience that they have fun and are safe...from ďà wòöķįęè to all y'all prowllin', strollin', and rockin' n rollin'...be safe, stay vigilant and carry a weapon...
Seems to me that I recall Kaya mentioning that she has an ax in the van, and knows how to use it. Plus, she seems to have good "street sense" and knows when to move on, when her instinct tells her to do so.
Axe is useful, but not good for protection unless you have trained to use it. Get mace or bear-spray... this allows you to stop a person(s) so you can get away, and also makes it much easier to deploy the axe if needed. Suggestion: A sword is a better protection tool, and much easier to learn to use... take lessons!
Constant travel is something I picture myself doing but I'm always worrying about the cost. What is it that you do that allows you to continue living with this type of lifestyle while being financially stable?
I made a video about it! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N06hLexu4RY.html But to answer your question, I am a freelancer. I've been a freelancer since 2014 and I'll probably be freelancing in some capacity for the rest of my life! I'm one of those digital nomads :P
Cost is dependent on how you do it. Not one person does this kind of this the same way. Sailboats are one of the better ways to live this way but you have to know about boats. Van life is easy enough to do it in warm climates, cold areas are a bit different. I've car slept combined with bush camping in Canada in the winter and that makes this seem like a cake walk. Parking is next to impossible to find in areas with heavy snowfall because everything is plowed so overnight parking is not permitted, if your in the way of the plows you get towed. People complaint about the "knock", how about attempting to stay alive at -25 and getting woken up by a towtruck hooking onto your car at 3am.
Hey : I am wondering about this. What's your thoughts since you've been living this life style for a year now. By the way I've followed you from the beginning. I'm thinking of buying a Shuttle Bus that is really a nice one. Only problem is. Its 29' from bumper to bumper. I like the room it will have and love all the windows because of the Light. Now here's the difference between me and you. I don't really plan on hitting the road and traveling. Maybe a few trips but my main goal is to buy it and move in come end of April and go back to where all my family lives. My thought is to live in it and maybe find a small piece of land to park it on but if not it would still be big enough to live in comfortably. But my thought is. Would that be to big to stay in Walmart & Cabala's & Kroger etc.. and get around in. Now living the life you are. Smaller is better for sure but for me. I'm thinking more room and maybe on a lot living full time with some trips. Pretty big decision. I got the ideal from the University Science Professor Jeanine Pfeiffer. She lives a Carbon Neutral life. That is what she teaches her students. She's on RU-vid if you want to check her out. Very Impressive. So just wondered what your thoughts might be. By the way. Merry Christmas. :) Terry
Terry I think if that is what you really want then go for it! I personally don’t like the longer busses with lots of windows because they are 1) difficult to drive/park 2) way more expensive as far as gas goes and 3) windows means no privacy. But that’s just me! If you aren’t going to be driving it that much and you want to just park it and have your own space then go for it! It will probably be a beautiful place to live 😇 good luck! 🍀🚌🚎🚐
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate it. I agree the length is a concern but as far as driving and sound. Its a Shuttle Bus not like you've probably ever seen. If you would like to see what it looks like. Then just e-mail me and I'll send you a picture of it. I think you'll be pretty surprised. If not. No problem. Thanks Again : htskeans@gmail.com
Terry hey! You can always email me at kayalindsay@gmail.com if you want to talk more about this. I’ve seen a few shuttle bus conversions and they’re pretty cool!
Terry, you might also look at 14-16 passenger school buses; they are smaller, and all-steel construction, so much safer and easier to modify than a fiberglass-bodied shuttle bus. (I know, I owned a shuttle bus for a couple of years. :) ) Midwest Transit is a pretty reputable dealer; take a look at their stock.
Just some advice for editing, you don’t need to cut out every pause. It makes it seem unnatural and it distracts for me personally. Other than that, perfect! Congrats on a year 😊
pee bottle: get a bigger gatorade bottle, after you use it dump it out, put a lil splash of rubbing alcohol in it and swirl it around inside. (keep the lid sealed) its keeps it fresh and theres no pee smell! learned this from 5 years of doing surveillance. Stay safe, ill be joining the full time community next summer, I'm still young but I can't wait to get out of this rat race!!
Where’s your dude.?I did it 82 thru 90.Block Island with my girl..Loved it..We made it good.She ended up with brest cancer..Sooooo sad.She was a trooper for sure..Now I’m getting old..damn..I find myself listening to music..
I live on the road but I sure don't know how you ladies do it without a shower and a toilet onboard. Hell, even an ice machine, mobile router and 3 TV's in my tiny RV is standard equipment. But I feel entitled to the nicer things in life, although I'm just shrinking the size of the toys along the road of life I suppose.
a small chinook motorhome will solve a lot of your issues , and will probably end up cheaper than doing another conversion , and will end up making a lot of things easier for you .
solar panels are more 'stealth' than using a generator to produce power or to charge batteries.. I have lived in vans, campers, and trailers for the last 25 years.. I have tried all the things to produce electricity and solar is the 'stealthiest'
Can a person totally do without propane? Small electric appliances. I have a tiny crock pot for a can of soup and a hot plate would probsbly be enough for me. Can an electric heater be used?
I just finish watching Brian Adventure Man channel, yours was next, honestly I didn't click on yours since it looked like another t&a channel, but it started playing and I watched, you have really awesome content, also your rig rocks, what model van do you have? thanks
Thanks! I have a 2006 dodge sprinter van. It's the high roof 2500 model. You can check out the full van specs and build out here: www.onechicktravels.com/blog/sprinter-van-conversion-total-cost
Many people can not afford a Sprinter Van - and when Full Time living in a Van or RV you can not get loans to buy vehicles. How did you do it? Thanks great video
ooof. A lot of work and time and creativity. Check out my video on how I work and travel for more ideas on how to support yourself on the road. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N06hLexu4RY.html But I didn't take out any loans! I was very lucky.
I should think that when you retire that you'll have A lot more money than people with pensions, altho over here in the uk employers have to match your pension when you retire. I don't specifically know the details but I'd rather have experiences and skills to pass on and never stop working, old people who do stop working live shorter lives, unless they work their selfs to death.
This might be a kind of no duh comment , but why couldn't you just get rid of the rear drawers ? That would give you more garage space . Bear spray would be a good addition to your axe . Happy Trails .
It is easy to meet people on the road.(Feet, two wheels or 4/6) What you as an individual do with that concept is important.The comment of as a woman she has something easy, BS, she has it harder.Guessing nothing worse than evry man wants to be your friend.Have worked in 300+ male dominated workplaces.Tedious for a woman.
