How can I make money living in a van?
last updated: Aug 29, 2023
If you dream about living a more adventurous life on the road and making a living remotely, the good new is that it’s completely possible. In fact, there are plenty of ways to make money while living in a van. There are increasing opportunities to work remotely, with employers becoming more flexible and allowing employees to work from anywhere. Working as a freelancer is more accessible than ever too – with sites such as Upwork and Fiverr offering roles in everything from design and copywriting to photography and SEO.
Many people also find that they don’t need to make as much money while living in a van. Without bills and rent to pay, the cost of living is much lower. Many van lifers work less and spend more time having fun, while others use the lifestyle to save money for the future.
Are you stuck on deciding what job you could do while living in a van? Check out our list of 10 remote jobs for van life for some inspiration.
Can you live life without working?
It’s possible to live life without working a traditional 9-5 job, but unless you have a big pot of savings or inheritance, you will probably need to create a source of income. Starting your own business or working as a freelancer can give you the opportunity to work on something you love. Having more freedom over when and how you make money will make it feel less like work too.
Creating passive income streams is another great way to generate money without working. It requires a lot of work at the outset, but over time, blogs, online marketing, and e-commerce are examples of passive ways to generate a profit while you sleep.
If you want to work less, you can also reduce your daily expenses. Spending less on accommodation, food or socialising will mean that you won’t need to earn as much. Living in a van can be a great way to minimise your outgoings!
How can I survive without money?
If you want to survive without money, you could move to a like-minded community that operates by exchanging possessions or services instead of currency. You can also try to live a ‘freegan’ lifestyle by doing things such as
- Foraging and growing your own food
- Hitchhiking
- Spending leisure time in nature
- Using solar power
Many people also sustain a very low cost way of life by house-sitting or volunteering in exchange for meals and accommodation.
Is it realistic to make money living in a van?
It’s definitely possible to make money while living in a van, but it can be challenging. While you’re on the road, it can be difficult to get internet signal, and you might have a limited power supply. You’ll need to plan ahead to make sure that you have everything you need to work efficiently and manage your time effectively.
Living in a van comes with a different routine to living in a house. You’ll have to prioritise basic things like finding a place to park, or filling up on water, so it might be difficult to work regular hours. I have written an in-depth article about how to make money as you travel, for vanlifers – it provides the best advice I can for how to vanlife and make bank.
Despite its challenges, there are loads of benefits to having a van as your office. Most importantly, you’ll have much more freedom! You’ll hopefully be able to create a better work/life balance. You won’t need to earn as much and so you can work less as a result. In your new spare time you’ll be able to explore hundreds of unknown places, meet new people and take your office with you wherever you go!
How can I get rich without a job?
Getting rich is never easy, but you can certainly run a business from a van! And having money isn’t the only way to be rich. Without a traditional job you can become more wealthy in other ways too. You’ll be more time wealthy, health wealthy and experience wealthy, for example.
If you want to move away from working for someone else, there’s lots of other ways to make money. You’ll still need to work hard and it might take some time to find your feet, but over time you’ll be able to generate income without a regular “job”. If you’re starting out from scratch, it helps to have some savings to fall back on if things don’t work out.
Starting your own business, working as a freelancer or creating passive income streams are all possible ways to make money while living in a van.
Interested in other articles about making money online?
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