How many of you romanticized the idea of “van life” and were hit with a reality check?

You say 'vandwelling', which reminds me of something. There are two van subreddits I'm a member of, vanlife and vandwellers. In my mind vanlife is the most romantic, glamorous version. It's the instagrammers, the RVers, the part timers, or the financially secure full timer doing it because they want to, not because they need to. And along with that comes nicer vans, more financial security, and an older crowd (aside from the pretty instagrammers), because older people have more money.

And then I drink of vandwellers more as those living in a van because of need. And since they tend to have less money along with that comes simpler vans, more tenuous circumstances, etc. A vanlifter probably isn't too worried about cop knocks because they can afford a spot in an RV park.

/r/VanLife Thread Parent