Is van life worth it? What seven years in my van taught me

Table of Contents

• What does a week of van life look like?
• How do you shower when you live in a van?
• What happens when your van breaks down?
• What do you miss when you live in a van?
• Is it scary to live in a van alone?
• Is van life lonely?
• Is van life worth it?
• Where do I go with the van in winter?
• Questions about van life
  • How long have you lived in a van?
  • Can you do van life with a dog?
  • Do you have a shower in your van?
  • What do you miss most about living in a house?
  • Is van life lonely?
  • Wild at heart? Let's be friends.
• Explore more
• About Suzanne

I just sat in a hot spring between the rocks for an hour. I feel reborn. Now I'm ready for cold river showers again for a while.

It's my seventh year of living in the van. The van is my house. It's my first car and my main base camp. This old Mercedes doesn't have a shower or a fridge. And sometimes it falls apart a little bit.

In this post I bring you along on a week of van life in northern Spain with my dog Wingo. There are wild showers and beautiful places. There are also some big lows. My van broke down twice. I filmed the whole week for my YouTube channel.

What does a week of van life look like?

I just picked up my van from a warehouse in northern Spain where I stored it. Before that I was in India to deepen my Ayurveda knowledge. My mom, Wingo and I made a little road trip out of the drive back to the van. Later my dad joined us too. It turned into so many precious days together.

The mountains were calling. But so was the ocean. There was a beautiful surf forecast on the horizon. So first I went back to one of my favourite surf spots. That's something so cool about living on wheels. You can take your little housey wherever you want.

Then I drove to the Picos de Europa. A few years ago I hiked across these mountains on the Ruta de la Reconquista. It made such an impression. Now I'm back for day hikes. I hiked the Ruta del Cares with a friend from the Ocean Nomads community.

One of the most exciting things for me is discovering unknown places by foot. And then rolling into a remote mountain village. You just wake up and roam around. One peak after the other appears from the next corner.

Some spots I don't want to leave. I stayed on one for one, two, three nights. I lost count. There's a little shack where they already know how I like my coffee. A man picking apples gave me a bag of them. I already had apples from someone else too.

How do you shower when you live in a van?

I don't have a shower in the van. So I find wild showers. On the coast there was a freshwater shower right on the beach. How cool is that?

You know you've been doing nomad life for a while when you know where to find the watercress. Right next to that shower it grew untouched. So I had a fresh salad for lunch, with no need to move the car.

In the mountains I use the river. When I park right next to one, it's laundry day. The water for the dishes comes from the river too. I keep the water in my tank for drinking. It can take a while to find a good water source.

And then there are hot springs, the greatest gift of nature. I found one between the rocks, like a hot tub in the middle of nature. It was a whole gathering in there, with people from Spain, Germany, Holland and Ireland. Wingo went for the cold pools and the fishes. How I stay clean on longer hikes is in my hiking hygiene kit.

What happens when your van breaks down?

When something goes wrong in van life, your home goes with it. On the way to the mountains the van got too hot. As I was trying to find a leak, I found a rip in the belt. I didn't feel safe driving any further. So off to the garage we went, with my house on the back of a tow truck.

Wingo and I had planned a different day. Breaking down is part of living in an old machine. We changed the belt and I got some spare parts, just in case.

A few days later I was parked right next to the water. It was quiet and calm, just me and the cows. Then the battery ran low and I had to move. I didn't want to move. That's also sometimes the case with living nomadically.

Then my car had other plans again. The engine was running way too hot. I was pretty sure the thermostat was broken. I drove around town looking for a mechanic and came across Antonio, who is retired. The other mechanic didn't have time for two or three weeks. So Antonio said he'd have a look and see what he could do.

He ordered the spare parts and his friend brought them. He knows everybody. So I could park safely next to his friend's neighbour's hotel. He even brought me a whole bag of maps of the Picos de Europa, with all the hikes I really should be doing. I consider myself very lucky that my car broke down and I got to meet Antonio.

We boiled the thermostat in water to test it. It's supposed to open at 85 degrees. After more testing, the conclusion was that the temperature sensor is broken. It sits in a difficult spot and we didn't have the spare part. So Antonio said to just not look at it and go. It's so weird to drive with the temperature that high. But I trust the process. I trust Antonio.

The mechanic is also a farmer. After we looked at the car we went to his finca. I left with a whole box of goodies.

What do you miss when you live in a van?

There are two things I often miss living in the van. The first is a proper kitchen. My kitchen is small and I would love a bigger one. Even so, I make dosa in it, with coconut chutney and a tempering.

The second is a warm bathtub. A warm bath does me so well. And I don't have one. That's why every hot spring feels like such a gift. The gear and tools I travel with are on my travel resources page.

Is it scary to live in a van alone?

I often get the question if I'm not afraid living in a van, hiking or wild camping alone. Well, confidence gets built over time, I guess. The first time I drove this machine I was so nervous. Many adventures later I've been in so many situations. It's in the discomfort where growth and magic happen.

It's not always easy. What helps me is thinking that it can always be worse, like way worse. And there's always so much to be grateful for. I wrote more about travelling alone in my post on two months alone in the van in Morocco.

Is van life lonely?

I may be alone a lot. But I don't feel lonely. I have the best dog, Wingo. Then there's Ocean Nomads, the community I started as a global support network for people living a little bit wilder or looking into it. And Jonatan has my back when he's not hiking across America.

On the road you meet people too. In the hot spring I chatted with travellers from four countries. And the mechanic who fixed my van sent me off with apples and maps.

Is van life worth it?

Living on the move means many decisions each day. Where do I sleep tonight? Is that spot too steep for my old van? That's also a reason why I love to go so slow. Then you don't have too many decisions to make. You're just peaceful in nature. And that is just priceless.

There are big lows, like a broken belt or a car that runs too hot. And there are days like the one in the hot spring, or waking up next to the river with the mountains all around. For me, after seven years, it's still so special.

Where do I go with the van in winter?

When it gets colder I move south like the birds. I spent a couple of winters with the van in the Canary Islands. You can read about my winters on Fuerteventura and how I got the van to the Canary Islands. My Canary Islands vanlife guide is coming.

I also spent a couple of winters in Morocco. I may go again this winter. The weather by region is in my post on Morocco in winter. Everything about the ferry, the dog paperwork and costs is in my vanlife Morocco post. All my van stories are under vanlife.

Questions about van life

How long have you lived in a van?

This is my seventh year of living in the van. The van is my house, my first car and my main base camp.

Can you do van life with a dog?

Yes. My dog Wingo has been with me in the van for five years. He goes fishing in the rivers and swims in the cold pools. He doesn't catch anything.

Do you have a shower in your van?

No. I don't have a shower or a fridge. I shower at freshwater showers on the beach, in rivers and in hot springs when I find one.

What do you miss most about living in a house?

I miss a proper kitchen and a warm bathtub. My kitchen is small. Hot springs are my bathtub on the road.

Is van life lonely?

I may be alone a lot. But I don't feel lonely. I have Wingo, the Ocean Nomads community and Jonatan, who has my back when he's not hiking across America.

Live a little wilder.
With love, Suzanne

Explore more

About Suzanne

Six years living in a van, nine months of it in Morocco and Western Sahara with my dog Wingo. Five Atlantic crossings and 50,000+ nautical miles at sea. 2,500+ km of thru-hiking. Founder of Ocean Nomads. I travel by sail, van and on foot. Full bio: about me. Say hi on Instagram or YouTube.

Disclaimer: As always, opinions are my own. What drives me is care for nature, getting you into nature, and encouragement for natural living. If you're looking to book a place to stay or a gear item, huge thanks if you purchase it via this website. At no extra cost to you, orders and bookings through this website give me a tiny piece of the pie that helps me keep investigating, exploring, and creating content about living with and for nature.