BORING PARTS OF VAN LIFE (it isn't all rainbows and sunshine)

Traveling and living full-time in a van is far more complicated and challenging than the edited photos and videos you see across social media. This is just a small bit of some of the more boring realities of living in a van.
Follow along to see where we head next.
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[@GODISMYSTERIOUS]

You open up my eyes. This is the first time I see shower rooms at a gas station.

[@_val3rian_]

You calling him chaddy was to cute,I’m glad you guys seem really happy with living in a van

[@changxing7690]

Oh the good old 22yr old time, glad you got the choice to traveling around 24/7 with your partner, good luck and keep it up.

[@ChadandClaire]

We are trying hard to not take it for granted. Any of it. Thanks for your support!

[@KristaWasHere86]

I really appreciate van life chores videos, it helps us see the normalcy of your life despite having limited space and resources. Van life is something I would really wanna try, but with a few exceptions - a built in toilet is a MUST, a built in shower is optional but having one would be awesome - I don't mind taking showers in public places but A. I would do it daily (coz that is what I am used to do from where I'm from) and B. Definitely would not use a towel that is not mine hahaha even in hotels I always always used my own (just for personal hygienic reasons). I enjoyed this video and looking forward to more! :) Keep safe!

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Christa! You bring up tons of excellent points! We completely agree with the decisions you would chose if you were to do van life! It would make life on the road A LOT better. Thank you so much for watching and your continued support!! 😁 Can’t wait to share our next video!

[@velkirye]

You're both so incredible for trying your best to work with each other in all these aspects!! Especially the cultural differences & living together 24/7, it's still a work in progress between me and my partner as well so it feels really comforting to hear your experience with similar issues c: Thank you both for being so honest with your lives & who you are!!

[@ChadandClaire]

Wow this comment means a lot to both of us. We try super hard to find the right balance between being transparent and being professional. We do not want to ever lie and say our lives are easy because we both work super hard to make it work. We fight all the time, but we in no way think it’s a bad thing. Glad we are able to share our experience with you! Hope you have a wonderful day!

[@maryanne9993]

you need to be extremely organised, put things back in there place and everything has a place..( dont change that) organise electronics, food, clothes shoes, etc.. I lived in my van while working seasonal, being organised tidy and clean is a must for a good experience

[@GODISMYSTERIOUS]

You two intelligent and creative travelers will have very interesting and successful journeys ahead.

[@byanto721]

You should look into the ICECO portable refrigerator. They're quality fridges for a lot less than something like Dometic. I have a few Yeti coolers which are great but having a camping fridge is a game changer. Especially being on the road for weeks at a time.

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Benjamin!! Thanks for the tip! We 100% agree that one of the first things we would probably upgrade is our power and then adding a cooler! We’ll have to check out ICECO for in the future!

[@AmelieFilby]

I loved seeing this! It's really nice to see that rawrer, realer parts of vanlife too! Thanks once again for a great video! :D

[@tamiami41]

Thanks for another excellent video. I can so relate to having to move everything around constantly in the van. I took a very similar route to yours out west in my transit connect back in October. So cool seeing you hit the same places in the same model of van. You are making me motivated to take mine out for another trip! Keep up the good work and take care of each other!

[@WannaKamaka]

Lol. I’ve never heard of a gas station having showers! The ones around us barely have bathrooms.

[@davidharper1872]

kudos to you guys for having a budget and sticking to it. Traveling in the small van must be easy, but living in that space would not work for me!

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks for the support David! We completely understand, everybody’s got different needs! We know living in this tiny van is not forever, but we’re enjoying it as of now.

[@WHOAyouguys]

Just discovered your channel, and I absolutely love how real you guys are! Thank you guys for sharing. 😁

[@CrayonShinChan]

I like your videos!!! KZbin should boost your videos to all audiences!!

[@alexrizzo3522]

oh yay so glad u made this vid!

[@ChadandClaire]

Glad you enjoyed this different style of video!

[@Tangocita444]

Great video. Very informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@erinnjucabann7362]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful vid! Chad and Claire on your everyday life travel. We are Always looking forward on your next adventures. 🚐

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Erinn!! Thanks again for your continued support!!🥳 We really really appreciate it! 😁

[@winssg8059]

Doing a great job so well done!

[@banananboombox]

This wasn’t boring at all! It was very informative ☺️

[@uol1051]

Straight up, honest info. I found it useful and very well presented. Thumbs up. I already subscribed.

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks for your support!! We try not to waste anyone’s time. Glad you enjoyed.

[@Racatacataca]

Amazon has a small 12v travel kettle. It can make your tea and coffee making easy!

[@Gimo76]

Just subscribed. You two are great. God bless and protect you. ❤️

[@thebespokebird]

You can get a 12 volt car kettle to heat up water quickly. They have them at a few places but the one I saw was on Walmart's website.

[@barbsauer9791]

Like your honesty

[@auroracampbell9211]

I just found your channel and love it !

[@TheMagnificentGman]

Stay safe out there

[@lareekline8232]

Great video! And I'm actually glad you guys don't show your bickering like some couples do. :-) An international backpacker highly recommends the Cabala brand Turkish towels for cutting down on bulk. I got one for my year-long car trip around N America and loved it. It's far thinner than terry towels bit sturdy as well as far quicker drying... She said that there are a lot of fakes on the market but not the Cabala brand. Even more than that, I used flour sack towels which take up so little space, cost so little, and take up a whole lot less laundry money to dry. I could put them in the washer with anything other than black clothes.

[@ChadandClaire]

Ooh! Thanks for the info on the Turkish towels! Sounds like a great option to explore and we’ve never heard of flour sack towels they also sound really useful! Thanks for your support, Laree!

[@annsquire3954]

I love seeing your day to day life! And the reflectix in the cooler is a great idea. May I ask what size cooler you have? I'm thinking about an Rtic45 for travels on my own.

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Ann! We have the RTIC 45 and it works great for us. Thanks for watching!!😁🥳

[@holleym2927]

Thanks for the reality, but y'all make it look easy!!! And, I agree with Chad that y'all are doing a good job of it! Keep up the good work!!! I do have one question - where do you usually get your water?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Holley! Thanks again for watching! So water is a very interesting topic. We will sometimes use natural springs through a website called “Findaspring.org” or sometime use a primo water fill station at Walmart and other times we filter water from rivers with a little backpacking hand pump. But it really can vary.

[@RushilKumar1]

You are great KZbinr and I am your biggest fan

[@darlinshel1]

As a woman traveling alone, the best tip I can give for solo women is don't set up a bunch of stuff outside if you are really remote and alone. Or if you do have things outside, make sure it's easily replaceable. If others aren't far away then go for the IG picture perfect setup, but otherwise have your stuff inside at night and ready to leave if you have to. I've had 2 sketchy incidents far from other campers where someone came into my camp after dark and I had to leave. 99% of the time it's safe and other campers are great.

[@johnkassabian765]

i loved this style of vid

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks John! We weren’t sure what to think at first, but we enjoyed it as well!

[@KarenLee-ms2th]

The rainbow 🌈factory is alive and well. I just received mine and thank for the little note. I love it!! The more I look at vans the more I think the transit is too small for me and my dog. I did have one thought for you...if you put a spin on your passenger seat you could have an extra place to stretch out with the cooler for a foot rest. Or put the cooler outside. Im still trying to figure out how to make the most of the connect's small space. Also ... Have you thought about doing patreon?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Karen! Yay!! We are so glad you received your rainbow!! Early on during our build we looked really hard into finding a way to make the passenger seat swivel. We’re sure it can be done, but it was outside of our abilities with our time frame. We have thought about doing Patreon, but for now we have a support us page on our website that is there for anyone who does care to support us. In the future, as we start to travel internationally we may consider starting a patreon, and focusing on some new offerings through that service.

[@jenniferabdelmottaleb3199]

You could also go on the post office website find out which one you will be near and get a general post deliver to the post office

[@ChadandClaire]

We have heard about this, but have never tried it! We’ll have to look into it more! Thanks Jennifer!

[@andrewlouw3350]

Hello from south Africa, love your uploads guys just a thought you guys should try propain little stoves cheap and great for tea and coffee and what about a roof rack for extra storage,keep it up guys😃

[@ChadandClaire]

Yeah that’d definitely make our lives a bit easier. Maybe one day! Thanks for watching all the way from South Africa! 🇿🇦

[@MassiveBunns]

I think u guys are awesome 👌

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks Luis! 😁

[@terrimactavish9547]

Oh, Planet fitness is having a special this month $ 1 to start then 22 a month for the black card nationwide. I just got one moving back into my van soon :)

[@potatooo.1]

early!! great video!!

[@potatooo.1]

ps. this is also my fave part of van life 😌

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks for your support Maikz! We found this video kinda fun to make! Definitely a different side to van life.

[@_._m_i_c_h_e_l_l_e_._]

Just do general mail for any post office to get packages!

[@janicaborja2161]

maybe an electric bug zapper a small one can help with the bugs :D

[@tulae101]

Hey Claire, I think the desire people are expressing when asking for a cookbook is more like "how do I eat well and not get bored? Also what are some of your major take-aways from the reality of cooking from a smaller van? Are there any things you keep in mind when cooking or buying groceries?"

[@ChadandClaire]

The biggest things about cooking in the tiny van is that weather really plays a major part. Also planning ahead is super important when making meals and having room in the cooler and overhead. Finding ingredients you can use in multiple meals helps a lot as well. Eating healthy definitely takes more effort, but it’s worth it in the long run.

[@thienthan324]

I have never seen gas station showers in the CA.

[@adrianmacklin418]

I traveled for years alone in my old van. I dont think i could do it with another person. Im married and living in ohio now with kids bit we plan to travel like this agian when our daughter is old enough yo move out and live on her own but with a trailer or a converted bus this time. Close proximity will kill a relationship like that.

[@derykmacleod4979]

Now this would work best with the engine running but an immersion heater would work for a quicker cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate you can get an ac powered one to run off an inverter for under $10 The Van Life Cookbook is an interesting idea because of your ethnicity, and you have gotten me curious about cooking with peanut butter (a staple of mine...luv the stuff) Claire, you could definitely do it on your own...get yourself a bull mastiff and no one will bother you LOL... Chad, I agree doing it by yourself I would guess I would probably film less or film different things...(I wuv squirrels', so their would be a disproportionate amount of squirrel pics unless someone was to stop me LOL).... So Ok, here is a Question from me, Any thoughts (or regrets) about getting a pair of bicycles?

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks Derek! We actually did think about bringing our bikes on our Florida trip, but we decided against it mainly because it was another thing to worry about/keep track of. We just wanted to keep it as easy as possible. Maybe in the future if we ever build a bigger van out we could plan on bringing bikes.

[@alexrizzo3522]

how do you guys find places where u are allowed to park the van overnight?

[@beckygallion6521]

Just use general Delivery or Amazon pickup boxes for picking up mail in whichever areas you are in 😊

[@emmers127]

QUESTION on the shower part! would you say gas station showers are more expensive that anytime fitness? How much does each shower cost? I've heard its 12 dollars for just one shower which kinda seems pricy

[@ChadandClaire]

We believe showers are more expensive in the long run at gas stations, but we appreciate not being locked into a membership and enjoy the experience at gas station showers a bit more than gyms. But for a budget we completely agree a gym membership is the way to go.

[@whiskeylies4221]

👍

[@priscillaguzman5786]

My boyfriend and I have been talking about van life if he doesn’t get the apprenticeship to be an electrician. It’s not super set in stone, but we know that for the most part we’ll be living on the beach in California while we work and take weekend road trips. However, we do plan on traveling around the states. Any tips to get started on renovations and how long before u started traveling did u start renovations?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Priscilla! Congrats on starting to travel soon! We did months of planning before building and we spent everyday for 5 full weeks in order to build our van out. We did not have much building experience so it’s possible to do it faster if either of you do.

[@priscillaguzman5786]

@@ChadandClaire thank u so much! Love ur videos keep it up u two!

[@kjlcycler]

Would you prefer a lift gate for the rear door if you had a choice?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey Kevin! We actually are not familiar with what a life gate is. Tried to google it, but couldn’t imagine how it would work.

[@danielc2729]

Chad and Claire lift gate - like a SUV that has a rear door that goes up (creating, in essence, an awning).

[@auroracampbell9211]

This is my dream is to experience van life next year I’m turned 62 and want to retired and I have income of $850 a month I think I can do it what do you think Claire and chaddy. the only thing I’m scared to is hot weather

[@knowmore2675]

I Did Not Know that Gas Stations Had Showers!!!!!!!

[@bettycox1227]

O my word u need to do some lone time

[@alwaysthelegend9984]

How do you file taxes since you don’t have a permanent residence? Technically you can just pick the state that best benefits you right?

[@ChadandClaire]

Not sure if we are able to just pick a random state, but we use our parents since we use it as our billing address.

[@lareekline8232]

Do you have to pay double when you both use the same shower?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hey! We actually do not! It’s the same price. They allow couples to go together.

[@sarahg7951]

What is the cost of the shower?

[@josephpuckmcnay9458]

Pilot or Loves are normally 12 to 15 bucks. Luckily they let couples go together...also if you get a card from those places that you use for your gas you sometimes get comps.

[@sarahg7951]

@@josephpuckmcnay9458 thank you

[@aaronweiser5421]

Question......Is Chad Manly looking enough for you?????

[@lynnescaddan8919]

I cant imagine not having a shower & toilet. 😷

[@ChadandClaire]

It’s a major obstacle, but it’s surprising how used to it we have become. Definitely want to change it in the future though.

[@TNhunterKMC]

Make yourself a hand sprayer shower. Boil a pot of water and add equal amounts of regular temp water and you got yourself a nice warm shower. You can go pretty cheap on the sprayer or there is a nice 2 gallon battery powered sprayer at Walmart for less than $100!

[@86joncooper]

14 days no shower? i take 2 showers a day, i don't think van life is my cup of tea lol

[@HankHill757]

You insinuated Chad “appears manly”! 🤣

[@graemecook2548]

Elon Musk should hire you both as consultants for his manned mission to Mars. 👩‍🚀 👩‍🚀

[@ChadandClaire]

Oh wow. We don’t think we’re that good, 😂but thanks for the encouragement! 👍