I quit my job and rented out my condo to move into a Tesla with my 2 pets. Despite the challenges, I've never felt happier or safer.
Charissa Cheong
- Stephanie Virovec was once living an average life in her condo in Alberta, Canada.
- One day, she decided to pack everything up and move into a Tesla with her dog and her cat.
A few years ago, I thought I'd never leave my hometown in Alberta, Canada.
That's why I bought a condo, hoping it would be a good investment that might help me to retire earlier in life.
After only a few weeks of living there, I realized I had made a huge mistake. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety at the time and hated living in such a large space by myself. It just wasn't right for me.
I had a growing interest in van-life and the concept of living on the road but was hesitant about pursuing it because buying a van seemed like a very big investment.
So instead of doing something drastic, I decided to move into my car, which at the time was a Mitsubishi, to see if I enjoyed that. I immediately felt so much better living that way, and a week later, I went back to my condo to completely clean it out.
I've been living on the road ever since. Having quit my job I now work online and supplement my income with the rent from my condo, and live in a Tesla Model Y that was gifted to me by my ex-boyfriend.
I'm not alone either. I travel with my two pets, a dog called Snow and a cat called Finley, but I've also been taking thousands of TikTok followers with me, hoping to show them what tiny living can be like.
I moved into my Tesla in the summer of 2022 and have made it into a little home.
Figuring out how to organize everything I need in the car has been a process of trial and error.
At the moment, I've put my dog's bed near the passenger seat, on top of a water cooler where I store food.
In the back of the car, I've got a twin mattress for myself laying across all of the back seats. My cat has a little fluffy donut bed near where I sleep as well.
Thankfully, there's a lot of storage space at the front of the car where I keep some essentials that have helped me get by. For example, I bought a big 800-watt battery that I use for my kettle, so I can make tea, or charge my phone if I need to. I also have a solar panel that I store in the car for charging the battery.
Living out of my car does take a lot of planning. I mostly use public bathrooms but I need to plan out when I'm going to need to use the bathroom or have a shower in advance, to make sure I can have access. Doing the laundry often takes even more planning, as I wash my clothes outdoors and need to wait for them to dry before driving away.
Since I moved into the Tesla last summer, I've probably spent a total of nine months living in it full-time and traveling around the US and Canada. During the winter months, I've previously stayed with my ex-boyfriend, and there have also been times when I've been able to crash with friends at their houses if I needed to, but mainly, my pets and I are pretty happy with our lifestyle.
Living in my car has allowed me to save so much money.
Because I was given the Tesla for free, the biggest costs I've incurred have been parking and charging costs.
However, I've noticed that a lot of places in the US and Canada have free charging points, so I've been able to drive from Las Vegas to Canada for free, which is pretty amazing.
Parking costs can obviously add up, but I've also noticed that there are areas where I can park for free in most cities.
The overall cost has been significantly cheaper than the upkeep of my condo, and I've often thought that I'm saving a lot more than I would be if I was living in a van, where I would probably have to pay for renovations to add bathrooms, running water, and other amenities.
Traveling with my pets has been an absolute dream.
I've always been traveling with a touch-and-go mentality, and have been constantly prepared to stop and try something else if it stops being good for my pets.
But so far, I've noticed that both of them are absolutely thriving.
We spend most of our time outdoors so there's a tonne of adventure time for them. They probably get more walks than other pets I know.
Since I share my life online, I do sometimes get comments accusing me of abusing my pets because they're living in a space that's smaller than a home. But I've noticed that my cat, for example, seems a lot happier on the road. He used to gain a lot of weight in the winter months from living in a house, but now, he explores different places almost every day.
It's also given me huge peace of mind to have them with me while traveling, instead of leaving them in an animal shelter, which a lot of other people need to do when they go on their travels.
I really want people who follow me to know that they aren't failing if they can't afford to buy a house.
So far, I've traveled over 80,000 kilometers in my Tesla, and have visited a bunch of places, such as Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona.
I'm not really sure how long I'll want to live in the Tesla or where I'm going to be next. I think my long-term plan would be to swap into an electric van or live in a tiny house in the woods. I think a lot of the people who follow me now would be interested in either of those journeys, so I'll hopefully continue to document my life on social media.
My overall aim is to show people that there is no one lifestyle that everyone should be living. I strongly believe that people thrive in really different ways.
It's important for me to show people that they are not failing if they can't buy a house. You can choose to do something else and that can be totally accepted and celebrated.
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