I’m sitting in the parking lot of the Canopy Hilton, Minneapolis. I’ve made coffee in my van but I spent the night in an outrageously nice hotel in the Mill District of Minneapolis…Look it up

In 1969 my family borrowed my uncle’s VW camper van. He had flown to Germany the year before to take delivery of it, drive around on a German ski vacation and ship it back to the US. This was no Westfalia, this was a ‘68 split window micro bus. Set up inside with a small pop top, slide out bed and a hand pump sink. It came with a huge canvas tent that attached to the side of the van. It was fukengruven. I was hooked. At 15 I was ready to tell the world to find a better home while I found mine.

Of course life requires a little more planning than that. There’s money to make and places to go before it all comes together. In the meantime, I wore out a ‘72, an ‘81 diesel and an ‘87 Synchro. A full size Ford 350 Econoline was next. I now have a 2016 Mercedes Sprinter that I bought empty and fixed up for living out of.

Living in 80 square feet of interior space is not for the internet; which is where most of these vanlifers live. It requires compromise, embracing, and mostly organizing. It’s all fun and games until the weather goes south, which is where I’ll go as well. My dad always said, “ A place for everything and everything in its place.” That couldn’t apply more in VanLifing. The free spirit inside most of us becomes a spirited nightmare if there isn’t some decorum. Simply put, Keep your shit tight.

I’m a confirmed member of the million mile club, meaning I’ve driven well over a million miles in my life. Some of those miles were professional as a sales rep. I remember one time years ago, a retail dealer who was a customer of mine asked what I did for a living, I responded, I drive. I still do. Windshield time is zenful and cathartic for me. The United States is a wonderous part of the planet and I can think of nothing better than seeing it from the road. Campsites, campgrounds, pullouts, flat spots in the dirt, a friend’s driveway; it all works if you embrace a very small space.