What are the advantages of Van Life?

They are eight members of the milesopedia community to have answered our call. Eight who have known and most of them still indulge in their passion for motorized travel.

Westfalia, Winnebago, Adventurer, Chevrolet Express, Dodge Caravan, Jayco. Recent models and others who, let’s face it, have asked for a little love. Well done, mechanics!

First observation: they love or loved it. Those who sold the mount are bored. They’re thinking of renting.

One of them, who has swapped his Westfalia for a motorbike, is thinking of reconnecting with the beast through motorbike relocations in the United States or Canada. Do you know it? It also exists in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.

We must try at all costs! If you’re “titillated” by the idea: listen to your little voice and GO! Go for it! We have proof with the current situation that things can change so quickly tells us our vanlifers milesopedians.

All members agree to recommend this way of travelling to those who are tempted by the adventure. They chose her for a variety of reasons. Will they convince you of that?

The Van Life stands for freedom and independence.

We stop when we feel like it. We’re leaving without a reservation. If the weather is good, we go to the beach; if it rains, we go to a brewery or a vineyard! It’s freedom, but in the vicinity of the van.

Charles, vanlifer

Carolane tells us about a misadventure that happened just as they were getting away from their RV:

One of the worst memories I have of my road trip in Central America came three days after entering Mexico.

We are in Guanajuato, a beautiful city that is part of the UNESCO world heritage. After an afternoon walk, we return to the camper parked on one of the main roads. But, no more house on wheels: the vehicle is MISSING!

We’ve never felt worse. Our whole life was in it: it’s not a car, it’s OUR HOME.

Imagine coming home at the end of the day and your house is gone. Everything, even our passports and card s, were in it, and what breaks our hearts, THE sonny boy who has the reflex to say “they stole my panda”! I hadn’t brought anything but a few pesos.

Visit to a first police station with Google translate as an intermediary, because I’m unable to think about my Spanish, which is already quite basic, so in panic like that, you forget! I’ll spare you all the details, but after two visits to police stations who are blaming each other for what may have happened, we finally discover that we were badly parked and that our horse is with a tugboat. Thank God it wasn’t a robbery!

But now the tugboat only accepts cash, we don’t have enough, it’s all in the RV!
I am in tears, I try to make them understand that I have to go to my vehicle to pay them. They’re advising us that the RV isn’t even here, it’s in an impound lot 30 minutes out of town. An employee finally agrees to drive us there to collect the money.

Worst day of the trip, we even thought of coming back to Quebec, so much so that we were shaken to think for 3-4 hours that we had found ourselves on the street, without any identification, nor money, in Mexico!

I can guarantee you that afterwards we would not leave the camper without our passport and our card s. Son had a few days not to worry about leaving his pets alone in the truck.

Lucky in our misfortune, all the people we met were understanding and generous with their time, and we were able to find our house in the same state as we had left it!

Carolane

Ah well! A Quebec Ranger!

Favorite places? Our members have provided dozens of examples:

• with views of glaciers and the midnight sun in Alaska.
• at Lake Willoughby in Vermont
• during a stop at a viewpoint on Route 1 in California: with the bonus of dolphins and killer whales that came to give a show just below the cliff.

And then..:

• beaches in Mexico and Louisiana
• on the Miguasha Strike in the Gaspé Peninsula, where our travellers found themselves alone in the world.

And in all these places: the BBQ, the sunset, the little fire, the stars and the moon’s arrival with the sound of the waves in the background. You don’t need an apple turnover with that.

The second reason to indulge in Van Life is to feel at home.

The Milesopedian vanlifers surveyed report appreciating feeling in their business. They move with what they choose to bring while trying to aim for the minimum. To travel light, as they say.

We bring the dog for some, the children’s school equipment when required and the computer equipment, whether it is intended for work or not, for others.

And then there’s the day-to-day management. For parents, the motorized would be safe for children who keep a certain routine just like at home.

24-hour access to washrooms, snacks, meals with movies in the evenings as needed. Of course, after enjoying the experiences that the new places offer.

Maude

In third position to plead in favour of this way of travelling in Van Life: living in a motorised vehicle would help us to develop our resourcefulness.

Talk to Emmanuelle, who adapted her vehicle for her trip to the Great North:

In the hidden places, I had put urethane, on the walls aluminum foil, in the windows plastic and on the floor a carpet and under carpet. In the windows at night, I would put big lined curtains that I had made.

Emmanuelle

Don’t forget to remember the daily use of water and electricity and to refuel if you are away from the big cities. Would you like to take a shower? Um, maybe I’ll make it to tomorrow.

Melody’s family had to improvise a small bath in a storage bin, following the freezing of the pipes in the trailer. The kids had a great time, but their 6’2″ dad was a little less.

Some members are of the opinion that this life brings us closer to the essential, even to minimalism. Appreciate what is available and often free rather than what you don’t have and what you want.

Nature and human relations first.

And finally, one of the reasons for travelling by motorised vehicle is the large free car parks near the cities.

Suppose you have no more points Marriott Bonvoy, BMO Rewards, AIR MILES or Best Western Rewards. And that you have four children.

Last summer, on Confederation Day, we slept in a parking lot in Gatineau with many other motorized people like us, right next to the bridge to go to Ottawa. We took advantage of the festivities of the capital by going there by bike for 2 days in addition to visiting the museums which were free.

We then headed to Tremblant, where we slept free of charge in a quiet parking lot for buses and motor homes. A shuttle bus came to pick us up to take us to the village, where we saw the fireworks and celebrated the 1st of July.

Three beautiful days totally free, except for the gas.

Maude

To learn more, please feel free to ask your questions in the milesopedia community to our members who participated in the development of this article.

We thank the following vanlifers milesopediens : Joelle, Emmanuelle, Carolane, Kelly, Melanie, Maude, Anik and Charles.