A nurse working to fight the coronavirus in California lives in a 75-square-foot van with his wife and 2 cats

Sophie-Claire HoellerJul 15, 2020, 03:40 IST

Danny Rekart and Lindsey Graham have been together for 13 years, and married for five.Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Danny Rekart and Lindsey Graham live in a 75-square-foot van with their two cats, Mogley and Bagherra.
They have been traveling since 2016, when Rekart started working as a travel nurse, and living in a self-converted van since 2019.
When he's not camping or backpacking, Rekart works as an ICU nurse on the coronavirus floor of a Southern California hospital.
Rekart and Graham love the van lifestyle, as it brings them closer to nature. It also means Rekart can avoid commuting, as the van is often parked on the hospital grounds.

Danny Rekart, 34, is a traveling ICU nurse. Currently, he's working on the coronavirus floor of a South California hospital.

At the end of a long day fighting COVID-19, Rekart goes home to his wife, Lindsey Graham, 33, and two cats, Mogley and Bagherra.

Luckily, home is only a few feet away: It's a 75-square- foot self-converted van that's often parked on hospital grounds.

Keep scrolling to see what being a traveling nurse living van life to the fullest is like.

Danny Rekart has been a travel nurse since 2016.

Before Rekart's first contract as a travel nurse in Los Angeles, California, they had never lived anywhere but St. Louis, Missouri. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Rekart and his wife, Lindsey Graham, spent four years bouncing between temporary apartments before deciding to try living in a van.

Graham says they "fell into van life" because of Rekart's job. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Once they decided to give van life a go they made it happen within weeks.

They did all of the conversion work themselves. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

They converted the van entirely themselves, spending about five months on the build.

They say they watched a ton of YouTube tutorials to figure out how to do things. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

They renovated the van without any prior experience. They did research, watched YouTube tutorials, "and hoped for the best."

A big kitchen was their main focus. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

"The style that we went with was a wooden look, with cabinets and such — we wanted it to feel like a real home," Graham said.

Butcher block counters add a homey vibe. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

They're currently in Southern California, with Rekart working on the coronavirus floor of a local hospital.

Rekart has been a travel nurse since 2016. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

They were in Baja Mexico on vacation in February when the coronavirus situation really began getting serious in California. Things were pretty normal before they left.

They were in Baja Mexico when the coronavirus situation really began getting serious in California. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Rekart worries about getting Graham sick, but they've figured out a few ways to minimize risks.

They consider the outdoors their living room. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

They limit their grocery store runs to once a week, and usually "boondock."

They have a top-loading fridge. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Lately, they've been stationed on the hospital parking lot to make things more convenient for Rekart.

They have movie nights. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

Graham says that they really only live on 75-square feet when they're in a city, and that van life has allowed them to spend more time outdoors.

They love how van life gets them closer to nature. Lindsey and Danny Van Life

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