The First Night I Realized Van Life Wasn't What I Expected
It was over 100 degrees at midnight, the first night I slept in my van in Phoenix!
The first night I slept in my van in Phoenix, it was still over 100 degrees at midnight.
I thought I was prepared. I wasn’t.
Cracking the windows didn’t help. The heat just sat there, heavy. Cars passed. People walked by. Nobody knew I was inside.
It hit me—this isn’t the “van life” you see online.
No fairy lights. No scenic mornings. Just sweat, anxiety, and the constant awareness that you don’t fully belong anywhere.
I didn’t sleep much that night. Not because I couldn’t—but because part of me had to stay alert.
\paywall
What most people don’t understand is this:
Van life—or living without a stable home—isn’t just about where you sleep. It’s about how your mind changes when you realize you don’t fully belong anywhere.
The routines you develop to feel “normal”
The decisions you make that surprise even you
The way your thinking shifts without warning
Thanks for reading,
Kindly,
Carol
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We have an electric van. It’s good because we can run the A/C or heat and electric overnight when we use it for sleeping in. It’s a 2023 Ford E Transit cargo van, which we put my sewing room in and which we also use when the weather is too rough to sleep on our sailboat. Tiny living between the 2! Thanks for your writing about van life-I appreciate it! Judi
I’m in the process of selling my van. Fortunately i have some where else to live. As this van while being as good option for some people. I was not one of them.
I strongly recommend hiring one for at least a couple of months before. Committing your self to a particular configuration. And van life in gdners