Dear Mustacians,
I am a first-time poster and only discovered MMM a few months ago. However I am excited that there is such a thriving community of like-minded people out there who have already taught me so much via the MMM website and forums.
I am going to do an internship in a large tech company for three months this summer in the Seattle/Redmond area. The salary is significantly more than my usual (grad-student stipend). Of course as a Mustacian I want to funnel this extra $$$ straight into my index fund accounts so it can earn interest for years to come rather than throw it at the extremely high short-term rental properties in the area.
I am therefore thinking of purchasing and living in a camper van. Buying a camper van is something I have seriously considered doing anyway - as it offers the opportunity for awesome low-cost surf vacations, and should not depreciate much in value by the time I sell it in 2-3 years when I finish my phd. The cost of the van seems not to be much more than what I would pay for 3 months of rent (around $5k vs $3k).
However I am not really familiar with the area and don't know how feasible it is to live in a camper van over there. I essentially need a (safe) place to park, preferably near a 24 hour gym (shower bathrooms etc), where nobody would be bothered by a camper van sitting there all the time. It would also be good to be within biking distance from grocery stores etc. I also hope to be a bikable distance from that large tech company, or at least near bus routes to get there fairly easily.
If any of you know of such a location, or have any other general advice on moving to Seattle/Redmond for the summer please let me know!
Thanks in advance!
Irish Mustacian (to clarify on the name: I am from Ireland but currently doing a PhD in the states)