I spend half the year in a DIY Sprinter van camper, and the other half on a sailboat. I want to help you achieve your nomadic living dreams, whether that's with van life, RVing, sailboats or tiny homes! Join my email list for van life tips and advice, remote work ideas, personal stories and anecdotes, and more!
This might surprise you about boatyard life
Hey, Reader!
When I tell people I am living in a boatyard in Mexico, I think the typical reaction is to feel sorry for me.
"When are you getting out of there?"
"That must be miserable."
"It must be so dirty and loud!"
"Sucks you have to be there for so long!"
I'll tell you a secret right now: I am ENJOYING living in the boatyard.
You must find that to be a strange confession. I haven't had a "real" shower in two months (instead, we take solar showers behind the van). I have to use a communal bathroom. The garbage bins are overflowing. Sometimes, the air smells like burning garbage. I listen to loud machinery five days per week, like the travel lift, forklift, and welding equipment.
Our Sprinter van is parked right by a rusty half-finished shrimp boat, about 50 feet from our sailboat, and is where I spend most days working on The Wayward Home.
Although this sounds like a miserable situation to some people, I am finding some relaxation and enjoyment from being in one place. Here are some things I am loving right now:
- Having TIME to work on my online business, The Wayward Home. Working on a computer is so hard when traveling full-time in our van and sailboat (I just got approved for a feed over at MSN.com. If you have a chance, come follow me on MSN!)
- Going on strenuous mountain bike rides with the two boatyard owners (father and son!) and their group of friends. They even gave me a nice bike to ride!
- Hanging out with other sailors and van lifers at the boatyard. There are multiple people here with BOTH vans and boats
- The incredibly cheap cost of living. Our "boatyard rent" is only $250 monthly for a campervan AND a sailboat, with access to electricity, garbage and bathrooms. Food, both at grocery stores and restaurants, is ridiculously cheap
- Getting to walk on a beautiful beach just a couple blocks from the boatyard
There's lots going on at The Wayward Home:
Check out some of our most recent articles:
- 11 Honest Truths about Van Life Nobody Tells You
- The Ultimate Idaho Road Trip: A Van Lifer's Top Spots
- Westfalia is Back! The All New Wave Campervan Hits U.S. Markets
How have YOU been?? I'd love to hear from you!
-Kristin
P.S. Don't forget to check out my guide on renting a campervan in Italy!
Hi! Let me help you become a nomad!
I spend half the year in a DIY Sprinter van camper, and the other half on a sailboat. I want to help you achieve your nomadic living dreams, whether that's with van life, RVing, sailboats or tiny homes! Join my email list for van life tips and advice, remote work ideas, personal stories and anecdotes, and more!
Hey Reader, Happy Tuesday! It's another hot day in Oregon, and I'm thankful to be hiding away in my family's air-conditioned home. Anything over 90 degrees isn't very fun in a campervan! -----PAID AD----- Today is Amazon Prime Day, and I have a very special offer to share with you from Waggle! Waggle is a pet temperature monitor that you leave inside your rig, and you can monitor heat and humidity right from your phone. For Amazon Prime Day, Waggle is 50% off! Over 60,000+ Rving pet parents...
Hey Reader, I thought I’d send you a picture of me saying hello. I'm really thankful you are here and on my email list. Send me one back if you like! I always enjoy seeing who I'm emailing :) I also wanted to send you a couple of articles that have been popular on my Facebook page. The Six Most Valuable Lessons I Learned After 4.5 Years of Van Life Here is an excerpt of this guest post by New Zealand van lifer Lisa Jansen: For the next 4 ½ years, my trusty van and I explored everything New...
Hey Reader, One thing I tell people is that if you're considering the van life, rent a campervan first! Renting lets you get a feel for the size of various campervans and which amenities you might want in your own. But the thing is....so many campervan rentals are flipping expensive! I've seen some that are $300 per day, which isn't a financially viable option for many people. I wanted to introduce you to Avanti campervans....these guys rent out stealthy, small, affordable minivan campers....