Let's Break The Instagram Stereotype: Tell Us The Truly Worst Things About Van Life

    Pooping where you sleep doesn't sound super appealing, tbh.

    Jemima Skelley
    by Jemima Skelley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Everyone's had that wistful thought about selling all your belongings, buying a van, and setting off on a never-ending adventure, right?

    Netflix

    And as #vanlife has become more and more popular on Instagram (and Pinterest, and Tiktok), it's become a real way of life for many people around the globe.

    The back doors of a van are open to reveal a man laying on a mattress which is perched on a storage shelf, he has two dogs next to him
    Lourdes Balduque / Getty Images

    Van life followers swelled particularly after COVID lockdowns, when we all realized we could live and work remotely with relative ease.

    A still from the cartoon The Wild Thornberries showing Eliza with her parents, standing in front of a yellow van, her siblings and lots of monkeys are in the background
    Nickelodeon

    (Let's not forget about The Wild Thornberries, aka the ORIGINAL Van Lifers.)

    But it's not all sunrise coffees, picturesque camping spots, and starlit bonfires — despite what heavily-filtered Instagram posts might make it seem.

    Country landscape at night with trees illuminated by a campsite, lots of stars and the Milky Way is visible above
    Torriphoto / Getty Images

    There's the whole toilet situation, for starters. Then you have the rising price of fuel, the stress of planning a route, inevitable breakdowns and repairs...the list goes on.

    A screencap of the Simpsons, Ralph Wiggum sits on an empty school bus, the caption reads '(chuckles) I'm in danger'
    FOX

    It's an amazing life, sure! But you can't get the good without a dose of the bad. That's why we're asking nomads and van-dwellers to share the *hardest* parts of their lifestyle. Share your story in the comments below for a chance to be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post and/or video!

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