Van Life Self-Care Tips and Recommendations
Like anything in life, living on the road full-time is exactly what you make it, which is why van life self-care must be emphasized.
It is heavily based on your attitude, how much you let things affect you, and how you choose to pursue this lifestyle. It’s also fairly hectic, time-consuming, and extremely unpredictable. Most tasks take more time than they do in a house and due to all the variables of life on the road, things are not always going to go according to plan. When I do not feel good and my self-care is lacking, I struggle to enjoy the benefits of vanlife because I’m unable to handle the stressors that come hand-in-hand with the good. Through the ups and downs of the last 3 years on the road full-time, my biggest lesson learned is this: self-care is absolutely crucial to van life. But what does van life self-care actually entail? These are my best tips for practicing van life self-care so you can thrive on your next adventure.
VAN LIFE MORNING ROUTINE
One of the most important parts of practicing van life self-care is having a regular morning routine. With so many inconsistencies, there is a huge benefit to starting every single day similarly. Try to create a morning routine that has multiple benefits, but isn’t too hard to remember. Here is a good outline to start:
Here is a good outline to start:
– Make your bed
– Stretch for 5 minutes
– Sit still in silence for 5 minutes
– Drink a glass of water
– Take your vitamins
– Brush your teeth
This routine can be completed in about 20 minutes. That’s just 20 minutes each morning to presence yourself, take care of your mind and body, and kick off your day in a positive manner.
DRINK WATER
I know this sounds simple but it’s amazing how often we don’t consume enough water in a day. This is one of the most important forms of van life self-care! If you aren’t a heavy water drinker, I challenge you to drink the recommended intake per day for a week and see how you feel. The difference is pretty incredible. Drinking sufficient water will help maximize your physical performance, keep you energized, and enable a clear mind. This is especially important for longer driving days and more time spent outside, particularly in the heat. I also recommend keeping a pack of Nuun electrolyte tablets in your van and popping a tablet in a glass of water whenever you feel dehydrated!
An easy rule to remember is the 8×8 rule, meaning you should be drinking 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water per day. If you want to get really specific on the amount of water you should drink daily, check out a simple hydration calendar online. Support this healthy habit by purchasing a high-quality, reusable water bottle. Vanlife secret? Splurge on a LifeStraw water bottle. When you are constantly moving, you are drinking water from all sorts of sources, often from public water sources. Having a water bottle with a built-in filtration system will keep your water clean, but also just help it taste better.
RIGOROUS EXERCISE
Generally speaking, days in the van can go 1 of 3 ways: spent pursuing the outdoors and adventurous activities, focused on work and errands in the city, or lots of driving. Because your schedule in the van can head in such varying directions, sticking to an exercise routine can be challenging. My best advice is to have 3 plans of exercise, 1 for each type of day mentioned above. On the days you have off work or have the freedom to pursue nature, PLEASE DO! I personally prefer hiking but there is also biking, climbing, swimming, kayaking, and more. Plan a fun activity that allows you to explore the area you are in but also gets your heart rate up!
Errand days are inevitable in any lifestyle, but especially in vanlife. The most convenient way of doing errands while living in a home on wheels is by syncing them up onto the same day. Try to get yourself on a schedule where you head into town once a week to restock water, groceries, gas, etc. Then try adding the gym to that list. It’s unlikely you’ll also have time to go on some beautiful hike but it’s manageable to spend an hour in the gym. Chances are, you’ll be heading there to take a shower anyways!
Lastly, longer drives mean lots of sitting and lacking exercise. We all know that a sedentary lifestyle is not healthy, so get creative on these long driving days! Run a few sprints when you get to your campsite or destination. Lay out a yoga mat and flow for 30 minutes. Go on a walk to stretch your legs and get fresh air. Having some basic equipment in your van is beneficial on these days.
MEDITATE
Meditation is a game changer. It is a practice and a tool that can be used to benefit so many areas of your life. It can be used to relax in heightened moments, calm your body at night in preparation for sleep, or even used as a way to focus on goals and manifest. The benefits of meditation can be seen in as little as 10 days, which is extremely encouraging when implementing a new habit. Plus, it’s an extremely simply form of van life self-care that can be done anywhere, with little to no equipment. Benefits of meditating for 10 consecutive days includes reduced stress, increased happiness by 16%, and even reduced irritability by 27% (all very helpful things to balance out the unpredictability of vanlife!)
I’ve been meditating with Headspace since early 2018, after many failed attempts to implement this coping mechanism into my life. I found that in order to stick with the practice, I required structure and repetition. Plus, Headspace has different levels of various subjects. So, if I’m interested in learning how to meditate on patience, I can go through a 10-part series dedicated specifically to this topic. Headspace even offers a free trial so you can make sure it’s the right fit before diving in.
WALK DAILY
This may seem like it belongs in the exercise category but hear me out. Try to treat daily walks differently than exercise. Use it as a tool or form of van life self-care in itself. I try to take walks during the day, right around lunch time. Often, I drive to a local park so I can have the doors open for fresh air while cooking lunch. Then, I take advantage of the path likely wraps around the park.
If you indulge in a deliciously large meal, walk for 20 minutes afterward to help digestion. On clear days, take an end-of-the-day walk and enjoy the sunset. Getting behind on reading due to a busy schedule? Read or listen to an audio book during your stroll. Or, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed, use your walk to get out some of that energy and think about the situation with a clear mind. It allows you to take 20 minutes or so for yourself while also getting some light exercise and fresh air.
HEALTHY EATING
Eating healthy meals is one form of van life self-care that is easily forgotten while living on the road. When we are constantly moving, we tend to eat whatever is easiest and most convenient. What comes to mind when you think of road trip meals and snacks? For me, the answer is gas station snacks and some heavy form of caffeine. That may be fine for a day or two but is not practical for the long-run. Our bodies need healthy food to thrive and will begin to slow down if we don’t properly fuel them.
One of the easiest ways to incorporate healthy eating habits into vanlife is by planning your meals and grocery lists ahead of time and limit how frequently you eat meals out. 9 out of 10 times, going through the fast food drive-through is going to sound better than making a meal from scratch, especially if you’re not prepared. If you have meals in mind for the day and already have paid for the ingredients for that meal, it’s far easier to say no to fast food. (I personally make a lot of recipes from this Weekday Whip Ups e-cookbook.) I also recommend always having some healthy snacks in your van. For me, this means 1 kind of fruit, 1 kind of vegetable, a bag of almonds, and Clif Bars. I purchase these at every week when I do my normal grocery shopping and it heavily eliminates my snacking.
ONLINE COUNSELING
Counseling is something that is so important for everybody, no matter their lifestyle. It is becoming more wildly accepted that pretty much everybody can benefit from therapy of some sort. However, this can be challenging when your expectations of therapy is a face-to-face experience. Thankfully, mental and behavioral health services are expanding to become more easily available and online counseling is a great example of this. BetterHelp is an online portal that connects you with counselors and therapists through phone calls and texting, so you can practice self-care no matter where your adventures take you.
CBD OIL
One of the best benefits of vanlife is that it gives you time to focus on your mind, attitude, and overall health. I have grown in all 3 aspects but also recognize that I am naturally anxious and gravitate towards stress. Many coping mechanisms for these characteristics become more challenging when living in a van and often aren’t feasible on a daily basis. Cue: CBD oil.
Taking CBD on a daily basis has been a vanlife game changer for me. I take it in the morning, during my morning routine, and as needed throughout the day. My most recognized benefit is in my heart rate. As an anxious person, my heart rate is often much faster than I’d like it to be, causing me to feel more panicked than I usually need to be. You can see how this could be amplified with the ever-changing factors of vanlife. In my experience, this is massively reduced with CBD oil.
PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Practice gratitude each day by creating a short list of things you are thankful for. You can write it down, say it out loud, or just think it to yourself. But each day, think of 3 things that you are thankful for. Focus on each of them for a 30 seconds and give it credit. Your perspective will likely shift. If you want to take this practice even a step further, write down the 3 things you are thankful for each day. Then, in 3-6 months, reflect on those lists. Was there anything that repeatedly made an appearance on your lists? By simply recognizing this pattern of something you are grateful for, you might find even more gratitude for it and appreciate it for constantly being a positive factor in your life.
TREAT YOURSELF
I always describe vanlife as learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It may be really hot outside and there is no shade to park in. Maybe it’s freezing and you left your clothes on the floor so now you have to put on an outfit that feels like ice. Maybe you ran out of propane in the middle of cooking dinner. The point is that there is a lot of sacrifices that go hand-in-hand with this lifestyle, so practice self-care and do something each day that is just for you.
Don’t choose something so huge that will completely alter your schedule, as that will make you less likely to stick with it. Instead, think of something simple that will bring you some pure joy. Allow yourself that 20 minute nap! Buy a small scoop of ice cream! Take 10 minutes to completely pause and watch the sunset! It can be anything, just make sure it will bring you happiness during.
Curious about more open road, van life experiences? Learn about renting a camper van, building your own DIY van conversion, and more!
