After sleeping in a converted NYC taxi I have a new respect for the young professionals living in vans to save money

Mistake number two surfaced soon after: We didn't charge our electronics. Luckily, we had enough juice on the laptop to see Nemo reunite with Marlin, but neither of our phones were charged. We ended up switching them to aeroplane mode so they would last overnight.

I was up as soon as the sun rose (around 5:15 AM) -- and the two or so hours of shut-eye in between were choppy.

I intended to go straight from the taxi to my office, but I felt the need to shower before heading to work. Many of the van dwellers I've spoken to use work facilities or their gym for showers and bathrooms -- I had the luxury of going back to my apartment for these amenities, but it still took up an extra hour or so and made me realise just how many moving parts you're dealing with when it comes to this lifestyle.

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The space truly is tiny. I'm all for minimalism -- and have learned to live with less since moving to New York City, where space is a commodity -- but this lifestyle requires the absolute bare minimum.

I only 'lived tiny' for two nights (and I even had access to my apartment), so I didn't exactly miss my 'stuff' ... but I did think about everything I would have to let go if I was doing this full-time. Detaching from my shelves and shelves of books, trophies and keepsakes, and shoes, for instance, would be a major (and difficult) adjustment.

Sound sleep isn't a given, which gets exhausting. I slept no more than eight hours over the course of the two nights (despite the Melatonin!). None of those hours were sound, which made for long work days and general fatigue.

That being said, I did sleep much better the second night, which makes me think that if I were doing this permanently, I would eventually adjust to the space and get my typical seven hours.

Proper preparation takes more time and effort than I was ready for. Once again, I only did this for two days (not a tall task!), but was shocked with the level of preparation required even for just 48 hours.

I typically never worry about my phone battery, or stress about the availability of a bathroom, because outlets and restrooms are always at my fingertips. Living off the grid in a van forced me to think ahead at least 24 hours. I found myself asking questions I rarely ask on a day-to-day basis: Does my phone have enough battery to last the night? When is the next time I'll have access to a bathroom? How early should I set my alarm to have enough time to commute home and shower before work?

In addition to planning for these little things that are typically a given, you have to plan ways to fill time. After night one, I realised that in order for this lifestyle to work (at least, for me), I'd want to spend as little time as possible in the van, using it exclusively to sleep. My initial thought is that this would be easier said than done -- sure, it was easy to kill time for one night, but I imagine planning activities to fill each night would take quite a bit of time and effort.

Despite the sweet views, I probably won't be joining the van dwelling community anytime soon ... but major kudos to those who are making it work.