All Tales From The Road since the beginning of time:
2022-2023
We’re currently taking a pause and building a new van. Check out our Van Build page to follow along!
What's new on FarOutRide.com?
DIY Builder's Package
We live in uncertain times, so we decided to create a package that includes ALL our diagrams & tutorials and offer it at a (really) cheap price. It won’t save humanity from the apocalypse, but it’s a small gesture that, we hope, will help some people in these crazy times!
On our side, Amazon permanently slashed the affiliate’s commission fees, so we just lost 50% of our income overnight. We might have to re-think some of our life choices. But that’s how it is, we must adapt and find ways to get better! In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. We always declined offers to become sponsored or brand ambassadors; it’s important for us that FarOutRide remains independent, so that our reviews and product recommendations are totally unbiased. Buying the Builder’s Package is a great way to keep it that way. Thanks for your support! 🙂
We sincerely hope everyone is doing all right amid you-know-what, hang in there!
You hosts, Isabelle and Antoine.
VanLife House Life Actual Cost
April 2020
TOTAL FOR TWO PERSONS-
Rent $800
(rent is typically MUCH higher around here, but a friend is doing us a favor. thanks!) -
Registration & Insurance $211
(van, conversion & personal items such as bikes etc.) -
Gas and Fuel $150
-
Propane $0
-
Beer & Wine $45
-
Groceries $530
-
Restaurants $54
-
Travel Medical Insurance $0
(complementary to our free Canadian's medicare) -
Activities $0
(lift tickets, bike shuttle, music shows, etc) -
Van Maintenance $0
(oil change, tires, brakes, etc) -
Everything Else $249
(Cell, Internet, Netflix, Pharmacy, etc.)
Tales From The Road
Prelude
Before the world went crazy, we spent the last two months roaming around Mexico. Here is the outcome:
The Great Escape
At this point things are getting serious with COVID-19 and there are rumors that the borders will soon close, so we decide to exit Mexico ASAP.
We’re sad to go, but we only had 2-3 weeks left before heading back to British Columbia; it could be worst!
Let’s hit the road!
WE MADE IT!
It’s still cold up here and the wet season is not totally over. Add to the fact that all infrastructures are shutting down (aquatic & rec centers), we decided to rent a place for a little while. Fortunately for us, a friend made us an offer we couldn’t refuse to “rent” her townhouse… such a good deal that “house-sitting” is actually a better way to call it… THANKS!!
From 70 sq-ft...
...To 1400 sq-ft.
House vs van life
After 2.5 years of full time Vanlife, moving (temporarily) back to a house is a DRASTIC change! Here is what struck us the most:
- COUPLE: Living in the same personal space bubble 24/7 can be a challenge sometimes. You’ll have to learn to accept all the small defaults of each other; what you considered an insignificant irritant in a house can become a big deal in a van. Don’t like when your significant other bites his/her nails? You can’t really look the other way. Well, you can look the other way, but you’ll still hear the biting sounds which is SUPER ANNOYING!! 😉
- EVERYDAY TASKS: It’s true that a small space takes less time to maintain (cleaning, etc), but everything is more complicated. Indeed, most tasks require setup or planning of some sort: taking a shower, go to bed, washing the dishes, etc.
- INDEPENDENCE: One of the best perks of moving back into a house is that we don’t depend on each other as much. It always was at the core of our relationship; being in a relationship doesn’t mean we have to share everything all the time. Being independent when living in a van is still possible, but it’s more complicated.
- PRODUCTIVITY: It’s not easy to be both productive inside the van. If Isabelle decides to to stretching exercice inside, Antoine is left with either working on the laptop or go in bed. Same for cooking, cleaning, go to the toilet, washing the dishes, etc, etc! It’s not a major issue, but it’s another irritant to add to the list.
- ORGANISATION: The van gets messy in the blink of an eye, so it requires constant attention. And taking the van for a drive means that everything must go back where it belongs.
- RESOURCES: Water, electricity, heat… living off the grid means we have limited resources. Especially water, which is almost constantly on our minds: taking a shower means we’re gonna have to find a place to fill our tank pretty soon.
- LAZINESS: Why are we so lazy since we moved back to a house?! We noticed our motivation to go ride dropped a bit, probably because we’re not parked directly at the trailhead and that massive couch is a bit too cozy…
Our humble opinion: if you think that living smaller equals living simpler, think twice. Does this mean we’re not going back to Vanlife? Absolutely not! After a few weeks here, we’ll be itching to go back in the van and hit the road again. For us, living in a van is all about being nomad. But in order to achieve a good life-balance, we’re thinking that renting an apartment one or two months each year is probably a good idea, so we keep doing the Vanlife for longer.
Squamish, again?
If you’ve been following us for long enough, here is your moment of déjà vu… We’ve seen quite a lot of amazing places during the past 2.5 years, but very rarely we thought “hey, we could live here!”. The Pacific Northwest has a very special place in our heart, but Squamish wins it all. It’s time for our yearly pilgrimage, yay!
Isabelle and Antoine We did it! My wife, son and I are can owners now we need to build the thing! We bought many of your diy diagrams! Very helpful. We’d like to design a space and keep airbags of a passenger van in tact and operational. Might you recommend some thoughts? Resources? Offline?
“Restaurants $54”
huh? Take out (or what you guys say, Take away)?
A&I-
Glad to hear you are okay.
Don’t buy too much new “stuff” or you will soon be renting a storage box in Squamish!
But, hey, this is the time for major van renovations! The rear side window. The van sauna. The van beer making station. Okay, ha ha, but I was serious about the window.
Cheers,
-d
Thank you for the update; very glad you are safe.
We met at the Red Rock Bakery in Moab in October 2017, all very, very new to vanlife (I had been feverishly working on my van following your Build Journal since June, but still had much to do on the road). Although since then I have periodically taken leave of my van to travel with my backpack overseas for 2 months at a time, I have come to the same conclusion after renting/house-sitting in Santa Fe for 2.5 months due to the pandemic: a break of 2-ish months, in one place with simpler living and no need to constantly make decisions, is a good idea for the coming years, both financially and mentally.
It is very easy to squander time, though … I meant to use my fixed-abode time to start a website following your good lead, but too many hikes and cooking in a well equipped kitchen and napping on a large sofa, and well, somehow that didn’t happen!
Vanlife (cautiously) begins again in 5 days. Hooray!
YES, we remember you!! It was the first time someone recognized us because of “faroutride” haha. Hope you’re doing well, good to hear from you 🙂 Time flies, I feel like it was yesterday…