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High gas prices are driving some 'Van Lifers' to rethink plans

By Mitch Legan

Posted July 22, 2022

(Mitch Legan, WTIU/WFIU News)

Kristin Holden has spent three years traveling the country in her 2019 Ford camper van. But with gas prices up, she’s had to hit the brakes a bit.

“This year, I’ve moved really slowly,” she said. “A lot of that has to do with the gas prices.”

Americans are paying more at the pump than they have in years. Prices have dropped since the record national average of just over $5 in June, but the jump forced Holden to spend more time than she usually would at home in Indiana.

“Normally, when I’d come back into the Midwest, it was almost like a breath of fresh air when it comes to gas prices. It would cost me about $65, maybe $70 to fill up my van,” Holden said. “Now we’re [at] $120 to fill it up. So almost double.”

Holden’s cross-country trips aren’t all for pleasure. She’s a full-time content creator who has brand deals to feature products in the online and social media content that she produces about “Van Life.” The trend started in the early 2010s, when some people began ditching traditional homes for a nomadic lifestyle in a revamped van or bus.

Holden bought her van in 2019, right before the trend really took off. While other people were stuck at home during the pandemic, she was able to travel the country. Gas was cheap and the roads were clear.

“I explored Oregon and Washington before the fires hit. I got to go to Yosemite. It was amazing to be able to see those things,” Holden said.

She kept traveling throughout the pandemic, but when prices started really rising early this year, she hunkered down in Florida. She says it served a dual purpose – she needed to take a break from the road, and there are worse places to spend a couple months.

“I parked my van in a friend’s driveway and just kind of explored the area,” Holden said. “I basically became a resident of St. Pete[rsburg], it felt like.”

From there, she started heading back to Indiana. The van has allowed her to avoid price hikes on utilities, but gas is essentially her rent. And with a 22-gallon tank that gets 15 miles to the gallon, it hasn’t been cheap.

“I have a background in accounting. I budget like 12 months in advance,” Holden said. “I’ve had to readjust a lot of things.”

But price jumps haven’t been all bad for Van Lifers such as Holden. A pandemic jump in demand for camper vans allowed her to upgrade to her current one, and it’s still a seller’s market – she says she could sell her van for over $100,000 today.

“It’s almost like the housing market,” Holden said.

Nationwide gas prices hit a two-month low earlier this week. Granted, that’s still about $4.50. But it won’t stop Holden from heading out to the East Coast for the first time.

After all, for her, gas prices are just part of the job.