The True Cost of Van Life
No one seems to be talking about how expensive van life really is… In this video I want to open the conversation about the privilege required to convert a trendy van, and travel around in it. And I’m going to share exactly what my Ram Promaster conversion cost me. Let me know your thoughts about the accessibility of van life and how much the community acknowledges (or doesn’t acknowledge) it.
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It’s gonna be so fun when you head off wow I wanna do it so bad haha
I’m moving into my Pontiac Grand Prix for 2 years and plan on saving for a Van. I’m not planning on buying the biggest cargo van on the market and I’ll be doing the build on my own, but I get your point.
I share your points! Van life is expensive, unless its so low quality that is no fun any more! I just got my first (non mobile) house and I’m thrilled but it got me 10yrs of saving and working full time in a Bank!!! Its no easy ride for sure…
Hello 👋 from pakistan 🇵🇰
youtube vanlife is a fkin luxury
but many homeless live in a van lol
Most people have an option of buying a house/renting an apartment or buying a van as a start, please stop making it seem like the reason people 99% of people get into vanlife isn’t for the freedom to adventure and save money. You just had to take a moment to add some political propaganda rather than talk about the true point of the video and that’s just sad.
You don’t have to buy a $33,000 van. Calling people liars like that, yeah you’re nice.
Great video. 👍🏽totally agree with ya. People make van sound cheap and easy.
I love that you tell us how this life can be expensive and the expectations that comes with this and how this life can be. It shows real world things and not a "I’m doing it so you can too" type of feeling. I do think too many people who say it’s so great don’t go into what all it takes to do van life. I wanted to do this when I saw someone say it’s so easy and so fulfilling but your video puts more things into perspective and what all you need to do and what that takes. GOOD JOB!! really 🙂
nobody said vanlife is free, you still have to eat, insurance, bills and all that same as you live in a house
but house rental nowadays is crazy high so 1 year of rental can get you 1 fully furnished van and a few more months of extra daily expanses
we used to live in a van until we could afford a house
and thats a good option to save up money
also you dont want to look homeless either
go learn about how homeless woman survive in society without declaring they are homeless, once people tag you as homeless you are done.
Nobody should know you sleep in a van out of necessity
I think this white privilege woman is completely missing the point
living in a van shouldnt be associated with poverty smh…
and that video title is wrong, she literally didnt mention anything cost related besides that new van price lmfao
First from pakistan 🇵🇰
All I can say is: THANK YOU. No one is talking about this. Kudos, yet again.
A lot of the points you made sound like more specific geographical locational issues rather than actual affordability. If you want to express how much it would typically cost, use ratios and percentages. That would help a lot of us out.
7:43 this part just sound so wrong
vanlifer isnt adopting the aesthetic of being poverty, they are advocating adventuring lol
Love the van content! I’m obsessed with your van vlog channel!
This brought up so many good points Katie! Do you follow Eva Zu Beck? She’s converting an overlanding vehicle and traveling currently. If you don’t, you should! She’s really lovely and so down to earth.
Buying a van for $33,000 is quite cheaper than buying a simple house of E 400,000+ in an overheated housing market…
All because house prices are booming everywhere. Just like van prices are also getting higher, because "supply and demand".
LOVE IT! Thanks for being real here. I wanna do this so badly. Van life here I come😍
well, right now plenty of people are paying 50k for cars so might as well live in it. Its like they see ripped jeans on a low income person and than go and pay 200$ for pre ripped jeans.
Loved this ! It’s so great to see honesty over getting views. It seems that this lifestyle begins with the first most important expense. YOU !!! 👍
This is how I was drawn to your channel! I’m a full time nomad with an online business and have just started a podcast. I can’t wait to introduce more of that lifestyle on my youtube in the spring (full time in an RV right now) and work my business model into it. Thank you for the inspiration!! And yes, vanlife isn’t about "money", it is about lifestyle. If you prefer being a nomad and living in a van over a house then you’re probably doing the right thing…if you think you’re going to save a lot of money…that’s not the best reason to get into it. You gotta love the nomad life. 😍
I know you’re not naming names but I feel like you’re coming after Eamon and Bec type people so hard right now!! 😅 I appreciate the reality check and the message ❤️
Thank you for sharing.
Bro what. I watch you ALL OF THE TIME, but somehow didn’t know you were doing van life! I am planning on getting my van and starting the conversion towards the end of next month!
This was a great video. I like to watch Dawn of Van Life because her story/journey is different from a lot of other “vanlifers.” Safe Travels Katie.💜
I was just talking with a friend about how ridiculous it is that vans and even RVs get called in to the cops and posted on local FB groups because it’s "the homeless ruining our neighborhood" but if it’s a cute van conversion, it’s no problem because it’s just a quirky choice at that point. Why is it more human to choose to live in a van when you have a home, and less human to live in a van because you are disabled and have no options?
That’s a nice breakdown of the van lifestyle. Definitely not that cheap as some people think. Appreciate that you gave so much clarity on van life since it’s been so popular lately!
This is very true 🤍
Such a great video Katie! I love how much you kept it real and really spoke about the glamourization we always see.
Thank you for having this discussion! I consider myself to be in a very privileged position, being white, living at home, being working class, and having a secure job and a decent income, but can life as we see it online is still inaccessible to me. I don’t have the money (or time) to spare to buy and convert a van, I can’t travel and work with the job that I have, I barely have any time off, and insurance in my area is disgustingly high and I’m already paying for my everyday car. It almost makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong or I’m not good enough because I can’t afford to be free like that even part time. I can’t imagine how those with fewer privileges than I do feel when seeing this glorified van life content online.
More van content, here for it !!
Love this video. Have a bunch of friends doing this. They took a lot of time to renovate and fix up their wheels. It has not been easy but they did hahaha
Thank you for doing this. What we see on Instagram and YouTube is some kind of fairytale ideal in reality. I don’t know how these people are affording these vans and to live like this but I know I can’t. It really is misrepresented. I have lived the past five years as a nomad that my Way has been very different. I sold my home and I have spent the past five years renting places short term that are furnished and doing it that way has been affordable and I’ve been able to live in regular places.
Love thos
Yes new content! So happy for you!
As someone who was a homeless teen living in a car and sleeping in parking lots with some very real dangers I definitely appreciate you bringing this all to light and holding people selling this idea accountable. Feeling safe is a privilege that a lot of folks dont have. As always Katie your bluntness and unique perspective hits the nail on the head🙌👍