CREDIT: L.J. MCLEOD
Van-living brings people closer to the earth and provides a pretty nice view in doing so.

L. J. Mcleod, 31, has been living in vans all around Vancouver for years now. It is a decision that she has willingly made while working a full-time job as a human resources recruiter, as it allows her to exercise her individuality and feel liberated while working a professional job.

Mcleod, who considers herself a free-spirit, has always been intrigued by the concept of living independently in more “mindful” sized-spaces, beginning with a move into her parents’ pool house at the age of 16.

“I wanted to have my freedom so I’ve always been about exploring my options and now it’s a reality, so it’s great.” Living at home, people don’t realize the type of things that can easily be taken for granted such as what could seem like an unlimited amount of electricity or hydro. Simple things become easy to forget, such as turning lights off when not in use or turning off taps all the way. Mcleod said “it’s forced mindfulness” the way she takes into consideration factors such as resource availability and waste avoidance, and “first and foremost, everything I have in terms of possession has a purpose. I really had to think twice about what I buy, and if I get something that is of quality and just one of that thing rather than having 15 kinds of kitchen knives because I don’t have space for that. It’s really just about being more deliberate in my choices and not accumulating stuff.” Living in a van could mean no access to showers or stoves at home, a concept that makes individuals more resourceful of surrounding facilities and available options. Mcleod does exactly this by partaking with stress-relieving activities such as hot yoga or working out at local community centres. The memberships at the facilities also provide shower rooms where she is able to wash up all the while getting in her daily dose of physical exercise. Allowing alternative resources as methods to provide for oneself is a strategic way to capitalizing on the amenities provided.

“The big thing is you have to plan ahead a little more”, Mcleod said. Keeping in mind the resources and tools available at home and what you need to look for in other options to do what you need to do in daily routine. Despite challenges, there are an abundance of benefits to this alternative lifestyle that extend further than economic and ecological advantages; although, Mcleod shares her cost of living and the numbers are astounding, especially in a place like Vancouver where housing prices have been steadily increasing for years.

“My first vehicle purchase was also my first home purchase. I’ve saved all my receipts from 2015 and I’ve calculated it out. I spent about $225 a month on gas on average. My insurance is only $100 a month so rent, vehicles, gas, insurance, everything is just over $300 a month. Most people have car insurance payments and that alone would add up to what I have to pay. It’s a great way to allow me to save more money, travel more and do what I want to do.” Mcleod said she has realized that her current lifestyle also pushes her to get out, to be more proactive and social as well, “especially in the winter, at home you put on Netflix or put on television because it’s freezing and you don’t want to be outside, kind of isolating ourselves. In this sense it makes me more social because it makes me want to be with friends and not in my van. I go out more and socialize more.” With social movements such as the Tiny House initiative growing and becoming increasingly recognized and accepted, many are beginning to downsize the spaces they live in and enjoy living with less. Mcleod believes these concepts are not just a trend.

“I think it’s going to stay, not just necessarily the van lifestyle, but just about living with less. You know, more is less. It’s really about re-evaluating what is important and what we need in our lives. We’ve kind of lost touch of that and we need to get back to basics.” Although van-living is a concept that has been around for decades, it is something that more people are looking into and trying out. Mcleod hopes the negative stigma of alternative lifestyles will become extinct. Mcleod tells everybody to go and try it out and rid that fear of the unknown; it isn’t about whether or not you have money, but placing the opportunity to experience freedom in your own hands and sculpting that sort of mindfulness into yourself.

“You just have to go for it and test it out. I was just in a line to get movie tickets at Sunfest, I was talking to my friend and this lady who was behind me overheard me talking about living in the van and shared with me that she lived in a van in her twenties and said, ‘I’m in my sixties now and that was probably the best year of my life.’” This past summer Mcleod has traveled a solo three-week road trip around B.C., and across the southern U.S. in previous years, “I haven’t driven across Canada yet but I’m sure I will”. She said she has never been happier or felt freer, “It’s amazing. I’m only 31 right now, and maybe in five or 10 years I’ll have a change of heart, but even then if I do purchase a home, it will definitely be one with a smaller footprint, less than 500 square feet or so.”

Until then, she encourages everybody and anybody to go out and try the experience themselves, and she is excited to see new faces on the journey.