My YouTube Guilty Pleasure

Lately I've been binge-watching tiny home tour videos on YouTube.

My watch later list keeps growing with them! 😆

It's pretty cool how many different tiny home types are out there. You've got the traditional tiny house on wheels that people can pull or leave stationary. There are also people who've created custom homes out of commercial storage containers. I've also seen plenty of "skoolies" which are homes made from buses - short and long ones. Oh and of course some people have made homes out of RVs and campers.

But more recently I've found myself being drawn to the "van-life" tours. These are the homes that are created from, you guessed it, vans!

I've find these tours the most interesting because there different from the typical tiny homes that have all the amenities of a regular house but in reality the dwelling is still a very huge vehicle! Like where do you even park that thing? Also when I watch the skoolie, RVs or tours of the traditional tiny homes that move, I can't get past the fact that I would hate to drive vehicles that large. It's like you have such a small home, but a freaking huge vehicle. It doesn't add up for for me and definitely isn't desirable.

Now you may wonder, if I feel that way then why am I so captivated by the van-life tours?

Well I respect the minimalist approach to the design. Don't get me wrong, by natural all tiny homes must be intentional with how the space is designed but it's a little different when it comes to the van-life niche. A van is a big vehicle, yes,  but it isn't a huge vehicle. I've driven commercial vans before and though I definitely don't care to drive them, I'd take that over a skoolie.

Of the van-life tours I've watched, most owners seem to have a very clear understanding of what they are compromising on and why. For example, I've seen some that don't have bathrooms - no toilets or showers, so they don't need to haul a lot of water. I see that as a plus, because you are able to be a lighter traveler.

Some have a minimal kitchen. Some have a full kitchen. Some have a traditional fridge some don't. Seeing the various combination of amenities, van sizes and owner lifestyles is all enjoying to watch.

The intentionality of how these people design their dwelling to accomplish their life goals is admirable too. I want to do the same. I can't say that I personally want to be on the road all the time though. But I do like the idea of having less expenses and freedom to live life as I please even if it's for a shorter season e.g., a summer.

The things I'm learning about creating an environment that serves your life purposes is something that I've been trying to emulate for years now to be honest. I think ultimately need to just buckle down and do it. Instead of my defaulting to settling with what I have and the status quo.