Are you considering full-time van life with kids and your partner? If so, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect. That’s totally understandable! The truth is, full-time van life is not a walk in the park for anyone, and it can be challenging to figure out exactly what you need to make your dream of spontaneous adventures a reality.
You may be surprised to learn, however, that many families are already out there, living this dream, and having an amazing time doing it! Full-time family vanlife is becoming more and more common in the United States, as families opt to downsize, prioritize experiences over stuff, and embrace the freedom that comes with being a full-time travel familiy.
In this article, we’ll talk about the realities of family vanlife: what it takes to make it happen, how to set realistic expectations, what to bring, and how to plan for life with kids on the road.
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Planning for Family Vanlife
The most important part of traveling with kids – as we’re sure you know – starts way before you leave the house! Spontaneous adventures are great, but full-time van life requires a lot of up-front planning before you can even think about buying a van.
Many families (such as @van_life_family on Instagram) spend years planning before they take the plunge. But they don’t just think about what type of van they need or where they will go (more on these in the next sections!) They also ask themselves important big-picture questions, like:
- Is everyone in the family on board with this idea?
- How long do you plan to live in the van? 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?
- Will you be working remotely?
- How much money will you have saved when you leave?
- Will you be homeschooling your kids?
- How old are your kids? Van life can be harder on older kids.
- Are you bringing pets?
These are questions you need to answer before you can even think about what type of van you might want to buy. Spending a good long while planning (even a year or more) allows you to really ruminate on these questions and have multiple discussions about them. It also gives you time to save money, get administrative affairs in order, build your van if you’re going DIY, and get younger kids used to the idea incrementally.
Family Van Life Trial Runs
It sounds obvious, but full-time van life with kids is not like taking a day trip or a road trip. Storage space, personal space, grocery shopping, being in close proximity 24/7 – these are all issues that only come to light when you’ve been on the road together for a while.
Truth be told, there’s no way to truly understand what day-to-day full-time travel with kids will be like until you experience it. However, taking a few extended trips can definitely help you work out some of the kinks and get a feel for the lifestyle before you commit.
We recommend doing a few trial runs of at least a month or so before you take the leap and buy your own van. This will not only allow you to get a feel for what living in a van with your family is like, it will also allow to test out a few different family camper layouts.
Make Sure Your Van is Family Friendly
Buy or build your van with kids in mind. This doesn’t just mean thinking about storage space and personal items. It also means considering safety and sleeping arrangements. If you have the means, DIY building your own van or getting a custom build is a great idea, because you can specifically incorporate elements like car seats and bunk beds.
Consider also that you’ll need some kind of indoor play area for your kid(s) when the weather is less-than-spectacular. Your bed actually works great for this, so it’s a good idea to keep that in mind when planning your own sleeping situation.
You should also plan for your kids to grow! Bunk beds should be sized up so kids don’t grow out of them, and you need a plan to accommodate growing bodies in car seats. Layouts for families are very different from layouts for couples, so explore a few family van blogs and Instagram accounts to see what other family camper setups look like.
Storage and Stuff
News flash: kids don’t actually need as much stuff as you think they do. Especially when they have the whole great outdoors to explore! @thegearjunkie, who travels full time with his wife and young daughter, packs just two weeks’ worth of clothes and a single treasure box of toys for his toddler, plus some books.
Make sure that the stuff you do bring has a dedicated spot in the van. Hiking gear, outdoor gear, and sporting gear can often go in a roof box, leaving more space inside for things like food, clothes, toys, etc. Storage nets, collapsible buckets, hidden drawers, and other hacks can make life much easier, especially for things like meal prep and changing time.
Check out @faroutride on Instagram for some clever storage ideas.
How Outdoorsy Are You Really?
One thing you might want to think long and hard about before you buy a van is your current relationship with nature and the outdoors. Many people throw themselves into van life thinking they will use it as an opportunity to get “more in touch” with the outside, but the reality is: change is hard. If you’re currently not a super outdoorsy person, van life probably won’t turn you into one.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still do it! There is plenty to enjoy about van life without needing to be constantly hiking, biking, adventuring, etc. But it does mean that buying a brand new kayak, mountain bike, and hiking gear before you set off will probably just mean you end up with a bunch of stuff you don’t use that takes up a lot of space in your van.
The Realities of Weather, Errands, and Daily Family Van Life
Everything takes longer in a van. Period. It doesn’t always make sense: why does it take so much longer to get groceries, cook meals, or run errands in a van than it did in your car? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you pretty much have to bring everyone along to everything, or that you’re not always in a spot close to amenities, meaning you have to drive. You also have to spend time finding parking, digging needed items like grocery bags out of storage, locking and securing your van (aka your home), etc.
Long story short: plan to go slow. Especially with kids. Most full-time van life pros who travel with kids know that they’re only going to get 4 hours or so of driving done on a travel day. They know that a trip to the grocery store might be an all-day affair. Knowing this ahead of time can make you more resilient to the difficulties of running errands in a van.
Weather
Lots of people do full-time van life in cold weather – however, most of those people don’t have kids. Cold weather makes van life exponentially harder for everyone: you need proper insulation and heating, it’s tough to dry things when it’s cold and damp, showering outdoors becomes chilly, and mold becomes a real concern.
If you have kids, add to that the fact that hanging out outside will be much more difficult. There are no beach days in the snow. This can make it especially difficult if you are working remotely and need one partner to take the kids out so the other can get some work done.
Utilizing the outdoors for space when you are 3-4 people living together in a van is crucial for mental health and healthy family relationships. Bad weather and cold weather can have a seriously detrimental effect on these things.
Summary of Pros and Cons
There are so many awesome things about full-time travel with kids, but there are of course, challenges too. The most important thing is to approach van life with realistic expectations and a flexible mind. Not every day will be a miracle (don’t be fooled by the Instagram pics.) Some days will be tough. But as long as you know that going in, you should be able to adapt and find the beauty in every day.
Pros
- More time with your kids, so you won’t miss a moment of them growing up
- A chance to expose your kids to a different way of life, and to the great outdoors
- Cheaper than living in a rental or paying a mortgage
- Freedom to explore and have irreplaceable adventures
- A chance to grow closer as a family
Cons
- 24/7 family time is a double-edged sword
- Gas prices can be high
- Parking/sleeping/showering in urban areas can be challenging
- Space is quickly eaten up when 3 people share a van
- Older kids may struggle with being separated from friends or removed from school
Full-Time Family Van Life: Is It For You?
At the end of the day, the only real way to know whether a family camper living situation is for you is to try it! Full-time travel with kids is not easy, but it is so rewarding if you want to spend more time with your family, enjoy the great outdoors, and take advantage of the flexibility of life on the road.
With some upfront planning and a realistic set of expectations, full-time family-friendly travel is totally doable! So what are you waiting for? Go Find Your Outside™ with your family in a campervan!
