My partner and I have lived on sailboats and in vehicles for 10 years, an idea that’s unfathomable to many people.
They worry about things like getting along with their partner in such a small space, where to go to the bathroom, and the complexity of a life without structure or plans. And I get it.
While there are more stories in the media of people choosing an untraditional path over a 9-to-5 and a mortgage, people like us are still the minority.
Our first foray into vehicle living was a Toyota Prius in 2015 to avoid steep rent in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we now split our time between a Sprinter campervan in the US during the summer months and a sailboat in Mexico all winter.
Here are the most common questions we get about our lifestyle, answered.
How do you shower?
One misconception about van lifers is that we’re dirty and don’t shower often. Maybe that’s true of some of us, but not me.
I take a shower every day, either by heating water on my camp stove and pouring it into a solar shower (a portable system that heats water with sunlight) or by stopping at my gym, Planet Fitness.
Our van carries 27 gallons of water, so plenty for brief military-style showers, where you conserve water by keeping it off while you apply soap and shampoo.
If I absolutely can’t have a shower for whatever reason, I will do a washcloth bath inside the van to get the dirt off before bed.
Our sailboat has an entire bathroom where we shower, typically using a solar shower that we hang up on a hook. We boil seawater and take saltwater showers, and my hair has never felt better!
Where do you go to the bathroom?
If I could get a penny for every time I’ve heard this question, I’d be rich. Strangers have even walked up to us in parking lots asking us about our bathroom situation, which is awkward to say the least.
Here’s the truth: We don’t have a bathroom in our campervan. It grosses me out too much to do No. 2 right by where I sleep and cook.
We use public bathrooms or dig a hole following Leave No Trace Principles, and we use a “pee jug” for overnights.
We do have a toilet on our sailboat, but that comes with its own headache, like pumping out at a marina or legally discharging at least 3 miles offshore.
There’s no “flush it and forget it” system like you have in a house.
Don’t you get sick of each other?
Many couples have sworn to me that they would kill each other if they lived in such a small space. However, my partner and I have a rhythm that ensures we don’t get sick of each other.
He knows not to talk to me in the morning when I’m drinking coffee and reading the paper. We both like to do our own thing on our computers, or when our sailboat is at the boatyard, he’ll work on the boat all day while I work on my online business.
We also do our own activities. For example, he loves surfing and windsurfing and will leave me alone in the van for hours. I’ll take girls’ trips and treat myself to a hotel stay away, or go on bike rides with my friends.
Like any couple, we have disagreements, but for the most part we get along very well.
What do you miss most about living in a house?
Since I’ve been living this life for 10 years, I’m starting to miss certain things about a house.
I especially miss taking hot baths and having a washer and dryer, a large kitchen for cooking, space to spread out, and a place to entertain my relatives and friends.
For now, I try to incorporate versions of these desires into my current lifestyle, like frequently visiting hot springs for a steamy soak. I also work on accruing credit card points so I can stay in nice hotels when we go on a trip.
How do you sail at night? Do you anchor in the ocean?
Part of our lifestyle involves living on a sailboat and making overnight passages, during which the sailboat sails at around 6 to 8 miles per hour all night.
Our last passage was six days straight down the Baja Peninsula. Another passage we plan to take in the future will be about 20 to 25 days straight from Mexico to French Polynesia.
I’ve had people ask whether we can anchor at night, and the answer is typically no. We sail far offshore where water depths are hundreds or thousands of feet.
Instead of anchoring, we take turns on watch, which means we keep track of our course, any ships or obstacles out on the sea, and our sail trim. Each person will take a four- to six-hour shift while the other rests or sleeps.
How long are you going to do this?
This is the question I get the most often from both strangers and family. The answer I always give is this: for as long as I’m having fun.
After 10 years, though, I’m starting to miss having a home base, so my dream is to have a house or cabin somewhere that I can visit a few months a year between van and sailboat adventures.
Another idea is to rent apartments in various places around the world, such as Hawaii. This way, I have some of the luxuries and amenities of a normal housing situation while still having the freedom of nomadic living.
Even though I sometimes crave a hot bath, I am really thankful that I can choose the way I live. I can do my online business anywhere, whether I’m in a boatyard in Mexico, camping in the mountains, or renting an Airbnb in a foreign town.
It took a lot of sacrifice, grit, and effort, but the freedom I enjoy now makes it all worth it.
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