It was back in the spring 2015 when I first started considering downsizing my life and living in a van. My lease in San Francisco was ending and I was tired of paying an exorbitant amount of money every month for a place to sleep. Circumstances led to me leave the country just a few months after the thought first entered my head, but I wasn’t done with the idea. Upon my return to the states, I knew I wanted to save as much money as possible, as quickly as possible. San Francisco is not an easy city to save money in, so I knew I had to get creative.

My year in Nepal with Conscious Impact taught me that I was happiest living a stripped down, simple way of life, so I knew it was time for me to try out the van life when I got back. I found my van on Craigslist a week or so after I started looking, made the trek out that weekend to check it out, and bought it a few days after that. The woman who sold the van to me said that the van was a female, but wasn’t named yet. I figured of anyone who would disapprove of me living in a van, my Nana was the most likely candidate, so I decided to name the van after her. How could she hate her namesake van? Thus, Tiny the Van was born.

I spent three months living out of it in its original state as a basic conversion camper van, and now I am getting ready to build it out into a proper home on wheels, solar panels and everything. I’ve partnered with an awesome company called Tiny Life Supply, and they’ve been immensely helpful in selecting the right equipment for my build that suits my needs and budget. I’ll be building out a bed platform with storage, a small kitchen, and a solar electric power system to keep my gadgets full of juice while I’m on the road.

After months at a desk job, I’m excited to use my hands to build my little home, and to be free to roam and explore back country wherever I please. I plan to take it on the road for a few months this summer, during which time I will attend a month long workshop on sustainable construction and design with Earthship Biotecture in New Mexico, head up to Calgary for a few weeks with family, and visit several national parks. After my summer adventure, I’ll be packing up my belongings and heading back to Nepal to rejoin the amazing work that is going on with my family at Conscious Impact.

Stay tuned for further blog posts about construction progress and reports from my road trip!