Hi Jordan - I’m totally with you - it doesn’t appeal to 99.9%, but it does to me, and I don’t know why I’m so weird!

(Warning - what follows is a lot of probably unnecessary gushing about van life - sorry)

To answer some of your questions...

We have dinner parties all the time. Most nights are a dinner party when you’re camped with a group. We have dinner outside, often around a campfire (sometimes we cook on the campfire), or someone sets up a big table. Because we are mobile, we mostly stay in areas where the weather is between 70-80 - perfect weather for dining outside. Often someone in the group has a bigger rig - a full sized bus or something - and we can all cram in to eat dinner or watch a movie (pre-COVID, of course). It’s goofy and crowded and fun. I’ve got so many photos of a van or bus jam packed with people, everyone laughing. A lot of van dwellers also have projectors and sound systems, so we hang a screen against a van and get our chairs out and watch a movie. It’s very cozy.

I’ve only had trouble parking in places like the Bay Area, San Diego, etc. The vast majority of the time I’m way out somewhere in nature where parking isn’t a problem. I hate being in the city anyway. I only go to the city when I’m meeting up with someone or when I’m going to an event.

My van has only broken down once, and it was awesome, because my entire home is in there! It’s also nice when you’re stuck in traffic, or tired of driving. You can just go to the back and do whatever you’d do if you were at home - work or cook or clean or whatever.

My van has never been stolen but I do have a security system that would alert me as to where the van was taken.

And as far as dating - I definitely think this is easier for women who live in vans than men - but I’ve found people to be surprisingly accepting - even excited about it. I state it directly on my profile and it gives us something to talk about all night. I’ve found this to be true in wealthy areas as well, which surprised me. But again, men might have a different experience. I’ve also had dates get frustrated when I leave town, so that’s hard, but I’ve also dated other van dwellers, which is super fun.

Anyway, thanks for your comment! I do love vanlife - this post actually tells the story of one of my worst vanlife days. Most days are pretty dang nice.