Considering the jump to vanlife to balance remote work, travel, and aging parents. Am I romanticizing this?
I’m a 38M, single with a small dog, minimal debt, and a fully remote job. Because my parents' health is declining, I want to relocate closer to them to help out.
My ideal setup (I think) would be converting a van and splitting my time: spending 1–2 months on the road (national parks, hiking, small towns) and then returning to my parents' place to check on them and help out.
My biggest fear is that I’m romanticizing the lifestyle and might sink a ton of money into a conversion only to realize I hate it. I thought about renting one for a week, but I worry a short trip will give me a "rose-tinted glasses" experience rather than showing me the actual reality of living in it.
- Is it worth just taking the plunge, or is there a better way to test the waters?
- For those with dogs and remote jobs, how manageable is the day-to-day?
- Am I overlooking any major logistical nightmares here?
Would love any advice or reality checks you can throw my way.
Edit:
Thank you all for the feedback
I wanted to add some extra details, I currently live in Maryland and would likely be relocating to East Texas and using my parents' home as a base camp / home address (I love them to death and want to help them, but I would go crazy living with them full time year round), I work as a software developer with a very free form schedule that allows me to work pretty much whenever, but can be a crunch if project deadlines shift, I have "camped" in my car a few times years ago, sleeping at rest stops and or cracker barrels on long road trips, my doggo does well on long road trips and enjoys seeing new places, my financial situation is good and I could buy an un converted van with some mild pain, but I would also be selling my condo which would give a decent influx of cash after paying off the mortgage