Van-Life | Q&A

How long did you look for your van, Henry?

• I looked for Henry for about 10 months or maybe more. It was honestly super discouraging and I felt like I would never find a van or camper to travel in, but I found him and he checked all the boxes. I wanted for sure a camper I could stand up in, had a stove, and it to be already converted into a living space. My biggest hurdle was finding something within my price range
  
  that still ran lol. 

How did you find Henry?

• I ended up finding Henry on Facebook market place from this couple in Arkansas. So, we had to drive all the way out there to check him out but I was pretty sure about the purchase (the first car I've ever owned). I also checked craigslist, car dealerships, and various van-life Facebook groups for a vehicle multiple times a day. 

How does your heating work if you're in the cold?

• For the cold, which we are thankfully out of, I bought a small propane heater. I believe it's called Mr. Heaters Little Buddy. We only used one 16oz canister of propane the whole time to heat the van for the first month and half. After about 2 weeks in the van, we all got pretty acclimated to 20 and 30 degree weather and stopped using it unless it was in the teens or below
  
  
  
  
  
  outside. The propane heater had is positives, keeping us warm, but it also had a few cons... one being that we had to open a window to run the heater. Opening the window sometimes defeated the whole purpose of the heater if the wind was too bad letting all the cold air in, but that was better then suffocating from the fumes of the propane. Side note: cats get VERY fluffy when exposed to cold for a while and work just as well as a space heater. 

Where do you park?

• We mainly have been parking at Love's Travel Stop, Walmart, Planet Fitness (we have a membership and it's 24/7), and BLM primitive campsites such as national forests. My favorite is definitely the Bureau of Land Management campsites because it's out in nature, quiet, and there are no lights. Haley really likes sleeping at Love's Travel Stop and TA Travel Center because it's typically pretty safe and near amenities if we need anything. Walmart's are definitely the loudest and most annoying, people drive through with loud music or just yell for no reason, and Walmart feel less safe. There has been a few occasions where there is none of these places to sleep at and we've stealth camped at a motel or hospital, but we did get kicked out once and told to move. I would not recommend because it does make you extremely anxious and on edge all night but sometimes there's no choice.  
  

What is yalls favorite places so far?

• My favorite place has definitely been Sedona, Arizona. I loved all of Arizona, the feeling there was just different than anywhere else we've been. The red rock canyons in Sedona were so beautiful and some of the shop owners we talked to were just the sweetest people. I catch myself missing Sedona and Flagstaff sometimes, so I'll definitely have to go back. In addition to Sedona, I was so amazed by Petrified National Forest and I would even say that Petrified was 1,000 times better than the Grand Canyon. It really did look like an alien planet! 
• Haley's favorite places were also Petrified and Sedona, because they are really that incredible! She also really enjoyed partying for a little while in Las Vegas and getting out of nature for a little city break. If Bryce Canyon National Park hadn't been covered in ice and snow from a snowstorm, Haley says that would be her favorite place as well due to the beautiful rock structures. 

What are we most looking forward to now?

• I am most excited about Redwood National Forest and Portland. I can’t wait to see all the gigantic trees at Redwood and just be in a huge forest for weeks. Portland is also somewhere I’m really excited about. I’ve always had a fascination with Portland and I’m not sure why but I really want to check it out to see if it’s possibly somewhere I wanna live.
• Haley is really excited to go back to Seattle and hangout with her Uncle’s in her favorite city. She is also really excited to check out L.A. just to see what it’s like and what all the hype is about. She’s also hoping to run into some celebrities while we’re there.   

Are yall sick of each other yet?

• For me I think with everyday it’s gotten less. The first like two weeks were a huge adjustment period and super frustrating. It’s a lot of figuring out how to move around and live comfortably in an 8ft space without imposing on the other person. Being with someone 24/7 and in a space so small really does cause any slight annoyance to be amplified. There’s already been so many talks about how to survive in such a tiny space without someone getting murdered lol. As more time passed and the more talks we have, the better and more comfortable living like this gets. I have definitely adjusted a lot. 
• Haley’s response “I’m not really sick of Katie at all, but just living in a tiny space can understandably cause annoyances to be amplified. The biggest struggle for me has been the lack of alone time since I am more of an introverted person.”

Do you miss being with other people?

• Yes! Haley is great and awesome, but I would be very excited to hangout with other people or even just by myself. I have already been thinking about plans to make for when I get back with friends and family. This trip has definitely shed light on the importance of a social group and being surrounded by good people. Although, I don’t think I could have done this trip with anyone else. 
• Haley for sure misses her family and friends, especially her papa. She cannot wait to spend time with them when she gets back. 

How is it traveling with cats?

• Oh man, I could write a whole book series on traveling with cats. I love them and really wouldn’t do this without them but they do make a lot of things a million times harder. We can’t really open our doors wide or leave the doors open on a nice day unless they’re leashed up. Walking them is a hassle because cats just get into everything but we have to let them stretch their legs. We’re constantly concerned about them being too cold or too hot in the van and having to accommodate that. My cat has pretty bad anxiety so I’m always looking out for that and for just signs of illness in both of them. There has been one grand escape by Moxie, which neither of us saw happen, so making sure the cats are in the van before we leave anywhere is a priority. It’s like having two toddlers with us who just destroy everything around them. For instance, every morning I wake up to a nice pile of litter that was kicked out of the box or when Mox walks by a cup of water and knocks over the whole thing. 
  

How do you dress so cute while living in a van?

• Probably since like day two both Haley and I got into the routine of getting dressed and putting on a face of make-up. I thought that on the road I wouldn’t ever want to do my make-up but somehow doing it makes me feel cleaner and like I’m ready for the day. I usually go for comfy-cute clothes when we hike. I think it’s just been a priority of mine to look and feel as clean as possible even when I haven’t showered in a while. 

Where do you shower?

• We got a membership to planet fitness and have showered there every time. It’s pretty nice and the showers are clean. There was one time where the hot water didn’t work and that really sucked, but you can find planet fitnesses all over. The longest we’ve gone without a shower is probably 5 days when we’re out in the wilderness.

Does the van smell like cat poop?

• The litter box for the cats gets cleaned pretty much daily if not more often. The main smell in the van has been the human toilet more than anything else. Essential oils and smelly sprays have been our saving grace but it’s still pretty gross smelling sometimes. It’s definitely not a glamorous lifestyle when you have to dump your poo out.

What kind of camera are you using?

• I have a digital that I’ve taken a good amount of pictures on but mainly we just use my iPhone camera because it’s the quickest and easiest to carry around when exploring. I have a polaroid that I’ve used a few times for my journal of the trip and I also have a film camera, but I haven’t gotten around to using it.

Who is the main photographer?

• I would say that both of us are the main photographer of eachothers pictures, but Haley probably takes more photos than I do. I do however, edit all of the pictures and run the joint vagabond instagram, which is pretty time consuming.

Are you still going to work on farms?

• Yes! The plans with a farm in New Mexico fell through but there are still plans to WWOOF on farms in California, Oregon, and Colorado. Which I am very excited about!