How I got into living in a van – the short story

For as long as I can remember, I’ve worked factory and farm jobs – sometimes to save for travel. Other times to finance my adventures through Australia and New Zealand. In my 20s, I lived in cars and vans while travelling. That’s when I got hooked on life on the road. There’s something about it that just made sense to me.

Why vanlife feels different in the UK

In the UK, though, vanlife feels different. The mentality here seems to be that if you live in a van, you must be poor – or that you just want to travel and don’t work. But for me, it’s about something else entirely: freedom. A few years ago, my mindset shifted. I was tired of being just another number at work. I hated that I had to hire a dog walker just so my dogs weren’t alone all day while I was stuck at a job I didn’t care about. I was never home, and when I was, I was too tired to do anything. That wasn’t the life I wanted.

Balancing work, travel, and my dogs

Managing my own time, working from my van, and having enough time for my dogs and my health – that’s what I’m working toward now. I’m not out driving around sightseeing, especially in the winter, because I need a continuous power supply. For some vans, power isn’t a huge issue, but mine needs a lot of electricity since I have a fridge and a freezer to store my dogs’ food. If you’re curious about how I power my van for remote work, I’ll be writing more about that soon.

My inspiration for web design

When it comes to web design, my inspiration comes from seeing other people’s setups. If I like something, I save it and think about how I can improve on it or take certain aspects to use in my own designs – not copy, but take inspiration. I just wish there had been more sun in the UK these past few months, because the sun plays a big part in fuelling my creativity.

What’s next? Follow my journey

This is my first blog post, and there will be many more to come. I’ll be writing about living and working from my van, remote work tips, healthy habits I’ve started, and of course, my dogs. If you’re interested in that, follow me on Instagram or YouTube – I’d love to see you there.

Are you living in a van or working remotely? Let’s chat in the comments!