From Stages to State Lines: Cruisin’ with East Coast Musicians Anna and Alex

Meet Alex & Anna

Hey there! We’re Anna and Alex, a couple of musicians from Florida who decided to trade rent payments for a home on wheels. The journey started with a simple idea—building something together that was entirely ours. For Alex, it was the challenge of the build. For me (Anna), it had been a long-time dream to live in a van, and once I shared that with Alex, he was all in.

More than anything, vanlife is the most affordable way for us to continue our passion for music. As full-time musicians, keeping expenses low while maintaining the flexibility to travel and perform is essential. Plus, I deal with some gut health issues, so having our own kitchen on the road makes it easier to eat well and stay healthy.

Choosing the Van and the Build Process

Originally, I thought I’d live in an SUV, but the more I researched, the more I saw the possibilities of van conversions. And like many others, our van build journey started with YouTube University. We did the entire conversion ourselves, sticking to a tight budget and learning everything as we went.

Alex has some construction experience, so he handled the structural side of things. But when it came to plumbing and electricity, it was a steep learning curve. The electrical system, in particular, took me four months just to feel comfortable enough to start installing it. We made it work, though, and looking back, one of the most rewarding parts was the design process—choosing colors, making creative decisions, and seeing it all come together. Our van is a mix of white, blue, and honey-colored wood, a simple, calming space that we absolutely love.

Life on the Road

We’re full-time vanlifers and have been living in the van for about a month and a half now. We kicked things off by heading west, mainly because of the abundant resources and information available about camping in the area. Since this was such a massive lifestyle change, we wanted to make the transition as easy as possible. And honestly? It’s been fantastic.

A typical day starts with Alex waking up early, making coffee, stretching outside, and enjoying the view—something neither of us got to do much before. We spend our mornings answering emails, walking trails, and making good meals. Lately, we’ve been focused on recording content for social media, improving our playing, and generally figuring out how to make this lifestyle sustainable for us long-term. It still kind of feels like a vacation, but at the same time, we’re working hard to build something lasting.

A Van Built for Musicians

As musicians, we designed our space to accommodate our instruments and gear. I (Anna) play the violin and needed enough room to stand and play, while Alex, a drummer, had to make space for his electronic instruments and sound equipment. Unfortunately, he had to leave behind a lot of his percussion instruments—no full drum kit or congas on board—but he brought his bongos, snare drum, and recording setup.

Our storage is tight, so we’ve learned to prioritize what we really need. Music always comes first for us, which means our sacrifices have been more about gear than anything else. We didn’t even think about cutting back on lifestyle things—it was all about which instruments could come and which had to stay behind.

Off-Grid Setup: Power, Water, and Amenities

Our electrical system was built on a budget, so it’s pretty basic. We originally had 400 watts of solar, but one of the panels broke, so now we’re down to 200 watts. We also have a DC-DC charger and a plug-in option, though we haven’t really used that since we spend most of our time off-grid.

Our instruments require some power—my loop station and Alex’s MIDI setup both need electricity—so we’re planning to get an external power bank to make sure we can keep making music without draining our system. Right now, we have 200 amp-hours of battery, and we’re making it work.

For water, we have a 36-gallon tank installed under the bed, which is nice since we cook a lot and need to wash dishes frequently. We use a propane camp stove for cooking and have a simple composting toilet (basically a glorified bucket). Staying off-grid for two to three days is manageable, but as city folks, we’re still learning how to stretch that further.

Finding Community on the Road

Surprisingly, we haven’t met many other vanlifers yet. We’ve been visiting friends along the way and keeping in touch with people online, but we haven’t crossed paths with the broader vanlife community just yet. That’ll change soon, though—we’re planning to hit up festivals and meet more people as we continue our travels.

Making a Living on the Road

We’re working a mix of remote and in-person jobs to sustain our travels. I write grants part-time, and we take on seasonal work at music festivals in the Southeast. Ideally, we’d love to travel from festival to festival, playing gigs along the way and making a living through music. This first trip has been more about figuring out the lifestyle, but on our next round, we plan to book shows ahead of time.

Lessons, Hacks, and Advice for Other Musicians

For any musicians thinking about vanlife, our biggest tip is to plan ahead—both in terms of reaching out to communities where you want to play and designing your van for your specific needs. If you’re a violinist like me, make sure your bow won’t hit the ceiling! Think about how you’ll practice, store your instruments, and whether you need extra power for amps or electronic gear.

A big cost-saving tip? Stay put. Moving constantly is expensive—gas adds up fast. We’ve been chasing warm weather, but in the future, we plan to stay in one place for longer stretches to save money.

Future Plans

We’ll be heading back east soon, stopping in Mississippi and Louisiana before working for four months to replenish our funds. After that, we’ll be back on the road in August, this time with a more structured plan to play gigs along the way. We’re reaching out to venues, music communities, and even offering to do odd jobs in exchange for a place to play or a meal.

Follow Our Journey

If you want to keep up with us, check out our social media! Right now, we’re using my personal Instagram, @leanmeanannadean, and we recently started a TikTok called @cruisinwithannaandalex. If you’re in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on May 9th, come see us at The Fat Cat! We’ll also be at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, so stop by and say hi.

Vanlife has already been an incredible adventure, and we’re just getting started. See you on the road!

• Instagram: @leanmeanannadean
• TikTok: @cruisinwithannaandalex