Dating as a Full-Time Solo RVer: It's Complicated

ok let me tell you about trying to use dating apps when your location changes every 3-5 days. its an adventure in itself.

first of all — your dating radius is constantly shifting. one week youre matching with people in Tucson. next week youre in rural utah where the nearest match is 90 miles away and probably a fictional account. the apps dont really know what to do with someone who moves this much.

ive been on maybe a dozen dates in the year and a half since I started van lifing. some observations:

the "so where do you live?" question is always the first landmine. "in a van" gets reactions ranging from "thats so cool" to visible concern to one person who literally said "oh" and stared at her phone for the rest of the meal.

logistics are a nightmare. you cant do the normal dating thing of "want to grab dinner thursday?" because by thursday you might be in a different state. everything has to be spontaneous which sounds romantic but is actually stressful.

some people romanticize it. theyve seen the instagram version and expect you to be this free-spirited adventure goddess. then they see the actual van — the condensation on the windows, the composting toilet behind a curtain, the bed thats 6 inches from the kitchen — and reality sets in.

long-distance is the default. if you actually connect with someone, the relationship immediately becomes long-distance because youre leaving in a week. ive maintained one connection over text for months. hes in denver. I am rarely in denver.

am I giving up? no. has van life made dating harder? absolutely. but it also filters for people who are genuinely interesting and open-minded. anyone who sticks around after "I live in a van and my toilet is a bucket" is a keeper.

still looking. wish me luck.