It didn’t take long for Aubry and Christian Matney to realize that even though it feels like they’re on a constant vacation, they still have to do chores.

The 20-somethings, who met while working for San Antonio–based Lumerit Education, had been living in an apartment on South Broadway when they got the idea in 2016 of converting a Sprinter van into their new home. Self-proclaimed minimal millennials, they say they were “tired of the pressure to grind it out nine-to-five” and of pouring their paychecks into rent. Two weeks after first discussing it, they bought a van. It took several months of work to make it livable, but in June 2017 they moved in, selling their furniture and bringing only the necessities. They adjusted to van life (and the heat) while living in San Antonio during the summer and hit the road in August.

They’ve since been to Michigan, Illinois, South Dakota, Missouri, Washington and Canada, among other stops. Their list of destinations only continues to grow. “A lot of our route has been around family and friends, but also places we really wanted to see,” Christian says. “Part of the beauty of van life is that it’s flexible and you don’t have to plan it all out.”

Now a full-time remote employee with Lumerit, Aubry had spent time traveling for work and knew there were a few things she had to have to make the van work full-time: a way to cook and do dishes, a comfy bed and storage. Beyond that, though, the couple vowed to be flexible. If a new opportunity comes up—such as selling chai tea at a festival with a fellow “van lifer” they’ve met on the road—they pursue it. And if it takes longer to make breakfast or dinner because there’s only one burner, they look at it as more time spent together. “I don’t think there’s much of a template to this,” Christian says. “That’s kind of the fun of it.”

Finding a place to park and sleep at night was one thing they worried about, but they’ve found spaces in safe neighborhoods or out in nature. They have even met up with people who have seen their journey on Instagram (@mnmlmillennials) or YouTube (Minimal Millennials), where videos also generate some income for the pair. They belong to a national gym, which they use to shower, though they admit they’ve also learned to be OK with skipping a shower every now and again.

The couple says they anticipated life away from the constraints of rigid schedules would free up more time—and it did—but they’ve also found they stay busy, working when it fits into their day and night, exploring cities and national parks, managing their social media presence, connecting with other van travelers and cooking (they’re vegan). “We definitely had to learn really early on that we had to make it a priority to do the normal life stuff—laundry, washing the van—which is the stuff you don’t even think about when you’re looking at Instagram,” says Aubry.

3 Favorite Destinations

1 / Kansas City

Eat Messenger Coffee Co. + Ibis Bakery

Do Tour Boulevard Brewing Co.

2 / Washington

Eat Elm Coffee, Seattle

Do Wenatchee National Forest and Mount Rainier

3 / Toronto

Eat Fresh, Doug’s Public Kitchen

Do St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery Historic District