FIRST WEEK OF VAN LIFE: What We Wished We’d Known (Ep. 4)

Our first week of van life did NOT go according to plan. It was full of problems, excitement, adventures, and lessons...and that’s what we want to share with you today in Episode 4 of “Living in a Van”.
If you’re thinking about starting a van life US road trip adventure of your own, this video is full of tips we wished we would’ve known before starting our first week of full time van life.
Cool tools we’ve been using on the road:
- Campendium & iOverlander for finding free campsites
- MyScenicDrives.com for finding scenic routes
- WeBoost (newer version: amzn.to/40PI6nf) for boosting cell signal to work in the boonies
We're still trying to figure out exactly "how to van life", but we hope the van life for beginners tips we've discovered so far are helpful!
Leave us a comment if you have any questions 🤓
***Make sure to watch til the end for a preview of our next episode!
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🔴M O R E C O O L V I D E O S 😎 :
▶ Sneak Peek Tour of Our Cozy Camper Van: • Dodge Roadtrek CAMPER ...
▶ 10 EASY Van Life Jobs ANYONE Can Do: • 10 EASY Van Life Job I...
▶ GENIUS Camper Van Hacks & Tips for Van Life (UNDER $10): • GENIUS Camper Van Hack...
▶ Van Life Preparation (on a Budget): • GETTING READY TO LIVE ...
▶ Choosing the Right Camper Van: • CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAM...
▶ The TRUTH About Van Life (Expectation vs. Reality): • VAN LIFE EXPECTATION V...
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🟢T O P R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S :
→ FREE ACCOMMODATION: Stay for free in awesome houses around the world by agreeing to look after the owner’s pets: bit.ly/3jXCjeL
→ TRAVEL INSURANCE: My new favorite travel insurance that saved me over $15,000 after a motorcycle accident in Thailand (if you're currently traveling without insurance, get yourself protected ASAP): bit.ly/3xlZiU2
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🔵A W E S O M E R E S O U R C E S :
107 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY TRAVELING: bit.ly/2H96paY
EARN YOUR FIRST $1K FREELANCING (FREE COURSE): bit.ly/2Sil9Xg
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🟡S U B S C R I B E
▶ WANT TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY AND LEARN WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE TRAVELING FULL TIME AND WORKING ONLINE?
Hit the SUBSCRIBE button and the notification bell on this page so you don’t miss any new Project Untethered videos (This really helps us a lot, so thanks in advance! 🙌): bit.ly/3f2OdwF
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🟣A L I T T L E A B O U T U S
Heyo! Mitch and Day here 👋🏼
We’re just your typical American-Colombian couple determined to live every second of our precious time here on earth to the fullest. After a 10-month solo backpacking trip through South America, I (Mitch) stopped in Cali, Colombia to take salsa dancing classes 💃🏻. I only planned to stay for a couple weeks, but God had other plans for me. I met a cute Colombian girl (Day) in class, those couple weeks turned into a couple years, and before we knew it...we were married 👰🏻🤵🏼
Now we’re traveling the world full time as digital nomads, supporting ourselves by working online 👨‍💻👩‍💻
Our goal with these videos is to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone, give you an inside peek at our crazy imperfect lives, and show you that you don’t have to be rich to live an extraordinary life...all you need to do is make the choice!
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DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission (at no additional charge to you!). I believe in and have experience with everything I recommend. Thank you for supporting ProjectUntethered.com so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!

[@ProjectUntethered]

GOT ANY OTHER GOOD ROAD TRIP TIPS FOR US? LEAVE 'EM IN THE COMMENTS PRETTY PLEASE!

[@rememberGOD1]

i have a 1993 dodge roadtrek i love it my wife hates it. Couple of ideas for you guys. you can change your light above side door,stove and bathroom area to led lights. just pinch the sides of white light cover gently and they come off. auto zone sells a set of 2 for 20 dollars. the guide rail on ceiling around fan is for shower curtain. you pull curtain around fan and there should be a drain on the floor. i also do not use toilet or shower in mine. if i were living full time in it i would buy a weed spray container from harbor freight i think it is the 2 gallon container. boil 1 pot water pour into weed spray container then add unboiled water to get temp you desire. do not fill container up all the way. you will need an air pocket to pressurize water which is done by hand with handle on weed sprayer. this gives you an amazing shower with very minimal water useage. We have done this twice in our apt when hot water heater was going out. for temperature control in my van i made canvas curtains that were lined on the outside with double layers of mylar (emergency blanket material) this is the side you see from outside of van looking into windows. it has made a huge difference with hot and cold issues. i used the same plastic guide strips on old curtains to the new ones. use the zipper foot on sewing machine so it will go around the square plastic guides. lastly i just put new caulking around the roof fan and all windows especially around the 3 on the top pf ceiling. that is what caused the water stains on your camper walls. these stains can be removed with canned upholstery cleaner. spray foam on stains wait a few minutes then go over area with damp cloth with warm water and then go over with dry towel. i hope these ideas help make life easier and GOD bless.

[@ProjectUntethered]

These are AMAZING!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write all those out. I love the weed sprayer shower idea - that's genius! The emergency blanket curtains are also something I'd love to do if I ever get my hands on a sewing machine out on the road. When you put new caulking on the roof around the skylights, do you have to remove all the old stuff (and if so, any tricks for doing that?). I love our roadtrek too, and my wife loves it (well, at least 80% of the time). Since we're always dry camping, sometimes I wish we could take out the microwave, air conditioner, and toilet and trade it for more storage space though :-) Have an awesome week!

[@rememberGOD1]

@@ProjectUntethered i used a plastic scraper so you do not scrape your paint off. they have tools at home depot for removing old caulk. after getting the majority off try using goof off on stubborn areas. after that use a strong house hold cleaner to get all remaining surfaces clean, i used white dynaflex ultra advanced exterior sealant around the outer seal of the 3 sun roof windows and the clear dynaflex on the window glass where it meets the rubber seal on top of window. use a more expensive caulk gun cut small tip off caulking tube smaller bead is easier to work with. apply bead then have a bucket of water handy dip your finger in water and then smooth out the caulk bead. have a very wet wrung out washcloth to wipe off excess caulk off areas you dont want it. the dynaflex product stretches after it cures so hopefully the seal will hold out longer. the caulk is found at home depot runs around 7.00 dollars a tube. good luck doing this preventative maintenance now will save many headaches in the future. good luck

[@ProjectUntethered]

@@rememberGOD1 Thank you so much! This is extremely helpful!

[@johnnyb2677]

Get a Buddy Heater & always dump black water first, grey water second. (Former ‘92, now ‘04)

[@ProjectUntethered]

Thanks for the tips! What were the main upgrades you noticed when switched from 92 to 04?

[@my2cents2u]

Treat yourself to a _bow saw_ for cutting wood. Light, handy and easy to use. Also, every time you use a clothes dryer, collect the lint and put it in a baggie to keep it dry. It's the best thing ever for starting a camp fire! (Old scout trick)

[@ProjectUntethered]

I need a bow saw in my life! That hatchet was useless haha. And I will definitely be using that dryer lint trick - genius!!

[@usavanlife7240]

Que Viva Colombia ! Cheers from Fort Lauderdale Florida !

[@ProjectUntethered]

Epaaa! Cheers from Yosemite!

[@jimlu4767]

Perrrfect Music to start with.... Full of problems, excitement, adventures, and lessons,, Is how you learn is a work in Progress,,, You didn't give up :)

[@ProjectUntethered]

Thanks Jim! Dayan is a master music picker!

[@rhythmtone]

Beautiful videos, very adventurous! I love what you've done with your rig cosmetically, but there's no water heater for a hot shower? In the last video there was a little hose by the toilet, but I see that the water heater was "optional" back in 1992 so I'm not sure. Oh well, nice though!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Hey David, thanks so much! There is no water heater that I know of, although that would be a nice surprise if there was! That hose is actually something the previous owner installed to fill the toilet with water before flushing because the normal reservoir cracked during one winter. Do you have a roadtrek too?

[@jimlu4767]

You Might get BioDegradable soap for Body & dishes,, if you wash in public waters...

[@ProjectUntethered]

That's a good idea! We'll have to pick some of that up!

[@geoffreyholliday1971]

Was that a bear behind you lol

[@ProjectUntethered]

What is this bear you speak of??