I’m embracing a new chapter I never saw coming—living and working from a van. What started as a quiet idea has become a real plan for healing, freedom, and a fresh way of life.
When we hit 2025, I couldn't help but reflect on how much my life has changed in the past two years. What started as a fleeting thought, a possible way to heal from a difficult time, has slowly evolved into a surprising plan for the future: working and living in a van.
To be honest, I never intended to make this move. It’s not something I ever imagined I'd want to do, but sometimes life has a way of nudging you in unexpected directions, doesn’t it? The changes in my life (which for now remain private 💕) have lead me to reconsider the way I live and work. I’ve realised that the freedom and simplicity of vanlife may be just what I need to get me through the foreseeable.
The Unexpected Path
When I first started considering this, it wasn’t some a-ha moment. It was more like a feeling, a quiet whisper that kept growing louder the more I thought about it. Perhaps the desire to run away a bit, be off grid, avoid new roots that I am not ready for. I needed something that allowed me to connect with the world (and myself) in a different way, without the confines of the same desk and the constant rising bills and suffocating way of modern life. Then when I told people, bracing myself for laughter or ridicule, I got the opposite reaction. Massive support and comments of 'it's so you' have boosted my confidence in the vision.
So, the idea of a van, a tiny home on wheels - has became a source of comfort. Making my world much much smaller feels like the right way to go.
Why living in a Van Feels Right
- A Fresh Start: My life hasn't gone the way I planned, how often does it? So there is no way I am rinsing and repeating. I always said that if I didn't have children, which it turns out I didn't, then I would do something wildly different. I guess this is it.
- Healing in Nature: Last year, I set out on a long hike - one that would take me over 60 miles and five days, from Hereford to my hometown of Cheltenham, ending at my parent's house. It turned out to be one of the most peaceful experiences for my mind in months. Stripping away distractions and focusing solely on the essentials - taking care of my feet, staying hydrated, and nourishing myself - was incredibly calming. The simplicity and presence of it all felt like a reset. I’ve been thinking a lot about how similar this could be to vanlife for me: spending more time in nature, focusing on simple, immediate needs - water, warmth, sustenance - and living more mindfully, without the clutter of screens and distractions.
- Flexibility and Growth: Working from a van is most definitely going to have it's challenges and at first I thought impossible, but I soon realised that if I got out of my own way and started thinking outside of the norm then it is totally do-able. I’ll be able to work from anywhere, take spontaneous trips and embrace a lifestyle that encourages balance and self-care. It’s a lifestyle that although I know won't be easy, it hopefully invites creativity and freedom.
Finding the Right Van for the Journey
Since writing the post above, I’m excited to share that I’ve found a van! It was one of those perfectly timed moments - I stumbled across a listing for a van that ticked all the boxes, and by pure chance, my parents happened to be visiting the same city that very weekend. They were kind enough to go and check it out for me and everything just fell into place from there (with a bit of frantic juggling).
I’ve now had the van for a few weeks, and we've been beavering away at renovating it ever since. Every day it’s starting to feel more and more like my space - a little home on wheels that I can’t wait to take on the road.
I’m really looking forward to sharing more about the transformation and the adventures ahead. (P.S. That’s not me or my van in the image above - promise you’ll see the real one soon! 😀)
So what do you think? Utterly bonkers or ‘why the hell not’?
Comments
Fantastic idea, yes it’s so you. Go out there and enjoy life.