More and more people are considering van life, but for conceivable reasons they may not. Rising housing costs may be one reason people are scaling back to something more affordable. Many people consciously choose to transition to a different lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Some of them are wanting to travel, experience emotional and financial freedom, and live a fuller life with less burden. The list goes on, but ultimately the determining factors are different for each person.
For Jenn Dieas, living in a van was an opportunity that surfaced early in the COVID-19 pandemic when it first hit. Her life coach and CEO of Chicago-based salon business Glowout, her Dieas, says that during that time of uncertainty, she’s finally found time to rethink things.
“In 2020, when Chicago shut down for three months, I had a lot of time to reflect. And it doesn’t feel good to keep my fancy apartment in town when I’ve had to cut so many expenses to save the storefront business. was. [..] For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to be in 10 places because I could sit down and think about what the next season of my life would look like. I’ve never had that kind of time before.”
Van life was very appealing to Diaz because she loved traveling and camping, thanks to her childhood spent camping with her grandparents in North Carolina. Her bubbly personality shines through in a beautifully refurbished van she nicknames ‘Rosie’, in which she and her two small dogs live.
Tiny Home Tours
Built from a Ram Promaster van, the Rosie features what Dieas calls a “soft and sweet” aesthetic, accented with lots of velvety fabrics, floral details and cane fabric material. brushed gold. For Diaz, Rosie was created as a comfortable haven in an uncertain world.
As Dieas explains, van life has really helped her keep her business a top priority.
“We are in multiple states and have training programs to train other people to open up under our brand. [..] That’s why I built this van Now you can train anywhere you want No need to worry about booking hotels or booking flights With everything happening in the world travel is crazy Please get in the van. ”
Tiny Home Tours
Diaz loves to cook, so the kitchen is compact and functional. There are butcher block countertops and a sink with a pull down faucet that not only allows you to wash your dishes after a relaxing nature hike, but also rotates to wash your dirty feet and feet outside.
Dies also opted for the flexibility of a camping stove, deep sink, and mini-fridge.
Tiny Home Tours
Opposite the kitchen is a tall closet for clothes, a pantry space for dry goods, and a tiled shower cubicle with a portable cassette toilet. Dieas says having a bathroom in her van was essential to her. Because this gives her more safety and flexibility while moving.
Tiny Home Tours
In the back of the van is Dieas’ convertible live workspace. During the day, raise the arm-mounted adjustable lagoon table to create an upholstered U-shaped bench space for Dyers to work on. Above, there is plenty of storage space in the overhead cabinets. Diaz admits she has more shoes and clothes than the typical van dweller (she even has a clothes steamer).
Tiny Home Tours
At night, lower the table and shift the cushions for a comfortable bed.
Tiny Home Tours
The rear of the van can be sealed with a screen to create something like a back porch, and Dias can store other equipment under the bed’s platform.
Tiny Home Tours
According to Dieas, living in a van has not only helped her find the perfect work-life balance, but it has also opened up life possibilities that she might not have considered before.
“I believe I’m going to be a full-time ‘Snowbird’ because I like to be fully on tour. During the summer I spend a lot of time in Chicago, [van life] You get the best of both worlds because you can leave and travel whenever you want every weekend. I am no longer the CEO of a “big city”. I evolved, I changed, my life changed. It’s kind of the perfect fit, and I love helping people start their own businesses, so nothing felt more right than Rosie.”
Life in a van isn’t for everyone, but Dieas’ story is poignant and might convince the undecided. Her breakup advice is simple.
“I would tell anyone on their own entrepreneurial journey to trust their intuition. Please run the.”
For more information, visit Dieas’ Instagram.
