Gene Murphy and Shay Edwards moved into a 1984 van with their two cats — here’s how they did it.
Moving in with your better half can be a big step . But moving in with your mate into a 50 - square - foot van , now that ’s an wholly different story . Take it fromGene Murphy and Shay Edwards , a mates live in a van with their two cat , Bean and Sprout .
Murphy and Edwards met on a dating app in March 2020 while they were both living in Philadelphia . “ Our first date was the Clarence Day before the universe close down , ” Edwards tell . “ I blend home the very next Clarence Day , and we did n’t see each other in individual for two month . ” But they remained in contact , having virtual movie nights together and talking over the phone about their dream to get out of the metropolis and move into a van .
Edwards dip her toe in van life back in college , when she joined a friend on a cross - country road tripper during a summer falling out . “ That just made me lessen in love with the idea of subsist a more minimalist lifetime , ” she says . When the pandemic smasher , Edwards ’ nine - to - five wrench fully remote and Murphy was quick to leave their job , so they decided it was now or never . “ We kind of just took a expectant leap of faith and got this one-time ' 84 van , ” she says .
They spent the next months convert the avant-garde they found on Facebook into their full - time home . Since then , they ’ve traveled across the continent with one another , and , of path , their two khat .
Today , Murphy and Edwards are in the process of renovating a bus , which they ’re planning to move into in August — which also happens to cooccur with their three - yr day of remembrance . “ We are take some time and going up to Oregon near the seacoast to some of our favorite locations , ” Edwards says . For anyone face to take their life on the road — with partner and pets — here ’s what Murphy and Edwards have learned along the way .
Build a routine
go in a van does n’t necessarily mean you always have to be on the route . In fact , Murphy and Edwards choose to stay in one situation for a few calendar month at a time . It allows them to build a subroutine that works for both of them — both as mortal , and together , as married person . Over the preceding few month , Murphy and Edwards have been living in San Diego . “ Everything we need is right here , ” Edwards says . “ We ignite up , we move from our place we slept over to the beach parking lot , we make burnt umber there , and then we get to work . ”
They modify up their routines depending on the location , as well . For Murphy , a typical day in San Diego might look like going to the drum studio apartment , or boogie-woogie boarding in the sea . Edwards might spend her day working on her laptop in the van , stretching , and sunbathing . “ We kind of do our own thing and then we come back together for dinner , ” Edwards says .
Travel the way you want
The beauty of van life is that it gives Murphy and Edwards the flexibility to move anywhere they want . Toward the first of their journeying , they spent a lot of time on the road , venturing around the west coast . “ We were going really tight in the beginning just to see everything , ” Edwards says . “ We were so excited , and now we have a go at it our spots . We hump the places we require to be . ”
Now that they ’ve settled into a routine and workflow , Murphy and Edwards discovered that they prefer to travel with the season and temperature . “ We like to stay between 50 and 80 arcdegree , ” Edwards says . For instance , they spent last winter in Baja , Mexico , swimming and laying in the sun — the cats enjoyed the tender weather , too . As spring arrived , and the temperatures in Baja rose , they packed up and step by step made their elbow room up north , explore Washington , Montana , and Idaho . “ We like to hang out in one pip for as long as we can , until it ’s time to move on and check out the next place , ” Edwards order .
travel this way allows Murphy and Edwards to make a lifestyle that works for them . For Murphy that mean staying in locations where they can hang by the beach or go cliff jumping , while Edwards just appreciates living in environments that give her joy ; “ [ For ] the first three years of my adult life , being in a metropolis and working , I just had this sink feeling , ” she says . “ Now being able to do my oeuvre , then afford the doorway and be outside in nature is just everything to me . I love it . ”
To help them pamper in these moments — whether Murphy is bodyboarding while Edwards rest out on the beach , or the couple is returning home after an adventuresome Clarence Shepard Day Jr. — they crack open a can ofPacifico . “ We are stocked up in this van when the Sunday comes out , ” Edwards say . They say the crisp , fresh predilection is the perfect complement to the end of a summer ’s twenty-four hours .
Bring your pets
Sprout and Bean were always a part of the van - life programme . When Murphy and Edwards begin building out the van , they started introducing the Arabian tea to their new household ahead of time . “ We would easy bring them into the van as it was being built out , course them a little bit in there , ” Edwards says . “ We begin getting them used to the harness and leashes . We got knapsack . ”
Once the van was move - in ready , Murphy and Edwards incorporated items like pillowcases and blankets from their flat to help the Caterpillar acclimatize faster . “ It smelled like home to them , and I cogitate that really helped them , ” Edwards says .
Now Sprout and Bean consider the van their home . Murphy and Edwards take the guy on walk every mean solar day , plus they get to enjoy a change of scenery every few months . “ We were just stay in a hotel and Sprout shout so much , ” Murphy says . “ He just want to be in the new wave . ”
Carve out alone time
Finding alone time in the new wave was n’t easy at first . “ Being with a significant other 24/7 and [ in ] 50 satisfying feet unquestionably has its challenges , ” Edwards state . At the beginning of their journey , Murphy and Edwards feel by nature inclined to spend all their prison term together , and as a result , could n’t make infinite for their own interests . “ We agnize we were n’t focusing on ourselves , ” Murphy says .
rather , they started being intentional about sentence together and time asunder . Murphy begin travel to drum studios and boogie boarding , while Edwards would read or edit videos . “ We ’ll act as like we ’re not together for an hour or two ” even if they ’re both in the van , Edwards says . Implementing alone time in their daily routines helped Murphy and Edwards with the communication in their human relationship . “ You have to just get used to hear from your partner , ‘ I really need to spend some alone time properly now , ’ ” Edwards order . “ It has made a drastic deviation in our family relationship and individually for us with life on the road . ”
Plan date nights
On the flip side , Murphy and Edwards have discover how to make their clip together feel supererogatory particular , specially when it comes to day of the month nights . Sometimes it ’s as simple as open up two can of Pacifico and pick out a recipe for dinner together . Edwards say they even bought string lights to add ambiance to their date - night dinner party .
of late , they planned a date where they parked in a movie dramaturgy lot , watched their favorite movies in the field of operations , then went back to the van and ordered takeaway for dinner . “ We just have to be a little originative , ” Edwards tell . “ Or else every night is just us lay in layer , exhaust dinner party , and watch a TV show . ” By carve out time for one another , Murphy and Edwards are able to show up and be present in their relationship , while progress to everyday van life feel even more adventurous .
Pacifico Clara
