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Nice man that looks awesome, pretty jelly. I can work remote and have been thinking about leaving for a while. How much was the initial cost of the van? How did you maintain your internet connection? What would you say is the biggest struggle?
This is exactly what I'm planning to do, but instead of a van, use a sailing 'yacht' big enough to live on. As soon as I have enough funding to get the gear, I'm off!
Have a look at http://www.fortgeblasen.at/english.htm , this couple did just that.
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First: Not everyone wants or can have children. Second: You may be back at geographical square one but you have picked up a lot of baggage in the form of knowledge and emotions that probably changed you (hopefully for the better, I'm betting it does) forever. Also, this life style is nice for getting to know yourself, what do you really want? Maybe you thought you were a city dweller but now you know you feel better…
Maybe you are right, maybe not. I just think those stories where people worship their nomad life represent not the entire truth. It's not because nomad life is so great, often it's because they struggled because--again--life in developed areas is tough and so they opted for the easier way. Moreover, those have still some home base in an developed country, a back door where they can always settle again, so it's not re…
Not all of us want to escape. We just want to see the world and learn. I grew up in a small town, I dont have a place I could call home apart the earth...
On the other hand, I know there is an increase of people that want to escape, but maybe they have a reason to do it. City life is not for everyone. Many of us want to have a slower life, cherishing small things in nature and learn about the world directly, without intermediaries.
And I dont think is about struggling with the high competition or have a cheaper life somewhere else. Some of us just prefer to have a different life style. Some people chose to have 2 cars, a house and lots of stuff inside, some others just prefer to have only one backpack with their belongings in it and move slowly around the world...
Good for him... I would totally hate the lack of space and comfort. I'd sleep really poorly at night when it's super hot in summer and cold in winter. I'd hate it to have to look for a good internet to work. I'd miss my friends all the time. I'd dislike having to socialize with random van neighbors every time I want to not dine alone. I wouldn't last a month of this...
Hey! I'm the author of that article. I respect your opinion and I totally agree that van life is not for everyone. However it's seems funny that I've never experienced one of your concerns: > I would totally hate the lack of space and comfort. I have 12 square meters and my bed is super comfortable. Most of the time I'm outside. Works perfect for me. > I'd sleep really poorly at night when it's super hot in summer an…
To expand on this based on my and my parents experiences, we have friends from ~10-15 years ago when they were full time RVers that we still stay in contact with. They often go travel around the US and meet/stay with them.
I try to make it a point to remember that, regardless of who people are or how you meet them, you never know when you're going to make a lasting friendship. I think, paradoxically, it's sometimes easier to make friends in a situation where everyone doesn't have high expectations.
Also we made acquaintance with a guy who traveled with an entire array of fantastically high quality whisk(e)y. Yes, we did stay a little longer there as a result, and yes, it was totally worth it.
Slightly OT: Living in a capital/big city is tough: - High rents, even in Berlin nowadays - There are more options but also much more competition for finding the right accommodation, job and spouse - In particular, finding your long-term partner can be a huge struggle in a big city in times of Tinder where nobody is committed anymore For some the solution is just to escape, avoid the challenge and call it nomad life…
I know couple of people like that. Just to make a point your argument about these people trying to escape because they can't make it in a big city is not necessarily true. At least not universally true, there might be people that fit your description.
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> However, once they have kids, they have to settle and are back to square one. I don't necessarily think it's back to square one. One doesn't have to settle in a big city. I moved out of London when my first child was due. We moved to a mid-sized (250k population) European city. I was able to find work, in an unrelated field to my previous experience but still using similar technical and management skills. The remun…
Don't you worry about the objectively lower education for your children there ? As much as I dislike cities, I can't imagine raising children somewhere else. Education, culture and network potential (through friends) is just not the same.
Nice man that looks awesome, pretty jelly. I can work remote and have been thinking about leaving for a while. How much was the initial cost of the van? How did you maintain your internet connection? What would you say is the biggest struggle?
> How much was the initial cost of the van?
I bought the van for 7.000 Euro.
> How did you maintain your internet connection?
I'm working with 4G. Works perfect all most everywhere in Europe! I use a pre-paid Italian SIM-Card that I can use all over Europe. It costs me 9 Euros for 20 GB. I usually need around 30 to 50 GB a month. So it's roughly 20 Euros per month.
You can read more about the technical setup here: https://ruby-on-wheels.github.io/blog/turning-my-van-into-a-...
> What would you say is the biggest struggle?
I'm currently in Madrid. Living the van life in big cities is more challenging. Especially if you don't want to stay in the suburbs. I plan to write a article about my city experiences in Madrid soon.
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In most European countries your children would be taken away by the responsible institutions if you tried to raise them in a trailer.
I feel like there's a middle ground though between spending lots of money raising kids in a London penthouse, and raising them in a van.