A WOMAN who lives in a minivan has revealed the sneaky trick she uses to save hundreds a month on water and how she even has WiFi.
Julia Dutra, who is currently travelling across the US in her trusty mobile home, took to her YouTube channel to share her top van life hacks with viewers.
Julia Dutra explains how she saves money on water living in her minivan
She makes use of her £20 a month gym membership to shower six days a week
Stopping off in Charlotte, North Carolina, Julia walked her followers through her daily routine, including food shopping and a trip to the laundrette.
However, given the limited space of her van, she can’t have all the creature comforts on hand and one of the questions she is asked most frequently is how she stays clean on the road.
Julia explained: “The last thing I want to do today to get myself cleaned up is go to the gym.
“I have a Planet Fitness membership which costs me around £20 ($26usd) per month
“I go to the gym six days a week…and since I’m already there to shower I figured I’d start working out.”
Going to the gym allows Julia to wash regularly and keep up her personal hygiene despite her unique living situation.
She also explained how she manages to keep up her job and YouTube activity remotely while living on the move.
First of all, she makes use of the free WiFi in public libraries when she needs to pack in a full day of work.
This is especially good, she added, as most libraries have workspaces, charging ports and even water bottle refills.
However, if she can’t find a library or just fancies watching a movie in her van, she uses the hotspot on her phone.
This makes use of the device’s internet connection via mobile data to effectively convert the phone into a portable WiFi router.
Switching on the hotspot allows Julia to hook her laptop up to the internet and work, stream or just relax.
However, she is only able to do this as her service provider offers a plan with unlimited data included in the monthly cost, which for Julia is around £20.
Not every phone company offers such a plan and hotspots use up a lot of data, which can result in steep extra charges if you use more than the limit on your policy.
Make sure to check with your service provider before making extensive use of your hotspot so you don’t get caught out by added fees.
As for Julia, she is still working towards her goal of visiting every US state and national park in her beloved van.
She even has WiFi through her phone’s mobile hotspot
Julia is travelling to every US state and national park in her trusty mobile home