BOZEMAN — Ask yourself this question: Would you rather lose your house or your car? Most folks would probably say they would save the house and lose the car. But what if your house were your car?
“It is kind of terrifying that I would have no transportation and nowhere to live. And I’m in a town where I don’t know anyone,” shares Jennie Timar.
Jennie rolled into Montana about a month ago to enjoy some downhill mountain biking at Big Sky and explore the area in her Nissan van, which doubles as her home.
WATCH: Nomads helping nomads - Bozeman's van life community rallies to support one of their own
Originally from London, Jennie moved to America, settled in Texas, and ultimately decided that the van life suited her. Over the past four years, she has traveled 135,000 miles through 48 states and visited 51 national parks, calculating that she has saved about $250,000 on hotels.
You might wonder why anyone would choose to live in a van. It turns out that this lifestyle is becoming more common. According to Yahoo Finance, the number of American van lifers has increased by 63 percent over the past couple of years, rising from 1.9 million in 2020 to 3.1 million in 2022.
“It’s funny a lot of people think van lifers are just stinky hippies, which some of us are. But we’re also professionals,” says Jennie.
In fact, Jennie is the executive director of a national nonprofit called Hike Bike Alike, which helps veterans and trauma survivors get into outdoor adventures. She runs this nonprofit out of her van, making it a triple threat: home, car, and office.
Which is why Jennie was devastated last week. “I went to Planet Fitness to work out, and I came back out and was like ‘oh I’m going to make some dinner’. And the van wouldn’t start,” Jennie said.
Jennie’s home was towed to a mechanic, where she lived in her van until it was fixed.
“The few times that I’ve had mechanical breakdowns, and I’ve had to go to a mechanic? They actually let me stay because they do understand that this is also my home,” shares Jennie, avoiding the hassle of taking everything she owns out of the van and finding temporary accommodations.
The kindness of the community is one of the big reasons Jennie feels comfortable living the van life. Between the generosity she’s experienced in Gallatin County and the support found in Facebook groups like “Nomads Helping Nomads,” she knows she’s not alone.
“It’s really great, because we all look out for each other and help each other out. The community will come together. We will find a way to get you the part. We will take you wherever you need to go,” Jennie explains.
Now that her van is all fixed up, Jennie is already looking forward to what’s next. She mentions that Banff might be in her future.
