Maybe It’s Houses That Are Unnatural

Rethinking the idea of permanence and why movement (travel) might be the most human instinct of all

When people hear that we live full-time in a van, the response is often somewhere between curiosity and confusion.
“That’s so unusual!”
“I could never do that.”
“Don’t you get tired of moving all the time?”

But the more we live this way, the more we start to question that reaction. We sometimes wonder if it’s actually the other way around.

What if it’s not us that are the nonconformists?

What if it’s modern life, with mortgages, fixed addresses, and the idea that success equals a big house or a fancy car? Is that’s the real anomaly?

Let’s face it, for most of human history, people didn’t stay in one place. They moved, they were nomadic, following the seasons, water, food sources. Their lifestyles continually adapted. Movement wasn’t choice.

The idea of owning land, building a house, and staying put is a relatively recent development and arguably a cultural one too.

Modern society has built permanence into everything, like homes, jobs, routines, social activity. And called it security, okay, for some, it is.

But for others, it’s stifling, and for some of us, the desire to move (travel) feels instinctive.

Living nomadically today is certainly not in the traditional form, but that doesn’t mean it’s unusual. If anything, it feels like a return to something natural. Living lighter, being able to adapting, to change plans on a whim are so much more liberating.

Stability doesn’t have to mean staying still. For us, Van life offers a quieter kind of security, one that’s built on less stuff, more awareness and living with intention.

Let me know what you think, or if you’ve felt this way too.
We love hearing from those who’ve chosen or are considering a life outside the “normal”.