What Is The Best Minivan For Living In? (Things To Know)

Minivans are well known for their comfort that they can provide to their owners. For those who are not quite accustomed to what kind of a vehicle a minivan is, here is a brief introduction for it. Minivans are a popular type of passenger carrying vehicle that is especially popular with families or those going on long road trips. 

Because of the size of minivans once the seats are removed or laid down they can be used for a variety of things besides hauling people such as hauling cargo and even living inside of one! But, if you are wanting to live in a minivan full time which one would be the best? 

If you are planning on converting a minivan into a live in vehicle then you will want to go with either the Honda Odyssey or the Toyota Sienna simply because of their reliability. However, if you will only be living in the van part of the time or on the weekend then you will want a Dodge or Chrysler minivan as the seats folding into the floor will be very helpful. 

Having the seats fold into the floor will be helpful because you don’t have to try and find someplace to store them when you are taking a weekend trip. However, if you are planning on completely converting the vehicle and living in it full time then you will get rid of the removable seats and won’t have to store them. 

Yes! a minivan is so spacious that you can even actually live inside it but, there are various aspects to doing so and the biggest one to consider is whether you will be doing it full time or just over the summer or long weekends. 

Some people will entirely convert a minivan into a miniature camper with appliances, bedding etc. but if you are just planning on living in your van for a few days then you will likely want to treat the van more like a place to sleep and then cook over a fire instead. 

Is it realistic to live in a van? 

Living in a minivan has its own pros as well as cons. An adventure-seeking soul is sure to love the idea of living wherever they want and being able to spend every other day in a new place, with a new beginning. 

If you are okay with the idea of change and are someone who embraces it, then staying in a minivan is a lifestyle that you just cannot afford to at least try. You might not know where you would sleep that night but you also won’t know what adventures or new scenery awaits you as well. 

The essence of change and the thrill of it all is something that appeals to every adventure lover. 

On the other hand, if you have difficulty with dealing with constant change or unexpected things happening then this is likely not a great option for you. Many people need time to adjust to their surroundings and don’t like flying by the seat of their pants all of the time. 

If this is you then please don’t buy a minivan to try and live in it! Instead rent one for a couple of days and see if you want to do it long term. 

If you are to live in a minivan, it will surely be a home to you, but a home that will always be on the go. The idea of adventure may appeal to many, but sleepless nights in unknown places are a curse no matter how you look at it. 

Every coin has two sides to it after all.

Also, there is a question of safety that needs to be considered here as well. No matter how much we try to evade it, safety is surely compromised to a great extent in many places across the globe. When you are living and sleeping in a minivan there is only a think piece of glass or metal between you and your surroundings so if you are constantly worried about what could happen you likely won’t find this lifestyle very appealing. 

Often people will live in a minivan with someone which decreases the likelihood of them finding themselves alone in a dangerous situation. Having multiple people there can help to ward off strangers or even dangerous animals as well. 

What to know before living in a minivan?

There is not much a minivan must have that it already doesn’t have; however, there are some things that you must keep in mind before hopping inside your van with the idea of living in it. 

Here are a few of the most important things that could affect your experience of living in a minivan so they are vital to know about. 

1. Make sure that the minivan you choose to use has enough space in it and the ability to either remove the seats or lay them down flat. This is an obvious thing to some people but I wanted to make sure to mention it. If your minivan does not have enough space in it because of the seats or difficulty of removing them, then it would not be very comfortable to live in. Even if you can unscrew the seats and be able to increase the space inside your car, the original space in the vehicle must be enough on its own too.
   
2. The next thing that you must keep in mind is the place where you are parking your minivan when you are stopping. It is better to not choose a place with a slope or a place that is too solitary. Slopes would pose a risk factor for the vehicle moving while at the same time, if the place is too far off the beaten path, it could pose a threat to your safety at night.
   
3. Check for your resources before you park for the night. Make sure to check that you have enough water and food supply either in your vehicle or nearby where you can buy what’s needed. At night it would otherwise be very inconvenient to travel long distances just for basic resources. Also, make sure that you are stocked up on everything else that you might need including fuel. Be sure and stock up on anything that you could possibly need before you get too far off the grid for a few days or even overnight. 

4. Be sure that you do not have a fear of new places and are also comfortable with long hours of being on the road. If you are someone with motion sickness, or if you don’t enjoy driving or riding for long distances then it is not a very good idea to go for this kind of lifestyle.
   

What is the best minivan for living in?

Minivans are great for camping and that is a fact that is well known to almost everyone. But some are always better than the others. 

In this case, the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey are two models that would be better options than the others. If you are looking for a model of a minivan that could help you plan a perfect live-in, then this is the way to go. However, various other kinds of minivans could prove to work for you too. But these are the ones that you could never go wrong with. 

Conclusion 

Before jumping onto something it is always better to calculate what you want the end result to be. Some things might sound like a great idea at the beginning, but prove to be not so much of a piece of cake when you get going with it. 

So before you go full time into living in a minivan, make sure that you are physically and emotionally up for it. There are many ways that adventures can happen in your life so be sure and choose the type that suits you so that you can enjoy it, rather than trying to do something else that does not suit you.