Katie Larsen loves van life as a woman traveling alone – and has numerous reasons why she would recommend it to any woman. She grew up with the typical idea of life: school, full-time job, marriage and then a house with children. Very early on, however, she realized that this was not the life for her…
“Aren’t you scared?” “Don’t you get lonely?” “How do you stay safe and protect yourself?” These are just a few of the many questions I frequently receive when I tell people that I am a solo female traveler. But what does the term “solo female traveler” actually mean to me? My personal experience is that when I focus on all the things that solo travel as a female does NOT provide, I miss out on all the wonderful things it can and does offer…
The reality for most nomads living on the road is quite different and typically involves work, lots of it. Whether working one full-time remote position, piecing together multiple revenue streams, or setting their travel schedule around work opportunities, these women hustle. For those looking for advice on how to hit the road AND make some money, we’ve talked to eight women who dish up their tips and tricks to nomadic employment.
#Vanlife is a hot travel topic that has been trending all over social media. The awesome thing is, our feeds are full of ladies doing it solo too. The idea of a nomadic life with the ability to travel whilst work independently from anywhere in the world is a dream so many fantasise about. But how is it done and more importantly, what is the reality of it off-screen?
One of the more complicated parts of building out a van is the electrical system. There are a million ways to wire/build these systems and everybody has a different opinion on what is the best way or what works better. This is simply our experience, particularly with wiring and installing our solar panels. We can’t say that it’s the best way, or even the right way. This is simply what we decided to do and how it has worked for us so far!
One of the more complicated parts of building out a van is the electrical system. There are a million ways to wire/build these systems and everybody has a different opinion on what is the best way or what works better. This is simply our experience, particularly with wiring and installing our solar panels. We can’t say that it’s the best way, or even the right way. This is simply what we decided to do and how it has worked for us so far!
Long road and camping trips in the countryside. That’s what Katie’s weekends looked like before vanlife. Suddenly the idea came up to make this lifestyle into everyday life via a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in 2016. Originally, she had saved enough money to travel around for a year. Katie now works as editor-in-chief and social media specialist for van blogs, also under her own name. “So we bought a van”. And so the idyll continues…
The van life movement has exploded over the past few years. Every other Instagram post on any adventure channel features a picture of a campervan parked in some epic location, its drivers holding a cup of coffee as the sun begins to rise. Questions begin to roll through our heads: How do they afford to travel? Why did they choose that van over others? How did they construct the inside? How did they get started?
First up in the series are adorable couple Evan Larson and Katie Larsen – otherwise known as So We Bought A Van. And there is no typo there with their names–they are proud to share 5 out of 6 letters in their last name with each other. Since doing this interview, Katie landed a job working as the editor-in-chief of Go-Van.com, an online magazine for digital nomads and weekend warriors, and also just launched their brand new website, which is looking so stellar.
We try to keep consumption in mind, whether it be how much water we’re using, making sure we don’t let food go to waste, always using reusable grocery bags/avoiding plastic when possible, or using reusable water bottles 100% of the time. Having less space to hold food, water, and products just automatically means we’re consuming much less than we ever were before.
Starting at a young age and throughout our childhood, both of our families did a fair share of traveling. We each had a mix of camping, amusement parks, vacationing, and National/State parks in our travels. Sometimes by plane, sometimes by car, our summer, winter, and spring breaks always consisted of exploring someplace new. Katie grew up visiting Priest Lake, Idaho every summer, a place her family still visits annually.
Last February we spoke with Katie Larsen, the vanlifer behind So We Bought a Van. Fast forward to this year and you can now rent Katie’s converted Sprinter van on Outdoorsy. Katie is passionate about travel and the outdoors, and imagining her without her van is almost impossible. After all, they’ve been together for about three years now.
Living like a nomad may seem like a romantic notion for only dreamers, free spirits, and characters in indie films. After all, who in the real world can really uproot themselves, pack up all their worldly possessions into a vehicle, and commit to always being on the move? It may be more possible than you think. With almost six million uses and counting of the hashtag on Instagram, #vanlife has become more than just an idealized road trip, it’s now an entire lifestyle that millennial women (and men) have embraced.
Two best friends/solo women talk all about life on the road and what’s it like. From safety and overnight parking to female friendships and community, Sydney and Katie go back & forth on exactly what it means to live the “van life” as a woman.
In this live recording from the Women On The Road Gathering in Taos, New Mexico, join us as we ask questions from the Women On The Road community to 6 women with experience in road travel of all kinds– from school bus living, to van conversions, to weekend warrior lifestyles.
There’s a lot to traveling on the road with a romantic partner that is hard to explain with a social media post– things like navigating tight living quarters, the special type of intimacy that comes with keeping a similar sleep schedule and buying all of the same groceries, and the behavioral change that happens when you know that there’s nowhere to retreat in the heat of a disagreement…
Katie shares about her life before she was living in a van and how mental illness played a role in her life early on, and how that evolved since transitioning to living on the road. Claire shares a personal story of how she was impacted by mental illness early on in life and how that changed her outlook on the importance of mental health and wellbeing. They both discuss their personal journey to thriving and the unique challenges that come along with living a more nomadic, on the road, alternative lifestyle. They also share some of the things that have helped to enrich their mental wellbeing since being on the road, and other things that have hindered their ability to thrive.
Katie is a solo traveler living full time in a van and funding her travels with freelance writing and marketing work. She has a beautiful DIY Sprinter camper van and she also takes the time to chat about some of her expenses, where she’s traveled, and why she likes the nomadic lifestyle.
Podcast style conversation with 4 other van lifers on how they make money on the road, tips and opportunities for you to make money, travel, live in a van, and have an adventure of a lifetime.
Katie (Instagram: @soweboughtavan) gives us a tour of her home on wheels, a 2016 Mercedes Sprinter. Katie joined us (and many other vanners!) at our Adventure Van Meet Up at our shop in Golden, Colorado on 8/5/17.
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