My Van Life!
By special request I've decided to write and share some pic's about My Van Life!
After leaving the Marines this year I chose to live in my van full-time, not your typical camper style van but a Merc I converted myself!
Upon leaving I packed all my worldly possessions and hit the road ... I've not looked back since!
For the past year I’ve been living out of my van on and off, between work and adventures. 'Vanning it' is not something new, having had a converted old Vito before this I had a gradual transition into life on four wheels.
For me this modern day ‘nomadic’ style of living, as some refer to it as, is sometimes a challenge yet a rewarding way to live. When the crowds have gone the beach's clear and when the commuters have reached theirs home's I see and hear the wildlife; hare’s, foxes, birds, bats, dear and rabbits, always rabbits.
So when I say living out of my van, I’m not talking about packing a bag and going on a 'glamping' holiday with mates for the weekend, more like I live out of it and it comes with me, like a hermit crab and its shell! It's my life now ... It's simple, things just fit in and I make space, my bed for example is just a fold out foam mattress!
As well as being my van, it's my roof over my head, my bed, sofa, shower, kitchen, drying room, garage, man-cave, kit store, and sometimes even my toilet! It's also a means of transporting more outdoor work/toys than I can really fit in/on at any one time, but nowadays it feels more like home than anywhere else I stay. I do find myself tinkering with my set up and all the little things that make van life a little easier, space saving techniques and things that have more than one use!
Spending this part of my life in this way seems an easy choice to make, in fact it’s a step up from a bivi and a sleeping bag I became accustomed to whilst serving as a Royal Marine. Nowadays, I don’t pay rent, nor a huge mortgage (anymore thank heavens!) which means I can get by on very little and save for adventures! We don’t need much when on the road.
The first one ...
Often when meeting new colleagues or old friends they ask ... Where are you from?Or ... Where are you living now? This seems to catch me out and I say where I’ve just come from ... No fixed abode!
This summer I've done more wild swimming than ever, naturally this lifestyle means I am outside more and with no shower I often look online to find I’m not far from a river where I can have wash. I've found www.wildswimming.co.uk useful, the site suggests plenty of options to have a peaceful dip. When it comes to cold water, well it just feels even more fresh and clean, so crack on!
If anyone else has some tips or has been vanning it for a while then please share your thoughts and experience! I’ll be delighted to hear your stories ... Enjoy the road!
Jonnie Miller
