>> The van-life thing has become a little more common in Britain now, though it's still very much a minority way of life, usually begun out of desperation. Some choose it, true.<<
It's becoming popular again in America too. The desperate people are rarely featured. The ones who get attention are doing it for fun. Some of the vans are unmodified, many have simple modifications, a few are downright elaborate.
America doesn't have any grounds to complain, because there's such a shortage of housing due to bad social policies, and many young people are too poor to afford a house. So vanlife can be a prudent and frugal choice.
>> You're probably right about how they earn an income. <<
Some jobs require travel, like being a travel writer. Some merely benefit from it, like being a nature artist. And then there are all the generally portable ones, like being a consultant. There are people making a great living at some of these careers.
>> It must be a tough way of life, with little or no security.<<
That depends on a lot of variables, including but not limited to:
Does your country hate traveling people with no fixed address? Some do, others don't care. Much of Europe is vicious to them. America is marginally less awful. Much of the less-developed world is used to nomads.
Can you get a home base, e.g. a storage unit or a P.O. Box? This will avoid many pragmatic and bureaucratic hassles.
Do you have a decent vehicle that runs okay most of the time? If not, that's nerve-wracking.
Do you have a job, barter skills, or other ways of obtaining resources? See above options.
Can you make friends easily? Humans benefit from a social network. Here in America, there's a loose community of retired people who live in recreational vehicles (bigger than a van) so they can travel, and they make friends and keep in touch with each other.
Are you flexible in the face of unexpected challenges? If not, you'll be miserable on the road. But if you get bored easily, vanlife may delight you.
Does consumer culture drive you nuts? You may be happier with the simple living of vanlife. But if you want All The Things, this is not the life for you.
The pros and cons make for some interesting reading.
And don't forget that there's very little peace or security left in modern life of any kind. If living in a van means you can live within your means, it may be a saner choice than paying 75% of your income for rent, which is pretty common in America now.
For what it's worth, we had an RV when I was younger. We went on two summer vacations that were more than a month long. It was awesome. While I wouldn't want to give up all my stuff -- my house is basically lined with books -- I'd have no problem with extended traveling. And I'm a wordsmith, so it wouldn't be an issue professionally.
Re: Thoughts
It's becoming popular again in America too. The desperate people are rarely featured. The ones who get attention are doing it for fun. Some of the vans are unmodified, many have simple modifications, a few are downright elaborate.
America doesn't have any grounds to complain, because there's such a shortage of housing due to bad social policies, and many young people are too poor to afford a house. So vanlife can be a prudent and frugal choice.
>> You're probably right about how they earn an income. <<
Some jobs require travel, like being a travel writer. Some merely benefit from it, like being a nature artist. And then there are all the generally portable ones, like being a consultant. There are people making a great living at some of these careers.
https://www.unravellingtravelling.com/single-post/2018/10/31/working-around-the-world-28-awesome-jobs-you-need-to-do
https://diyguru.org/automotive/20-awesome-diy-travel-jobs-that-you-can-do-and-live-your-dream-of-world-tour/
>> It must be a tough way of life, with little or no security.<<
That depends on a lot of variables, including but not limited to:
Does your country hate traveling people with no fixed address? Some do, others don't care. Much of Europe is vicious to them. America is marginally less awful. Much of the less-developed world is used to nomads.
Can you get a home base, e.g. a storage unit or a P.O. Box? This will avoid many pragmatic and bureaucratic hassles.
Do you have a decent vehicle that runs okay most of the time? If not, that's nerve-wracking.
Do you have a job, barter skills, or other ways of obtaining resources? See above options.
Can you make friends easily? Humans benefit from a social network. Here in America, there's a loose community of retired people who live in recreational vehicles (bigger than a van) so they can travel, and they make friends and keep in touch with each other.
Are you flexible in the face of unexpected challenges? If not, you'll be miserable on the road. But if you get bored easily, vanlife may delight you.
Does consumer culture drive you nuts? You may be happier with the simple living of vanlife. But if you want All The Things, this is not the life for you.
The pros and cons make for some interesting reading.
https://www.courtandnate.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-van-life
https://bearfoottheory.com/is-full-time-van-life-for-me/
And don't forget that there's very little peace or security left in modern life of any kind. If living in a van means you can live within your means, it may be a saner choice than paying 75% of your income for rent, which is pretty common in America now.
For what it's worth, we had an RV when I was younger. We went on two summer vacations that were more than a month long. It was awesome. While I wouldn't want to give up all my stuff -- my house is basically lined with books -- I'd have no problem with extended traveling. And I'm a wordsmith, so it wouldn't be an issue professionally.