from Hacker News

The New Nomads of VanLife Reflect an Enduring Divide

by benmarks on 8/29/19, 12:25 PM with 25 comments

  • by leggomylibro on 8/31/19, 1:57 AM

    I can empathize with these people. It feels like a form of Stockholm's syndrome, where we're starting to come to grips with the idea that we will never escape an economic situation that I can only describe as tap-dancing on quicksand.

    If we can never achieve a stable life anyways, why bother seeking one? And if tomorrow is probably going to be harder than today, why put off the things that people used to put on their bucket lists?

  • by Hnrobert42 on 8/31/19, 5:40 AM

    I pulled the ripcord, sold my house, and moved to SE Asia in 2015. My biggest expenses by far were flights back to the US to pick up meds not available in asia, said meds, and Western insurance that would cover me abroad (which means non-ACA, thus no med/pre-existing coverage).

    By 2017 I needed a job as much for the money as for sanity. Now I have a fully remote one. I still hop back and forth between VN and the US.

    I keep thinking I should pick a place and settle down, but I think in doing so I would feel suffocated. When I feel stress about the pollution and corruption in VN, I comfort myself with the thought that Americans have done enough “good” in VN, and I should leave it be. When I feel stress about Trump’s judicial appointments or our fractured culture, I think, “Welp, I’ll be leaving soon. So long and thanks for all the cheese.” (In Asia, I do miss good cheese.)

    I worry that this detachment will isolate me over time. I work hard to stay in touch with friends. I often reroute to cities to which my friends have themselves scattered.

    My expenses, aside from flights and meds, plummeted. When everything must fit in your suitcase, a purchase must be evaluated in terms of what similarly-sized item you can lose. Only in the past few months did I finally take a one year lease in Saigon. It is cheaper than 5 months of short-term rental. It is nice to finally be able to buy a desk and a proper monitor. But I hurt a little giving up the satisfaction, maybe sense of superiority, in being self-contained.

    I don’t know what is next for me. Maybe that is what I like about my lifestyle. But I take comfort in knowing that I have come by it honestly.

  • by heyiforgotmypwd on 8/31/19, 8:13 AM

    AMA: I've lived in cars and now a VW for almost a decade.

    (Disclaimer: The nick is an ironic attempt at humor, not trolling.)

  • by RileyJames on 8/31/19, 5:11 PM

    I’ve been doing van life for about 15 months across CA & US.

    Being thrifty, with plenty of savings, it’s an easy life.

    But I’ve met lots of people along the road trying to live and work in a van. Most recently in New York (Williamsburg).

    Some are doing well, it’s a choice. Others have nearly been forced into it due to some unlucky financial situations. And I fear for them, they’re one more financial upset from homelessness. And apparently we’re in a booming economy.

  • by lazyeye on 8/31/19, 2:17 AM

  • by krapp on 8/31/19, 5:32 PM

    I can understand the nomadic life as an economic necessity, but I'm kind of disgusted at rich, entitled hipsters playing homeless for the romance of the Bohemian lifestyle. Especially in a country that lines their public spaces with spikes and guillotines[0,1] to drive the actual homeless out of sight and out of mind.

    [0]https://www.kqed.org/arts/13861966/barts-fare-evasion-crackd...

    [1]https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzm53n/photos-of-the-most...

  • by Ancalagon on 8/29/19, 8:23 PM

    Whats the rundown on CoL to do something like this?