A woman shared the details on how she left her steady job and ended a five-year relationship to live in a van with her dog.

   

Linnea Schmelzer, 26, from Wisconsin, is now living in a vehicle she calls “Togo” in the remote wilderness of Idaho together with her five-year-old German Shepherd, Akela.

Before her nomadic lifestyle, Linnea worked as a field instructor for a wilderness therapy company but now runs her own online health business.

As her desire to travel and get out of her comfort zone grew, Linnea overhauled her entire life, leaving everything behind for wild adventures on the road in her van —which has no running water or a toilet because she is ‘perfectly happy’ without these ‘luxuries’.

 

Instead, the 26-year-old depends on public toilets or uses the wilderness as her bathroom, and she heats up water to use in a showering tent to bath. 

Linnea said that she bought Togo in May 2020 for $20,000 and has spent around $7,500 renovating the van into her home.

She also added that she ended her relationship of five years, noting that she did think they’d be ‘together forever’ but the decision to part was mutual and they remained good friends.    

“I did enjoy my life prior to the van,” she told Daily Mail. “It was filled with building my future, spending time with friends, working on my relationship with my partner at the time, and being really active in more ways than one.”

“[But] I will say though, I was excited about something different and more fulfilling,” she said. “I knew in my heart that my life wasn’t really what I wanted it to be.”

“I was seeking more depth, purpose, travels, and experiences, so I decided to get Togo.”

Linnea said that she did all of the work on Togo herself, including the installation of cabinets, mirrors, a bed frame, and electricity.

But, she did not add a shower, a water pump, or toilet because she wants to keep it simple, and uses public toilets or the wilderness to go to the bathroom.  

When it comes to bathing, she heats up water and pours it into a 6L dromedary bag, using a shower tent that is stored in the vehicle.

 Linnea kept most of her outdoor equipment in a space under her bed, which she refers to as her ‘garage’.

“I wanted Togo to feel like a tiny cabin,” Linnea said. “I knew I would spend the majority of my time alone and wanted a space that felt comforting, earthy, and cozy.”

“My build is very simple; no shower, no water pump, no toilet, but I knew that I would be perfectly happy without those luxuries,” she said. “I truly think it’s beautiful that we all have different definitions of living a content life.”

Meanwhile, her 5-year-old German Shepherd sleeps next to her in the van, and while Akela takes up a lot of space, Linnea says she couldn’t have picked a better travel companion.

“Akela is as comfortable on my bed as she is in our two-person tent in the wilderness,” Linnea said. “She is my ultimate travel partner and companion, and I can’t imagine doing any of this without her.”

“She is also protective of the van and me, which makes me feel much more comfortable knowing that she will always warn me of danger.”

Linnea said that she uses a hotspot on her phone for the internet and has a mini-fridge in her van where she keeps all her food. She also uses a propane stove to cook and lives a healthy, nutritious, and active lifestyle while on the road.

While building Togo, Linnea admits that transitioning to a nomadic lifestyle is very risky, but she learned to trust herself.

“I had an idea for the layout but never actually drew a design, which most people would advise against,” she said. “I just fit things in as I went, and built what I wanted next based on what made sense to me.”

Linnea said that living in a van on the road has not only pushed her to pursue her passion for travel and spending time in nature, the lifestyle also helped her to find inner peace in a way that she had never been able to before.  

“I love living the way I do,” she explained. “I value my alone time and being in nature. I am often at peace, excited for what I will witness or see in each area and I mostly feel really grounded.”