HOW TO GET ALONE TIME IN VANLIFE
A popular question we get asked while we are traveling is, “How do you get alone time living in a van?” To be honest, I don’t think Orry or I ever even considered this question before we hit the road. I think it’s probably because neither of us require much alone time, but there are times when it is nice! I think if either of us need alone time, we usually want a break from mom or dad duties. A key thing to remember about van life is we really don’t spend a lot of time inside the van. Most every day is spent hiking or exploring a new city. For the times that we do want or need alone time, these are our tips for self-care days in a tiny home on wheels!
TAKE A HIKE
And I don’t mean that in a mean way, haha! We spend the majority of our time in National Parks or on National Forest land. If one or both of us want to have a little time to ourselves, getting outside and going for a small walk is an easy way to get just a bit of me time.
WORK OUT
We have a membership to planet fitness, which is nation wide. Originally we got the membership in case we wanted to take a long hot shower not in the van, but it also doubles as a great time to be alone! Since we have a daughter, and kids aren’t allowed in planet fitness, we go in one at a time. This gives us time to get a workout in, sit in the spa chairs, and/or take a shower.
COFFEE SHOP
There have been a couple of times when I wanted to work on our website, or Orry wanted to run some errands without me. Coffee shops are the perfect place! They have free WiFi, and who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee or tea? Sometimes coffee shops even have couches to hang out on which is an added bonus.
PLAYGROUND
As I mentioned earlier, there are times when we want a break from mom or dad duties. Plus, at least once a week we try to have a play day for our daughter. Going to the playground is a win-win. One of us can hang out in the van while the other one supervises, and then we tag in or out. This is actually my favorite time to cook dinner. Orry and Etta Rose head out to play and run off their energy while I get the van to myself to cook our dinner!
SHOPPING
Who am I kidding? I can get lost in a Target for hours. I don’t even have to be looking for anything to go to Target! When Orry got back from being in Italy for two weeks, I needed a small break from mom life. So I went to the mall and walked around for a while. There’s really good people watching and what girl doesn’t love to at least window shop? While I was shopping, Orry and Etta Rose took a nap in the van!
Having self-care days or alone time in the van really isn’t as hard as a lot of people think it is! While we do spend a lot of time together, we are usually doing activities that we both love outdoors. There are also a lot of natural ways to get some alone time so that it doesn’t ever become a problem. Hope this helps!