Fed up With Rising Rent, One Woman Abandoned the Traditional Path to Live in Her Car, but She Says the Real Challenge Isn’t the Space
A different life.
Rent prices pushed Bella Roams to ditch her apartment and move into her Subaru, and nearly a year later, she says the biggest challenge isn’t the cramped car space: it’s keeping her life, and her goldendoodle, on a schedule. According to PEOPLE, Bella, 39, made the leap in July 2025 after relocating from San Diego to Washington state. She’d been staying with her parents but balked at the idea of signing another lease.
She packed her belongings into storage and moved into her car. The decision was born from a refusal to keep up with skyrocketing costs. “It was kind of a decision that was made under duress, but it ended up being a gift in a lot of ways.” She didn’t tell anyone at first, worried she’d be talked out of it. Instead, she posted a TikTok video announcing the move.
The clip racked up over 250,000 views, and her account now has 43,000 followers tuning in to watch her nomadic life unfold. Her parents, who live on a houseboat and travel through the Pacific Northwest’s San Juan Islands, were concerned. Bella pushed back, asking, “Why are you so concerned for me? You live on a boat, how safe is it out on the water?” Eventually, they came around.
Bella says her job hasn’t skipped a beat
She works remotely for a business development nonprofit. “As long as I’ve got a strong cell signal, I can work from anywhere,” she explains. The setup isn’t entirely new to her – three years ago, she rented a van for a week-long birthday trip through the Pacific Northwest and fell in love with the freedom.
Nearly a year in, she’s settled into a rhythm. “I know that this is the life that was meant for me. I was meant to be nomadic, I was meant to live a more free and autonomous life,” she says. The experience has reshaped her perspective, too.
“No matter where you are, whether you’re in a home, a car, or a billionaire living on an island, happiness is cultivated within you, and there is no amount of changing the scenery that’s going to change that,” she reflects. “But having to dive really deep into myself while I’m out on this journey has showed me that there’s no better place to do it than out in nature, out at a beach, out in the forest.”
Bella mostly stays within Northwestern Washington, close to family, friends, and the amenities she needs. “I’ve got different places where there are free showers or low-cost showers that you can do coin operated. There are different places that I do my laundry, so I’ve got kind of a set routine within these few counties,” she says.
It’s a system that ensures she meets her basic needs without stress
Living in her car has allowed her to save money, and her next goal is buying a van to take on longer trips through the Western U.S. and all the way down to Central and South America. “I’ve always had an adventurous spirit, and the more cultures that I can experience, the more life experiences that I can collect, the greater value for me,” she says.
Eventually, Bella wants to buy property where she can host other travelers. “I would love to have an additional space, a third space for people that live this life, people within the nomadic community to have a space that they can come and go,” she explains.
“A place for people to spend a night overnight as they’re traveling through, a space for women that want to stay more longterm.” The vision includes a small cabin and garden where she can retire, but for now, she’s focused on the road ahead.
Life in a car isn’t all scenic views and freedom
One of her daily struggles is keeping her space clean and maintaining a routine for her 5-year-old goldendoodle, Lyla. “Every morning around the same time, we get up, she goes out for her potty, we come in, we snuggle, we cuddle for a little bit. I get ready for work, and then we go and I make coffee for myself,” Bella says. The consistency is key for Lyla.
When the weather keeps them cooped up, Bella makes sure to prioritize outdoor time afterward. “As soon as I get off work, we are out in the forest, we are walking on the beach,” she says. Even when she’s cooking, she tries to keep Lyla outside, tethering her to a pavilion, picnic table, or the car with a long chain so she can sniff around and stretch her legs.
Safety hasn’t been a major issue, thanks to her own vigilance and resources like iOverlander, a website that maps out safe overnight parking spots. TikTok has also connected her to fellow nomads, including her friend Josephine, who owns a property in Washington and opens it up to female travelers needing a place to rest.
That online community has become a lifeline
“I don’t feel as lonely on the road, because I always feel like I have this community behind me that has been so supportive of this journey, and I know they love to see whatever I’m going through,” she says. Bella’s content resonates with people across the political spectrum, all of whom share a frustration with the cost of living and the affordability crisis.
“There’s this wide range of people that identify with my content, and I think that people are exhausted. They work hard, they’re responsible, they have careers and homes and obligations, and I think they feel so disconnected from freedom and adventure and spontaneity,” she says.
“I don’t think that they just see someone living in their car, I think they see someone who maybe stepped outside of the script for a little bit and asked what life could look like if they lived outside of the norm,” Bella adds.
(Featured image: Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels)
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