Car Living: When You're Somewhere Amazing But Can't Afford to Experience It

I’m sitting in my car right now in Williams, Arizona right near the Grand Canyon and Route 66.

On paper, this is one of those places people save up to visit.

And I’m here.

But at the same time,

I’m not really able to do anything here.

My gas gauge says I’ve got about 60 miles left to drive before it's empty. I’ve learned to trust that number. It’s been right down to 14 miles before, so when it gets low like this, I don’t push it.

There’s a gas station about five miles away, but gas is over four dollars a gallon, and even though I do have a little money, it’s not something I can justify unless I’m already heading into town for multiple things.

Laundry, trash, water, errands - I already planned all that for tomorrow.

So today, I stay where I am.

And this is the part of car living that doesn’t get talked about much.

You can be in a beautiful place and still feel limited

When people think about this lifestyle, they picture the freedom part. Going wherever you want, waking up somewhere new, seeing all these places.

And that part is real.

But so is this part.

Being somewhere that’s supposed to be special, and not having the money to enjoy any of it. Not the restaurants, not the attractions, not even something small like a souvenir.

You’re there, but you’re kind of just passing through without touching anything.

It’s a weird feeling.

When everything comes down to the basics

When money is tight, your world gets very simple.

You start thinking in terms of:

• how far you can drive

• when you need gas

• where your next shower is coming from

• how to keep your devices charged

  
  

And that’s it.

There’s not a lot of room left over for anything extra. Even small decisions get weighed out more than people would expect. It’s not dramatic, it’s just constant.

Some days it feels fine. Other days it starts to feel more like you’re maintaining your situation instead of actually living in it.

Today is one of those days

It’s cloudy today, which doesn’t help. For some reason cloudy days hit me hard. There’s just something about that flat, gray light that makes everything feel a little heavier.

Cloudy days also bring with them another problem: no solar, which is the only way I have available to charge my power stations. Without that power, I can't run my refrigerator and all the other small appliances I use in my car. So, it's just one more thing to have to deal with.

I’ve also been by myself for over a month now. I’ve talked to a couple of friends on the phone, but everyone has their own lives going on, and I try not to lean too hard on people. So most of the time, it’s just me figuring things out as I go.

Again, this isn’t every day.

But it is today.

This is still part of the lifestyle

I think this is the part people either don’t expect or don’t talk about.

You can be doing something unconventional, something that looks like freedom from the outside, and still have days where it feels tight, limited, or just kind of frustrating.

That doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.

It just means this is part of it.

I’m already thinking about what comes next for me, and I know it won’t be full-time vehicle living forever. But right now, this is where I am, and I’m working with it the best I can.

Some days feel wide open.

Some days feel like this.

If you’ve ever been somewhere you were “supposed” to enjoy but couldn’t for whatever reason, what did that feel like for you? And if you’re living on the road, how do you handle days when it feels more limiting than freeing?