At 28, Jasmine Wilson can afford a proper house considering she earns $300,000 a year. But she has chosen to live in a van after being stuck in the house during the first lockdowns of 2020.
According to the product designer, her choice was inspired by her road trips with her mom, commuting from Michigan to California multiple times in a year.
“I always really liked road trips because my mom used to drive from Michigan to California multiple times a year to visit family and it stuck with me,” Wilson told Metro. She bought the van while under quarantine and spent two months turning it into a home.
Wilson bought the van for $25,000 and spent roughly between $10,000 to $15,000 adapting the van’s interior. “I have everything that a regular house has, but the goal wasn’t for it to be a tiny home, it was to be a hang-out spot that I travel in,” she said.
“People can hang out without feeling like they’re in your home because I built it during quarantine when the goal was to get out of the house,” she added.
She fitted the van with a full-sized bed, a gaming monitor, ceiling fan, security cameras, a freezer, and a collapsible sink. Although the van has no kitchen, Wilson has a camper stove. There is also running water with a shower area and a toilet, making living in the van conformable.
“I actually go to the gym every day but there’s a full shower when you lift the lid up,” she said. “I honestly haven’t used it, but it’s there, so I could go off-grid for a while and be perfectly okay.”
She continued: “I have everything that a regular house has, but the goal wasn’t for it to be a tiny home, it was to be a hang-out spot that I travel in. People can hang out without feeling like they’re in your home because I built it during quarantine when the goal was to get out of the house.”
In December, Wilson set a plan to visit every national park in the country this year. She would often park along beaches at night or stay in RV parks and parking lots. She sometimes parks at wineries and breweries through a group she has a membership with.
Wilson said she has been told on numerous occasions to buy a house since she makes enough to afford a house. However, she said acquiring a house is not her priority at the moment. “I don’t want a house because I don’t like staying in one place for a long time,” she said.
