As the pandemic continues, those living in vans and RVs are facing increasing pressure and difficulties.

Among them are a family with two children, a young woman who had fled an overpriced flat in Barcelona, and a group of friends passionate about travel. After weeks of moving from place to place, these nomads finally found a spot they could call home.

But their respite was short-lived when the authorities intervened and forced them to leave.

This is what ‘van life’ looks like in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The group had been living in their vans on private property owned by Nathan Murphy, a young Brit, and his neighbor. Murphy, who also lives in a van with his girlfriend, is in the process of renovating a house in Spain’s Catalonia region.

"When the police show up, they can't fathom that you don't have a permanent home somewhere," Murphy explained from inside his van. "It creates a very unfriendly environment for those of us living in vehicles."

The authorities declared their makeshift refuge an "illegal campsite," forcing the van dwellers to relocate. Some have found shelter with family members, while others are uncertain about where they will go next.

In the past five years, there’s been a surge of people embracing full-time van life, RV living, and tiny house living. However, these alternative lifestyles have become even more challenging as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts daily life across the globe.

"Governments just can't relate to us because we're such a small group," Murphy said, referring to the van life community.

The onset of border restrictions, stay-at-home orders, and the widespread closure of campsites has created significant hurdles for those who sought out the freedom of a minimalist, mobile lifestyle.

This issue is particularly acute in Europe, where Murphy welcomed fellow van dwellers to park on his land after the police instructed them to "go back home," unaware that their "home" was the van they were already living in.

Murphy's neighbor, Angela Jackson, a mother with two young children, shared that wherever they parked on public land, the police would approach and instruct her to keep her children inside the van all day.

"You can't keep kids confined to a van all day," Jackson said in one of Murphy’s coronavirus-themed YouTube videos. "It was starting to drive us a little mad."

Murphy and Jackson are no strangers to unusual situations. They've learned how to filter their own river water, run hoses out of kitchen windows for showers, and squeeze five beds into old school buses, which they manage to drive across mountain roads all over the country.

But this might be their hardest challenge yet: many van dwellers are now abandoning their vehicles entirely, while others are constantly on the move, searching for affordable, secure places to park and sleep.

They no longer want to hit the road again.

Matt Alexander, a van lifer, emphasized that the top priority right now is for people like him to find a stable place to park and remain there to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

"We must be accountable for the well-being of society and make the responsible choice to stay put for a while," said Alexander, who parked his 2005 Dodge Sprinter on public land in Nevada. "The freedom to travel is incredible, but once health risks like this are involved, it changes everything."

Van lifers generally agree that the best course of action is to find a safe location quickly and stay there until things improve.

However, this is proving almost impossible in Europe, where public spots have been closed to people living in vehicles due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Murphy.

"If you're living the van life and you have a place to return to, that’s fine," Murphy said. "But if you rely on your van as your primary home, your way of life becomes effectively illegal."

Where you live makes all the difference.

While life for van and RV dwellers in the US and Canada is still tough, it's a bit more manageable compared to other places.

Although most state and national park campgrounds are closed, "dispersed camping" remains permitted on certain public lands. These include the 245 million acres of rangelands, mountain ranges, and deserts, primarily in the western U.S., managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Additionally, the National Forest Service oversees 193 million acres of public forests and grasslands.

Matt Alexander, who operates a site called 'Enjoy the Journey' and contributes to the YouTube channel 'Tiny House Giant Journey,' has settled on BLM land in the Nevada desert.

He has groceries delivered to Amazon lockers to minimize his time in stores. His only neighbors are rabbits, and he enjoys his mornings sipping coffee on the roof deck with his Chihuahua, Stella. Despite the challenges, he remains content, finding no envy for those in city life.

"I feel safer out here, far from cities and urban chaos," Alexander said during a Zoom call from his couch. "There's a sense of peace and tranquility in nature—watching the sun rise and set every day, unaffected by the coronavirus."

According to BLM rules, "dispersed campers" must find isolated spots and move every 14 days.

Alexander had hoped that the two-week rule would be relaxed during the pandemic, as he believed enforcing it could potentially accelerate the spread of the virus.

The BLM recently reaffirmed that the two-week rule is still in effect, urging individuals to check with local BLM offices for additional guidance and to follow local and state public health recommendations when visiting public lands.

Anyone following Alexander’s approach will find no access to electricity, showers, or bathrooms, as BLM has closed all facilities. Campers must rely entirely on self-sufficient systems like solar panels and water tanks in their vans or RVs.

Elsa Rhae and her boyfriend run a YouTube channel that provides a raw, unfiltered look at their off-grid van life, or ‘scamp’ life, emphasizing that it’s far more challenging than the polished videos often portray.

"I would NOT recommend van life (or scamp life) in situations like this," Rhae wrote in an email. "While it’s amazing to be immersed in nature, many people who dream of this lifestyle have never experienced camping in the wild!"

She also made an important point, shared by many van lifers: "I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything, and honestly, I can’t think of a better place to be right now."

Plans have changed, and staying put has become the new normal.

For Heather Gallant Reilly and her husband Randy, both retired – Heather from a career as a flight attendant and Randy from the Air Force – their RV has become their permanent home.

Since leaving Ottawa last fall, they’ve been capturing sunsets, snapping photos of breathtaking vistas, and meeting fellow RV travelers along the way. Their adventure led them all the way to Arizona, where they embraced their new RV lifestyle.

“It’s been better than we ever imagined,” Reilly shared. “Well, aside from everything that’s happening right now.”

As Heather chatted via Zoom, Randy was busy in the background of their RV's compact kitchen, popping in a word here and there while hurriedly preparing batch after batch of soup.

They’re now heading back to Canada, planning to stay near family for the foreseeable future. Upon arrival, they’ll have to spend two weeks in quarantine inside their RV, never even stepping foot inside a grocery store.

On their road trip back, they've had some luck. They found numerous US RV parks still open with basic services, but discovered that many Canadian parks had stopped taking new bookings.

After some luck, they managed to secure a spot in Canada for a month, but they’ll take it one day at a time after that. Still, they’re confident that choosing a mobile lifestyle was the right call.

“I honestly can’t imagine living any other way,” Reilly said after her husband finished chopping vegetables with impressive speed. “It’s the freedom, the simplicity – you realize you don’t need much to be happy.”

Stetler has noticed a significant shift in her customer base, with the average age dropping from the mid-60s to the mid-40s.

Starting in February, Stetler noticed a small surge in people seeking RVs for their peaceful, secluded spaces. Even as a future getaway, owning an RV lets you control your expenses, your guests, and the cleanliness.

This sense of security inspired Stetler to help healthcare workers by offering RVs for them to quarantine in away from their families. Through her advisory group, she launched the Coronavirus Assistance Fund, raising funds and rallying support from others in the RV industry.

“Owning an RV is a kind of safety net,” said Stetler. “In the first hour alone, we received eight requests.”

There truly is no place like your own home – even if it's tiny, tiny.

This tight-knit nomadic community, traditionally made up of individuals who’ve sought freedom from conventional society, has always been quick to lend a hand when needed.

Since the pandemic began, they’ve turned to websites and Facebook groups to connect mobile home owners with those offering parking spaces, driveways, and even plots of farmland. However, as the situation evolves, these offers may become less frequent as communities grow increasingly cautious of outsiders.

This community of van dwellers, tent campers, school bus inhabitants, and even former military vehicle residents is determined to endure.

“What sets tiny house dwellers apart is our extra layer of resilience,” said Bryce Langston, who runs the highly popular YouTube channel ‘Living Big in a Tiny House,’ which boasts over 3 million subscribers and has even inspired a book.

Langston was starring in a New Zealand soap opera when his character was written off. This event sparked his interest in alternative living, prompting him to start creating videos about it in 2013.

Living in a mortgage- and rent-free home may prove to be a key advantage for Langston, especially during an economic downturn that threatens to put many out of work and reduce the ad revenue that he and other YouTubers rely on.

“This whole situation really reinforces to me just how wise my decision was,” he reflected.

Langston believes that as the coronavirus crisis continues, alternative living will likely become an even more appealing option for those seeking stability and security.

“I know I have a place I can always return to. It might not be the biggest house, but it's beautiful and it’s mine. Especially in times like these, it’s a place that makes me feel safe,” he said.

Here is a collection of helpful resources for those living in mobile homes and vans: