VickiHi, I’m Vicki. Originally from the very rural north Cotswolds, since I left there nearly 20 years ago I haven’t stopped moving (26 house moves in 20 years to be precise…..!) I moved into Phoenix my camper van on April 13th 2022 with Marley my beautiful canine companion.
I went through some interesting thoughts and experiences on my transition into van life – and have had a damn sight more since taking the leap haha! Having noticed some rather embellished accounts of the van lifestyle I wanted to come here and share with you; the good, the bad and of course the ugly.
Sadly, I didn’t convert Phoenix though I’ve spent some time making her my own; fitting new storage, putting in some new wiring and fitting a new fridge and of course making her all homely with some art and compulsory cushions! Having been in the van for a short time I already know I want to venture into self build territory but thats for later in the year…. There’s much summer fun to be had first.
How did I end up on this path?
Well, without really realising and only now with hindsight I have been side stepping inside living for most of my 30’s. On any annual leave I had I always sought out eco camps, havens of peace – often off grid to get away from it all. Submersing myself in nature and being around like minded people (or no people at all!) was where I found myself at maximum happiness. I hadn’t really considered that actually I could make that my full time lifestyle until more recently, when I started crossing paths and developing friendships in my new home of Devon with people that lived the off grid life. Fast forward to a heavily emotionally charged relationship breakdown at the beginning of the year and the loss of my ex partner turned best friend to cancer last year – I was forced to sit and take a long hard look at myself, who I am and where I want to be. I could also go on a rant about society, how it is intentionally designed, how much I value my freedom and how I feel about the current social climate – but I will save that for another post 😉 But from there on in the decision to embark on van life was born…..!
Obviously this stirred up so many questions and uncertainties, for someone who has a very active mind it made for some sleepless nights.
Where will I sleep?
Where will I shower?
What will people think of me?
Where will I go?
What van do I want?
Where will I get water?
What happens if I get ill?
What I do pack in my van?
What if it doesn’t work?
But on the flip side of that I was full of excitement to meet new people, travel to new locations, be outside of my comfort zone, learn new things and get some of those all important “waking up in a beautiful place” moments.
Many of those questions that came up prior to moving into Phoenix have been answered – I’ll cover more of that another time. But for now, in a nutshell thats me in the context of van life.
Peace 🙂