Pooping, Loneliness, and 8 Other Terrible Aspects of Living in a Car, According to VanLifers

Just over 3 million people consider themselves VanLifers in the U.S. — that is, digital nomads who live and work in their cars. Although VanLifers glorify the lifestyle on social media, sharing idyllic photos of breathtaking natural features, the reality is that living in your car kind of sucks.

That’s something even staunch supporters admit, as one recent post on Reddit's r/VanLife shows. In the more than 300-comment thread, VanLifers from around the world shared “the absolute worst parts of living in a van,” from having to poop in a bucket to the constant social isolation.

If you live on the road, you can’t shut off your brain, says one Redditor. They write that there’s a constant “running mental inventory” of questions they have to ask themselves: “How much water do I have? How full is my grey tank and potty? Do I need to find a spot to empty this today?”

While there’s “freedom” in living a nomadic lifestyle, it’s also incredibly isolating, Redditors say. If you live “everywhere and nowhere,” you start to feel “rootless,” a commenter explains.

After two years of VanLife, one Redditor says they are “seriously craving a place to go home.” They add that they want “stillness, hobbies, and projects that promote improving a space, having a sense of pride in something, a place to invite loved ones.” All of those things are out of reach if your home is a small van.

Related: 22 Reasons Why #VanLife Might Not Be for You

Most people can probably intuit that going to the bathroom isn’t always great when you live in a car, so it’s no surprise that "number two" came up several times in this thread. Sometimes you have to poop in an “emergency bucket.” Other times you have to rush to find a grimy public bathroom.

Related: RV Nightmares: From Annoying to Messy to Costly

Sure, you don’t have to pay rent as a VanLifer, but you’re going to spend a pretty penny on gas. With gas prices averaging $3.31 in the U.S. — not to mention vans’ gas-guzzling engines — a single trip can cost thousands.

Related: 20 Ways to Save Money on Gas for Your RV

Without a real home, you miss out on some essential comforts: air conditioning, heat, insulation. So when the weather is less than ideal, you might suffer. “Here in Europe, the weather is not nice all the time,” shares one VanLifer. “Try spending 10 days in pi***** rain in a small van. At some stage you just feel like calling it a day.”

Related: 27 Essential Steps to Winterize Your RV

Living in an unairconditioned box in a parking lot means that you aren’t always going to sleep soundly, whether it’s because of the temperature, noise, or a cop knocking on your window in the middle of the night.

Although it might seem cozy, even romantic, to share your van with a love interest, VanLifers say that the reality is harsh. One commenter says that “your dating life will essentially go to zero.”

For more VanLife and RV tips, sign up for our free newsletters.

“I feel like I can't shut the world out enough these days and have the privacy I need to just exist,” one van-dweller writes. It’s a common sentiment. When you go to the bathroom, have a shower, or eat a meal, it’s often in public, leaving you little room to be truly by yourself.

As a VanLifer, your car is your home and your transportation. So while a breakdown might be a huge inconvenience for the average person, having to see the mechanic as a van-dweller can be financially devastating.